The Instagram Link Sticker feature has finally been released, allowing creators of all sizes to share clickable links through their IG Stories. This article contains affiliate links.
Swipe Up
Instagram recently removed the Swipe Up Feature and added the all new “Link Sticker” to replace it. Unlike the Swipe Up, Instagram account of all sizes have access to the IG Link Sticker. This allows creators of all sizes to share informational links, product links, earn affiliate commission, or grow their brand / website extremely easily.
Link Sticker
When using Link Stickers, people can still react or respond to your story, something that wasn’t available with the Swipe Up. This sticker is also available to all users, rather than those with a 10k follower minimum.
How to Use
To use the Instagram Link Stickers, take or upload a photo or video to your instagram story. You can access the feature from the top menu, near where you go to add GIFs. You can add a link to any website, product page, youtube video etc.
Hiding Link Stickers
If you want to hide the link sticker, you can cover it with text or a GIF. The link will still be clickable through the text or GIF. It is beneficial to add a call to action like “Click to Shop” or “Tap Here” to increase the click through rate. At this time you can only use one link sticker at a time, so I would do multiple stories to link this Jacket and Workout Set.
Link Sticker Cover
For some affiliate sites, the link shows as a different URL than the companies website. This can be confusing and make people less inclined to click, so I like to cover the affiliate link with an image of the original brand. Be sure to still disclose the use of affiliate links when posting.
To do this, I take a screenshot of the brand’s link while creating the instagram story and remove the background using Canva. Then I download the file as a JPG or PNG with a transparent background and Airdrop it back to my phone.
I go back to my IG story and add the affiliate link sticker and upload the transparent image to cover it.
It sounds like a lot of steps but as greatly increased my CTR.
Templates
Sometimes, the link sticker looks awkward with the composition of the photo. To combat this, I created story templates that include a place for the sticker. This gives it a more uniform look and can be customized to fit with your brand image. I leave a space to add the link, or add the link and cover it with a cropped image of the same location to hide it.
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