How to Add a Link to Your Instagram Story: Step-by-Step
Swiping up on Instagram is now a thing of the past, with the platform changing how you can add links to your story.
Since the feature was first introduced in 2021, sharing website links in your Instagram stories has been very popular. We see this on all kinds of Instagram pages, from businesses to personal profiles, helping shed light on our favorite causes, share our work, drive sales, and much more.
Read on for a step-by-step guide on how to add a link to your Instagram story.
No More Swiping Up on Instagram
So how can you add this element to your content?
Instagram replaced the swipe-up option with the Link sticker, a simple graphic that you can add your link to and place anywhere on the screen. This means your followers can still interact with your story if it has a Link sticker, which wasn’t possible before due to the swipe-up option covering the response space.
The Link sticker also clearly shows the website that it will direct you to if you click on it. This lets your followers know what to expect, which has been proven to improve CTR (Click-through rate)
Everyone has access to this feature, no matter how big or small your account is, so read on to find out how to use Link stickers on Instagram.
How To Add a Link to Your Story With Instagram Link Stickers
- Add content to your story: Select the “+” icon next to your profile picture to upload a picture or video from your library or capture something new.
- Find the sticker tool option at the top of the screen and select the “Link” sticker.
- Add the link you want your followers to visit: Don’t forget to check for typos!
- Decide the size, color, and location of your Link sticker: Simply drag the sticker around the screen and let go when you like its position. Adjust the size by pinching and expanding it with two fingers. You can also see different color options by tapping the sticker.
“Wait! What if an ugly website URL will ruin my story?” If you’re asking this question, there’s a solution for that too! You can edit your Link sticker text to include a gif, catchy message, or neat slogan if the website link you’re adding isn’t particularly pretty.
How to Add TikTok Link To Instagram Story
To add a link to a TikTok video, follow the exact same steps as we discussed above, and when you click on the Link sticker, simply paste the TikTok video link.
How To Add Donation Link to Your Story
You can also guide your followers to donate to a cause of your choice by following these steps:
- Open Instagram
- Tap the + to add a story, choose your image, and click on the sticker icon
- Scroll down till you see ‘Donation’ and click on that
- Choose or search your Nonprofit
- Share story
Why Should I Add a Link to My Instagram Stories?
We’ve told you all about how to add links to Instagram Stories, but you may be wondering what use it is for your strategy.
What advantages are there to adding a Link sticker to your story?
Drive traffic to your website
One of the advantages of adding a link to Instagram stories is taking users directly to your website, blog, or online store.
This hit could end up being a new subscriber, a customer, or a potential buyer. What’s more, by adding a URL with UTM, you can measure the traffic that comes from your stories.
Promote a product
With all multimedia possibilities at your fingertips on Instagram, you can put them to work to promote your services or the products that you sell by adding a purchase link.
What’s more, you can also include offers, temporary discounts, or codes to use in the purchase.
Scoring leads
How can you collate information and data from Instagram users? You can use an Instagram Link sticker to add a form about a product or training course that you’re launching.
If users give you their details, you have a lead for your website that you can use for other marketing strategies in the future.
Direct Your Followers to Your Content on Other Platforms
We love Instagram, but we know that it’s perfect for pictures and videos and less useful for other types of content (e.g. long written posts). So, why not also use Link stickers to direct your followers to your content on other platforms? Boost your social media strategy with cross-platform collaboration.
Add Links to All Your Instagram Posts With Metricool SmartLinks
Link stickers are perfect for when you have just one link you want to share with your followers, but what about when you want to share multiple links?
This is where Metricool SmartLinks come in, this feature gives you the power to add as many links as you need to your bio, stories, and posts. SmartLinks are 100% customizable URLs that you can add to any clickable content on all platforms, and measure their effectiveness.
