Instagram Stories allow you to share everyday moments that don’t necessarily have to make it to your feed posts. It could be behind-the-scenes content, a memorable event, or even the most random things you want your audience to see. The Stories last only 24 hours, but you would have shared vital moments with people watching within that window.
One key feature that improves your experience is the ability to add music to your Instagram Story. This allows you to connect with your audience, set the tone, improve the viewer experience, and help boost engagement. In this article, we will explain how Instagram music benefits you and how to add it to your Stories, whether you are an Android or iOS user.
Table of Contents
Why Should You Add Music to Your Instagram Story?
Below are some key reasons why you should consider adding music to your Stories:
1. Enhances Emotional Connection
Adding music to your Stories can lift your audience’s mood, helping you create a deeper connection with them. Whether you want to convey joy, excitement, or nostalgia, the right music can help you achieve this.
2. Boosts Viewer Engagement
Using a song on your Instagram Story encourages your audience to pay closer attention, getting them to watch your Stories from start to finish and interact. You should buy Instagram Story likes to get a wider reach and better engagement, making your Story more appealing.
3. Conveys the Message More Effectively
Sometimes, words don’t entirely capture the essence of your content; this is where music comes in. A song playing in your content background can set the tone more effectively and emphasize the critical points in your Story.
4. Elevates Your Brand Perception
Music makes your content look more polished and professional, and when used on your Instagram Story, it improves your brand credibility. Carefully select music that resonates with your brand and the specific content on your Story to strengthen your brand’s image.
How to Add Music to Your Instagram Story
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add music to your Instagram Story:
Step 1: Launch the Instagram app on your Android or iOS device and open the Story camera by swiping right or tapping the “Plus” icon from your profile and click on “Story”.
Step 2: Swipe up to select a picture or video to upload from your camera roll.
Step 3: Tap the “Music sticker” icon at the top of the screen and browse the music catalog for popular and favorite songs or search for specific tracks.
Step 4: Once you’ve selected a song, drag the slider to choose the exact part of the track to feature. You can also determine how you want the song lyrics or album to appear if you wish to add text, show the album cover art, or hide the music sticker completely.
Step 5: Make a collage to include multiple photos before adding music to improve the appeal of your Story.
Step 6: Once you’ve added the finishing touches, tap “Your Story” to share it with your followers or “Close Friends” to share it with specific people.
By following these steps, you can easily add custom music to your Instagram Story and create unique content. You can also explore other ways to amplify your Instagram Story as highlighted below.
1. Add Lyrics to Your Instagram Story
Follow these steps to add lyrics to your Instagram Story:
Step 1: Open the Instagram app, navigate to your profile, and tap on the Plus icon, then click “Story”.
Step 2: Capture or upload a photo or video from your gallery and tap the “Music” icon at the top.
Step 3: Then, choose your desired song.
Step 4: If lyrics are available, they’ll automatically appear on the screen. Customize the lyrics by selecting different text styles and colors.
Note: In some cases, you may not find lyrics to some songs due to copyright issues. If you encounter this problem, consider using music stickers as an alternative.
2. Add Music to Your Instagram Story with Multiple Photos
If you want to use multiple photos, follow these steps to add music:
Step 1: From the Instagram app, swipe left to create a new Story or click on the “Plus” icon on your profile and then “Story”.
Step 2: Swipe up to view your gallery and tap on “Select” on the top right, then select your desired photos and click “Next”.
Step 3: You’ll be asked to choose if you want the pictures in a layout format or separately.
Step 4: Regardless of your choice, tap the sticker “Music” icon and choose a track to accompany your photos. If they are separate, you can choose different tracks for each photo.
Step 5: Adjust the timing of each photo to ensure smooth transitions that match the music. You can do this with the music slider to determine the exact part of the music you want played and how long.
This method allows you to create a cohesive, visually appealing Story that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish.
How to Add Your Own Music to Your Instagram Story
Adding your own music to Your Instagram Story is quite straightforward. You can do this through several streaming platforms or the Instagram Music Library. With streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music, you can add your preferred music to your Stories in a simple method.
We’ll learn about how to do that in the upcoming sections. However, if you wish to use the Instagram music feature directly but can’t find your desired song in the Instagram music library, you can upload it yourself. This works best if you own the copyright to the music or have mixed/produced the sound yourself.
Have your music clip created and saved in MP3 format, then use third-party apps or services to distribute it properly so Instagram can easily access it. Once new songs are added to the library, you can select them like any other song when creating a Story.
Your Instagram Stories not uploading might be due to bugs, glitches, or an outdated cache. Troubleshooting methods like checking for app updates and clearing browser caches could fix this.
How to Add Music to Your Instagram Story Through Streaming Apps
An effective and easier way to directly add music to your Instagram Stories is through popular streaming apps like Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music. Here is a step-by-step guide for each app, detailing how to share a track from the app to Instagram Stories:
1. Add Music from Spotify
Step 1: Open the Spotify app and click on the “Search” field to find your desired song.
Step 2: Click on the three dots on the right (next to the song title) for a pop-up menu.
Step 3: Tap the “Share” icon.
Step 4: Then, tap the “Instagram Stories”.
Step 5: You will be automatically directed to your Instagram Story where the song’s album cover is readily displayed and a link to the song on Spotify. Then, post the story.
Limitations (This is common for all the three platforms)
- The album cover is the only thing that gets shared. The music won’t be played and neither will you be able to add music on Instagram.
- Followers need to tap the link to listen to the track on Spotify.
2. Add Music from SoundCloud
Step 1: Go to your preferred track from the SoundCloud app and click on the “Share” icon.
Step 2: Tap “Share to Instagram Stories” from the options, and you’ll be directed to the Instagram app.
Step 3: A new Story will feature the track’s artwork and a link to play it on SoundCloud.
3. Add Music from Apple Music
Step 1: Open Apple Music, find the song you want to share and hit the “Share Song” option.
Step 2: Choose “Instagram Stories” from the share options.
Step 3: Instagram will open, displaying a new Story with the album artwork and a link to play the song on Apple Music.
To make your Story engaging enough to grab attention, some creative ideas for Instagram Stories must be explored. This includes combining visual elements like album covers with other existing features on the app, including texts, stickers, and collages or layouts.
How to Add Music to Your Instagram Story With a Sticker
To add music to your Instagram story with a music sticker, simply follow the below steps:
Step 1: From your Instagram story creation screen, tap the “Sticker” icon at the top.
Step 2: Search for “Music” to access a library of songs. You can browse through diverse options based on categories, genres, moods, or current trends.
Step 3: Choose the one you want from the available options.
Step 4: Use the slider to determine the specific part of the song you want to highlight.
Step 5: Tap “Done” for the sticker to reflect your story, after which you can edit the music sticker to your desired size or appearance.
Additional features like adding links to Instagram stories allow you to drive traffic to outside sources like your website or blogs. Combining this with the music feature helps you maximize engagement on Instagram, especially if you have a business account.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why Can't I Add Music to My Instagram Story?
You may not be able to add music to your Instagram story for several reasons, including the feature not being available in your region, your app needing an update, or the song not being licensed for your location.
2. How Can I Download an Instagram Story With Music?
To download an Instagram Story with music, create a story and insert the music. Then, click on “Save” to save the draft to your device before hitting the “Share” button, and it will be downloaded to your gallery.
3. Why is My Picture Blurry on Instagram Story When I Add Music?
A blurry picture on Instagram might be caused by a poor internet connection or your uploading settings. Tap on your profile > settings > account > data usage to toggle on the high-quality upload button.
4. How to Make a Video Loop on Instagram Story With Music?
Use Instagram’s boomerang feature to create a video loop. From the Story creation page, click on “Boomerang” from the options on the left bar and insert your clip, which will automatically loop. You can then add your music.
5. How to Add Shazam Music to Your Instagram Story?
Sharing music to Instagram stories is now removed from the current version of Shazam. Instead, you can directly share your Shazam music to your Instgarm chats.
6. How to Use Saved Audio on Instagram Story?
Using your saved audio directly on your Instagram story is removed from the current version of Instagram.
7. How to Add Music to Your Instagram Story After Posting?
Unfortunately, Instagram has removed the option to add music to your story after posting in its latest update. Once your story is live, music cannot be added or edited.