Up until October 2021, only Instagram accounts with more than 10k followers could add links to their Instagram Stories. That all changed after community feedback showed ALL of us would like to be able to add a link to an Instagram story.
Doing so gives influencers and brands so much more power to reach more fans, engage their community, and grow their reach – no matter how many followers they have!
If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s our quick guide to adding a link to your Instagram Story using the Link Sticker.
The Instagram Link Sticker
Link Stickers replaced the Swipe Up feature that previously allowed users to add links directly to their Instagram Stories via an arrow at the bottom of their screen. Story viewers can open the link by tapping on the Link sticker.
Instagram Link Stickers Offer Three Great Advantages:
- Stickers are hugely popular with those viewing posts. They are used for music, polls, donations, mentions, questions, and locations, so a Link Sticker would clearly add engagement value.
- Link Stickers help businesses promote their products, news, offers and deals, event announcements, giveaways, and other content hosted on their websites.
- Link Sticker users can track metrics via Instagram’s Story Insights.
How To Add A Link To Your Instagram Story With The Link Sticker
If you’ve used stickers before (and who hasn’t?!), adding a Link Sticker will be just as easy as adding your location or a fun animated GIF.
Here’s how to add a link to your Instagram Story with the Link sticker:
- Create your Instagram Story
- Tap on the sticker tool
- Tap the “Link” sticker
- Add the link you’d like to use
- If you want to customize the link text, tap on “Customize sticker text”.
- Tap “Done”
Your sticker will be placed in your Story and all you need to do is post and cross your fingers that viewers will tap on it and go through to your website.
Customizing The Design Of The Link Sticker
Before posting your Link Sticker in your Instagram Story, jazz it up to suit your creative vibe or brand style.
These are your available customizations:
- Pinch to resize it up or down.
- Move it around to where it looks best or will attract the most attention.
- Tap the Link Sticker to cycle through available color options.
If you find the standard Instagram Link Sticker to be a bit blah, you can customize the text to better suit your creativity or brand style with two simple hacks.
- Use Instagram’s text feature to create a customized sticker that you can place over the standard Instagram Link Sticker. Instagram’s text feature gives you a few more options in terms of fonts and you can also animate it or resize it.
- If you want to give your Link Sticker a professional look that fits in with your brand colors, head over to Canva and create a custom Link Sticker. Once you’ve created it, save it with a transparent background and send it to your phone. Go back to your Story, go to images, and drag it over the Instagram Link Sticker.
Start Driving Traffic With Story Links!
Now that you know that you can customize the text over your Instagram Link Sticker, put it to good use. Unlike with “Swipe Up” links, viewers can react and reply to stories that include a link sticker, creating loads more opportunities for engagement.
Considering the short shelf-life of Instagram Stories, you have to make your Links work for you. Tip: Save the Story to your Highlights to keep it beyond 24 hours, or convert your Story to a Reel.
4 Ways To Make The Most Of Story Links
- Create a strong CTA (Call To Action) using short but punchy text. This could be as simple as “Click here for your promo code” or using an arrow to point to the link.
- Plan your Instagram Stories ahead of time. Schedule them to be posted exactly at the time when your audience is online.
- You can use a Story Link to share affiliate links or to send followers to influencer accounts or brands you collaborate with. This is an effective way to build a community and find new followers through partnerships.
- Add hashtags and mentions to your Story. This helps to increase your reach and expose your Link to more users on the platform.
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s it! Now you know how to add a link to your Instagram Story. If you’re on the platform to promote a business or service, it is an absolute must.
Not only does it strengthen your brand and promote your business. It also provides others on the platform another way to discover more about you. Your followers can easily check you out on your other social media platforms and website pages by following your links.
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