How to Share Music on Instagram

Adding the perfect song to your Instagram content can be the difference between a post that gets scrolled past and one that stops people in their tracks. That's because music isn't just background noise, it's a tool for setting the mood, telling a story, and connecting with your audience on an emotional level. This guide breaks down exactly how to share music on Instagram across Stories, Reels, Feed posts, and even your Notes, so you can make every piece of content count.

The Easiest Way: Adding Music to Your Instagram Story

Instagram Stories are the most popular and straightforward place to share music. Using an interactive music sticker, you can overlay a song on any photo or video, creating dynamic, engaging content that only lasts for 24 hours. It's perfect for sharing what you're listening to right now, adding energy to a behind-the-scenes video, or finding the right vibe for a mini-slideshow of photos.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Music Sticker

Adding a song to your Story takes less than a minute. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Open the Story Camera: Tap the plus icon (+) at the top of your screen and select "Story," or simply swipe right from your main feed.
2. Create Your Content: Snap a photo, record a video, or upload one from your camera roll by swiping up.
3. Access the Sticker Tray: Tap the sticker icon (the smiley face in a square) at the top of the editing screen.
4. Select the Music Sticker: In the sticker tray, find and tap the "Music" sticker. This will open up Instagram's sprawling music library.
5. Find Your Song: You'll see two main tabs: "For You" offers personalized suggestions, and "Browse" lets you explore by categories like genre, mood, or what's trending. You can also use the search bar at the top to find a specific artist or song title.
6. Customize the Clip: Once you select a song, you can choose a segment to use in your Story. By default, Stories with still images can feature music clips up to 15 seconds long.
   • Use the slider bar at the bottom to scrub through the song and find the exact part you want to play.
   • For many popular songs, Instagram provides lyrics that display automatically. You can toggle through different lyric animations and styles by tapping the icons just above the slider. Some songs also just have the album art or smaller sticker options if you prefer a more subtle look.
7. Place Your Sticker and Share: After choosing your clip and style, tap "Done." You can now pinch, rotate, and drag the sticker anywhere on your screen. When you're happy with the placement, share it to your Story!

Powering Your Reach: How to Add Music to Reels

Reels are designed to be discovered, and audio is one of the most powerful discovery engines on the platform. Using trending audio or the perfect song can dramatically increase your Reel's chances of being seen by people who don't follow you yet. Unlike Stories, sound is non-negotiable for Reels - it’s baked into the experience.

Choosing Audio for Your Reel

You have a few ways to add sound to your Reels, each serving a different creative purpose.

1. From the Instagram Music Library:

• Start a New Reel: Tap the plus icon (+) and select "Reel."
• Open the Audio Browser: Before or after recording your video clips, tap the audio icon (a musical note) on the left-hand toolbar.
• Search and Select: Just like with Stories, you can search for a track, browse trending songs, or check your saved audio. Once you tap a song, you can listen to a preview.
• Choose Your Section: When you've found the right song, tap it and then use the slider to select the specific segment you want for your Reel, which can be up to 90 seconds long. Tap "Done."
• Record or Add Clips: Now you can record your video clips, and the music will play in the background, making it easier to time your edits to the beat.

2. From Another Creator's Reel:

See a Reel with a sound you love? You can easily borrow it for your own creation.

• Find the Audio Source: At the bottom-left of the Reel, tap on the song or audio title.
• Use the Audio: This will take you to the main audio page, showing all the Reels that have used that sound. Tap the "Use audio" button at the bottom to open the Reels camera with the sound pre-loaded and ready to go.

Pro Tip: Saving audio you like is a game-changer for content planning. When you’re on an audio page, just tap the "Save audio" bookmark icon. It will be waiting for you in your "Saved" folder the next time you open the audio browser.

Bringing Music to Your Grid: Adding Audio to Feed Posts

For a long time, you couldn't add licensed music to standard video posts on your grid without risking it being muted due to copyright violations. Thankfully, that's changed. Now, you can add tracks from Instagram's music library to your single-video feed posts, much like you would for a Reel.

Here’s how it works:

1. Start a New Post: Tap the plus icon (+) and choose "Post."
2. Select a Video: Choose a video clip from your camera roll. Note: This feature currently only works for single video posts, not photo carousels or posts with multiple videos.
3. Open the Music Editor: Proceed to the final editing screen where you write your caption. Here, tap the music note icon to open the audio options.
4. Find and Add a Song: You'll see an interface identical to the Reels and Stories music library. Search for a song, pick your favorite part using the slider, and tap "Done."
5. Adjust Levels (Optional): Back on the editing screen, tap the music note icon again and select "Controls." Here you'll see two volume sliders: "Camera audio" (the original sound from your video) and "Music." You can adjust them to create a perfect mix - for example, lowering the music volume so viewers can still hear someone talking in your video.
6. Share Your Post: Once the audio is perfect, write your caption, tag accounts, add a location, and hit "Share."

Can You Add Music to a Static Photo Post?

Unfortunately, you can't layer music over a single photo or a carousel of photos on your main Instagram feed directly. The music feature is reserved for video content (Reels and video posts). However, there is a simple workaround:

You can turn your photo into a short video clip. Use a simple video editing app (like CapCut, InShot, or even the built-in video editor on your phone) to create a 5-10 second video where your static photo is the sole visual. Then, upload that video to Instagram and add music using the method described above. It’s an easy way to give a powerful image an emotional soundtrack on your grid.

Quick & Catchy: Sharing Music in Instagram Notes

Instagram Notes is a subtle but fun feature for sharing quick thoughts with your followers or "Close Friends" list. You can also attach a 30-second song clip to your note to broadcast your current mood or anthem.

1. Open Your Direct Messages: Go to your Instagram inbox by tapping the messenger icon at the top-right.
2. Create a Note: Tap the plus icon on your own profile picture at the top of your messages.
3. Add Music: Below the text field "Share a thought...", you'll see a small music note icon. Tap it.
4. Select a Song Clip: This opens the music library. Search for a song, choose your 30-second snip, and tap "Done." Your song choice will appear along with your written note.
5. Share It: Choose whether to share the note with "Followers you follow back" or "Close Friends," and tap "Share."

The Rules of the Road: Copyright, Business Accounts, & Your Own Music

While adding music on Instagram is usually simple, understanding the "why" behind what's available can save you a ton of headaches, especially if you're running a business account or are an artist yourself.

Creator vs. Business Accounts: Why Can't I Find a Song?

Ever jump on a hot trend only to discover you can't find the viral song everyone else is using? The reason is likely your account type.

• Creator & Personal Accounts: These accounts have access to Instagram's full music library, which includes millions of popular, commercial songs from major artists. This is thanks to licensing agreements Meta has secured with record labels. The understanding is that this music is for personal, non-commercial entertainment.
• Business Accounts: These accounts have a much more limited selection of music from the Meta Sound Collection. This library consists of royalty-free music that is licensed for commercial use (meaning ads, promotions, and brand content). Because brands are using the music to make a profit, the rights are different. Instagram restricts them from using popular music to avoid major copyright issues for both the brand and the platform.

If you're a brand and absolutely need to use a popular song, you must obtain a license for it yourself, edit it into your video, and upload it as original audio. But be warned: this can be expensive and complex.

Using Your Own Original Music

Are you an artist, band, or producer looking to promote your own music on Instagram? When you upload a video with a sound that isn't in Instagram's library, it becomes a piece of "Original Audio." Anyone can then use your original audio in their own Reels, which can be an amazing organic marketing tool!

But how do you get your song officially listed in Instagram's Music Library so anyone can search for it and use it in Stories and Reels? You need to work with a digital music distributor. Services like DistroKid, TuneCore, or CD Baby upload your music to major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, but they also distribute it to social platforms like Instagram and TikTok at the same time. Once it’s submitted, it will appear in the music sticker and audio browser, officially available for the world to use.

Final Thoughts

From a quick 15-second teaser in a Story to a full-blown narrative set to music in a Reel, sound is an essential ingredient for standout content on Instagram. By pairing the right song with your visuals, you can grab attention, spark emotion, and make what you share far more memorable for your audience.

Once you've created your amazing, music-driven content, managing it all can be a challenge. As social moves more and more toward short-form video, creators and brands need tools built for that reality. That's why we designed Postbase from the ground up to be video-first. We make it simple to plan, schedule, and publish Reels and other video content across all your platforms from one clean, visual calendar, ensuring your accounts always stay connected and your posts publish reliably every single time.