How music works on Instagram Reels
- The format. Reels are vertical videos of up to 3 minutes, shown in the Reels tab, the main feed, Explore and on the creator's profile, to followers and people who don't follow them yet.
- Where creators find your sound. Every song on Reels has an audio page: tap the audio name at the bottom of a Reel to see it, with a Use audio button and the Reels made with it. Creators can also add a track from Instagram's music library while editing.
- Picking the part of the song. When creators add music in Instagram, they choose which section of the track plays, so the brief should name the hook if it matters.
- “Original audio”. Music mixed into a video in another app shows as the creator's original audio and doesn't link to your song's audio page.
- Business accounts. Instagram limits licensed music for some Business accounts, so a creator on one may not be able to add every track.
What to put in your Reels brief
- Ask creators to add your track in Instagram (from the music library or Use audio on your link) so each Reel links to your audio page.
- Name the section of the song to use, for example the chorus or a timestamp.
- Keep the sound fully audible with no voice-over. That is a Sound.me rule for every video, and videos that break it aren't paid.
- Pick a direction: creative freedom, lip sync, dance, transition, text on screen or your own brief. Creative freedom fills fastest; a detailed brief can take creators longer.
- Keep text and faces clear of the caption and buttons at the bottom and right of the screen.
Setting up a Reels campaign
Pick Instagram Reels at checkout and paste the Instagram link to your song's audio or a Reel that uses it. A campaign stays on one platform; for TikTok or YouTube Shorts, start another. Choose a budget, a 72-hour, 7-day or 14-day run, the Instagram creators you want (age, gender, language, creator size (from 100 followers to over 50 million) and location (worldwide, one of 24 countries, or a region)), and up to 3 example accounts whose Reels match your style.
On Reels campaigns, Sound.me's team picks and approves the creators and watches each Reel before it is paid; approving creators yourself is only for TikTok campaigns of $1,000 or more. Nothing is licensed: the song must already be on Instagram. How Sound.me works, step by step.
What to expect
| Budget | Projected views | Creator videos |
|---|---|---|
| $250 | ~211K | ~38 |
| $500 | ~332K | ~75 |
| $1,000 | ~524K | ~151 |
| $1,500 | ~685K | ~226 |
These projections are measured on TikTok campaigns (worldwide, 7 days; average of real completed Sound.me campaigns created since January 1, 2026). Instagram Reels results may differ: the table is a starting point, not a forecast for Instagram Reels, and Sound.me doesn't guarantee views, streams or sales.
Each Reel links back to your audio page, where viewers can tap Use audio to make their own. Creators keep their Reels up for at least 45 days; if one comes down earlier, contact us for a replacement.