How to Find Trending Audio on Instagram
Want your Instagram Reels to pop off? One of the best ways to find trending audio on Instagram is to explore the “Reels” feature. Engaging with content creators in your niche and keeping an eye on popular hashtags can also help you stay updated on trending audio on Instagram. Even better, staying active and exploring different content can lead you to discover the latest trends in audio on Instagram.
Reels continue to be the star format on Instagram, achieving the highest reach, according to our annual Instagram study. Instagram’s algorithm pushes short video content, as it drives user engagement and brand awareness. To create a sense of relatability and reference pop culture, you need to know how to find trending audio on Instagram to boost visibility.
We know that trends come and go in a matter of days. Social media managers need to stay on top of these trends to create timely content with the hope of going viral. Using trending audio on Instagram increases your likelihood of being seen by a wider audience or shared by new users.
Trending Audio on Instagram is a ‘Reel’ Game-Changer
Using trending audio can make you go viral on Instagram, one of the leading social media platforms under Meta. This app has over 2 billion active users each month. The Instagram algorithm tends to hype up posts that feature popular audio tracks, giving creators a better chance to expand their reach and connect with a wider audience.
To boost the chances of your IG posts going viral, try incorporating trending music into your Reels, Stories, or even photo posts. Use the beat, lyrics, or story of the song and add some shnazzy images to match.
After the amazing 2025 Super Bowl performance, Kendrik Lamar’s “Not Like Us” track had a massive 430% hike in Spotify streams and a viral trending audio on Instagram. Even the dance has made its imprint in this trend. And what do you think any Instagram user looking to go viral does? Uploads their content ASAP so other users looking for inspo see theirs first!
So, you’ve been doom scrolling for a while and you’ve noticed the creators you follow are uploading new content with the same trending audio. Here’s what you need to do…
Check Out What’s Hot on Instagram Reels
Again, discovering popular songs from viral content can be a great way to identify trending audio on Instagram. It’s not just doom scrolling, it’s creative research! Just tap the Reels icon at the bottom of your app, and you’ll instantly see a variety of videos curated to match your interests.
As you scroll through these Reels and come across a song that catches your ear, tap on the song’s name and artist, displayed at the bottom of the screen.
This will show you how many views the track has racked up and how often it’s been used in other Reels. Using this information, you can pick popular audio tracks and integrate them into your own content, giving your posts a better chance of reaching a wider audience.
1. Open Instagram and tap on the Reels icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. Scroll through the videos and look for the arrow icon next to the audio name, indicating that the sound is trending.
3. Tap on the audio name to see how many reels have used it.
4. If you like the sound, tap Save Audio to use it later.
If you see an arrow next to a song on Instagram, it indicates that the track is currently popular. To find trending audio, try making a Reel and pay attention to the music Instagram suggests—it often highlights songs that are gaining traction. For more insights into what’s trending, visit Instagram’s Creator Trend Report.
Follow the Instagram’s Creator Account
The official Instagram Creators account serves as a valuable resource for staying updated on Reel trends, including trending audio on Instagram. By following this account, you gain access to curated content like the Instagram Anthems highlight, which showcases new and popular songs worth considering for your Reels.
Find Trending Audio on Other Social Media Apps
If there is anything to know when it comes to building a following on social media, it’s by having content on multiple social media platforms. Audio that is trending on TikTok, going viral on YouTube, and climbing the music billboard charts, you better believe will be all over Instagram, too.
Search Instagram’s Music Library
Instagram’s built-in music library is a fantastic resource for uncovering popular tracks. When you’re working on a Reel or Story, Instagram takes the guesswork out by suggesting songs that are currently trending. Here’s a quick guide to finding trending audio
1. Open Instagram and start creating a Reel or Story.
2. Tap on the music icon to explore the music library.
3. Navigate to the “Trending” section to see the hottest tracks and sounds of the moment.
4. Select a trending song and incorporate it into your Reel or Story.
This approach is super convenient because Instagram does the heavy lifting by recommending trending audio that aligns with your content vibe.
Follow the Top Creators on Instagram
Keeping tabs on well-known Instagram creators can give you insight into the trending music and popular themes on the platform. It’s also a great way to stay updated on the latest trends and understand what type of posts tend to attract a larger audience.
Your Instagram feed often features Reels from the creators you follow. Since these individuals have already gained popularity, take note of their strategies and content style. Let their creativity inspire you and spark your own ideas!
Trending Audio on Instagram Isn’t Always “The Trend”
Just because a particular song or sound has been used extensively doesn’t necessarily mean it’s currently in style. In many cases, it might have been trendy in the past but is now losing its appeal. Audio clips with over 100,000 reels might fall into this category. Knowing this can be a game-changer when figuring out how to spot trending songs on Instagram.
The key is momentum. Pay attention to whether more people are starting to use a specific audio, if the number of Reels featuring that sound is steadily increasing, or if users are saving it for future use. If the answer to these questions is a solid “yes,” then you’ve likely identified an audio that’s trending on Instagram. Sounds with around 5,000 to 10,000 reels have great potential to pick up steam and become the next big trend.
How to Save Instagram Songs
If you are scrolling through Instagram reels and you find an audio that you would like to save, just follow these simple steps:
- Tap on the name of the audio you want to use.
- Right next to the ‘Use Audio’ you will see ‘Save Audio’.
If you do not see this it is because you must have a Business or Creator Account to be able to save trending audio.
How to Access Saved Songs
- Go to create a New reel.
- If you want to film before, click on the music icon on the left side of the screen
- On the top, you will see the Save button.
- Here you will see all your Saved songs.
You can also access your saved songs through your Instagram bio, all you have to do is:
- Go to your bio and click on the three lines in the top right corner.
- Click on ‘Saved’.
- The first square will say ‘Audio’.
- Here you can access all your saved songs.
On the Instagram Reel tab
This method is a great way to start because this is where your tailored reels live. These reels show up on this page because the Instagram algorithm takes into account the content you would like based on your past engagement.
For example, if you post a lot about makeup or engage with makeup, on this page you will likely see a lot of reels having to do with beauty products. This helps you find sounds that will match your niche.
Use Instagram Reels Templates
Instagram has recently added Reel templates, so you can easily create professional videos. When going to create a Reel, you will see a Templates option. You can scroll through different templates created by users, and save your favorite ones. These are also broken into different categories such as trending, and recommended.
After selecting a template you want to use, you can add your clips and edit the video to your liking. These templates can be very helpful because many times the sounds that offer templates not only make editing easier, but they are also most likely trending as well. A recent trending template is the sound: Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machines. This song has over 683K reels. The template looks like this:
All you have to do is simply add three clips and the template will edit them in to sync it to the sound!
Instagram does not have exact data as to why songs are trending but we believe it is due to the amount of users that save, use, or interact with a certain sound.
For our visual learners, check out our YouTube video on how to find trending audio on both TikTok and Instagram:
Can Businesses Use Trending Sounds on Instagram?
There are currently over 200 million business profiles on Instagram and being that Reels are the most popular type of content on the app, it is likely that businesses are posting reels frequently. As the owner of your business account, you may have run into the issue where a trending sound was not available for your business account to use. We are here to tell you why.
This is because of Instagram’s Copyright rule. Instagram can remove audio or clips of audio from your content if it detects a potential licensing violation. They can also block content or delete content if they believe that you have infringed their copyright rule.
Businesses have access to all sounds that are labeled “Original Audio” as well as songs that are for “Commercial Use”. And not to worry, because there is quite a library full of original audio that is trending!
Make your life easier and quickly find trending audio on Instagram and even schedule your Instagram Reels using Metricool so that they are published automatically at the most optimal time.
We hope this guide to finding trending songs on Instagram reels in 2024 was helpful, and let us know if you have any questions or comments!
