How to Import Original Audio to Instagram

Tired of your Instagram Reels sounding just like everyone else's? Adding your custom music, sound effects, or voiceover is one of the best ways to make your content stand out and stop the scroll. This guide will walk you through a simple, reliable method to import your original audio to Instagram, plus a few other clever tricks for creating unique soundscapes for your videos.

Why Does Original Audio Matter on Instagram?

In a sea of trending sounds, a unique audio track acts like a beacon for your brand. It immediately signals that your content is different. But the benefits go deeper than just standing out.

• It Fortifies Your Brand Identity: Consistent use of a specific jingle, sound effect, or even a style of voiceover builds an auditory brand that people recognize instantly. Think of the Netflix "ta-dum" sound - that's branding through audio. You can do the same on a smaller scale.
• You Can Become the Trend: Every trending audio on Instagram started as an "Original Audio" from a single creator. If your custom sound is catchy, funny, or useful, other users can save and use it in their own Reels, instantly crediting your account and driving traffic back to your profile.
• It Bypasses Copyright Issues: Are you worried about your Reel getting muted or taken down for using a commercial song you don't have the rights to? Using your audio or royalty-free music is the safest way to avoid copyright strikes and a big headache.
• It Boosts Creativity: Breaking free from the library of trending sounds forces you to think more creatively about how sound complements your video. You can craft a mood, tell a better story, and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

The Foolproof Method: Using a Video Editing App to Add Your Audio

While Instagram doesn't have a direct "upload audio file" button, the most effective and professional method is to attach your audio to your video *before* uploading it to the platform. By using a simple video editing app on your phone, you get complete control over the final product. This method makes your custom sound a permanent part of the video file itself.

Here’s the breakdown, step-by-step.

Step 1: Get Your Audio Ready

First, you need an audio file. This can be anything you've created or have the rights to use. Common examples include:

• A Voiceover: Record a clear narration using your phone's voice memo app or a more professional microphone. Export it as an MP3 or M4A file.
• Custom Music: Did you create a song? Or maybe you commissioned a jingle for your brand? Get the track in a standard audio format.
• Royalty-Free Music: Use a service like Epidemic Sound, Artlist, or even YouTube's Audio Library to find high-quality music you can legally use in your content.
• Sound Effects: Mix multiple sounds, like a "swoosh" effect for a transition and some background coffee shop chatter, to create a unique atmosphere.

Once you have your audio file, save it to your phone's files app (like iCloud Drive on iPhone or Files by Google on Android) so it's easy to access.

Step 2: Choose Your Video Editing App

You don't need expensive desktop software for this. Mobile video editors are incredibly powerful and intuitive. The process is similar across all of them. Here are a few crowd favorites:

• CapCut: Owned by the same company as TikTok, it’s completely free and packed with features. It's fantastic for easily importing audio and syncing it to your video.
• InShot: Another super user-friendly editor that makes it simple to manage video clips and multiple audio layers. It has a free version with a small watermark or a very affordable pro subscription.
• VN Video Editor: A powerful and free option with a clean interface that feels more like a professional desktop editor than a mobile one.

For this tutorial, we'll use CapCut as the example, but the principles are a perfect match for InShot, VN, or any other editor you prefer.

Step 3: Combine Your Video Clips and Audio File

Now it's time to put it all together. This is where you merge your visuals and your sound.

1. Open CapCut and tap "New Project."
2. Select your video clips from your camera roll and tap "Add."
3. With your video timeline open, tap the "Audio" option in the main toolbar at the bottom.
4. Select "Sounds."
5. In the Sounds menu, tap the folder icon (for your files) and then choose "From Device." CapCut will scan and show you all the compatible audio files on your phone.
6. Find your original audio file from Step 1 and tap the "+" icon to add it to your video's timeline.

Your custom audio will now appear as a separate layer beneath your video clips. You can trim it, adjust the volume, and drag it to perfectly align with the action in your video.

Pro Tip: If your original video clips have unwanted background noise, select each clip and tap the "Volume" or "Mute" icon in the editor's toolbar to set their volume to zero. This ensures your custom audio is the only sound people hear.

Step 4: Export a High-Quality Video

Once you're happy with how everything looks and sounds, it's time to save your masterpiece.

• In the top right corner of CapCut (or your chosen editor), tap the resolution setting (usually "1080p"). For Instagram Reels, 1080p is a perfect resolution.
• Set the Frame Rate to 30 frames per second (fps) for smooth playback.
• Tap the Export icon (usually an arrow pointing up). Your editor will merge the video and audio into a single MP4 file and save it directly to your camera roll.

Step 5: Upload to Instagram and Share Your "Original Audio"

Now for the easy part. The audio is baked into your video file, so you just need to upload it as you would any other Reel.

1. Open Instagram and start creating a new Reel.
2. Select your newly exported video from your camera roll.
3. When you get to the edit screen, you’ll see that your audio is already there. You can add text, filters, or any other effects. Make sure Instagram's own music volume is turned all the way down.
4. When you’re ready to share, look at what it says for your audio at the bottom of the screen. It should read "Original Audio."
5. Write your caption, add an engaging cover image, and hit "Share."

That's it! Your video is now on Instagram with your perfectly synced, completely original sound. Your username will be attached to the audio, and if others tap on it, they'll see your profile first as the original creator.

Alternative Ways to Get Unique Sounds on Instagram

The video editor method is the best for pristine quality and control. However, there are a couple of other in-app techniques worth knowing for different situations.

Adding a Voiceover Directly in Reels

If your goal is to narrate a video - like for a tutorial, recipe, or daily vlog - you can do this right inside the Instagram app.

1. Upload your video clip(s) to the Reels editor.
2. In the editing screen, tap the music icon to open the audio controls.
3. You'll see a "Voiceover" button. Tap it.
4. You can move the slider along the video timeline to choose where your voiceover begins.
5. Hold down the red record button to record your narration. You can stop and start multiple times to create different segments.
6. When you're finished, tap "Done." You'll be back on the audio controls screen, where you can now adjust the volume of your original video audio and your new voiceover to get the perfect mix.

"Borrowing" Audio From Another Video of Your Own

Let's say you posted a video with a great sound months ago and want to use it again. Or maybe you want to take the audio from a TikTok and use it on Reels. This workaround uses the audio-extraction trick.

1. Screen record the original video. Play the video you like on your phone and use the built-in screen recording feature to capture it.
2. Open a new project in your video editor. Add the screen recording to the project.
3. Extract the audio. Most editors have an "Extract Audio" tool. In CapCut, for example, you can tap on the video clip and find "Extract Audio" in the bottom toolbar. This separates the sound into its track.
4. Delete the video. After extracting the sound, simply delete the screen-recorded video clip, leaving only the audio track behind.
5. Add your new footage. Now, import the *new* video clips you want to use with this sound. Sync them up, export, and upload to Instagram.

This is a quick and dirty way to "save" an audio that isn't already available in the Instagram library, giving you yet another way to use unique sounds that fit your style.

Final Thoughts

Taking the extra step to add original audio to your Instagram content is a game-changer for building a memorable brand. By preparing your sound file and stitching it together with your video in a mobile editor beforehand, you gain full creative control and produce a professional, polished Reel that truly represents you.

Once you've perfected your videos with killer custom audio, actually getting them published consistently is the next step. I've found that using our visual planning calendar in Postbase makes it incredibly simple to see my content schedule at a glance. I can upload my finished videos, customize the captions for Reels, Shorts, and TikTok all at once, and trust that they'll go live at the right time without me having to worry about it.