Glossary / Instagram

Internet speak

Trending audio

Trending audio is a sound or song that many reels are using right now, shown with an arrow next to its name on Instagram.

Also called: trending sound, trending song, viral audio

By Aulto · Last reviewed

It can, because people are already watching reels with that sound. But the content still has to be good; a trend doesn't rescue a dull reel.

What does it mean for artists?

A song becoming trending audio can send many people to stream it. Artists sometimes seed this themselves, posting their own reel with the song and inviting others to use it.

How do you catch a trend early?

Look for the trending arrow on sounds with fewer reels so far, and move quickly.

Example

An unreleased chorus posted as original audio is used in 15,000 reels before the song is out, building a ready audience for release day.

  • Reel

    A reel is a short vertical video on Instagram, up to 3 minutes long, and the format Instagram shows most to people who don't follow you.

  • Snippet

    A snippet is a short clip of an unreleased song shared to build interest before release, usually 10 to 30 seconds of the catchiest part.

  • Hook

    A hook is the part of a song, or the first seconds of a video, built to grab attention and make people stay.

  • Auto-reply

    An auto-reply is a message sent automatically in response to a DM, comment or keyword, so people get an answer without waiting for someone to type it.

  • Carousel post

    A carousel post is an Instagram post with several photos or videos that people swipe through, up to 20 in one post.

  • Close Friends

    Close Friends is an Instagram list of people you choose; content shared to it is seen only by them and marked with a green badge.

Turn every click and comment into a fan you can reach

Smart links, pre-saves, bio pages and Reply Drop for Instagram, in one place.

Start free trial