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You want to use a current reel trend for your brand, you already have a good idea in mind, open Instagram — and that's when you get disillusioned: “This sound isn't available for your account. ”
Companies, online shops and brands in particular are familiar with this problem. While creators and private accounts can use seemingly any viral sound, business accounts on Instagram are often significantly more limited.
In this article, we will take a closer look at why this is the case, what role music rights play and how companies can still work successfully with Reels.
The most important reason is license rights. Instagram differentiates between private and commercial use when it comes to music.
Many songs are only approved for private entertainment on the platform. As soon as content is used for business purposes, for example to market products, services or brands, other usage rights apply.
This is particularly common:
In concrete terms, this means that a private account often sees significantly more music options than a business account.
Platforms such as Instagram or TikTok conclude licensing agreements with labels, publishers and rights holders. These licenses are often more extensive for private entertainment use than for commercial content from companies.
As soon as a profile appears commercially, the platform recognizes the commercial intent. Certain songs are then not even displayed or cannot be used for Reels.
This can be frustrating for companies — especially when a sound is just going viral and would be a perfect match for their own content idea.
Reels have long been an important growth channel for online shops and brands. Good social content can help with:
That's why many brands want to pick up on trends quickly. When exactly the right sound is not available, it quickly feels like a competitive disadvantage.
But: It doesn't have to be that way. Because a successful reel trend rarely consists only of sound.
In short, we would advise against this in most cases.
Although a private profile can sometimes display more music options, companies lose important business features in return. These include, for example:
For companies, this is usually not a useful exchange. More music options sound attractive at first, but they're of little use if important functions for strategy, analysis, and growth are lost.
This is technically possible. But it is risky strategically and legally.
If you edit copyrighted music into a video yourself and then upload it to Instagram, it can happen that:
For brands, this is not a sustainable solution. Companies in particular should rely on legally secure audio sources instead of forcing a trendy sound in the short term.
Even if certain songs are not available, there are several good ways to still make Reels strong, creative and brand-compliant.
Not all trending audio is automatically blocked for business accounts. Some trends are based on original audio, covers, generic sounds, or tracks that have already been approved.
That's why it's worth checking directly in Instagram whether the sound can be used for your account first. Sometimes there are also similar audio versions that are available and convey the same vibe.
Meta provides businesses with usable audio options within the platform. Although this selection is often more limited than with private accounts, it can still work well.
Our tip: Save suitable sounds directly and build up your own small audio library. This means that you don't have to search from the beginning every time for new reels and have suitable music to hand more quickly.
That is probably the most powerful lever.
Many think that the song is the real trend. In reality, other elements often perform much more strongly:
This means that you can implement the same trend with other audio and still get very good results. The decisive factor is not to copy the trend one-to-one, but to translate it to suit your own brand.
A good alternative is royalty-free music from professional music libraries, for example via providers such as Epidemic Sound or similar platforms.
The advantage: Such tools often offer significantly more options than many think. For example, you can:
This is particularly exciting for companies, because you don't have to search from the beginning for every reel. Gradually, they create their own music collection that fits the brand and can be used in the long term.
Original audio is massively underrated. It often works particularly well, especially in e-commerce, because it looks more authentic than interchangeable trend sounds.
Strong examples of original audio include:
Brands that want to build trust in particular benefit from genuine, proprietary audio. It makes content more personal, approachable, and often significantly more credible.
Yes, but only if the music is approved for commercial use or if you own the appropriate rights yourself.
Instagram provides different music rights depending on the account type. Many well-known songs are only approved for private use and are therefore not visible or not usable for business accounts.
Private profiles often fall under different licensing agreements than accounts used for business purposes. That's why they often have access to a larger selection of music.
Partially yes. Some trending audios are also available for business accounts. Others are blocked due to licensing rights.
In some cases, a Creator account can offer more audio options. However, depending on the setup, other business functions may be missing or limited. This should be checked individually.
Technically yes, but it is legally and strategically risky. Content can be muted, restricted, or removed.
Royalty-free music means that you can legally use music under a license. This is often done via music platforms or subscription tools that allow commercial use.
Many brands work with professional music libraries such as Epidemic Sound or similar providers that provide commercial licenses for content.
No Trending music can help, but it's not decisive. Good hooks, strong content, clear messages, and creative formats are often more important than a specific song.
Yes If copyrighted music is used without appropriate rights, Instagram can mute, restrict, or remove the reel.
Yes, but more as an amplifier. Storytelling, hook, editing, visual language and product presentation are usually decisive.
Yes On TikTok, too, there are differences between private accounts and commercial use of sounds.
Trial Reels offer an effective way to test content specifically and without risk. They make it possible to try out new topics, styles or formats without directly involving the existing audience of followers. This creates more creative freedom and provides valuable insights into performance among new target groups.
The most successful brands don't grow because of a specific song, but because of good creativity, clear messages, and content that really appeals to people.
If your business account can't use a trending sound, it's no drama. Don't just use the trend like everyone else, but cleverly translate it into your own brand world. This is often where better content is created.
We develop social media content that fits your brand, is legally clean and still performs. From content ideas to hooks and storylines to creative implementation, we help you create reels that not only copy trends, but also make your brand visible.
Start now with a tailored reel strategy that really reaches your target group. We develop creative formats, test specifically in a trial phase and optimize your content based on data — for greater reach, interaction and brand recognition.
