How to add a link to a story on instagram

(Pocket-lint) - Instagram for a long time limited who could use hyperlinks in Instagram Stories. But, in late 2021, it lifted all requirements, allowing anyone to add them to their stories. You no longer need a business or creator account, you don't need to be verified, and you don't need over 10,000 followers.

Who can add links to Instagram Stories?

Instagram originally offered a swipe-up link tool that allowed select users to add hyperlinks to their stories. When used, viewers could swipe up on your story or tap an arrow at the bottom of their screen to open any page you linked - all without leaving the Instagram app. But to add a link to your story, you needed to be verified or have a business or creator account with over 10,000 followers.

In mid-2021, Instagram tested a link sticker that worked like the swipe-up link - only, viewers would tap instead of swipe. By end of 2021, it officially introduced the "Link" sticker for all users, opening up the ability for everyone to include hyperlinks in their stories. The link sticker is useful whether you're a business linking to products for sale or an influencer linking out to an external blog.

Instagram said accounts sharing misinformation or hate speech will lose access.

How to add a link to your Instagram Story

Instagram's "Link" sticker feature completely replaces the swipe-up tool, which was how users previously linked to external webpages from stories.

The 'Link' sticker

A link can be added anywhere to a story.

1. Open the latest version of the Instagram mobile app.
2. Tap the Stories camera at the top of your screen.
3. Take a photo or video in the app or choose from your camera roll.
4. Head to the Instagram Stories sticker tray icon.
5. Scroll until you see the "Link" sticker. Select it.
6. You’ll be given the option to either enter or paste a URL.
7. You'll be able to reposition your link sticker by dragging or resizing it with a pinch.
8. You can also choose different colours.
9. Done? If you’re on an iOS device, tap Done. If you’re using an Android, tap the check.

And that’s it!

Can you use the 'Link' sticker elsewhere?

Instagram has said its link sticker is only meant for Stories. It has no plans to bring it to the main Instagram feed or elsewhere.

Want to know more?

For more handy Instagram hacks, see our guides:

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Instagram has maintained its status as a social media mega-force for several years running—quite an accomplishment in this ever-changing digital landscape! And yet, we entrepreneurs, bloggers, wellness creators, and businesses have become frustrated by the platform’s limitations, especially when it comes to linking back to our own websites. Many of us post a single link in our bios, but this workaround can feel clunky and limiting.

Then Instagram Stories changed everything.

This feature was rolled out in August of 2016, and gave users the ability to create short videos or photo series that disappear after 24 hours. Stories are highlighted in the top bar of all user accounts, so they organically receive more attention than regular photo posts. Shortly after the rollout, Instagram began allowing users with verified accounts to seamlessly add a link to an Instagram Story. Clickable links within Instagram Stories are available to many business profiles (not just those with 10,000+ followers). Which means that, for the first time, a high-visibility post can link back to your website, blog, or Marvelous studio product seamlessly and easily.

So how can you take advantage of this outstanding promotional feature? Let’s start with the basics.

How to create an Instagram Story

Before you dig into adding links, you need to know how to create an Instagram Story. The steps are fairly simple, but have changed with recent updates, so here’s the rundown:

When in your Instagram feed, tap the Plus [+] icon in the top right of your screen and choose story, or swipe right from anywhere in your Instagram feed. You can create a new image or video, or use any image(s) or video you’ve previously created in your camera roll on your phone. Videos longer than 15 seconds will split into multiple stories.

You then have the following options:

• Tap the down arrow to the left of your screen, this will display multiple options for creating your story including, Boomerang, Layout and Hands-free.

• Tap the white circle icon at the bottom of the screen to take a photo, or tap and hold to record a video.

• Next, tap [Aa] to add text, click the smiley face icon to show a grid of options of what you can add to your story, including Location, tagging another Instagram account, add stickers or music clip, and so much more

• Tap Undo to remove a drawing effect or Done to save it. To remove text sticker, or music clip, drag and drop it on the garbage can icon at the bottom, center of the screen.

• You’re almost done! You tap Save to save it to your phone, if you’ve changed your mind about posting, tap Cancel to discard your photo or video, or when you're done and ready to post, tap the Arrow in the bottom right-hand corner.

How to add to your Instagram story

Adding another image or video to your story is simple. Just follow the above steps! Every image you add in a 24-hour period using the Stories functions will become part of your current story.

Regret adding something to today’s story? Tap the three dots at the bottom right corner of the photo or video, hit Delete, and then confirm.

On the flip side, if you you want everyone to have access to the components of an InstaStory permanently, you can add them to your profile grid. Just open your Story, tap the three dots at the bottom right of the photo or video, then tap Share as Post. Tap Share, and into your feed it goes!

You can also add a story to a highlight that appears in your Instagram profile by viewing your story and clicking Highlight in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

How to add a link to an Instagram Story

If you’ve got access to the linking feature, adding a live link to your most recent blog post, your website, or even another social media account is really straight forward.

Here’s how to add a link to Instagram Story:

• Begin creating your Story as you normally would

• Once you’ve created or selected a new photo or video, you’ll see four icons at the top of the screen - a text (Aa) icon, a smiley, 3 stars, and 3 dots. Tap the smiley and look for the chain link symbol with the word “Link” next to it.

• A new screen will appear that gives you a field for entering the destination URL of your choice. Since Instagram doesn’t give you any tracking capabilities or metrics, consider using Bit.ly to monitor your link’s performance.

Once you’ve added a URL to your story, the chain link icon will appear next to the URL you just typed out. By tapping the link you can change the color. You can also move it around your screen, and adjust the size.

You can continue editing the elements of your Story by adding text, filters, or stickers. To ensure that viewers are aware of the live embedded link, be sure to include a call-to-action in your story text that directs them to it. Something as simple as “Tap here to sign u!” with an arrow sticker point towards the link, works beautifully.

How to leverage your Instagram Story links to drive traffic

Adding links is a HUGE first step toward connecting your Instagram account to your blog or website. But incorporating a link and nudging users to click often isn’t enough. You need to create strategic content that actually entices them to want more, and actively seek out your link.

One simple strategy is to create a new Instagram Story every time you’ve published a new blog post. Grab the header image from your post, or just create a slide that features the post’s headline in bold, artful text. Consider creating a graphic element that says “new blog post” that you can pop onto any InstaStory slide serving as a blog-content alert. And don’t forget that call-to-action!

Tutorials and DIYs can also serve as fantastic teasers on Instagram Stories. If you’re demonstrating a series of yoga poses, include a short video and a few stills on Insta, then create a final slide that directs users to your site for full instructions.

You can also tease exclusive content, product launches, or sneak peeks at new projects. Create a short video or a few slides that will pique curiosity, then make your final frame a link to your Marvelous site.

And, of course, Instagram Stories creates a superb platform for plugging your services .... though be sure to do so in moderation. If every Story you share is a promo for your wellness business, your followers will become disenchanted and stop viewing your stories. But if you incorporate a variety of posts and ensure that your promos have the same engaging, fun tone as the rest, your fans will welcome them. Again, use overlaid text and calls to action to get the most out of your Stories.

Awkward as it may feel, keeping a fresh link in your Instagram profile that directs followers to timely content or information is still a smart move. Using a free one-link landing page such as Marvelous.bio is perfect for this. But if you really want to leverage your Instagram following and increase traffic to your site, tinker around with Instagram Stories links. More than 200 million people use this feature every single day, so it’s a savvy, effective way to lead your followers back to your website or blog.

Why can't I add a link to my Instagram story?

Can anyone add a link to Instagram story?