How to Add Music to Instagram Reels

There are more ways to add music to Instagram Reels than most people realize. Inside the Instagram app, you can pull from the music library, lift audio from another Reel you’ve seen, or upload your own track. And now, if you’re scheduling Reels through Metricool, you can add trending audio directly from the planner. 

This guide walks through every method, when to use each, and the best practices that separate a Reel that gets surfaced in Explore from one that gets scrolled past.

Why Audio Choice Matters More Than People Realize

Three reasons your audio pick carries more weight than your caption or your cover:

• The Algorithm Tracks It: Reels using trending audio get surfaced more in Explore and the Reels tab. Instagram reads “this audio is in motion right now” as a relevance signal and rewards Reels that use it while it’s still trending.
• It Drives the First Three Seconds: Up to 50% of viewers drop off before the four-second mark. Audio that hooks instantly (a popular song, a recognizable trend, a punchy original sound) keeps people watching longer than silent video or unfamiliar background tracks.
• It Sets the Tone Before the Visual Does: Music tells viewers what kind of content this is going to be before they’ve read a caption or fully processed a frame. Get the mood right and they stay; get it wrong and they scroll.

How to Add Music to Instagram Reels in the App

If you’re not sure how to find music for Instagram Reels, the Instagram app gives you three options: browse the music library, use audio from a Reel you’ve seen, or upload your own track. Pick the one that fits how you’re working.

Add Music from the Instagram Library

1. Open Instagram and tap the + icon, then select Reel
2. Tap the Music icon in the tool menu on the left
3. Search by song name, artist, or genre, or scroll through trending sounds
4. Pick the section of the song you want using the slider, then tap Done
5. Record or upload your video, then continue to caption, cover, and share

Pink spots on the slider show which parts of the song other Reels are using most often. Those are the parts most viewers will recognize. You can also add audio after recording by tapping the music note icon inside the editor.

Use Audio from Another Reel You’ve Seen

1. On the Reel using the audio you want, tap the music note icon at the bottom of the screen
2. On the audio’s page, tap Use audio
3. Instagram opens the Reel creation flow with that audio already attached

This is the cleanest way to ride a trending sound, because you can see how the audio’s been performing before committing to it.

Use Your Own Audio File

If you want to use a voiceover, an original sound, or a custom track you’ve made:

1. Open the Reels editor and tap the audio icon
2. Tap Import (the music note with a plus sign)
3. Choose the file from your device
4. Adjust the timing to sync with your video

A Few Things to Know

• If You Don’t See the Music Option: Update your Instagram app. Music features depend on having the latest version.
• Personal Accounts Have a Smaller Library: Switching to a creator or business account (Settings > Account type) opens up the full catalog. The switch takes about 30 seconds.
• Some Songs Are Restricted Regionally: If a track shows up in your library, it’s cleared for you to use. If it doesn’t, licensing is the usual reason.

How to Add Trending Audio to Reels Scheduled in Metricool

For a long time, scheduling a Reel from outside Instagram meant losing access to trending audio. You’d schedule the video without sound, then go back into Instagram after it posted to add the song manually, which mostly defeated the point of scheduling.

Instagram has now opened audio access to tools like Metricool, so you can pick a track inside the planner and have it attached when the Reel publishes.

Here’s how:

1. Go to Planner in Metricool and click Create post
2. Select Instagram and choose Reel from the format dropdown
3. Under Instagram Presets, click Add Audio
4. Search by track name, browse the trending sounds, or upload your own audio file
5. Adjust the levels between your video audio and the added track
6. Finish your Reel, write your caption, and schedule

Two things worth knowing before you commit:

• The Library Is Smaller Than In-App: Only songs licensed for use outside Instagram come through, so the selection is smaller than Instagram’s full music library. Trending sounds and most widely-used tracks are there. Some specific commercial songs are only available natively.
• No Audio Preview Before Publishing: Once scheduled, your Reel publishes exactly how you set it up. You won’t see a video preview with the audio added before that, so balance the volume carefully before scheduling.

If the audio you want isn’t in Metricool’s library, switch that Reel to manual publishing instead. When it’s time to publish, you’ll get a notification on your phone, the video downloads to your device, and Instagram opens so you can finish adding the audio natively. A few extra taps, but you keep the trending track and your scheduled calendar.

Native or Metricool: Which Should You Use to Add Trending Audio to Reels?

Both methods get music onto your Reel. The right one depends on how you work:

• Native (Instagram App): Best for posting in real time, for using songs that aren’t in Metricool’s library, or for adding interactive stickers in the same flow. It’s the best option if you’re posting on the fly without a plan.
• Metricool: Best for batching content, keeping your full social calendar in one place, and posting at the times your audience is actually online (Metricool’s Best Times to Post feature uses your account’s specific data).

Most teams end up using both: Metricool for the planned content that makes up the bulk of the calendar, native for the spontaneous posts that pop up between batches.

Best Practices for Adding Music in Reels

A good Reel depends on more than visuals alone. Audio shapes the mood, pacing, and overall feel of the content. Even a simple clip can feel more engaging when the music fits naturally. Here are a few things worth paying attention to no matter how you add music to your Reels.

Match the Music to the Content

Trending audio can help your Reel reach more people, but only when the sound actually fits the story you’re telling. A trending hyper-fast comedy track on a sentimental product video will usually feel disconnected, even if the sound itself is popular. People scroll quickly when something feels off.

Think about the emotion you want viewers to feel. A skincare tutorial, café vlog, or behind-the-scenes workspace video often works better with calmer audio. Product launches, event recaps, or transition-heavy fashion Reels usually benefit from more energetic tracks.

The goal goes beyond views. You want people to stop, watch, and remember the content.

Match the Tempo to the Pacing

The speed of your edits matters more than most people realize. Fast-paced editing paired with slow music can feel awkward, while calm footage paired with aggressive audio can feel chaotic.

If your Reel includes:

• Quick cuts
• Multiple camera angles
• Text popping up every second
• Rapid transitions

…then faster music usually feels more natural.

On the other hand, slower audio tends to work better for:

• Tutorials
• Product closeups
• Day-in-the-life content
• Aesthetic or cinematic clips

When the visuals and music move together, the Reel feels smoother and easier to watch from start to finish.

Sync Visual Beats to Audio Beats

One of the easiest ways to make a Reel feel more polished is syncing edits to the beat of the music. This does not need to be perfect frame-by-frame editing either. Even simple timing improvements make a noticeable difference.

Try aligning:

• Scene cuts
• Transitions
• Text appearances
• Zoom effects
• Product reveals

…with major beats or sound changes in the track.

For example, if the beat drops right as you reveal the finished product, the moment feels more intentional and satisfying. Small details like this help keep viewers watching longer.

Balance Your Audio if You Have Voiceover

Background music should support your voice instead of competing with it. If viewers struggle to hear what you’re saying, they’re more likely to skip the Reel entirely.

A simple rule:

• Keep voiceovers loud and clear
• Lower background music enough that it stays in the background

Most editing apps like CapCut, InShot, Adobe Express, and Instagram’s editor let you adjust audio levels separately. Spending an extra minute here is worth it because uneven audio is one of the fastest ways content starts to feel difficult to watch.

A good test is listening once without headphones. If the voice sounds buried, lower the music more.

Check Music Licensing Before Boosting

A song being available inside Instagram does not automatically mean you can use it in paid ads. This catches a lot of brands and freelancers off guard.

Many tracks are cleared for organic content only. If you try boosting a Reel later, you may run into restrictions or have the promotion rejected.

Before putting ad spend behind a Reel:

1. Double-check the audio licensing
2. Confirm the track is approved for advertising use
3. Consider swapping in royalty-free or original audio if needed

This matters even more for agencies, freelancers managing client accounts, and small businesses running paid campaigns on tight budgets.

Switch to a Creator or Business Instagram Account

If you’re still using a personal Instagram account for content creation or brand work, your music options may be more limited.

Creator and business accounts usually unlock:

• A larger audio library
• Better analytics
• Audience insights
• Performance tracking for Reels

That extra data helps you spot patterns over time. Maybe upbeat audio performs better with your audience, or maybe voiceover-heavy Reels keep people watching longer. Insights like that make future content planning much easier.

For creators, freelancers, and brands posting consistently, switching account types is usually worth it because of the added tools and insights alone.

Make Audio Part of Your Reels Strategy

Audio is one of the few elements you can change in seconds that has a measurable effect on reach. Whether you’re posting in real time or scheduling Reels for the week ahead, picking the right track matters more than most other creative decisions you’ll make on a Reel.

If you’ve been doing the awkward two-step (schedule from a tool, then jump into Instagram to add the audio), Metricool now handles the whole thing in one screen. Plan your Reels, add trending audio, schedule for the times your audience is online, and watch how each one performs from the same dashboard.