How to Find Music for Instagram Reels

Finding the right song for your Instagram Reel can feel like the difference between five views and five million. With the right audio, a simple video can transform into a viral sensation, but scrolling endlessly through the audio library often feels overwhelming. This guide breaks down exactly where to find good music, how to spot a trend before it peaks, and how to do it efficiently so you can get back to creating.

Why the Right Music is Your Most Powerful Tool on Reels

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Choosing the right audio for your Instagram Reel isn’t just about adding background noise, it’s a strategic move that directly impacts your content's performance. Here’s why it’s so important:

• The Algorithm Loves It: The Instagram algorithm is designed to push content that keeps users on the app longer. Rhythmic, engaging, and trending audio does exactly that. When people like a song, they might watch your Reel multiple times, save it to use the audio later, or even share it. These are all powerful positive signals to the algorithm, which then shows your Reel to more people.
• It Hooks Your Audience Instantly: You have about three seconds to capture someone’s attention as they scroll. A familiar or catchy song is one of the fastest ways to make them stop. It creates an instant emotional connection and frames the context of your video before you even have to say anything.
• It Helps You Join a Conversation: Using a trending sound is like participating in a global inside joke. It connects your content to a larger cultural moment, making it more discoverable and relatable. When a user taps on a piece of audio, they see a feed of all the Reels using that sound - and you want your video to be there.

The Core Methods: Finding Music Directly in the Instagram App

Your first and most direct source for audio is the Instagram app itself. It's designed to help you discover what's currently popular. Here’s a step-by-step approach to navigating its audio features like a pro.

1. Browse the Audio Library While Creating a Reel

This is the most common method. When you start creating a Reel and tap the music note icon to "Add audio," you're taken to the main audio library. Don't just pick the first song you see. Instead, use this page strategically:

• The "For You" Section: This tab is an algorithmically curated list of sounds Instagram *thinks* you'll like based on your past activity - the Reels you watch, the audio you’ve saved, and the creators you follow. It’s a good starting point, but can sometimes feel like an echo chamber.
• The "Browse" Section: This is where you can be more intentional. You'll find categories curated by Instagram, like "New Music Friday," "Upbeat," or seasonal playlists like "Summer Vibes." These are great for finding a specific mood when you're not trying to jump on a specific trend.

Most importantly, look for one key indicator...

2. Look for the Trending Arrow

When you're browsing for music, keep an eye out for a small, diagonal arrow icon (↗) next to a song or sound clip. This is Instagram's official signal that a piece of audio is currently trending. Using one of these sounds gives your Reel a much higher chance of being shown to users who don't follow you yet.

The logic is simple: Instagram wants to show people more of what they're already enjoying. If thousands of people are engaging with Reels that use a specific song, the algorithm will prioritize other Reels that use an audio in that "trend."

3. "Save Audio" to Build Your Own Library

You shouldn't start looking for audio only when you're ready to post. The best content creators are always collecting ideas. Whenever you're scrolling through Reels and you hear a sound you like - whether it’s trending, fits your brand’s vibe, or just sparks a video idea - save it immediately.

How to save audio:

1. Tap on the audio name at the bottom of the Reel.
2. On the audio page, tap the "Save Audio" button.

Now, when you're creating a Reel, you can tap on your "Saved" audio tab in the library and find all your pre-approved tracks waiting for you. This single habit can save you immense time and creative energy.

A Quick Note for Business Accounts

Have you opened the audio library on a Business account and found that you can't access popular songs by mainstream artists? You're not imagining it. Due to music licensing agreements, Instagram provides a more limited selection of royalty-free music for accounts designated as a "Business."

Creator accounts, on the other hand, have access to the full, expansive music library. If your account represents an individual (like an influencer, coach, or artist) and not a more formal business entity, switching your account type from Business to Creator in your settings might be a good call. A Creator account still gives you access to analytics and creator tools but unlocks the full music catalog.

Advanced Strategies: Finding Viral Audio Before It's Everywhere

By the time a song is all over Instagram, the trend is already peaking. To get an edge, you need to look outside the app to see what’s coming next. Here are the top places to find inspiration.

Strategy 1: Become a "TikTok Lurker"

It's the open secret of social media: most viral trends, dances, and audio formats start on TikTok before migrating to Instagram Reels. It usually takes a week or two for a sound to blow up on TikTok and then make the jump.

Set aside 15 minutes a day to scroll through your TikTok "For You" Page. Don’t worry about creating content there - just consume it. Pay attention to:

• Recurring songs or soundbites: If you hear the same audio multiple times in a short session, that's a signal.
• Simple, adaptable formats: Trends based on a soundbite or a simple point-and-reveal format are more likely to cross over to Instagram.

When you find a promising sound on TikTok, tap the search bar and see how many videos have been made with it. If the numbers are high and growing, there's a good chance it will soon be a trending sound on Instagram. Just search for the song name in the Reels audio library a few days later, and you'll likely find it.

Strategy 2: Mine Resurfaced Classics and Original Audio

Not every trending sound is a new pop hit. In fact, many of the biggest trends use sped-up versions of songs from the 80s, 90s, or 2000s. These work incredibly well because they evoke nostalgia across a wide demographic.

Additionally, look out for "Original Audio." These are soundbites uploaded by creators - often from a funny monologue in a movie, a relatable personal story, or a unique sound effect. These can become massive trends on their own. Tapping on "Original Audio" can lead you to a niche but highly engaged community you can create content for.

Strategy 3: Watch What Influencers in Your Niche are Doing

Look at the top Reels from 5-10 successful creators in your niche (or even a shoulder niche). Don't just watch their content - analyze their audio choices.

• Are they using trending pop songs, instrumental music, or niche original audio?
• How early are they adopting trends?
• Do they consistently use a particular style of music that you could adapt for your own brand?

Create a "Saved" collection on Instagram specifically for inspiration from these creators. It can become a strategic resource you turn to when you’re feeling creatively stuck.

Strategy 4: Use Music Chart Playlists

Platforms like Spotify and Billboard actively track what's going viral. Spotify's "Viral 50" playlist is a goldmine for spotting songs that are blowing up, often before they become oversaturated on social media. If you see a song rapidly climbing the charts here, it’s a great candidate for a Reel. It has the popularity to capture attention but may not yet be an exhausted trend on Instagram.

Staying Safe: A Quick Word on Copyright for Brands

For individuals and creators, using music from Instagram’s own library is generally safe. The platform has licensing deals with record labels that cover usage within the app.

However, if you're a brand or business - especially if you plan on using your Reel video in an ad or on another platform like your website - you enter a legal grey area. The licenses Instagram holds often don't extend to commercial use outside of their platform.

To be completely safe, serious businesses should consider using royalty-free music sources. These platforms give you a wider variety of high-quality music and, more importantly, the legal rights to use that music for commercial purposes without risking a takedown notice or lawsuit. Good options include services like Epidemic Sound or Artlist, which offer monthly subscriptions for unlimited access to vast music libraries for this exact purpose.

Final Thoughts

Finding the perfect music for your Reels is a critical skill that blends in-app awareness with proactive trend-spotting. By using the trending arrow, saving audio as you scroll, and keeping an eye on external platforms like TikTok, you can build a reliable system for choosing audio that stops the scroll and gets the algorithm on your side.

Ultimately, a great Reel with the perfect audio is just the beginning. At Postbase, we built our whole platform around the reality that modern social media runs on short-form video. While legacy tools struggle with a video-first workflow across multiple platforms, we designed a system that lets you move seamlessly from creation to scheduling. We focus on being the rock-solid connection between your content plan and your audience, so you can spend less time wrestling with tech and more time creating.