You’ve probably known that it’s complicated to post link in Instagram bio, feeds, or other places. One of the few features that Instagram lacks is the ability to share links in captions. Yes, you cannot directly copy your website URL and paste it into an Instagram post as a hyperlinked URL, but there are several workarounds.
However, guess what? There are several methods for adding links to your favorite social platform.
Posting Links on Instagram
Yes, using a link in bio tool is a popular option, but in this article, we’ll show you 3 ways to share links on Instagram, all explained step by step.
How to Post Link in Instagram Bio
It’s happened to all of us: you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed, and when you read the caption to a cool post, you’re directed to a ‘link in bio’ for more information.
As you may know, a ‘link in bio’ is a clickable URL that users can see at the top of your Instagram profile, and when they click on it, they are taken directly to the desired website. This URL can point to a product page, a landing page, an about us section, or anything else.
This is the most basic method to post link in Instagram bio.
Here’s how you can go about it:
- Navigate to your Instagram account and select ‘Edit Profile.’
- Copy and paste your desired link into the Website field.
- Save your changes.
As you can see, you are only allowed to place one link.
This is what link in bio tool is designed to address.
It is a straightforward feature that consolidates your Instagram feed and allows you to use a unique link for each of your feed photos.
When someone clicks on your link in bio, they will be directed to this clickable lists of links. To know more about them, read our guide on “5 Tools to Create a Link in Bio on Instagram.”
How to Put Links on Captions
If you want to share your link in an Instagram caption, you have several options.
Let’s begin with the free options.
Shorten the Links
You can shorten your link using Bitly, share it in your post caption, and hope that users remember it and type it into their browsers.
However, it is unlikely that anyone will bother remembering your link and typing it all over again.
Use Instagram Checkout and Product Tags
If you have an online store, make sure your checkout option is enabled. This allows you to tag Instagram posts that feature products with shopping links that are synced with an external e-commerce platform.
Pay for Sponsored Posts
You can always pay for a sponsored post with a linked call-to-action at the bottom of your Instagram business profile.
These post ads will appear to your target audience even if they do not follow you.
Pay to Make Caption Links Clickable
According to a Facebook patent application, Instagram may charge you to add links to your captions. If the platform detects a link within a caption, it will display a pop-up asking you to pay to make the link clickable.
The price for activating links is $2 in the patent application, but the actual price will be known once this feature is officially rolled out.
How to Post a Link in Your Instagram Story
Here are some possibilities for sharing links on your Instagram Story.
Using the Swipe Up Feature
It’s now time to demonstrate how to add a link to an Instagram Story.
There are two methods, the first of which is the simplest: use the Instagram swipe up feature.
The only catch is that you must have a business account with more than 10,000 followers to use this feature.
But don’t worry if you don’t have one; there is another way to get the same feature. However, it will come at a low cost.
But we’ll get to that later. I’m going to walk you through the process of adding a link to an Instagram story using the swipe up feature right now.
Let’s get started right away.
On your Instagram home page, click the Instagram Stories Icon.
The camera icon is located in the upper left corner of your screen. Click it to begin taking photos or videos to add to your story.
There are numerous options at the bottom of your screen that allow you to record various types of videos. Play around with them to find the one that best conveys your story.
You can also insert a video from your camera roll. To add a video from your camera roll, click the camera icon, then the icon on the bottom far left of your screen, or simply swipe up.
Use Filters, Stickers, and Text
After you’ve added your video, you can customize it by clicking on the text, filter, or sticker icons at the top of your screen.
Use the Linking Feature for Stories
If your Instagram account is linked, you should see a link icon at the top of your screen (next to the text, filter and sticker icons: it looks like a clip).
When you click on it, you will be taken to a screen where you can enter your link.
You’ll be able to see how your link will appear when people click on it.
When your link is added, the link icon on your screen will be surrounded by a white circle. When users view your story, they will see a “See More” button at the bottom of their screen. They can either click the button or swipe up to be directed to the specified URL.
Posting Links on Stories without “Swipe Up” Feature
As previously stated, the Swipe Up feature is only available to business accounts with 10,000 or more followers.
However, not every business account has so many followers. So, where do they go from here? Without the feature, can you add clickable links to their Instagram stories?
You certainly can. It would cost you some money, but you can absolutely do it.
How?
It all comes down to using a marketing strategy developed by digital marketer Dennis Yu for Facebook Ads.
Here’s how it’s done:
From the app, promote Instagram Stories.
When you post an Instagram Story, the platform gives you the option to promote it via the App.
From the Ad Manager, promote Instagram Stories.
It’s simple; simply follow the steps below:
- Launch the Instagram Ads Manager.
- Create a campaign goal.
- Choose an audience or create your own.
- Set a daily budget.
- Select “Instagram Stories” as the location where you want the ads to appear.
- Edit your Instagram Story and include relevant information (particularly a ‘call-to-action’ phase.
As soon as the post is published, you’ll be able to track its performance in the Ads Manager or through your device’s native app.
Conclusion
Not everyone is willing to pay for paid promotion of their Instagram stories through Instagram ads.
The solution is to increase your business account followers to 10,000 so that you can use the swipe up function.
However, reaching 10,000 is not as simple as some may believe.
Still, it’s not impossible; increasing your Instagram followers and expanding your digital footprint doesn’t have to be difficult.
