How to Find Trending Audio on Instagram (and Use It)

To find trending audio on Instagram, check the Reels trends destination, which shows the top trending songs and how many times each has been used, then open the audio page of any sound you keep hearing in your Reels feed to see what other people are making with it. Save the ones that fit your niche and use them within days, while they're still growing.

Below: every reliable way to find trending sounds, how to judge whether a sound is worth using, how to use it in an expert reel without the music taking over, and what to watch out for if you run a business account.

Audio is part of how Instagram understands and surfaces reels. In its explanation of ranking, Instagram lists the audio track or visuals in the video as information it uses about a reel, and says one of the things it predicts is whether you'll go to the audio page, which it treats as a sign you might want to make your own reel with that sound.

Audio pages also give reels a second place to be found: everyone who taps the sound name sees a grid of other reels using it.

That said, trending audio is a tool, not a strategy. For most experts, the voice explaining something useful matters more than the song underneath it. We recommend treating trending audio as:

A format for short, visual reels (before/after, process, transitions, text-on-screen tips).
Background under a voiceover, kept low.
Optional for talking-to-camera reels, where your own voice is the audio.

1. The Reels trends destination

In 2023, Instagram added a dedicated destination for trending audio and hashtags on Reels. According to Meta's announcement, it shows the top trending songs on Reels, how many times each audio has been used, and the top trending topics and hashtags. From there you can use a sound straight away or save it for later.

Its exact place in the app can move between updates, so if you can't spot it, search Instagram's Help Center for Reels trends. Check it once or twice a week, not daily.

2. The audio page of sounds you keep hearing

The most practical method: scroll Reels for ten minutes and notice which sounds repeat. When you hear the same sound on two or three different reels, tap the sound name at the bottom of the reel. The audio page collects reels made with that sound, so you can browse them.

Look at:

How widely it's used. A sound that's everywhere may already feel tired to your audience; one you're only starting to notice may still be growing.
How recent the top reels are. If the reels at the top are from this week, it's live. If they're from months ago, it has peaked.
Who's using it. If accounts in your niche are using it, your audience is likely to recognise it.

3. Your niche's top accounts

Make a short list of 10–15 accounts in your niche whose audience looks like your clients. Check their latest reels weekly and note the sounds. A song trending among fitness creators may mean nothing to your accounting clients; a sound used by three accountants this week probably will.

4. Your own Reels feed, trained on purpose

Instagram's feed reflects what you engage with. If you mostly watch reels from your niche, save and like them, the trending sounds you see will lean towards your niche. A separate account used only for research is an option if your personal feed is all cooking videos.

5. Save sounds the moment you see them

When you find a sound you might use, save it: Meta's announcement notes you can save the audio for yourself from the trends destination. Then, when you sit down to batch-film, your shortlist is ready instead of lost somewhere in your feed.

Before you build a reel around a sound, run it through four questions:

Question	Use it if…	Skip it if…
Is it still rising?	Top reels on the audio page are recent	Top reels are weeks or months old
Does it fit your niche?	Peers and your audience use it	It's only big in an unrelated community
Does it fit the message?	The mood matches your point	It's upbeat and your topic is grief, debt or health anxiety
Can you make it yours?	You can add your own expert point	The only way to use it is to copy someone's reel

The last question matters most. Instagram's recommendation guidelines favor original content, meaning content you filmed yourself or that hasn't been posted on Instagram before. A trending sound with your own idea on top is original. A frame-by-frame copy of a viral reel is not.

Record your explanation as a voiceover, then add the trending track at low volume. The sound helps with mood and recognition; your voice carries the expertise. Make sure captions are on so the point lands even with sound off; see how to add captions to Instagram Reels.

Text-on-screen tips set to the sound

For short, visual reels: three tips as on-screen text, timed to the beat. Works well for beauty, fitness, food and design, where the visuals do the explaining.

Process or before/after timed to the beat

A transformation (brows, a room, a document, a menu) cut to the rhythm of the sound. Keep the cuts on beat and put the key result in the first seconds.

Take the trend's format, change the content

Many trends are really formats: a question and answer, a "things I'd never do" list, a reveal. Keep the structure, replace the content with your own expert point.

Use the hook, not the whole song

Your reel hook still has to do the work in the first seconds. Instagram tells creators to pull the viewer in within the first 3 seconds. A recognizable sound helps, but it doesn't replace a clear first line.

If you sell something, music rights matter.

Commercial use of music is restricted. Meta's music guidelines say use of music for commercial or non-personal purposes is prohibited unless you have obtained appropriate licenses.
Your library may be limited. Which songs you can access can depend on your account type and country, as Instagram explains in its Help Center article on access to the licensed music library. If a trending song doesn't appear for your business account, that's usually why.
Muted audio. Instagram's help page on Reels audio explains that a track can be muted if rights agreements change. The reel can still be viewed, just without that track.

Practical workaround: use what's available in the library Instagram offers your account, or use trending original audio (a voice clip, a phrase, a sound effect) rather than a commercial song.

The other side of trending audio: making a sound other people use. Instagram's Reels audio help page explains that on a public account, other people can record reels using your original audio, credited to you. On a private account, they can't.

For experts, the most reusable original audio is usually a short, clear line people want to react to: a strong opinion, a relatable question, a myth stated so others can respond. Speak it clearly, keep it short, and it can travel further than the reel it started in.

Monday, 15 minutes: check the Reels trends destination and your niche's top accounts. Save 3–5 sounds.
Same day: match each saved sound to a reel idea from one of your content pillars. Drop any sound that doesn't fit an idea.
Batch day: film or record the reels that use those sounds, plus your talking-to-camera reels that don't need any.
Post within the week, while the sounds are still current.
Review: in insights, compare reels with trending audio vs. without. If they aren't performing better for you, don't force it. Our guide to Instagram Reels analytics explains what to compare.

Where WowFlō fits

Finding sounds is one part of keeping up with trends. The bigger part is knowing which topics and formats are working in your niche right now. WowFlō's Trends section tracks top creators in your niche and updates daily, and pasting a link to a reel or profile gives you 24+ reel ideas based on what's getting views, written from scratch for your audience rather than copied.

If you'd rather spend your time on clients than on filming, try making a reel with WowFlō: pick an idea, get a script in your own words, and your AI twin records it, with subtitles, cover and music added. Your first reel is free, no card needed.

FAQ

Instagram has a Reels trends destination that shows top trending songs, how many times each has been used, and trending topics and hashtags. You can also tap the sound name on any reel to open its audio page and browse other reels using it.

Open its audio page and look at the top reels. If many are from the past few days, it's still live. If the top reels are weeks or months old, it has probably peaked.

Often not all of them. Meta's music guidelines restrict commercial use of music without the right licenses, and the library available to your account may be limited. Use what Instagram offers your account, or trending original audio.

No. For talking-to-camera expert reels, your voice is the audio and a clear point matters more. Use trending sounds for short, visual reels where the music helps carry the mood.