How to Add Trending Audio to Instagram Reels

Using trending audio is one of the quickest ways to get more eyes on your Instagram Reels. It taps into songs and sounds people are already looking for, helping the algorithm show your content to a wider audience. This guide provides a straightforward breakdown of how to find trending audio and add it to your Reels to increase your reach and engagement.

Understanding Why Trending Audio Matters

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Using trending audio isn't just about making your videos sound cool, it's a strategic move to work with the Instagram algorithm, not against it. When a sound is trending, it means a lot of people are watching, sharing, and creating with it. Instagram's system takes notice and prioritizes showing more content that incorporates that sound.

Here’s the simple breakdown:

• Increased Discoverability: Instagram often groups Reels using the same sound on an audio page. If your Reel is a good one, it could show up high on that page, acting as another way for new accounts to find you.
• Higher Engagement: Familiar sounds can stop people from scrolling past your video. When someone recognizes a popular song or soundbite, they’re more likely to watch longer, which signals to the algorithm that your content is valuable.
• Cultural Relevance: Joining a trend shows you’re paying attention. It makes your brand or account feel current and connected to what’s happening on the platform right now, making you more relatable to your audience.

Think of it like this: posting a Reel with no sound or an obscure one is like starting a brand-new conversation. Posting with a trending sound is like joining a massive, popular conversation already in progress. It's much easier to get heard.

How to Find Trending Audio on Instagram

Finding the right sounds might feel like a treasure hunt, but there are several clear signals and places to look. Here are four effective methods, from the most obvious to the more strategic.

Method 1: By Scrolling Your Reels Feed (The Organic Way)

This is the most common way to discover what’s hot. Chances are, you're already doing it every day. As you scroll through your Reels feed, pay close attention to the audio at the bottom of the screen.

How to spot a trend:

1. Look for a tiny, upward-pointing arrow next to the audio name. This is Instagram's official icon indicating that a sound is trending.
2. Notice repetition. If you hear the same sound clip three or four times in a short scrolling session, your ears are telling you it’s a trend, even if it doesn't have the arrow icon yet.

What to do when you find one:

Don't let it slip away! When you find an audio you might want to use, tap on the audio name at the bottom of the Reel. This will take you to the audio's main page. From there, tap "Save Audio." This adds the sound to your personal library, making it easy to find when you're ready to create.

Method 2: Use the Audio Browser in the Reels Editor

If you'd rather search actively than scroll passively, you can find trends directly within the Reels editor.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Open the Instagram app and tap the "+" icon to create a new Reel.
2. On the left-hand navigation menu of the camera screen, tap the music note icon labeled "Audio."
3. The audio browser will open. At the top, you’ll see a search bar and several playlists or categories. Look for categories like "Trending" or check the recommendations under the "For You" tab.
4. Scroll through the suggestions. Again, look for songs with the upward arrow icon. You can tap the play button to preview the sound and the save flag icon to add it to your "Saved" audio library for later.

Method 3: Check Top Reels Within Your Niche Hashtags

Sometimes, trends are specific to a certain community or niche. What’s trending for food bloggers might be completely different from what’s trending for fitness coaches or local coffee shops. To find trends relevant to your audience, use hashtags.

How to find niche trends:

1. Go to the Instagram search tab and type in a hashtag relevant to your field (e.g., #interiordesign, #smallbusinessowner, #travelhacks).
2. Tap on that hashtag and navigate to the "Reels" tab.
3. Instagram shows you top-performing Reels for that hashtag. Scroll through them and see which sounds are being used over and over. This is a powerful way to find audio that already resonates with the exact audience you’re trying to reach.
4. Once you spot a sound, save it for later, as described in the first method.

Method 4: Look for Instagram's 'Reels Trends' Report

For those with a Creator or Business account, Instagram sometimes provides a built-in trend report. Its location and name can change, but it’s usually found in your Professional Dashboard.

1. Go to your profile and tap "Professional Dashboard."
2. Look for a section or link titled something like "Reels trends" or "Trending Audio."
3. This feature curates a list of rapidly rising sounds on the platform, giving you a chance to hop on sounds before they reach peak saturation.

How to Add Trending Audio to Your Reel

Okay, you’ve saved a bunch of awesome sounds. Now it’s time to put them to use. The process differs slightly depending on whether you're recording on the spot or uploading clips you've already filmed.

Scenario 1: Adding Audio Before You Record a New Reel

This method is best if you want to sync your actions or lip-sync to the audio in real-time. It’s perfect for dance challenges, lip-sync skits, or tutorials where you point to text bubbles that appear in time with the music.

1. Open up the Reels camera.
2. Tap the "Audio" icon on the left menu.
3. Navigate to your "Saved" audio or search for a new sound. Once you select one, a timeline of the track will appear at the bottom.
4. Use the slider to scrub through the audio and select the exact clip you want to use. Most trends use a specific 15-second part of a song, so getting this right is important. Tap "Done." when you’ve chosen your segment.
5. You'll be returned to the camera screen with the audio loaded. When you hit the record button, the sound will play, allowing you to match your recording to the sound perfectly.

Scenario 2: Adding Audio After You've Uploaded Video Clips

This method is ideal for montages, before-and-after reveals, tutorials, or any video you’ve pre-filmed and edited outside of Instagram.

1. From the Reels editor, upload the video clips from your camera roll. Arrange them in the order you want.
2. Tap "Next." You'll now be on the main editing screen where you can add text, stickers, and filters. Along the top, you'll see a music note icon. Tap it.
3. Select your trending audio from your "Saved" list or find a new one.
4. Now for a very important step: tap "Controls" or "Edit." This will bring up two volume sliders: one for "Camera audio" (the original sound from your video clips) and one for your chosen music track.
5. Adjust the volumes accordingly. For a video montage set to music, you’ll probably slide "Camera audio" down to 0 and keep the music at 100. For a "talking head" tutorial where you want the music to be quiet background noise, you might set "Camera audio" to 100 and the music down to 10-20.

Mixing the volume correctly is what separates polished-looking Reels from amateur ones. It ensures your message is clear and the sound complements, rather than overpowers, your video.

Best Practices for Using Trending Audio

Just finding and adding the audio isn't enough. To make it truly effective, keep these tips in mind:

• Match the Vibe: Make sure the energy of the audio aligns with the energy of your video. An upbeat, chaotic sound on a calm, aesthetic video can be confusing for the viewer.
• Don't Be Late to the Party: Trends move fast. If you see a sound that’s been around for weeks, it may be on its way out. Try to jump on trends as they are rising, not after they've already peaked.
• It's Not Just About the Song: Many trends are tied to a specific format - a certain type of joke, a lip-sync line, or a text-on-screen reveal. Pay attention to how others are using the sound and adapt the concept for your own niche.
• Balance Trends with Originality: Building a brand on social media is a balancing act. If you *only* post trendy content, your feed can begin to feel generic. Mix in Reels that use your own original voiceovers or simple, non-trending background music. This shows your audience who you are beyond the trends.

A Quick Note on 'Original Audio'

While this guide focuses on trending audio, never underestimate the power of making your own! When you upload a Reel with a sound that hasn’t been used before - like your own voiceover offering a useful tip or a funny soundbite - Instagram tags it as "Original Audio." If other people find it entertaining or useful, they can use your audio in their own Reels. If your sound takes off, it can drive tons of traffic back to your account, as you're a click away from every video that uses it.

Final Thoughts

Adding trending audio to your Instagram Reels is a simple, effective tactic to boost your visibility and connect with a bigger audience. By consistently finding relevant sounds, matching them to your content, and getting the technical details right - like timing and volume - you give every Reel you post a much better chance to succeed.

Consistently creating content that jumps on timely trends requires a good plan. Instead of scrambling to create a video at the last minute, having a calendar dedicated to your content strategy makes a huge difference. At Postbase, we designed our visual content calendar specifically for people who care about modern social media - that means short-form video comes first. You can plan your Reels weeks ahead, see all your scheduled posts at a glance, and feel confident that your video is a reliable tool that won't get in your way.