"Swipe up!" is out. Link stickers are in. After gatekeeping this feature for years by only allowing accounts with 10K or more followers to use the "swipe up" link feature on Instagram Stories, Instagram has finally opened the kingdom gates and allowed all accounts to put links in their Instagram Stories. This is a huge marketing opportunity for all accounts on Instagram. We're breaking down how to use the sticker and how to make it match your brand aesthetic.
How to Use the Link Sticker on Instagram Stories
1. Tap the sticker icon in the top right of the screen. Then tap the "LINK" sticker.
2. Add the link you want to show on your Instagram story, and then tap "Done" in the top right corner.
3. Now your link pops up on your Story. Instagram auto-generates a couple color options, but only allows one font for the sticker. We have a few ways you can draw people to your link and support your branding at the same time.
How to Brand the Link Sticker and Draw Clicks
1. The simplest option is to add text in the Instagram app, and drag it on top of the link. This way you get the color you want, you have font options, and you can include a strong CTA.
2. A more advanced option is to create your own PNG with a transparent background and save it to your phone's camera roll. An easy way to do this is hop over to Canva, create your design, and make sure you download it as a PNG with a transparent background. In Canva, you can fully customize your link cover with your brand colors and fonts, as well as unique shapes.
3. Make sure you save your PNG to your phone's camera roll. Head back to your Instagram Story, and tap the sticker icon in the top right corner. Then select the camera roll option.
4. Tap on your PNG. Slide the PNG over the link sticker to fully cover it.
5. Now when your followers view your story, they can follow your CTA straight to your link.
Only having the "link in bio" option has been a major setback for many Instagram accounts - especially accounts that are trying to sell physical products and want to market them on their IG Stories. Instagram shared their reasoning for opening up this feature to all accounts saying, “We made this decision based on feedback we heard from the community about how impactful it would be for creators and businesses of all sizes to benefit from link sharing to grow in the same way larger accounts do.” After this move, we'll be interested to see if Instagram eventually allows links to be associated with feed posts, but only time will tell.
And as always, Instagram can take awhile to roll out these new features. If you don't have the link sticker yet, you should have it within a couple of days.
