Did you know that you’re no longer limited to just including a link in your Instagram bio if you want your Instagram audience to know where you live on the web? Thanks to a fairly new Instagram feature, anyone can add their link to an Instagram Story, one of the most popular ways to share on Instagram.
Originally, only certain people on Instagram could add links to the Stories. Instagram reserved the feature for people or brands who were verified or considered influencers on the platform. They needed a sizeable audience to use links, too.
As of late 2021, Instagram has made it possible for everyone to share links on their Instagram Stories using the Link sticker. So whether you have 100 followers or 100,000 followers, you can share links with your audience on your Instagram Stories.
What Are Instagram Link Stickers?
Screenshot via Instagram
Instagram used to offer a Swipe-Up feature, which let brands and influencers add links to their Stories. Viewers of the Story could swipe up on a Story slide to head to the link. However, this feature was only for Instagrammers who met specific criteria.
Once Instagram introduced Link stickers, it retired the Swipe-Up feature. Now, everyone has access to a sticker that lets them add a link to an Instagram Story. If you’re familiar with creating Instagram Stories, you know that stickers are elements you can add to dress up your Stories. For instance, you can add a countdown sticker, poll sticker, or music sticker to add fun and interactive elements to your Story.
The Link sticker can link straight to a URL of your choice. You can also customize the sticker text to align with your goals. For example, you might use “Sign up here” if you’re directing people to your email newsletter sign-up form.
This feature can be incredibly valuable on Instagram, a platform that’s notoriously void of links. Although you can place one link in your bio, Instagram does not show links in comments or captions. Therefore, the Link sticker is a handy way to add a quick link to a product, blog post, or something else you want to show off.
How to Use Instagram Link Stickers
To add an Instagram Link sticker to your Story:
- Click the ‘Your story’ link at the top left of the home screen.
- Choose a photo to add to your Story.
- Tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen (it looks like a smiley face on a sticky note).
- Choose the Link sticker.
- Add your link and customize the sticker text.
- Tap ‘Done’, and finish customizing your Story.
Optimize Your Instagram Account to Drive Traffic
Image by Solen Feyissa from Pixabay
Adding a link to an Instagram Story is just one way you can use Instagram to drive traffic to your website or offer. Add in these other tricks to optimize the traffic you pull from Instagram.
Use CTAs with Link Stickers
Instagram only gives you so much space to use for your customized link text. When you add a call-to-action near your Link sticker, you’ll have more space to entice your Story viewers to click the link. You can accomplish this by using the Text feature when creating your Instagram Story.
A few examples of a CTA to drive traffic to a product page:
- Click the link to learn more!
- Follow the link to order now.
- Choose your favorite color and place your order here:
Add a Link to Your Bio
Your Instagram bio is one of the few places Instagram allows links to appear on its platform, so be sure to use it! The spot leaves room for only one link, so you can use that space to add your website link.
However, you might notice that many Instagrammers use a linking service to add more links disguised as a single link in their profile. When someone clicks their bio link, it opens another page full of links. These services, like Campsite and Linktree, make it possible to link to multiple products via your Instagram profile.
Tag Shopping Products
When posting photos of your products within your Instagram feed, make them linkable through Instagram Shopping. To access the feature, creators need to be eligible to use Commerce Manager. You can check your eligibility here. Once set up, you can tag your products in your posts, and people can shop directly through Instagram.
If you’re looking to grow your Instagram follower count and reach, you may want to check out our post on how to create great Instagram giveaway captions.
Beyond that, if you’re looking for even more ideas on how to grow your Instagram following, we’ve also created a series of free Instagram resources, including: our guide to the character limits on Instagram, our guide on how to share on Insta, and our guide to choosing the perfect Insta profile picture.
Adding links to your Instagram Story is one more way to market your website, products, or services using social media. Want to grow your Instagram audience so you can reach even more people with every Instagram post? Install the Instagram follow button on your blog or website to encourage visitors to follow you on Instagram. It takes just minutes to install, and it’s totally free to use!
