How to Add Music to a LinkedIn Post

Adding music to a LinkedIn post can instantly make your content stand out in a sea of text and static images, but the platform doesn't make it as straightforward as Instagram or TikTok. You can’t just tap a button and add a trending sound. This guide will walk you through exactly how to add music to your LinkedIn posts, explaining the legal way to source your audio and the practical steps to combine it with your video for a more engaging and professional presence.

Why Bother with Music on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a professional network, so why does audio even matter? Because professionals are still people. We respond to content that makes us feel something. Music is a powerful tool for grabbing attention, setting a tone, and making your brand more memorable. A well-chosen audio track can transform a standard post into a compelling piece of content.

• It Captures Attention: In a fast-scrolling feed, a video with a subtle, professional audio track can cause someone to pause. The movement and sound combination is far more dynamic than a block of text.
• It Conveys Emotion and Brand Vibe: An upbeat, energetic track can make a product launch feel exciting. A calm, thoughtful instrumental can give a case study or testimonial an air of credibility and warmth. It’s an auditory shorthand for your brand’s personality.
• It Increases Engagement: Video content consistently outperforms other formats on social media, and adding audio makes it more polished and complete. This little touch can lead to longer watch times, more comments, and better overall reach.

But before you start, there's one critical thing to understand: LinkedIn does not have a native music library. Unlike other platforms, you cannot add audio directly within the LinkedIn app or website. You need to do the work beforehand in a separate video editing tool.

How to Add Music to a LinkedIn Post: The Step-by-Step Method

The most effective way to add music is by embedding it into a video file before you upload it. This gives you full control and a seamless experience for your viewers. Here’s how to do it correctly from start to finish.

Step 1: Source Your Music Legally

This is the most important step. You can't just download the latest pop song and use it in your company’s video. That’s a fast track to copyright infringement, which can get your post taken down and damage your professional reputation. For business use, you must use music that you have the right to. This means turning to royalty-free music libraries.

Royalty-free doesn't always mean free of cost, but it does mean that once you pay for a license (often through a subscription), you can use the track without paying ongoing royalties. Here are some excellent places to find professional, high-quality music:

• Epidemic Sound: A massive, well-organized library with tracks for every imaginable mood. Their commercial license is perfect for branded content.
• Artlist: Known for its highly curated selection of music from indie artists. A subscription gives you unlimited access to their entire catalog.
• Soundstripe: Another subscription-based service offering a huge variety of radio-quality music and sound effects.
• YouTube Audio Library: A completely free option from Google. You can filter by genre, mood, and attribution requirements. Just be sure to check the license - some tracks require you to credit the artist in your post.
• Canva Pro: If you're already a Canva user, their Pro plan includes a respectable library of audio tracks you can add directly to your video designs.

How to Choose the Right Track

• Match the Mood: Is your video about a celebratory team win? Go for something upbeat. Is it a thoughtful leadership piece? Choose something ambient or inspiring.
• Opt for Instrumental: Unless the lyrics are directly relevant, instrumental tracks are often the safest bet. They won't compete with a voiceover or distract from the visual message.
• Keep it Professional: LinkedIn’s audience is here for business. While your brand might be playful, steer clear of anything too jarring, meme-y, or unprofessional that could undermine your credibility.

Step 2: Create Your Video

Good video content for LinkedIn works best when paired with compelling visuals. Plan your video before you start editing. Good video content for LinkedIn includes:

• Product demonstrations or walkthroughs.
• Behind-the-scenes content showing your company culture.
• Short interviews with team members or industry experts.
• Event recaps or highlight reels.
• Animated infographics or explainer videos.

Step 3: Combine Your Video and Music with an Editor

This is where the magic happens. You’ll use a video editing application to merge your video clips and your chosen audio track. You don’t need to be a Hollywood editor, many simple, user-friendly tools can get the job done quickly.

Recommended Editing Tools:

• For Beginners (Mobile &, Desktop): Canva, CapCut, and InShot are incredibly intuitive. They let you trim clips, add text, and drop in an audio track with just a few taps.
• For Intermediate/Professional Users: Tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve offer much more control but come with a steeper learning curve.

The Editing Process:

1. Import Your Files: Open your editor and import your video clips and the music file you downloaded.
2. Build the Timeline: Drag your video clips onto the main timeline in the order you want them to appear.
3. Add the Audio: Drag your music file onto a separate audio track on the timeline, usually located below the video track.
4. Adjust the Volume: This is crucial. If your video includes someone speaking, the music should be subtle background audio. Lower its volume significantly (a common range for background music is -18dB to -25dB) so it doesn’t overpower the dialogue. If there's no speaking, you can keep the volume higher, but make sure it’s not uncomfortably loud.
5. Trim and Fade: Cut the music track so it starts and stops with the video. Applying a quick "fade in" at the beginning and a "fade out" at the end makes it sound much smoother and more professional.
6. Export Your Video: Once you're happy with the result, export the final video. LinkedIn recommends an MP4 format with H.264 video and AAC audio codecs for best results.

Step 4: Upload Your Finished Video to LinkedIn

Now that you have a single video file with the music baked in, the final step is easy.

1. Navigate to the LinkedIn homepage and click "Start a post."
2. Click the video icon in the creation window.
3. Select the video file you just exported from your computer or phone.
4. Write an engaging caption. Tell your audience what the video is about and why they should care. Add relevant #hashtags and @mention any relevant people or company pages.
5. Add subtitles! Most social media video is viewed with the sound off. LinkedIn has a built-in feature to automatically generate captions. Once you upload your video, look for the option to add or edit captions. This makes your content accessible and ensures your message gets across even without sound.
6. Click "Post" and you're done! Your polished, attention-grabbing video with music is now live in the feed.

Alternative Method: Post a Link to a Song (Spotify, SoundCloud)

If you don't have video content but want to share audio, you can post a direct link from a music streaming service. This works if the music itself is the point of your post.

For example, you could share a song that inspired your team during a big project launch with a caption that tells that story: "This track was our unofficial anthem while we prepared for the big launch. Puts you in the mood to get things done! 🚀"

When you paste a link from Spotify or SoundCloud into your post, LinkedIn will automatically generate a player preview. Viewers can click to listen directly. While less immersive than a native video, it's a simple way to incorporate audio relevant to a story or announcement.

Final Thoughts

Adding music to your LinkedIn posts is an extra step, but it’s a detail that can make your content feel more professional, modern, and engaging. By sourcing your music legally from a royalty-free library and embedding it into your video with an editing tool, you can create memorable content that helps your personal brand or company stand out in the feed.

At the end of the day, creating standout social media content, be it an engaging video or a thoughtful text post, is about consistency. As we built Postbase, our goal was to simplify the logistics so creative professionals can focus on what matters. We streamline the planning, scheduling, and analytics across all your platforms - including video-first formats on LinkedIn, Instagram, and more - so you can spend less time wrestling with tools and more time producing content that connects. After you've created that perfect video with the ideal soundtrack, we make sure it gets published reliably, right on schedule.