Instagram Now Lets You Add Affiliate Links to Reels
Kata
08 April 2026 
If you’re a creator on Instagram and you work with affiliate marketing, this one’s for you: Instagram Reels have just got a little more shoppable. With affiliate links built directly into Reels, creators can tag products and earn a commission when people shop through their content, without sending followers off to a different page first.
What Are Affiliate Links in Instagram Reels?
Affiliate links let you recommend a product and earn a commission when someone buys through your link. The big shift here is that Instagram is bringing that process directly into Reels, instead of making creators rely on a bio link or a separate landing page.
That means Reels are no longer a format you just use for awareness, education, or entertainment. They can now play a direct role in conversion too.
How to Add an Affiliate Link to an Instagram Reel
If you want to monetize your content a bit more, this new feature gives you another option. Here’s how it works:
- When you’re ready to publish a Reel, you’ll see the ‘Add products’ option under ‘Tag people’.
- Paste the product link directly, search for the product by brand, or pick from Instagram’s suggestions.
- Once selected, the product is linked to your Reel and sends people to the place where they can buy it.
One thing to keep in mind: the products need to be available in Meta’s commercial catalog.
You’ll also see the commission rate when you add the product. In Adam Mosseri’s example, the commission shown was 8%.
Why This Is Good News for Creators
This is a big win for creators, and here’s why.
1. More direct monetization
You no longer need to send people to your bio or a separate landing page just to make a sale. The product is right there in the content, which removes a few extra steps from the journey.
And in content marketing, fewer steps usually mean fewer drop-offs.
2. A stronger path to purchase
If your Reel shows a product in use (think tutorials, demos, or honest reviews) you can move someone from curiosity to purchase much more quickly. Seeing a product in context is a much stronger buying trigger than a static image.
3. A real opportunity for smaller creators
This is not just for big creators with huge audiences. If you know how to make good content around a product, you can still earn affiliate commission.
In fact, smaller accounts often see strong engagement because they have closer-knit communities. Metricool’s Instagram study also found that accounts with fewer than 500 followers had the highest engagement rate at 10%.
Why Brands Should Pay Attention Too
Brands should pay attention too, especially if they already work with creators, UGC, or affiliate programs.
1. Less distance between awareness and conversion
A Reel is no longer just for brand awareness. It can also function as a performance asset, which changes how teams plan content and measure results.
2. More scalable than paid ads
If creator content performs well, brands can scale that into affiliate marketing rather than depending only on Meta Ads. That gives them another way to drive results without putting every dollar into paid media.
3. A more natural way to sell
When a product appears inside useful, native content, the recommendation feels less intrusive than a traditional ad – as long as the content is credible and fits the creator’s style.
Instagram Affiliate Links vs. TikTok Shop
The comparison with TikTok Shop is hard to avoid.
Both formats bring content and commerce closer together, but TikTok has gone further with a fully integrated shopping experience inside the app. Instagram, at least for now, is taking a slightly different route: affiliate products can be tagged in Reels, but the actual purchase still happens outside Instagram.
Tag and Schedule Products on Instagram with Metricool
If you’re sharing products on Instagram – whether in posts, carousels, or Reels – you can already schedule that content with Metricool.
Here’s how it works:
- Open Metricool and choose the brand you’re publishing for.
- Select Instagram and pick your format: post, Reel, or trial Reel.
- Click the three dots on the image and choose “Tag product on Instagram”.
- Search for the product you want to add to the image or video.
Just make sure your Meta account is connected and your product catalog is ready to go. Create a free Metricool account and give it a try.
