How to Add Voice Text to an Instagram Reel

Want your Instagram Reels to do the talking for you? Using the platform’s built-in text-to-speech feature - often called voice text - is a simple and popular way to add narration, humor, or clear instructions to your videos without recording your own voice. This guide walks you through exactly how to add that viral AI voice, shows you how to record your own voiceover for more personal content, and shares a few ideas to help your Reels connect with your audience.

Why Should You Add Voice to Your Instagram Reels?

You might see creators adding automated voices to their content and wonder, "What's the point?" It turns out, this simple feature packs a big punch and can seriously boost your Reel's performance. It’s more than just a passing trend - it solves some real content creation problems.

Here’s why it’s worth your time:

• It Captures Attention Immediately: In a fast-scrolling feed, an unexpected voice can make someone stop and listen. The unique cadence of the text-to-speech voices is now instantly recognizable and can grab a viewer's attention faster than text alone.
• Accessibility is Huge: Not everyone consumes content with the sound on. In fact, many people scroll through social media in quiet environments like an office or public transit. Text-to-speech provides context that might otherwise be lost on silent viewers. At the same time, it makes content more accessible for users with visual impairments, who can listen to the narration.
• It Adds Personality and Humor: The slightly robotic, deadpan delivery of the text-to-speech voice is perfect for sarcasm, observational humor, and self-aware commentary. You can create a funny contrast between the emotionless voice and dramatic or chaotic on-screen action.
• Great for Simple Storytelling: Don’t want to talk on camera? No problem. Use voice text to narrate a day in your life, walk through the steps of a recipe, or tell a behind-the-scenes story about your business. It allows you to be a storyteller without feeling the pressure to perform on camera.

How to Add Text-to-Speech to Your Reel (The Viral AI Voice)

This is the method most people are looking for when they talk about "voice text." It uses Instagram’s built-in tool to generate a computerized voice that reads your on-screen text aloud. It’s incredibly easy to do. Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Create or Upload Your Reel

Start by opening the Instagram app and navigating to the Reels creator. You can get there by swiping right from your home feed or tapping the '+' icon at the bottom and selecting 'Reel.' Record your video clips directly in the app or upload a pre-made video from your camera roll. Arrange and trim your clips as needed on the first screen, then tap Next to move to the main editing interface.

Step 2: Add Your Text

Once you’re in the editor (where you see icons for music, text, stickers, etc.), tap the ‘Aa’ icon at the top right of the screen to open the text tool. Type out the words you want the voice to say. Remember, the voice will read exactly what you type, so check for spelling and punctuation. Keep your text phrases relatively short for better pacing. Once you're done typing, you can customize the font, color, and background of the text itself. Tap Done.

Step 3: Activate Text-to-Speech

After you tap 'Done,' your text box will appear on the video preview. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a small white bubble representing the text box you just created. Tap on this bubble.

A menu will pop up with three options: Edit text, Text-to-speech, and Set duration.

Tap on Text-to-speech. From there, you'll be prompted to choose a voice. Instagram currently offers a few different voice options (often labeled "Voice 1" and "Voice 2," with different tones). Select the one you like. The audio will automatically generate. Tap Done to confirm your selection.

Step 4: Adjust the Timing

This is an important step many people miss! The voice will only be audible for as long as the text box appears on screen. By default, the text box might stay on screen for the entire video.

To fix this, tap on your text clip in the timeline at the bottom of the screen. A slider will appear with handles on each end. Drag the handles to adjust when the text appears and how long it stays visible. For instance, if you want the voice to say "Step one" at the beginning of the video, trim the text clip to just the first few seconds. To add more voice text, simply create a new text box and repeat the process, timing it to appear after the first one ends. This allows you to sequence narration perfectly in sync with your video's action.

How to Record Your Own Voiceover

The text-to-speech feature is great for a trendy, impersonal feel, but sometimes you want your Reel to have a more personal touch. Recording your own voiceover is perfect for authentic storytelling, offering encouragement, or giving detailed instructions in your own words.

Step 1: Go to the Audio Mixing Screen

After you have your video clips assembled in the Reel editor, tap the music note icon at the top of the editing screen. This will open the main audio menu where you can add music, sound effects, and more.

Step 2: Select the Voiceover Option

At the top of the audio screen, you'll see a few tabs. Tap on the Voiceover tab near the right. This will take you to a dedicated voice recording interface with your video timeline visible below.

Step 3: Record Your Audio

Use the slider to drag the playhead along your video timeline to the exact point where you want your voiceover to begin. When you're ready, press and hold the red record button at the bottom of the screen. Speak clearly into your phone's microphone. Your recording will continue as long as you hold the button down. To stop recording, simply release the button. You can record your voiceover in multiple segments - just move the playhead to a new spot and repeat the process.

Step 4: Adjust Your Audio Levels

After recording, tap Done. You’ll be taken back to the main audio controls. Here, you'll see volume sliders for different audio tracks: Camera Audio (the original sound from your video clips) and Voiceover. If you want your voice to be the only thing viewers hear, drag the Camera Audio slider all the way down. If you want some background ambient sound, lower the Camera Audio just enough so your voice comes through clearly on top of it. This mixing step is what makes a voiceover sound polished and intentional.

Tips for Making Your Voice Text Reels Stand Out

Knowing the technical steps is one thing, but using the feature effectively is another. Here are a few creative ideas to get you started:

• Narrate the Obvious for Comedic Effect: Use the robotic voice to dryly describe something funny, chaotic, or beautiful happening on screen. For example, a video of a cat knocking over a plant with the voiceover saying, "And here, we observe the majestic feline in its natural habitat of absolute destruction."
• Use it for ASMR-Style Content: Create an "unboxing," "what's in my bag," or "restock with me" video. Instead of speaking, simply point to each item as the text-to-speech voice calmly lists what it is. It's clean, direct, and oddly satisfying to watch.
• Break Down Complex Information: Creating a tutorial? Use the voice to walk viewers through the steps. Film your screen or yourself performing an action and use short, timed text boxes like "First, open the app," "Next, click on settings," and "Finally, save your work." This is much easier for viewers to follow than a long-winded paragraph in the caption.
• React to an On-Screen Question or Comment: Use Instagram's sticker feature to add a Question or Comment to your video, then use the text-to-speech voice as your "response." It creates a fun, conversational dynamic without you ever having to appear on camera.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, adding a voice to your Instagram Reels is a straightforward process whether you choose the popular text-to-speech bot or record your own personal voiceover. By mastering this simple tool, you open up new avenues for storytelling, humor, and providing value to your audience in a clear, accessible way that grabs attention and holds it.

Adding these elements to your Reels is one part of building a great content strategy, but staying consistent requires planning. When you’re juggling multiple ideas for Reels, Shorts, and TikToks, having a visual overview becomes a lifesaver. We designed Postbase because we believe your tools should support a video-first world. Our visual calendar lets you plan and schedule your short-form video content across every platform, so you can stop wrestling with outdated tools and focus on what you do best: creating.