How to Find and Use Royalty-Free Audio

You may have used trending audio in past campaigns, and that’s okay. As the creator space continues to evolve, we’re updating our guidance to better align with current platform and brand expectations.

Going forward, we’re asking birds to use royalty-free audio on campaign content. Our goal is simple: to help you create content that can be approved without any last-minute surprises or having to redo your work.

When you post for yourself, you can use just about any trending sound you’d like. Brand campaigns work a little differently.

Most trending sounds are only available for personal use, not sponsored or brand content. To help make sure your campaign can be approved, we’re asking you to use royalty-free audio instead.

It’s usually a quick swap, and honestly, voiceovers often perform even better. Your audience wants to hear your genuine thoughts about the product..

And if you’re worried that skipping trending audio will hurt your content, don’t be! Using royalty-free audio doesn’t automatically mean lower reach or engagement. What matters most is creating content that feels engaging, authentic, and worth watching. A strong hook, helpful or entertaining content, and your own personality can do a lot more heavy lifting than a trending song.

In fact, voiceovers and original audio can be a great fit for campaign content because they give your audience a reason to listen to what you have to say about the product, rather than relying on the sound to tell the story.

Instagram has a royalty-free music collection built right into the app.

To use it:

• Start your Reel or Story like normal.

• Tap the Music or Audio icon.

• Look for the Royalty-Free tab or filter.

• Choose a track and keep creating.

The easiest way to know you’re using an approved track is to choose one from Instagram’s Royalty-Free library.

If you don’t see the royalty-free option, make sure your Instagram app is up to date. Availability can vary by account type and app version. If you’re still having trouble finding it, reach out and we’ll be happy to help.

Using your own voice is always a safe option—and often one of the most effective.

Talking your audience through the product usually feels more personal and authentic than using a trending sound. You can record a voiceover in Instagram or simply talk while you’re filming.

Original audio works great too.

Whether it’s you talking, shopping, cooking, unboxing, or simply the natural sounds around you, original audio often feels the most authentic—and it’s always a great choice.

If you edit your content somewhere other than Instagram, you can add royalty-free music from another service you have permission to use.

Just make sure the license allows the music to be used in brand or commercial content.

Please don’t use:

• Trending sounds or audio pulled from someone else’s post

• Songs from Instagram’s standard music library that aren’t marked as royalty-free

• Any audio you’re not sure you have permission to use

When in doubt, use a voiceover or choose something from Instagram’s Royalty-Free library.

If you’re unsure whether a track is okay to use, send us a message before you post.

We’re happy to take a quick look, and we’d much rather help you catch it beforehand than ask you to recreate your content later.

Yes. If you choose to include music in your Hummingbirds campaign content, it needs to be royalty-free or otherwise cleared for commercial use.

This helps protect you and the brand from copyright or licensing issues and reduces the chance of your content being muted, removed, or flagged after it’s posted.

That doesn’t mean your content has to include music! You can always use your own voiceover, original audio, or natural sounds from your video instead.

The most important thing to remember: if you’re adding music to campaign content, make sure it’s cleared for commercial use.

If your content uses audio that isn’t approved for brand campaigns, we won’t be able to accept it.

Don’t worry - you’ll simply need to replace the audio or recreate the content using royalty-free music, original sound, or a voiceover before completing the campaign and receiving the remainder of your perk.

We know mistakes happen, and we’d much rather help you catch them before you post than have you redo your content afterward. If you’re ever unsure, just ask!

If you have questions about a song or sound before posting, reach out to our Support team. We’re always happy to help.