Whether it is trending audio, royalty-free music or noises you made with your mouth, music and sounds featured on your videos, Reels, and Tik Toks can significantly influence your content’s performance. Music informs what we see and affects our moods. 

Think about it. There are award categories dedicated specifically to sound design, best original song, and overall soundtrack. So why would we not also put the same thought behind the content we create? The amount of consideration and thought that went into creating a Reel or video should also go into the music selection or soundscape behind a video. If you only think about what the Reel looks like, you only see half of the picture.

Here at Recreation, we love to use trending audios behind our Reels when possible. We have noticed that trending audios can double the amount of engagement you see on a post. We have seen accounts with less than a hundred followers earn 200 likes on a Reel and also boost their engagement/ followers.

Now we know every brand cannot use trending audios, but that does not mean half step and choosing a royalty-free song that does not fit your message or Reel. There are many great options regarding what is available for royalty-free music, meaning we should not settle for the first audio we see. Take a second and really listen to the music behind your Reels or ads and ask yourself, “does this song help serve my end goal?” 

Nike’s Use of Audio

Nike is an excellent example of a brand capitalizing on the importance of music in its ads. I’ve always subscribed to the fact that some Nike ads make you feel like anything is possible. Like you can run through a brick wall. If you strip away the background music from videos, you are taking away an added layer of complexity.

Music defines the tone of your video and sets the pace. Here are three examples of music paces:

• Slow Paced builds suspense and creates drama. You will find slower pace music in videos that are a bit longer form. (Jaws)
• Neutral Paced music is used more for narrations or interviews. It is there as background filler. Imagine for a second a journalist is conducting an interview, and the whole time the interview is happening, ‘Crazy Train’ by Ozzy Osbourn is playing in the background. That could get very distracting very quickly.
• Fast Paced music, in the same way, that slow-paced music builds suspense and drama, creates tension and excitement. Fast-paced music goes best with videos requiring quick cuts or a faster tempo. (Chase scenes)

All this is to say that music is a powerful marketing tool and should be treated as such. Do not half-step. Choose audios that add to your content instead of subtracting.

Tip: To be inclusive and expand the audience you are reaching, including subtitles on a video is a great route to go. Just as I’ve laid out the importance of background music, a whole demographic of people don’t listen to videos or are unable to. Subtitles may seem small for some, but for others, it is vital.