How to Share Spotify on Instagram

Sharing a favorite song or a perfectly curated playlist from Spotify to your Instagram is one of the best ways to express yourself and connect with your followers. It's more than just sharing audio, it's about sharing a mood, a memory, or a recommendation. This guide will walk you through all the ways you can share your Spotify vibes on Instagram, from the simple, built-in features to more creative methods that will make your content stand out.

The Easiest Method: Sharing a Spotify Song Directly to Your Instagram Story

This is the most direct and popular way to share what you're listening to. Both Spotify and Instagram have streamlined this process, making it incredibly simple. The best part? It adds a clickable link directly in your Story, so your followers can tap it and listen to the song or album themselves.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Open the Spotify App: Navigate to the song, album, playlist, podcast, or artist profile you want to share.
2. Find the Share Menu: On the screen for the item you want to share, look for the three dots (•••) - this is usually located near the title or in the top-right corner. Tap it to open the options menu.
3. Select the Share Option: In the menu that appears, tap "Share." You'll see a list of apps and ways to share the content.
4. Choose Instagram Stories: A menu of apps will pop up. Find and tap on "Instagram Stories." This will automatically close Spotify and open Instagram, creating a new Story draft.
5. Customize Your Story: Instagram will generate a sticker featuring the cover art of what you’re sharing. You can't change the main look of this sticker, but you have full control over the rest of the Story.
   • Resize and Reposition: Pinch the sticker to make it larger or smaller. Drag it anywhere on the screen to place it wherever you think it looks best.
   • Change the Background: Instagram might choose a default gradient background based on the album art. To change it, tap the drawing tool icon at the top, select a color, then tap and hold anywhere on the background for a few seconds. You can also add a photo or video from your camera roll to use as a background before decorating.
   • Add Your Personal Touch: Use all the standard Instagram Story tools to make it your own. Add text, stickers, GIFs, polls, quizzes, or draw on the screen. Context is everything, add a caption like “Song of the day” or “Obsessed with this album!” to start a conversation.
6. Post Your Story: Once you're happy with your creation, tap "Your Story" in the bottom left corner to post it for all your followers to see, or share it with your Close Friends list.

When your followers see the Story, they’ll see a “Play on Spotify” link at the top of their screen, directly below your username. Tapping this will open the song or playlist directly in their Spotify app.

Using Instagram's Music Library to Enhance Your Posts and Reels

Sometimes you don't necessarily want to share a direct link from Spotify - you just want to use a song as the soundtrack for your content. This is where Instagram's own built-in music library comes in handy. It’s perfect for adding audio to static feed posts, Stories, and, most importantly, Reels.

Add Music to an Instagram Story

If you're creating a Story with a photo or video, you can add background music directly within Instagram. This provides a viewing experience where the music plays automatically, instead of requiring your followers to click a link.

1. Open the Instagram app and swipe right to open the Story camera.
2. Take a photo, record a video, or select one from your gallery.
3. Tap the sticker icon (the smiley face in a square) at the top of the screen.
4. Select the "Music" sticker.
5. Search for the song you want to add. You can browse by popular tracks, genres, or search for a specific title or artist.
6. Once you select a song, you can choose which 15-second clip to use by sliding the bar at the bottom.
7. You can also customize the appearance. Choose between lyrics that appear on screen, a small song info sticker, or just album art.
8. Tap "Done" and place the sticker wherever you please on your Story before posting.

Add Music to an Instagram Reel

Music is the heart of a great Reel. Finding a trending song you discovered on Spotify and using it in your own Reel is a massive driver of organic growth.

1. Open the Reels editor by tapping the plus (+) icon and selecting "Reel."
2. On the left-hand menu, tap the "Audio" icon (a music note).
3. Search Instagram’s music library just like you would for a Story. Find the trending song or classic track you need for your video.
4. Select your song and use the slider to pick the exact part you want. Keep in mind that for Reels, you can use clips up to 90 seconds long depending on your video length.
5. Record your video clips or upload them from your camera roll. The audio you selected will play in the background, making it easy to time your transitions and actions to the beat.

Add Music to a Feed Post

A more recent feature, you can now add music to single-image and carousel posts in your feed.

1. Start creating a new post by tapping the plus (+) icon and selecting "Post."
2. Choose your photo or series of photos and go through the editing steps.
3. On the final screen before publishing (where you write your caption), you’ll see an option for "Add Music." Tap it.
4. Search for and select a song from Instagram's library.
5. You can choose the duration of the audio clip (from 5 to 90 seconds) and which part of the song you want to feature.
6. Tap "Done," finish writing your caption, and share. Your post will now appear in the feed with your chosen track playing automatically as people scroll past.

Creative Strategies for Brands, Creators, and Music Lovers

If you want to go beyond the basics, there are plenty of creative ways to weave Spotify into your Instagram content strategy. These methods are excellent for DJs, artists, podcasters, brands curating a vibe, or any creator looking to share their taste in a visually appealing way.

1. Create a "Now Playing" Experience with Screen Recordings

The standard Spotify share sticker is great, but a dynamic video can be even more engaging. A short screen recording of a song playing in the Spotify app is a popular aesthetic for sharing music in Reels or Stories without relying on the native sticker.

• How to do it: Open Spotify and start playing a song. Open the app’s "Now Playing" view, especially if it has a looping video art (Canvas) or animated lyrics. Start a screen recording on your phone for 10-15 seconds. Stop the recording, trim the video to your liking, and you have a perfect, atmospheric clip to upload to your Instagram Story or use as a starting point for a Reel.
• Why it works: It feels more personal and less like an ad. Viewers get to see a slice of your authentic listening experience. You can layer text, GIFs, or even a voiceover on top of it.
• Important Note on Copyright: Always use short clips (typically under 15 seconds) and focus on adding your own creative commentary or context. The goal isn't to re-upload the entire song, it's to share a snippet as a recommendation. Tag the artist and encourage followers to listen to the full version on Spotify to give credit and drive listens.

2. The Aesthetic Screenshot Method

Simplicity can be powerful. A well-placed screenshot of your "Now Playing" screen on Spotify can be a stylish way to share your listen.

• How to do it: Take a clean screenshot of the song playing in the Spotify app. Then, go to create a new Instagram Story. Select the screenshot from your camera roll. Now, you can build a more branded or visually unique story around it. Use your brand’s fonts, colors, or create a template where the screenshot is one element in a larger design.
• Pro Tip: Create a reusable Canva template that has a cutout for your screenshot. This keeps your "Now Playing" stories consistent with your brand’s look and feel, making them instantly recognizable to your followers.

3. Showcase Your Playlists in Your Bio

A single song is fleeting, but a well-curated playlist can become a valuable resource for your followers. Create playlists that align with your brand's identity and share them in the one place people always look: your link in bio.

• How to do it: First, create a public playlist on Spotify. Go to the playlist, tap the three dots (•••), select "Share," and then "Copy link." Next, use a link-in-bio tool to add this link to your Instagram bio.
• Creative Playlist Ideas for Brands:
  • A cafe: "Sunday Morning Coffee" playlist.
  • A fitness brand: "High-Energy Workout Mix."
  • A design agency: "Creative Flow Focus" playlist.
  • A retail fashion store: "Brand New Looks, Brand New Sounds" playlist.
• Promote it! Whenever you update the playlist, create a Story or Reel mentioning that new tracks have been added and direct people to the link in your bio. It gives your followers a reason to keep coming back.

4. Get Visual with Spotify Codes

Spotify Codes are unique, scannable codes that look like soundwaves. They are a fun, interactive way to share anything on Spotify, from a song to a full playlist.

• How to do it: On any shareable item in Spotify, tap the three dots. You'll see the item's cover art with the soundwave-like Spotify Code underneath it. Take a screenshot of this. You can then crop it down to just the cover art and code.
• How to use it on Instagram: Incorporate this image into a graphic for a feed post or Story. In your caption or text overlay, you can simply write: "Screenshot this and scan it in the Spotify app to listen!" To scan it, another user opens their Spotify app, goes to the Search tab, taps the camera icon, and aims it at the code. This is a clever way to encourage engagement and drive listeners directly to your chosen music.

Final Thoughts

From a quick Story share to a full campaign built around curated playlists, sharing Spotify on Instagram is a fun and effective way to connect with your community. You can show your personality, provide value, and give your brand a more authentic voice by leveraging the powerful connection we all have with music.

Thinking about how and when to schedule these different kinds of posts can be half the battle. At Postbase, we wanted to make that part easier. Our visual calendar lets you plan all your content - from standard posts to Reels and Stories - in one clean view, so you can easily see how your Spotify-inspired content fits into your weekly or monthly strategy. Organizing your ideas this way gives you more creative headspace and helps you keep your social presence feeling consistent and fresh.