How to Add Music to Instagram Posts, Stories, and Reels
Do you want to add music to your Instagram posts? Here's a complete guide to adding music to feed posts, stories, and reels.
Are you looking for a way to jazz up your Instagram content and get more eyes on your profile? Adding music to your IG posts is a great way to make your posts more interactive, stand out in the crowded Instagram feed, and get more followers.
With over 500,000 influencers actively creating content on the Instagram app, winning users’ attention and building your community is no easy feat. So, editing your posts with your choice of music can work wonders to hook your audience and boost your community.
This post will walk you through all the steps you should know for adding music files to your IG post—be it stories, reels, or feed posts. Let’s get started.
How to add music to your Instagram stories
Stories are the most snackable format to post content on Instagram. You can create stories to maximize your audience engagement, and with 25% of millennials and Gen Z users using IG stories to find products they want to buy—you can also unlock selling opportunities with enticing stories.
Adding music to your stories can make them more appealing. Here’s how you can do it whether you are using the iPhone or an Android phone:
- Open Instagram and navigate to your IG profile and click on the post (+) button on the top right corner.
2. Choose the Story option from the list.
3. Add the graphic or clip that you want to post. Then hit the sticker icon on the top right corner.
4. Select the option to add music.
5. Instagram’s music library will open up. Here, you can browse through a broad selection of songs or pick from trending songs the algorithm has shortlisted. You can also find your saved audio here, so you can add your own music.
6. When you select a track, you can pick an exact section of the song you want to add to your story using the slider.
7. Once you’ve selected the song sequence, you can choose the style you want to add the music sticker to your story.
After you’ve completed all the steps, hit the Done button to add your preferred music to your story.
How to add music to your Instagram reels
Instagram launched reels to promote easily digestible and sticky content in the form of short videos. Reels enjoy great real estate on the platform and can work wonders to bring more exposure for creators and businesses.
If you’ve only started making IG reels or want to get better results, here’s the big secret: music can make your reels more snappy and viral. Let’s look at how you can add music to your reels:
- Go to your profile and hit the post (+) option. Select the Reels option from the list.
2. Click on the music icon on the left to choose your preferred track.
3. Alternatively, you can also add a photo or video clip from your camera roll or record a video directly from your camera. After uploading your media, you’ll find the music icon on the left.
4. Pick your favorite track from Instagram’s music library and select the exact portion of the song you want to add to your reel.
5. Once you’ve added music, click on Preview to see how your reel looks with music.
6. When previewing the reel, you’ll find the microphone icon to record and add voiceover for your reel. Next is the music icon to help you adjust the volume for the original soundtrack.
With that, you just have to hit the Next button, and you’re all set to make your feed livelier with a brand new reel. You can also click the record button and record a voice over.
How to add music to your Instagram video feed posts
While Instagram allowed users to add music to stories and reels effortlessly with its in-app editor, the same was not available for feed posts—until recently. The platform introduced a new feature that lets you add music to any post. This includes Instagram video posts and photos that you publish in the feed. Let’s see how:
- Visit your IG profile and click on the post (+) button. Select Post from the list of options.
- Select the media you want to post—it can include single or multiple pictures and videos.
2. Edit your photos/videos with suitable filters and other settings. Click on the arrow icon once you’re done.
3. You’ll find the feature to Add music. Click on this option and browse through the Instagram music library—including songs selected for you and others categorized into different themes.
4. Once you select a song, you can use the slider to choose the exact portion you want to add. You can also define the clip duration from anywhere between 5 and 90 seconds.
When you’re finished, tap done, and your post will have the trendy music you wanted!
5 apps to find music for Instagram posts
Instagram’s in-app editor is not the only way to add music to your posts. You can find quality audio tracks such as songs and background music for your stories, reels, and feed posts using a bunch of third-party apps.
However, you should know that Instagram doesn’t allow adding unlicensed music. So, let’s look at five third-party apps to find royalty-free music for any theme and how you can source top-notch music for your content.
Epidemic Sound
With an audio library of over 35,000 royalty-free, quality music tracks, Epidemic Sound is one of the most popular third-party apps to add music to IG posts. You can find tracks from songs, podcasts, videos, and trendy social media audios through its powerful search engine.
On top of its seamless search capability, Epidemic Sound also categorizes tracks into popular genres to simplify your search. Here’s the best part: you can choose from 90,000+ sound effects to add a cinematic touch to your posts.
Pricing: Free, Personal ($6/month), Commercial ($12/month)—billed annually
Soundstripe
Soundstripe brings a massive library of royalty-free music for creators and businesses to deliver their message with the right track. Its team of Grammy-winning audio engineers adds over 200 new soundtracks every month.
Soundstripe also offers unlimited licenses to creators packed into its intuitive search interface. You can find songs for any mood, genre, or theme in just a few clicks!
Plus, it offers stem files for every audio—so you can keep only the parts you like, whether it’s the vocals or the drums.
Pricing: Creator ($9.99/month), Pro ($19.99/month), Pro Plus ($33.99/month)—billed annually
TeknoAXE
TeknoAXE is a collection of thousands of soundtracks available in MP3 format. You can download any track you like and add it as original music to your IG posts.
The platform divides its music library into unique genres—from electro and downtempo to drama and Halloween. It’s a great place to find hidden musical gems that you wouldn’t see on other apps.
The best part: all songs are available for free. So, you can easily experiment with different tracks and spice up your IG content.
Pricing: Free
Spotify
Spotify is another great app to add music to your posts in a few clicks. You can directly share any song or podcast with your IG stories from Spotify.
All you need to do is visit the app, open/play the track you want to share, and then click on the share button. This will open up all the options for you to share a track, including Instagram stories.
When you share a track to IG stories, you have the option to add your photos, videos, and text. Spotify’s big and diverse selection of audios is another plus for you.
Pricing: Free, Premium (starting at $9.99/month)—billed annually
Storyblocks
With its vast collection of royalty-free audio tracks, songs, and effects, Storyblocks is a versatile platform to find music for your Instagram posts.
The platform allows you to source and download songs conveniently. You can also edit any track to fit the vibe of your post. What’s more, Storyblocks helps you create customized playlists—so you can systematically store all your music in one place.
All the tracks on the platform are neatly divided by moods, genres, and instruments used. You can also get hundreds of free sound effects to make your content more animated.
Pricing: Free, Basic ($10/month), Unlimited ($15/month)—billed annually
There are so many more video editors for Android and Apple (iOS) that make it easy to add videos to your Instagram posts. TikTok also has a powerful video editing tool you might want to check out.
Conclusion
Instagram has come a long way from being a photo-sharing app. It’s one of the most lucrative avenues for influencers and businesses to monetize their ideas.
If you want to create scroll-stopping IG content to build a thriving community, adding music to your posts is an easy way to level up. This article defines all the steps to include soundtracks to your Instagram posts—using its in-app editor and third-party apps.
So, bookmark this handy guide for your next IG story, reel, or post and get the ball rolling!
You might also want to consider beautifying the Instagram caption with fonts and emojis and make it as attractive as the post.