Here's How to Add Music to Your Instagram Story Want to know how to add music to Instagram stories to maximize their appeal? Here are a few ways to add music to Instagram content.
By Dan Bova
The best Instagram content doesn't just have stellar visuals. It also often has the perfect track or song to go with what's on screen. If you're unsure how to add music to your Instagram Story, read on — we'll break down several ways you can do just that.
Adding music to your Instagram Story on Instagram
Naturally, the most straightforward way to add music to your Instagram Story is on the Instagram app itself. Luckily, Instagram makes this reasonably straightforward (provided you already know how to make Instagram Stories).
To add music to your Instagram Story on Instagram:
- Open Instagram.
- Then tap the Your Story icon. It's in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Alternatively, find a post you want to share, click on the airplane widget and click "Add post your Story."
- If you tap Your Story, next tap on Camera, located in the top left-hand corner. Or pick a photo or video from your phone's camera roll.
- Regardless, look at the top bar of widgets on your Instagram screen and navigate to the stickers button.
- Then tap the Music sticker.
- Pick a song from the For You Instagram music library. Alternatively, you can search for a specific song using Browse, which makes it easy to find the perfect song for your Instagram Stories from Instagram-approved tracks.
- Once you've chosen the perfect song, you can show just the song's name or the song name with the album art. You can also select the place where you want the music to start in your Instagram content.
- Now all you have to do is share with your Close Friends or your entire following; you can do the latter by tapping Your Story.
This is an easy way to add music to your social media profiles on Android and iOS devices. You can even bring new music library picks to old content or choose which part of the song to play with the Instagram music sticker icon.
Related: How to Create Short-Form Videos with Instagram Reels
Why won't Instagram let me add music to my Story?
As you can see from the above, adding music to your Instagram Story on Instagram requires you to use the music sticker. But you might not see the music sticker on your Instagram app for one of three reasons: you might need to update the app, the music feature for Instagram isn't available in your country or you are trying to share as part of a branded content campaign.
According to Instagram's rules and regulations for advertising, some features, including music, cannot be included in branded content advertisements.
Related: 10 Templates to Help You Create Beautiful Instagram Stories
Adding music to your Instagram Story on Spotify
You can also use other apps to add music to your Instagram Story content. Spotify is one of the most popular, though keep in mind that you'll need a Spotify Premium account, which costs $9.99 for individuals. This is the only way to integrate new songs from your Spotify playlists with Instagram posts.
If you already have Premium, follow these simple steps:
- Open your Spotify app.
- Click on the song that you want to add.
- Click on the ellipses or the three dots in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
- Scroll down until you see Share in the menu and click it.
- Then click Instagram Stories.
Once this is done, Spotify will open up the Instagram app and update your most recent Story with the selected track. Even better, Spotify will add cover or album art for the song or tracks.
Note that the song doesn't play directly on Instagram; instead, the app makes a link in the top left corner for Play on Spotify. Any followers must click on the picture to open Spotify on their phones and enjoy the audio.
Adding music to your Instagram Story on Apple Music
Apple Music is another popular platform for sharing and adding music to Instagram Stories. Since Apple Music has over 90 million songs, you'll also likely be able to find the perfect song to share in no time.
To share music to your Instagram Story on Apple Music:
- Begin by opening the Apple Music app.
- Click on the ellipses or three dots in the top right corner.
- Click "Share."
- Then scroll down the list of apps until you find Instagram.
Apple Music will then automatically import the song or album artwork and include a link in the top left-hand corner of your chosen Instagram Story (it should be marked Play on Apple Music). Any followers that click on the link will automatically open Apple Music and be able to listen to the track.
Related: Why You Actually Should Share Your Instagram Post on Your Instagram Story
Adding music to your Instagram Story on SoundCloud
You might alternatively want to add music to your Instagram Story using SoundCloud: one of the most popular platforms for new or undiscovered artists. For example, maybe you want to use your own music on your Instagram Story content but haven't published it anywhere like Spotify.
Luckily, you can easily use SoundCloud to add music to Instagram Stories. Just follow these steps:
- Open your SoundCloud app.
- Then choose the song you want to share.
- Then click on the Share icon and "Share to Instagram Stories."
This will automatically open your Instagram app and add the album or song artwork as the default image for the Story. You can add a sticker with the SoundCloud logo and song title, which can be helpful if you want to direct users or followers to your SoundCloud profile page.
Adding music to your Instagram Story on Shazam
Shazam is the go-to app for identifying music on TV shows or in public that you can't quite place. Since Apple bought it in 2017, it's become native to modern iPhone devices and is fully integrated with Siri. Thus, you can use Shazam to identify and share a song with your Instagram followers. To do this:
- Discover a song in the world as you would normally.
- Then tap on the ellipses in the top right-hand corner of the Shazam app.
- Then tap Share and Instagram Stories, which will open up the Instagram app.
Instagram will import the song or album artwork and add a More on Shazam link for your Instagram Story. It's fast, efficient and a perfect way to add candid music to your Instagram content.
Related: 7 Marketing Tips to Help Grow Your Brand on Instagram
How to add song lyrics to your Instagram Story
You might want to add song lyrics to your Instagram Story content from time to time, especially if the singer speaks in a different accent or language than you and your followers. Instagram allows you to fit lyrics with song sections or any section of your Instagram Story. Plus, you can add lyrics over photos or videos.
In any case, to add lyrics to an Instagram Story:
- Open your Instagram app.
- Then click on the + on your profile picture. It should be in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
- Once you've opened your Story, add the photo or video you want to feature.
- Tap the Music Sticker to add music from Instagram.
- Search for the song you want to put on your Story.
- Once you've chosen the song, click on the album artwork.
At this stage, you'll be able to add lyrics in different font types. Instagram even lets you change the sizes of the lyrics and select where they appear in your Story. Note that you can only do this with some music in the Instagram music catalog.
Related: Why Instagram is Every Entrepreneur's Most Powerful Tool
What else should you consider when putting music on your Instagram Story?
There you have it: a few different ways to add music to your Instagram Story whenever you like. Just keep in mind that being able to add music to your Instagram content isn't enough. You should also pick the right music for the mood, audience and content.
Check out Entrepreneur's other guides and articles for more information on this topic.
