Instagram’s inability to allow users to include links in captions is a notable omission. While it’s true that you can’t just copy and paste a hyperlinked URL from your website into an Instagram post, there are workarounds.
However, did you know this? Several options exist for including your preferred social media site’s link.
Including a link in your bio is a common practise, but in this post, we’ll break down the other four methods that people commonly spread links on Instagram.
Adding a link to your Instagram bio: Step 1
It’s happened to all of us: we’re casually browsing our Instagram feeds when we see a caption inviting us to click the “link in bio” for further information.
If you’re familiar with Instagram, you know that a “Link in bio” is a clickable URL that appears at the very top of your profile and, when clicked, takes users directly to the specified website. A landing page, product page, about us page, etc. can all be included in this URL.
Including a web address in your Instagram bio can’t get any easier than this.
Here’s how to accomplish that goal:
The Instagram ‘Edit Profile’ button may be found in the account settings.
Copy and paste your URL into the Website area.
SAVE CHANGES
Adding a URL to an Instagram post: Step 2
Including a link in an Instagram post may be done in a few different ways.
Let me begin with the no-cost option.
Trim your link’s length
Use a link shortening service like Bitly, then paste the shortened URL into the post’s caption and cross your fingers that people will remember to manually input the link into their browsers.
However, it’s quite unlikely that anyone will bother to manually retype your link if they accidentally click it.
Put Instagram’s Checkout and Hashtags to Work for You
Quickly enable your checkout option if you have an online store. Instagram product posts can now be tagged with external e-commerce site purchase links.
Be sure to check out our comprehensive how-to guide on maximising your sales with Instagram’s Checkout and Product Tags.
Sponsored posts cost money
A sponsored post on Instagram may be purchased at any time to include a call to action and a link to your company profile.
Your intended audience, including individuals who don’t follow you, will see these promoted posts.
Buy captioning links
Facebook’s patent application suggests that you could have to pay to include links in Instagram captions. If the platform finds a link within a caption, a prompt asking for payment to activate the link will appear.
The patent application states that activating connections would cost $2, however once this function is released, the true cost will be revealed.
Including a web address in an Instagram Tale
If you want to add a link to your Instagram Story, you have a few choices:
Embed Sticker Link
The next major change to Instagram is that all users, not only those with 10,000 or more followers (who previously only had access to the ‘Swipe up’ option), are now able to add links to their posts.
Add the Link Sticker by following these steps:
- To add a narrative to your profile, tap and hold on your picture.
- Shoot a picture or use one from your device’s gallery.
- Use the primary Sticker button.
- Search for the “Link” sticker in the available options.
- Choose it
- Insert the URL and press the “Done” button.
Stick it where other stickers would go and tap to select a new hue.
Yes, that’s the last word. The link will be shown as a sticker within the narrative, and readers will be able to engage with it by clicking on it to visit the linked URL.
Banner Stickers
In light of the fact that brick-and-mortar establishments are becoming obsolete, Instagram has just launched three distinct Story stickers designed to assist small businesses in their transition to an online presence.
Stickers like “Order food,” “Gift card,” and “Donate” can direct Instagram users to the appropriate places to place an order for food delivery, make a donation, or buy a gift card, respectively.
IGTV link sharing instructions
Creators on IGTV will likely be aware that their videos’ descriptions can be linked to.
The catch is that your readers might not realise there’s a link until they tap to enlarge the description and see it.
Posting the IGTV video to Instagram Stories is a simple way to reuse it and increase the number of people who view your hard work.
The following are some suggestions:
- Launch the camera for your Instagram Story.
- Select the ‘link’ icon (located in the upper-right corner)
- Pick an Instagram video.
- Activate the ‘Done’ button.
- By doing so, your Instagram Story will have a Swipe up link to your IGTV video.
When you press play, the window will pop up.
We made a comprehensive tutorial for getting started with IGTV, covering everything from creating an account to uploading and sharing your first video.
Five ways to improve your Instagram profile by including links
You can also encourage people to visit your links by adding Instagram action buttons to your profile. They’ll appear beside the “People” and “Messages” buttons.
Each and every company profile has access to this function. Select from a variety of call-to-action (CTA) copy possibilities, including but not limited to: Call, Text, Directions, Book, Buy Tickets, Start Order, Reserve, and email buttons, as well as CTAs for things like Gift Cards, Order Food, and Donate.
If you have an integrated 3rd party app, when a consumer clicks on a CTA button in the future, they will be sent to that app to finish their purchase.