Canva Video Tutorial: 3 Ways to Use Stock Videos on Instagram to Boost Your Engagement

Wondering where you can find free videos for Instagram to keep your viewers engaged? Are all of the stock videos you’re coming across totally boring and drab?

Well, this Canva video tutorial is here to the rescue!  

We all know the content creation process can be grueling and overwhelming.

• What do you post about?
• How do you consistently create quality content?
• How do you KEEP your audience engaged?

And when it comes to creating your own videos on Instagram, well… It can send you into a HEAD SPIN! 😵‍

You can almost feel the creative block clouding your brain.

In this blog, I want to walk you through 3 different ways you can find free videos for Instagram and use stock videos to enhance your Instagram posts. You can easily boost your engagement and make your content more visually appealing, which is exactly what I’ll walk you through in this Canva video tutorial!

If you’re unsure of what Canva is, it’s a free graphic design platform that's great for adding some sparkle into your social media content.

Keep on reading to find out how. 👇

3-Part Canva Video Tutorial For Instagram

WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE 🎥

In this Canva tutorial, you’ll learn how to use their AMAZING selection of stock photos for your reels, feed posts and even in your Instagram stories!

1. How to Use Stock Videos as Part of a Vlog For Instagram Reels 

Does anyone else love those trendy vlog style reels making the rounds on Instagram? 

These super popular reels feature 1 or 2-second clips, set to fun music in a vlog style, and are a BIG hit right now!

What’s great about Canva is it has a HUGE library of stock videos for you to use. You can also find them via sites such as Pexels, Unsplash, or any royalty-free stock sites.

In October I didn't go anywhere or do anything too crazy, so I needed to supplement some of my content with stock videos to add to the story.

It's a really fun way of adding some scenery into your vlog style reels. 

When you create a design in Canva, you can upload your original content there and format it to make it consistent. From there you can add slides and explore Canva’s content library, OR upload stock videos you’ve found on other websites.

It’s as simple as dragging and dropping the content you choose onto the slides. 

For example, I found a super fun video that made it look like I went to happy hour. 😉🥂

It’s about creating visual interest. 

🧡 Playing around with the order 
🧡 Using different overlays
🧡 Getting creative with text

Once you’re happy, you can go and post them on Instagram reels! 

Pro Tip: Make sure you download each individual clip as an MP4 file.

2. How to Use Stock Videos For a Regular IG Feed Post 

Do you have a plain graphic that you want to jazz up to catch the attention of your online audience?
Here’s how you can make it work for you with Canva video. 👇🏻

I LOVE to do ‘tweet posts’ inside of my feed. I often make them using a mockup in Canva or a screenshot from Twitter. But you could do others such as - 

• Reminder Posts
• Quotes
• Statements

Instead of having a plain background, add something more visually appealing.

Video content is BIG right now and tends to trend on Instagram, performing a little higher than regular posts. 

Stock videos are perfect for this. (I use the Social Motion packs because I LOVE their high-quality stock videos) 

Search for something that fits with your brand style. If anything has a sound you can mute it or you can even trim the video. Here are some examples of what I use:

• Nature videos
• Shadows and textures
• Light leaks

You can always lower the opacity of the videos if you don't like how harsh they are. 

Keep them between the 3 and 5-second mark to get maximum results. This is because it'll continuously keep looping on Instagram and boost your views.

It’s a great way to give you a video component to your Instagram strategy WITHOUT having to put your face out there so much!

3. How to Use Stock Videos to Enhance Instagram Stories

If you’re posting something like a question sticker on your IG stories, it can often look boring and be overlooked.

Create something fun instead. ✨

By uploading stock videos and keeping the video to around the 10 to the 15-second mark, you allow the video to play long enough to let people interact with your Instagram story.

Especially if it's a question sticker or poll.

Change up the fonts and the colors. Drag and drop your stock videos, finding what works best for the content. There are all kinds of fun, on-brand clips you can use!

Make it fit YOUR business.

Canva has some great free videos, but I do have to give a little shameless plug here for Social Motion packs. 🙈 If you’re interested in finding stock videos that are -  

1. NOT cheesy
2. Definitely not corny
3. And allow you to achieve an on-brand, cohesive look to your feed

Then check out my favorite stock videos by Social Motion packs HERE.

I hope this blog post helps you add some visual interest to your Instagram Posts and boosts your engagement across the board. 💪

Until next time,

Amber 

xo

WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE 🎥