Music is a powerful tool for content creators on platforms like Instagram. It not only sets the mood but also significantly boosts audience engagement and strengthens brand recognition. Good news for content creators: Instagram now allows you to add music to your regular feed posts, alongside Reels and Stories, opening up exciting new avenues for connecting with your followers and capturing their attention.
Here’s your guide on how to seamlessly add music to your Instagram posts, Reels, and Stories, taking your content to the next level.
Why Add Music to Your Instagram Content?
While not every Instagram post needs music – sometimes silence can be golden, like in a post showcasing the tranquility of nature – incorporating audio can bring significant advantages. Think of a captivating sunset photo; while visually stunning, adding a soft, ambient track could amplify the feeling of peace and serenity, making it even more impactful.
Here are compelling reasons why you should consider adding music to your Instagram content:
Tell a Story with Sound
Music is a potent storytelling medium, especially when combined with visual content on Instagram Reels and posts. It’s more than just background noise; it’s a way to evoke emotions and control pacing, emphasizing crucial moments in your video content. Imagine using softer musical segments to highlight on-screen text and building up to more energetic parts to amplify engagement during key visuals.
The right soundtrack can drastically alter how viewers perceive your content. Consider a video of someone running through a field. Upbeat, inspirational music might convey joy and freedom, while a dramatic, suspenseful score could suggest a chase or a more intense narrative. Music adds layers of meaning and context to your visual stories.
Ride the Wave of Trending Audio
Trending sounds aren’t just for TikTok dances anymore. By incorporating popular audio tracks into your feed posts and Stories, you can tap into Instagram’s algorithm. Using trending music can increase your content’s visibility on the Explore page, potentially introducing your profile to a broader audience of potential followers. Plus, users searching for a specific trending song might stumble upon your content, expanding your reach organically.
Add Depth and Emotion to Photos
While a picture is worth a thousand words, adding music can add another dimension to static images, intensifying the emotional connection with your audience. Music elevates a simple photo, making it more engaging and memorable.
Furthermore, music enhances relatability. If you share travel photography, a stunning shot of a European cityscape paired with a trending, wanderlust-inducing song is likely to resonate with a wider audience than the photo alone. Music bridges the gap and fosters a stronger connection with viewers.
Screenshot of the editing page for posts on Instagram
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Add Music to Instagram Posts
Ready to add a soundtrack to your Instagram feed posts? Here’s a simple guide:
- Start a New Post: Open the Instagram app and tap the “+” icon at the bottom center of the screen to begin creating a new post. Select “Post” from the options at the bottom.
- Choose Your Photo or Video: Select the photo or video you want to post from your phone’s library. If you want to create a carousel post with multiple images or videos, tap the stacked squares icon above your camera roll, below the image preview.
- Edit and Proceed: Apply any desired filters or edits to your chosen media and then tap “Next” in the top right corner.
- Access the Music Feature: Look for the music note icon at the top of the editing screen and tap it. Alternatively, you can tap “Next” again, and you’ll find the “Add music” option under the caption, tags, and location settings. Instagram will suggest popular tracks, or you can explore the full Instagram music library by tapping the arrow to the right of suggested songs.
- Select Your Song: Browse or search for a song that complements your post.
- Choose Your Music Clip: Once you’ve selected a song, use the trimmer tool at the bottom of the screen to choose the specific section of the song you want to use. You can drag the trimmer along the audio wave to find the perfect clip, and shorten the selection by dragging the ends of the trimmer.
- Finalize and Share: Tap “Done” in the top right corner to confirm your music selection.
- Share Your Post: Complete your post with a caption and any other details, and then tap “Share” to publish your musically enhanced Instagram post.
Adding Music to Other Instagram Content Types
Instagram offers music integration across different content formats, ensuring you can enhance all types of posts with audio.
How to Add Music to an Instagram Story
Stories are perfect for casual, in-the-moment sharing. Adding music to your Instagram Story can inject personality and encourage viewers to watch through to the end. Share your current favorite song, highlight a new music release, or simply add a tune that reflects your mood.
Here’s how to add music to your Stories using the music sticker:
- Create a New Story: Open Instagram and tap the “+” icon on your profile picture in the top left corner to create a new Story.
- Capture or Upload Content: Take a new photo or video directly within the Story interface, or upload existing media from your camera roll.
- Open the Stickers Menu: On the editing screen, tap the Stickers icon, which looks like a smiley face, usually located at the top right corner.
- Select the Music Sticker: From the sticker options, choose “Music.” This will open the Instagram music library. Search for your desired song and select the clip you want to use. You can also tap on the music sticker itself on your Story to choose different display options, such as showing lyrics or a static music player icon.
- Publish Your Story: Tap “Done” to finalize your music selection, and then proceed to share your Story.
Screenshot of the sticker on Instagram to add music to an Instagram story.
How to Add Music to Instagram Reels
Reels are designed for short, engaging video content and are a prime space for utilizing trending music to boost discovery. Tapping into popular sounds can significantly increase your Reel’s visibility in the algorithm, attracting new followers and expanding your reach. Instagram even offers a “Trends” icon to help you discover popular songs currently trending on the platform.
Follow these steps to add music to your Reels:
- Start a New Reel: Open the Instagram app and tap the “+” icon at the bottom of the screen. Select “Reel” from the content type options at the bottom.
- Select Media: Choose the video clips or photos you want to include in your Reel. You can record new content directly within the Reels interface or upload pre-recorded videos and images.
- Proceed to Editing: Tap “Next” to move to the Reel editing screen.
- Access the Music Icon: Look for the music note icon at the top of the screen and tap it to open the Instagram music library.
- Choose Your Song: Search for and select a song that fits your Reel’s vibe and content.
- Select Music Clip: Use the trimmer to choose the desired segment of the song that will play with your Reel.
- Add Captions and Share: Add any desired captions or tags to your Reel. Tap “Done” to finalize your music and edits, and then share your Reel with your audience.
Screenshot of Instagram Reels showing where users have to touch to add music
How to Add Your Own Music or Unique Tracks to Instagram
Want to use your original music or find something truly unique? Instagram’s music library is vast, and if your music is available on platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, or SoundCloud, it’s likely to be accessible within Instagram’s music library. You can also easily share songs or albums directly from streaming apps to your Instagram Story, making it simple for viewers to discover and save your music.
If your music isn’t yet on streaming services, don’t worry. You can play your song in the background while recording a video, or use video editing apps to overlay your music onto your video before uploading to Instagram. Keep in mind that recording music externally might result in slightly lower audio quality compared to using Instagram’s built-in music layering.
For truly unique, custom music, consider using AI music generation tools like Captions AI. This app can create original, royalty-free tracks tailored to your video’s mood and theme, helping your content stand out.
Here’s how to generate custom music with Captions AI:
- Create in Captions App: Open the Captions app and tap “Create.” Upload the video you want to add music to.
- Select Music Feature: Tap “Music” from the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
- Customize Your Track: Choose genres, moods, and themes to guide the AI music generation. You can select multiple options for a more specific sound, like “sad rock” and “mysterious.”
- Generate and Apply: The app will generate a unique track that automatically matches the length of your video. Preview the music, and if you’re satisfied, tap “Apply.”
- Refine Your Music: Edit the music’s intensity, volume, and ducking levels to perfectly blend with your video.
- Export and Share: Tap “Export” to save your video with the new music and then post it to Instagram.
Enhance Your Instagram Content with Music Today
Adding music to your Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels is a game-changer for engagement and content appeal. Whether you choose popular trending tracks or create unique, custom music, audio can transform your visual content and help you connect more deeply with your audience.
Tools like Captions AI empower you to easily create royalty-free, custom music, giving your Instagram content a distinctive edge. Start experimenting with music today and discover how it can elevate your Instagram presence and captivate your followers.
