How to Make a Sound on Instagram

Creating your own sound on Instagram is one of the most powerful ways to build a recognizable brand and potentially start a trend. This guide breaks down exactly how to create, use, and promote your own original audio for Reels, step-by-step.

Why Bother with Original Audio Anyway?

Jumping on trending audio is a smart strategy, but let's be real - you're borrowing someone else's momentum. When you create your own audio, you're not just making a Reel, you're building an asset. Original audio allows you to stand out in a sea of sameness, injecting your personality, brand voice, or niche expertise directly into your content. It makes you memorable and positions you as a creator, not just a participant.

An original sound can be anything: a snippet of you talking, a customer testimonial, your own music, educational insight, or even just a funny, relatable soundbite. When other creators use your audio, your profile gets credited on every single video, driving free exposure and traffic back to you. Think of it as creating your own little viral engine. It sounds technical, but it’s surprisingly straightforward to do.

How to Make an Original Sound on Instagram Reels

There are a few different ways to create what Instagram calls "Original Audio." It isn't just for musicians or audio engineers. If you can talk into your phone, you can make an original sound. Here are the three main ways to get the job done.

Method 1: The Voiceover

A voiceover is the simplest way to create a usable, original audio clip. You can talk over a silent video or even a clip with existing sound that you want to narrate. This is perfect for tutorials, checklists, day-in-the-life vlogs, and storytelling.

• Step 1: Open the Reels Editor. Tap the plus icon (+) at the bottom of your screen and select "Reel." You can either record a new video right there or upload clips from your phone's camera roll.
• Step 2: Assemble Your Clips. Go ahead and record or select the video you want. Trim it, rearrange it, and get the visuals looking exactly how you want them before you add the voiceover. Tap "Next" when your video is ready.
• Step 3: Access the Audio Tools. On the next screen where you can add text and stickers, look for the music note icon at the top. Tap it.
• Step 4: Select “Voiceover.” You'll see several audio options. Tap "Voiceover." A timeline editor will appear at the bottom of your screen with a red record button.
• Step 5: Record Your Voiceover. Drag the white slider on the timeline to where you want your voiceover to start. Hold down the red button to record, and release it to stop. You can do this in multiple chunks. For example, you can record a line, move the slider, and then record the next line. This gives you more control and prevents you from having to do it all in one perfect take.
• Step 6: Adjust the Volume Levels. Once you've recorded your voiceover, tap "Done." Now you're back on the audio mixing screen. You should see two volume sliders: one for "Camera Audio" (the sound from your original video clips) and one for "Voiceover." If you want only your voice to be heard, slide the "Camera Audio" all the way down to 0. If you want a bit of background ambiance from your original video, you can leave it at a low level, like 10-20.
• Step 7: Finish and Post. Tap "Done." Add your captions, text, and hashtags as you normally would, and then share your Reel. Congratulations, the audio you just recorded is now your very own "Original Audio"!

Method 2: Using the Audio from a Pre-Edited Video

Maybe your audio is already perfect. If you’ve recorded a video on your phone or with a camera and it has clean, clear sound, you don't even need the voiceover tool. Any audio attached to a video you upload becomes your original sound by default on Instagram.

This method is fantastic for:

• Tutorials where you're talking to the camera.
• Behind-the-scenes content with natural sounds.
• Clips of you playing music or singing.
• Funny moments or insightful monologues.

How to Do It:

1. Record and Edit Your Video (Optional): Record your video using your phone's camera app or another editing tool like CapCut or InShot. This gives you more flexibility to trim out "ums" and "ahs," add sound effects, or clean things up before uploading to Instagram.
2. Upload It to Reels: Open the Reels editor, swipe up to access your camera roll, and select your finished video.
3. Skip the Music Selection: When you get to the editing screen (where you can add music or voiceovers), just tap "Next." Don't add any music from the Instagram library. Your video's built-in sound will be used automatically.
4. Write Your Caption & Share: Finalize your Reel with any text overlays or a caption, and hit share. The sound from your video is now a new "Original Audio" track linked back to your account.

It's that simple. Underneath your username on the Reel, it will say "Original audio." Anyone can now tap that audio and use it in their own Reel.

Method 3: Creating a Unique Mix Without "Original Audio" Status

Sometimes, you want the familiarity of a trending song but with your own commentary layered on top. This technique gives you the best of both worlds - it grabs attention with a known track while delivering your own unique message. While the final audio will be credited to the original musical artist (not as "Original Audio"), it creates a content style that is uniquely yours and replicable.

Here’s the step-by-step:

1. Create your Reel Visuals. Upload or record your video clips in the Reels editor as you normally would.
2. Add Your Music. Tap the music note icon and select a song from Instagram's library. This establishes the base layer of your sound.
3. Lower the Music Volume. After adding the song, you'll be taken to the audio controls. You'll see sliders for "Camera Audio" and your chosen song. Drag the song's volume way down - somewhere between 5 and 15 is usually perfect. You want it to be atmosphere, not the main event.
4. Add Your Voiceover on Top. Tap "Voiceover" and record what you want to say over the music. Since the music is playing at a low volume in the background, your voice will come through clearly.
5. Finalize and Post. Adjust the final volumes so everything sounds balanced, and then post your Reel. Your end result is a highly customized post that feels original, even if it uses an existing audio track.

Tips for Making Your Instagram Sound Go Viral

Creating the sound is only half the battle. To turn it into a trend, you need to make it easy and appealing for others to use.

Give Your Audio a Strategic Name

When you post a Reel with original audio, Instagram defaults the name to "Original audio." That's not very helpful or searchable. You need to change it!

After you’ve published your Reel, go to the Reel on your profile. Tap the scrolling audio name at the bottom of the screen. This will take you to the audio page. At the top of the page, tap the current name ("Original audio"). You’ll get an option to rename it. Choose a descriptive and compelling name. For example, instead of "Original audio," try:

• "Funny client request sound"
• "3 Small Business Tips Voiceover"
• "Easy morning routine ASMR"

A good name helps people understand the context and makes them more likely to use it.

Create Audio That Prompts Action

The sounds most likely to take off are the ones that are easily reusable. Make audio that gives other creators a format to follow. Think about:

• Listicle Sounds: "Three things I wish I knew before..." or "My Top 5 favorite..."
• Relatable Soundbites: A short, funny, or frustrating line that many people can lip-sync to.
• Instructional Audio: Sounds that ask a question or have clear on-screen text "pointing" prompts baked in. ("Here's what I bought... and here's what it cost...").

Focus on Clear, Crisp Quality

No one wants to use an audio track that's muffled, full of background noise, or hard to understand. You don't need a professional studio, but a few small things can make a huge difference.

• Record in a quiet space like a closet or small room to reduce echo.
• Use your phone's built-in voice memo app for higher quality recording, then import that file into a video editor.
• Even the simple wired headphones with a built-in mic that come with many phones provide much better audio than the phone's default microphone.

Always Add On-Screen Text

This is non-negotiable. More than 85% of videos on social media are watched with the sound off. If your original audio is just your voice, you absolutely must add on-screen text captions that match what you're saying. This ensures everyone can understand your message and gives them context, making them more likely to turn the sound on and engage with your audio.

Final Thoughts

Creating your own sound on Instagram is a strategy that moves you from content consumer to content creator. Whether it’s a simple voiceover, the audio from a vlog, or a mix of music and narration, it’s a powerful tool for building a distinct and memorable presence on the platform.

Of course, once you start making knockout Reels with amazing original audio, managing your content calendar and keeping up with the engagement can quickly become a full-time job. With our platform, you can visually plan your entire content schedule - including all those video clips ready for their voiceovers - and publish them at the perfect time. At Postbase, we built our tool specifically for today’s video-first social media landscape, making it seamless to manage Reels, TikToks, and Shorts without the usual headaches, so you can spend more time creating and less time juggling apps.