Whether it’s inviting people to interesting events or sharing blog and website content, the “Swipe Up” Story feature has been a massively popular tool among Instagram users ever since it rolled out. What’s more, it’s an incredibly efficient way of attracting traffic to your website, allowing you to increase engagement across several platforms. But how exactly do you add a link to your Instagram Story?
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Who can add links to Stories?
Although sharing links on Instagram Stories has become quite a popular practice, not every user has access to this feature. As of now, only verified accounts and accounts with over 10,000 followers have the ability to share links via their Instagram Stories, most likely due to the fact that Instagram wants to keep most of the engagement within their platform. However, as this feature was initially only available to accounts with over 1m followers, there’s a high chance the current criteria might be changed in the future.
How to add links to Instagram Stories
If you’re the owner of an account that has access to Story links, the process of posting clickable links to Instagram Stories is actually quite quick and easy. Just follow the steps below:
1. Starting an Instagram Story
Before you add a clickable link, you must first start an Instagram Story. To do that, simply open the Instagram app on your device, and then swipe left, or press the camera icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Once you’ve opened the Stories feature, you can now take a picture, video, or Boomerang. You also have the option to swipe up and import a photo or video from your device’s library.
2. Adding a clickable link
After you’ve chosen a photo or video to post, press the Insert Link option (chain link icon) at the top. A new window will now appear, where you can enter your desired URL.
Once you’ve inserted the link, you will be directed back to the Story you created, and the chain link icon will be highlighted.
Note: Instagram Analytics don’t track URL Story links at the moment, which is why it would be best to include a link you could track separately, such as bit.ly or rebrand.ly, if you want to measure your statistics.
3. Editing and adding a call to action
Now’s the time to edit your story with filters and include any additional text, stickers, gifs, etc, if you wish.
Considering the fact that your link will only be visible to your audience for a couple of seconds, it would also be a good idea to add a call to action (CTA) text to your Story, to help direct the viewers to the link. “Swipe up for more” or “See more here” are some of the most common CTAs, as well as doodled arrows pointing to the link.
4. Posting your Instagram Story
After the editing process is done, all you have to do is share your Instagram Story as you normally would. Now anyone who views your story will have a See More option at the bottom, which they could swipe up to follow your link.
Tip: Consider adding the Instagram Story to your Highlights, so your audience can have longer than the 24-hour Story limit to follow your link.
Alternative ways of posting links to Instagram
If you’re a user who doesn’t have access to Story links, or you’re simply looking for another solution, the alternatives might prove to be far less effective. For instance, you can send links through Direct Messages, although this is not the most efficient method of mass communication. You also have the option of posting links in comments, but copying and pasting isn’t exactly easy on Instagram, apart from the fact that the link itself might not actually be clickable.
It seems like the only viable alternative is to post a link in your Bio while redirecting your audience to find it with ‘Link in Bio’ written in captions, or even comments. However, even this option has its disadvantages, as there’s only a limited number of active links that can be in a Bio at once.
As long as your account has access to this handy feature, posting links through Instagram Stories is a quick and simple process that can be done in a matter of minutes.
