How to Make Your Own Audio on Instagram

Want to start a trend on Instagram? Creating your own audio is one of the most effective ways to see your content take off. This guide will walk you through exactly how to make your own audio for Reels, from the simplest in-app method to more advanced techniques that make your sound stand out.

Why Bother with Original Audio Anyway?

In a sea of trending sounds, creating your own is a real power move. While it might seem like extra work, the payoff is huge, especially if you're trying to build a brand or community organically. Here’s why it’s worth your time:

• It builds your brand identity. An original audio is uniquely yours. It can be a snippet of your unique perspective, a custom sound effect, or a jingle tied to your business. When people hear it, they think of you. You become the source, not just another creator using a popular sound.
• It's free promotion. This is the big one. Every time someone uses your original audio, an automatic credit to your profile is added to their Reel, right at the top of the screen. Viewers can tap this link directly to your page, sending a steady stream of curious new followers your way. It’s like a built-in "shoutout" feature that works while you sleep.
• It puts you in control. Forget scrolling for hours trying to find a sound that sort of fits your video. When you make your own audio, you craft the exact tone, length, and messaging an idea needs. This is creative freedom at its best.
• You can start your own trend. The holy grail of originality on social media. By creating a sound that’s easy for others to lip-sync, react to, or use in their own content, you're not just posting a video - you're kickstarting a conversation and building a community around your content.

The Simplest Way: Creating Original Audio Directly in Reels

You don't need any fancy software or professional equipment to get started. The easiest way to create an original audio is by simply recording a Reel with its own unique sound. This could be your voice, a funny noise, or any sound happening in your environment.

Step-by-Step Guide to Recording in the App

Follow these quick steps to get your first original audio published in minutes:

1. Open the Reels Camera: Go to your Instagram home screen and swipe right, or tap the plus icon and select "Reel" at the bottom.
2. Record Your Video: This is where you create the sound. You don't need to add any music from the Instagram library. Just press the record button and film your clip. You can:
   • Do a voiceover: Tell a story, share a tip, or act out a funny monologue.
   • Capture a unique sound: This could be anything from the satisfying sound of opening a product to an interesting noise your pet makes.
   • Play an instrument: If you're a musician, record a short, catchy riff.
3. Edit Your Reel: Trim your video clips, add text, captions, or any visual effects you want. The key here is to not add a track from the Instagram Music Library, as this would replace your original sound.
4. Prepare to Post and Rename Your Audio: Once you're happy with your video, tap "Next." On the Share screen, look underneath your caption box. You'll see the audio for your reel labeled as "Original audio." Tap on it. A screen will pop up with the option to "Rename audio." This is the most important step! Change the default name to something descriptive and catchy.
5. Share Your Reel: Once you've named your audio, fill out your caption, add hashtags, and hit "Share." That's it! Your audio is now live on Instagram and available for anyone to use.

Tips for a High-Quality In-App Recording

To make your audio sound crisp and clear, keep these simple pointers in mind:

• Find a quiet spot: Record in a room with minimal echo and background noise. A room with soft furniture, rugs, and curtains helps absorb sound and reduce a tinny echo.
• Get close to the mic: Your smartphone's microphone is usually at the bottom. Speak clearly and project your voice toward it without yelling.
• Consider an external mic: If you plan to create voiceovers often, a small lavalier microphone that clips to your shirt can make a world of difference in audio quality and is an affordable investment.

Level Up: Creating Custom Audio with Third-Party Apps

For a more polished and professional sound, using a video editing app before you upload to Instagram gives you way more control. This method is perfect if you want to mix your voice with background music, layer sound effects, or clean up an audio recording to perfection.

Why do it this way? Because you can:

• Fine-tune volume levels: Make sure your voice is clear and the background music isn’t overpowering.
• Add royalty-free music and effects: Add a professional touch with music beds or fun sound effects.
• Edit out mistakes: Remove filler words like "um" or "ah," cut out long pauses, and perfect your timing.

Popular Editing Apps for Custom Audio

You don't need to be a professional video editor to use these apps. Most are highly intuitive and designed for mobile. Some excellent starting points include:

• CapCut: Owned by the same parent company as TikTok, it’s feature-rich, free, and great for easily adding and editing multiple audio tracks.
• InShot: Another fantastic mobile editor that makes it simple to detach audio from a video, trim clips, and add music.
• VN Video Editor: A free option with powerful features, including multitrack audio editing and precise volume controls.

The Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Create Your Assets: First, gather your building blocks. This usually means your video clips and the audio you want to add. You might record a voiceover using your phone’s voice memo app or film your video clips separately.
2. Import into Your Editor: Open your app of choice (like CapCut) and start a new project. Import the video clips you’ll be using.
3. Add and Edit Your Audio: Import your voiceover file or any music tracks. Most editors let you layer these tracks on top of each other in a timeline. This is your chance to shine:
   • Trim the audio to align perfectly with your video clips.
   • Adjust the volume of each track. A common practice is keeping background music between 5-15% volume so the voiceover remains clear.
   • Add sound effects for emphasis (e.g., a "ding" for a good idea or a "whoosh" for a transition).
4. Mind the Music: Always use royalty-free music from a service like Epidemic Sound or Artlist, or from the editing app’s own library to avoid any copyright issues.
5. Export Your Video: Once you’re happy with the final product, export the video to your phone’s camera roll. Your custom audio is now part of the video file.
6. Upload to Instagram: Open Instagram and upload this saved video file to Reels. Follow the exact same process as before: tap "Next," then tap "Original audio" and give it a unique, discoverable name. All your polished hard work is now ready to become the next trending sound!

Making Your Original Audio Catch On

Making the audio is one thing, getting people to use it is another. A great audio is usually simple, shareable, and inspiring. Here's a quick cheat sheet for creating a sound with viral potential:

Keep it Short and Loopable

The best audios are often short - typically under 10 seconds. Think about a single catchy phrase, a funny reaction sound, a satisfying noise, or a perfect loop of music. Brevity makes the audio easy to reuse without needing to create a long, complicated video to match it.

Make it Broadly Relatable

Create audios that tap into universal feelings, struggles, or joys. A sound titled "My Brain When I See a Puppy" or a voiceover saying "Just one more episode... I said five hours ago" is immediately relatable to a huge audience. People will use it because it perfectly captures a thought they've had themselves.

Create a Simple Trend

A good audio often comes with an implicit instruction. Design your sound to be the foundation for a trend. For example:

• Lip-Syncs: An emotional or hilarious line from a movie or a funny, made-up monologue.
• "Point to Text" Formats: A voiceover with clear beats or prompts where creators can add text boxes on screen. Think of sounds like, “Three things I can’t live without…” with pauses in between.
• Before-and-Afters: A two-part audio that naturally fits a transformation reveal.

Give it a Great Name

Don’t skip the "Rename Audio" step! A descriptive, funny, or searchable name makes all the difference. Instead of "Original audio by yourusername," try something like "Awkward Silence Sound Effect" or "Morning Motivation Speech." It helps others understand the context and find it when they search for ideas.

Encourage People to Use It

Don't be shy! In your Reel's caption, directly ask your audience to join in. A simple call-to-action like, "Use this sound to show off your workspace!" or "Who can relate? Use this audio to share your story!" gives people the final nudge they need. Make sure you comment and engage with the first few Reels that use your audio to help it gain early momentum.

Final Thoughts

Creating your own original audio for Instagram Reels is an incredible way to stamp your personality onto your content, reach new audiences, and build a more engaged community. Whether you record a simple voiceover directly in the app or mix a professional track in a third-party editor, the key is to create something authentic, simple, and easy for others to remix.

As you dive deeper into creating unique content, making sure your workflow stays simple and consistent becomes a huge time-saver. At Postbase, we built our social media management platform for exactly this reality. Our visual content calendar helps you plan your Reel ideas - including your original audio concepts - weeks in advance, and our scheduling supports video-first content formats natively. We make it easy to see your whole strategy at a glance, so you can spend less time juggling platforms and more time creating that next trending sound.