How to Easily Add Clickable Links to Your Instagram Stories
Instagram stories have become one of the most popular ways for brands and influencers to connect with their audiences. The ephemeral photos and videos allow you to give followers a peek behind the scenes while injecting your personality into your content.
Stories also provide the hugely valuable ability to swipe up and click a link to drive traffic to your website or other landing pages. However, Instagram used to limit this "swipe up" feature to verified accounts or those with over 10,000 followers. But now, anyone can add clickable links to stories!
Read on for an in-depth guide on the new link sticker feature and how to easily bring more users from Instagram to your site.
Out With the Old Swipe Up, In With Link Stickers
Previously, Instagram only gave accounts that were either verified or had 10,000+ followers the ability to add "swipe up" links to their ephemeral stories.
This gave bigger brands and influencers a huge advantage for driving traffic and monetizing their Instagram presence. Smaller creators or businesses couldn‘t take advantage of the invaluable clickthrough potential of stories.
Fortunately, as part of Instagram‘s continued push to support their entire community, they introduced link stickers in August 2021. This nifty new interactive sticker gives every single user the power to add a tappable link to their stories, regardless of following or verification status.
The link sticker functions very similarly to the old swipe up link. Followers simply tap the sticker icon embedded in your story to be redirected to the destination URL. But the sticker takes up less intrusive room in the story interface while still catching viewers‘ eyes.
This change levels the playing field so users big and small can drive more traffic to products, landing pages, websites and more right from attention-grabbing Instagram stories.
Why Link Stickers Represent a Big Traffic Opportunity
To understand just how important link stickers are for an Instagram marketing strategy, let‘s look at some key statistics:
- 500 million users interact with Instagram Stories every single day
- 1/3 of the most viewed stories are from businesses
- The average Instagram Story completion rate is 85%
- Stories with a strong call-to-action had 36% higher conversion rates
As you can see, Instagram Stories hold insane reach and engagement rates compared to feed posts. Even if your content disappears in 24 hours, you capture viewer attention for that short time.
Stories also create a sense of urgency, so users are more inclined to tap and swipe up on your creative calls-to-action.
Whether you have 100 or 100k followers, link stickers present a way to convert impressions into website visitors at scale. Even micro-influencers and small businesses can drive thousands of taps through smart sticker placement.
Platforms like Linktree and LinkinBio have exploded in popularity for aggregating all your profile, bio and stories links in one place too. Over 50% of Linktree users cite Instagram marketing as one of their motivations for using the service.
So while Instagram sticks to its one link per story policy, you can still funnel traffic across multiple external destinations thanks to link aggregators.
Step By Step Instructions to Add a Clickable Link Sticker
Adding a link sticker overlay takes just a few easy steps:
Open the Instagram stories camera by tapping the plus (+) button or swiping right from your feed. You can upload a new photo/video or use existing content from your camera roll.
Tap the sticker icon from the top navigation bar.
Select the Link sticker. It looks like two chain links.
Paste or type your link into the space provided and tap "Done." This can be a URL to a product, blog post, YouTube video, etc.
Tap and hold to pick up the sticker and overlay it on top of your story content. Drag it into position.
And that‘s seriously all there is to it! Your followers can now simply tap the sticker icon to be sent directly to the destination URL.
Customizing Your Link Sticker
You also have lots of creative options for customizing the look and feel of your link sticker:
- Resize the sticker larger or smaller
- Rotate/tilt it at an angle
- Change colors to match branding
- Add text like "Learn more!" or "Link in bio"
- Layer multiple stickers but keep in mind Instagram only allows one tappable link per story
Getting clever with placements and text pairings can capture more eyes while still driving clicks through to your site.
What Makes the Most Clickable Story Link Stickers
Not all link stickers are made equal in terms of driving conversions and traffic. But there are certain best practices you can follow to get followers tapping through:
Behind the Scenes Content Performs Well
Taking your audience along your journey works incredibly effectively on social media. Offer VIP access through exclusive tutorials, company tours, introductions to your team and more.
When you provide value and entertainment first, users feel more inclined to tap your links as a thank you. For example, an online boutqiue could showcase their new designer scarves arriving at the warehouse. The sticker would then allow customers early access to purchase.
Encourage User Generated Content
User generated content receives higher engagement across all social platforms. So inspire audiences to create reviews, testimonials, usage imagery and videos related to your product or service.
A nonprofit could empower donors or volunteers in the field capture quick videos on how contributions get used. Their organic advocacy, paired with donation or email subscription stickers will convert.
Link Stickers With Discounts Convert The Best
Everyone loves a good bargain. Partner limited time percentage off coupons or dollar amount gift cards with your link stickers.
Urgency gets users excited to take advantage of deals before time runs out. An ecommerce link sticker touting 20% off your first purchase will stand out in crowded newsfeeds.
Promote Your Best Assets Paired With Stickers
While any story content can be amplified with link stickers, you ideally want to feature your strongest, most evergreen material:
Most Popular Blog Articles or Videos – Highlight top performers that already resonate with your target customer base. Chances are these will continue driving even more eyes through organic shares too.
Lead Magnets/Freebies – Lead magnets that provide valuable free training, templates, trials or consultations in exchange for an email address will entice sticker taps.
Product Releases or Updates – Showcase improvements and enhancements to existing offerings followers already know and love. Outline value Adds through stickers.
Webinars and Events – Promote your upcoming or on-demand virtual events, trade shows, conferences and webinars. Use stickers so audiences can register or sign up.
Retargeting Campaigns – Remarket warming story sequences to users who recently visited your website pages but haven‘t yet converted. Insert context-specific sticker CTAs.
Pair your most engaging assets that align to stages of your funnel with clear, clickable calls-to-action driving to landing pages. This orchestrates an Instagram marketing workflow sure to drive conversions.
Tools to Track Link Sticker Performance
Diving into analytics will clarify precisely which of your link stickers drive the most quality traffic and conversions.
Luckily, a few built-in InstagramInsights and third-party platforms make understanding sticker metrics easy:
Instagram native analytics details impressions and reach for each story. Compare high reach stories and stickers clicks to gauge impact.
Facebook Analytics ties into Insta business profiles. Check campaign asset link clicks and website conversions.
UTM link tagging with campaign parameters. Use unique UTM codes for every sticker URL to identify source, medium and content drivinglanding page visitors.
Link services like Linktree and LinkinBio come bundled with analytics on clicks and top performing links. Segment data by platform and sticker content.
Google Analytics will classify visitors from Instagram then highlight high traffic webpages. Connect conversions back to stickers accordingly.
Advertising analytics from business suites like Adespresso track sticker swipe up rates plus downstream funnel activity per campaign, adset and individual asset.
Standard web analytics reveal where traffic comes from but not content specifics. Marketing analytics drill down further so you can pinpoint winning stickers to replicate across more stories.
Best Practices For Optimizing Link Stickers
Achieving a 13%+ Average CTR benchmark for Instagram story stickers takes thoughtful placement, design and messaging tactics.
Run regular A/B sticker tests to determine ideal elements for your audience:
Rotate different versions of colorful backgrounds, fonts, borders and effects. Bright contrasting hues pop against both images and videos.
Swap sticky text like "Tap Here To Start Trial" or "Click For Discount" to see if directive language lifts conversions over subtle "Learn More" types.
Experiment with positions fixating stickers center screen or buried in corners etc. Putting stickers on natural focal points like faces, products works well.
Use sequencial sequencing with a series of 3-5 consecutive stories featuring stickers. Reinforce messaging as users continue swiping through the journey.
Poll followers on sticker variations to crowdsource opinions on most effective designs. Engage audiences by having them directly choose preferred layouts.
Pour over analytics while iterating so data guides your visual kerning. Nail down pointer copy, color schemes and placements converting best for recycling across stories.
Ideal Uses of Link Stickers Per Industry
While link stickers work for all business types, not everyone leverages their power effectively. Here are tailor-made suggestions per sector:
Ecommerce Brands
Product launches, inventory overviews, limited time discounts and early access events make great shoppable stickers to Instagram carts and online stores.
Bloggers/Publishers
Utilize stickers on visual quotes and key takeaways from written pieces so readers can dive into your newest articles.
Coaches/Consultants
Share free class previews or assessment results through in-stream stickers leading to sales funnel form fills.
Nonprofits and Activist Accounts
Fundraising and petition-signing represent huge potential for good cause link sticker campaigns.
Getting creative with context-relevant CTAs makes stickers more meaningful and traffic-generating for any niche.
Sequencing Stickers for Maximum Impact
Simply tossing up one-off stories with a single link sticker limits your power. Combining stickers with thoughtful sequencing fosters more clicks:
Funnels
Structure a series of 3-5 cards leading visitors through an onboarding journey with each scene or segment driving to relevant pages.
Cliffhangers
Split up teasers or testimonials into multiple parts stoking reader curiosity to unravel the full narrative. Each episode sticks to the next chapter.
Lead Magnets
Offer value and engagement bait content first through stories (e-books, trainings) before dropping conversion-focused stickers (hidden discounts, email sign-up access).
Traffic Surges
Promote time-sensitive sales, events and product launches by blasting the same sticker across multiple stories for awareness saturation.
Stacking related stories into meaningful narratives, trips down the sales funnel or traffic pushes compounds visibility for cosmic lifts in clicks and conversions.
Complying With Instagram‘s Link Sticker Guidelines
To stay in good standing when using link stickers, ensure your usage follows core rules:
Link stickers can only direct to destinations also shareable on an Instagram profile‘s website space or directly through DMs. Violating content includes pornography, illegal activity pages etc.
Commercial links should include necessary disclosures like #Ad #Sponsored or #PaidPartnership hashtags for transparency around paid partnerships or affiliates. Disclosing ensures trust with your community.
Instagram prohibits promoting content facilitating the sale or distribution of pharmaceuticals, weapons, ammunition and explosives. So health companies need proper documentation on file.
Stay above board with required advertising disclosures plus restrictions on controlled or dangerous goods. This keeps your account safely monetizing long-term.
Contrasting Link Stickers With Link in Bio & Website Links
Beyond link stickers, Instagram also allows sharing clickable links via:
Link In Bio categories inside Instagram profiles
Website URL fields in profile bios
So what should factor into choosing which option to house your links?
Link Stickers
- Highly visible, attention-grabbing in Stories
- Expire after 24 hours
- Encourage urgency with temporary nature
- Creative, on-brand design freedom
- Contextually relevant to adjacent story content
Link In Bio Links
- Permanent collection of categorized clickable links
- Facilitate profile-to-website click journeys
- Rely on followers actively visiting profile
- Drive to evergreen or top level pages
Website Profile Links
- Single, static full website URL
- Typically used to link broad domain homepages
- Easy access but not visually engaging
In most cases, link stickers will outperform profile links for conversions due to visibility directly in-stream paired with disappearing nature.
But having all options enables pointing followers to both evergreen and temporary landing pages from a central public profile hub. Each strategy fuels the other!
Put Link Stickers to Work For Your Brand
Instagram‘s rollout of link stickers finally gives every member of its community the features needed to fully optimize Stories. This guide should have you up and running driving more traffic from Instagram in virtually no time!
Start bringing more visitors to your landing pages by overlaying clickable stickers on top of engaging, on-brand visual content. Consistently utilizing links in Stories is sure to pay dividends for your website traffic, conversions and exposure.
Now put these best practices into play to unlock the full power of stickers!
