Whether you want money or fame, Instagram can be an excellent platform to reach your goals. Tens of millions of people across the globe are currently using this app, and a vast number of those users are serious brands with stellar reputations and lots of followers. In fact, most of those brands gain traffic to their official websites thanks to their clout on Instagram and other social media. All they need to do is put a link in their IG bios and/or stories, and the followers are bound to click on them.
Of course, even if you’re just a regular user, you might want to share an important link with your followers on IG. Back in the day, you had to use the so-called Swipe Up feature, but since late 2021, it has been retired and replaced by the link stickers.
So, what are link stickers, and more importantly, how can you add them to your IG story? We suggest you read on — it will help your social media presence grow.
What Are Link Stickers, Exactly?
As their name suggests, link stickers are interactive images that contain a hyperlink. They are, in fact, quite similar to other types of stickers that you can use on Instagram Stories, like polls, questions, and locations.
Broadly speaking, as a feature, link stickers come with lots of advantages over the old Swipe Up. First and foremost, they are interactive through the Story itself. Furthermore, you can react to them and comment on them, which wasn’t possible using the Swipe Up. Next, users recognize what a sticker is. They are quite popular, considering how easy they are to use and how versatile they can be.
But by far, the best advantage of link stickers is the fact that anyone can use them. The Swipe Up was only available to users who had more than 10,000 followers. However, Instagram saw value in regular, small accounts using links in their stories, so they obliged with their 2021 update and the introduction of the link sticker.
With the introductions out of the way, let’s move on to the actual adding process.
Adding a Link to Your Story: Our Brief Guide
As stated earlier, any user can now add link stickers, irrespective of how many followers they have. The procedure is as follows:
- Tap your Instagram app, and once you’re in, tap the “+” sign;
- Select Story;
- Using the media on your page, create a new story (or simply tap Create to make a story with a blank background);
- Tap on the Sticker tray near the top left-hand corner of the screen;
- Of the given choices, tap on the Link sticker;
- In the text prompt that pops up, paste the link you want to share;
- Input the sticker’s text or a call-to-action in the appropriate prompt;
- By pinching the link, you can resize it;
- You can customize the color and the font of the link sticker by tapping directly on it;
- Post the Story.
Current Link Limitations
Once again, we have to stress that everyone, even relatively small accounts, can use link stickers. The 10,000-follower cap is no longer needed. However, there are still quite a few limitations when it comes to sharing links on Instagram Stories, or rather on Instagram in general.
As a user, you can only post one link per Story. It seems like a nice, elegant system; a short but sweet clip of 10+ seconds that shows you a link, and you click on it. But what if you wanted to share multiple links? Well, you would have to have multiple Stories. In that way, Stories are similar to Instagram bios — they don’t allow for multiple links.
There are, of course, workarounds. For example, you can use a landing page service like Linktree, ContactInBio, EverLink, and others. These services allow you to add multiple links to one page. From there, you copy that main multi-link and paste it either into your bio or one of your Stories. You’re still technically covering a single link, so it doesn’t go against Instagram’s rules.
Customizing the Link Stickers
Instagram offers a lot of options for the aesthetics of its link stickers. However, what if you don’t like the choices you’re offered? Furthermore, what if you’d like to use a design that fits your image or your personal style more? Well, there’s a way you can customize IG link stickers.
The first step is to create a draft for your Instagram Story and add a link sticker. However, before you post the Story, head on over to whatever design app you have installed on your phone. While there, design the perfect sticker, complete with a Call to Action, and export it to your phone’s file storage. However, make sure that the file is a .png image with a transparent background.
With your image ready, head back to the Story draft and edit the link sticker. You should be able to add your custom .png and place it directly over your link sticker. Finally, share the Story and watch those clicks multiply.
Tips on Using Instagram Link Stickers
There are lots of ways a link sticker can help drive traffic to your page. For example, lots of content creators post links to their blog articles, which can get IG users to migrate from social media and become active readers and subscribers on other services.
Businesses also use link stickers for various types of bookings. For instance, you can encourage clients to book massages, therapy sessions, haircuts, and other services by clicking on links via Stories. Moreover, if you’re organizing an event or even just promoting it, you can post links where customers can buy tickets in advance. The possibilities are endless. And considering how creative you can get with creating link stickers, you might get even more potential clients with the right design and an appropriate Call to Action.
