Dear WordCount: How do I add a YouTube video to a blog post?

This is the latest installment of Dear WordCount, an advice column that answers your questions about writing, blogging and running a freelance

Dear WordCount:

I watched a skin cancer video that is amazing and I want to put on my blog. I tried to embed it but can’t. Can you please help me? I don’t want a link. I want the screen.

Thanks,

J.

Dear J.:

Sorry you’re having technical difficulties. Adding a YouTube video to blog post seems tricky, but isn’t difficult at all. In fact, YouTube has made it easier than ever.

Here are step-by-step instructions.

Since I use WordPress, these instructions are for embedding a video to a WordPress blog:

1. Create the post you’ll be adding the video to. Leave a blank line or space where you want the video to go.

2. Open a new window on your browser and use it to go to YouTube. Select the video you want to add to your blog post.

3. Look for the “Share” button under the video. If you hover you cursor over it, a little pop up will say “Share or embed this video.” Click on the button.

4. The Share button gives you two choices. The first is linking to the video. If you just want to grab the URL, hover your cursor over the highlighted HTML code and right mouse click on it to copy it and paste it into the appropriate spot in the text of your blog post.

5. Choice No. 2 is embedding the video into your post. To do this, click on the “Embed” button. That opens up a larger window with options for using a secure version of HTTP, privacy enhanced mode or an older version of the embed code – none of which you need to use unless you want to. To find out more about any of these, read this YouTube info page on how to embed a video.

6. The same embed window also offers you 4 options for the size of the video as it will appear on your page, or gives you the choice to create a custom size. Click on the size you want and the appropriate HTML code will appear in the embed code window. Copy the code.

7. Go back to your blog post and paste the code into the spot you’ve chosen for it. Hit “Publish” to publish the post. Note: as I found out when I went through these steps myself, you have to publish the post immediately after adding the video or it might not show up correctly. So make sure all the other elements of the post – headline, tags, links, etc. – are ready to go before adding the video.

YouTube Video Embedding Example: The Bee Tree

I followed my own instructions to copy and paste this video a beekeeper took of removing honey bees from a dead maple tree in the backyard of my sister’s house:

If you learn better seeing something than reading directions, here’s a slideshow from About.com that explains how to embed a video on a WordPress blog post. And here’s a video on embedding videos in WordPress blogs.

If you have a blog on Blogger, here’s a short video on how to add a video to a blog on Blogger. And here’s another.