How to Add a Link to Instagram Story, Post, and Bio

Instagram is a highly visual platform, but sharing links on it can be tricky. Unlike other social networks, Instagram doesn't let you put clickable links directly in post captions, and for a long time only certain users could add links to Stories.

If you're wondering how to share your website, product, or other content with your followers, don't worry – it is possible. In this guide, we'll explain how to add links to your Instagram Story (using the Link Sticker), how to deal with links in regular posts, and how to make the most of your bio link (including adding multiple links).

What's the Link Sticker?

The Link Sticker is a feature in Instagram Stories that allows you to add a tappable link sticker to your Story. It effectively replaced the old "swipe-up" link feature in late 2021 and, importantly, Instagram made it available to everyone – you no longer need 10,000 followers or a verified account to share links in Stories.

When a viewer taps your Link Sticker, they'll be redirected to the external URL you provided. This sticker behaves like other Instagram stickers (you can move it around, change its look, etc.) and even allows viewers to react or reply to your Story (which the old swipe-up didn't).

In short, the Link Sticker is now the easiest way to drive your Instagram followers to an external website or product page directly from an Instagram Story.

When to Use the Link Sticker

You should use the Link Sticker whenever you want to direct your audience to something outside of Instagram. Here are some common scenarios where the Link Sticker is extremely useful:

Promoting a product or shop: Link directly to a product page or online store so followers can tap to shop an item featured in your Story.
Sharing new content: If you have a new blog post, YouTube video, podcast, or article, use the sticker to send viewers straight to that content.
Event or signup pages: Use it for things like event registrations, newsletters, or free resources – for example, "Tap here to sign up" linking to a signup form.
Any external resource: Essentially, anytime you mention something in your Story that lives outside Instagram (a website, an app download, a news article, etc.), the Link Sticker can connect viewers to it instantly. It reduces the steps needed (no more "link in bio" needed for Stories) and can significantly improve traffic to that link, since people just have to tap.

The Link Sticker is a powerful tool for engagement and conversions. By using clear call-to-action text on the sticker (like "Tap to shop!" or "Read article"), you can encourage viewers to click through.

Instagram also allows you to track how many people tapped your link via Story insights, which helps you measure the sticker's impact.

How to Add a Link to an Instagram Story

Adding a link to your Instagram Story using the Link Sticker is straightforward. Just follow these steps:

Create a Story: Open the Instagram app and tap the + (plus) icon or swipe to the Story camera. Capture a photo/video or choose one from your gallery as you normally would for a Story.
Open the sticker tray: Tap the Sticker icon (the square smiley-face) at the top of the story editor screen.
Select the Link Sticker: In the stickers menu, look for the sticker labeled "Link." It has a chain link icon. Tap on Link.
Add your link: Enter the URL you want to share. You can also customize the sticker text that will appear on the Story (for example, instead of showing the raw URL, you might write "Tap here for details" as the sticker text).
Place and customize the sticker: Once you've entered the link (and optional text), the Link Sticker will appear on your Story draft. Drag it to position it where you like. You can tap the sticker to cycle through different color options and styles to match your Story's look. You can also resize it by pinching.
Post your Story: Share the Story as usual (tap "Your Story"). Now your Story frame will display the Link Sticker. When followers view the Story, they can tap the sticker and Instagram will redirect them to the link you added.

That's it – the link becomes instantly accessible to anyone viewing your Story. Keep in mind you can only add one Link Sticker (one link) per Story slide. If you have multiple links to share, you'll need to use separate Story slides or use your bio link for additional links.

Also, ensure your URL is correct (double-check the address) because viewers will be taken directly to whatever link you input.

Pro Tip: Make your Link Sticker stand out. Use a call-to-action phrase in the sticker text (e.g., "Tap to shop!" or "Read article") to entice people to tap. Place the sticker somewhere noticeable on the screen but not covering important parts of your content. A consistent style or placement (for example, always near the bottom) can train your audience to quickly find and tap your link.

Bonus Tip: How to Add a Link to Instagram Posts

What about regular Instagram posts (the ones on your profile feed)? Instagram does not allow clickable links in the captions or comments of standard posts. This means if you type a URL in your post caption, it will appear as text but won't be tappable.

Still, there are a few ways to share a link through Instagram posts or guide your followers to a link:

Include the URL in your caption (with a caveat):

You can put a link URL in the caption of your post, but remember, it won't be clickable. For example, you might write "Visit my website at mywebsite.com" in the caption. Users would have to copy and paste that URL into their browser manually. This isn't very user-friendly, and many people won't bother. So use this approach only if the link is short, easy to remember, or if you spell out a simple URL.

"Link in bio" call-out:

A more effective strategy is to direct people to the link in your Instagram bio. Many brands and creators will post a photo and in the caption say something like "👉 Link in bio for details." Then they put the actual link in their profile bio. This way, interested viewers know they can find the clickable link by visiting your profile page. (You just have to remember to update your bio link to match what you're promoting in the post.) Using the bio link is a very common workaround for the no-clickable-links issue on posts.

Share via DMs:

If you really need to give someone a link from a post, you can invite them to message you. For example, your caption could say, "DM me for the link and I'll send it to you." Then, anyone who wants the link can send you a direct message, and you can reply with the URL. Links sent through Instagram Direct are clickable. This method is more personal and works best if you expect only a handful of requests (it may not be feasible to DM hundreds of people). It's a bit manual, but it can help you connect with followers one-on-one.

Use sponsored posts or ads:

If having a clickable link on a feed post is critical, consider turning that post into an ad. Instagram ads (including promoted posts) allow you to add a call-to-action button like "Learn More" or "Shop Now" that viewers can click, which opens the link you want. You'll need a Business or Creator account and to pay to promote the post, but this is the only way to get an actual clickable link on a regular post. Similarly, if you have Instagram Shopping set up for your account, you can tag products in a post – tapping those product tags lets users view the product and includes a link to the product page (either on Instagram or your website).

In summary, for regular posts your best bet is usually to leverage the link in your bio and guide users there, since captions themselves won't embed hyperlinks. Many successful Instagram accounts use the "link in bio" approach in captions as a standard practice to work around Instagram's no-link limitation.

Bonus Tip: How to Add More than One Link in Your Instagram Bio

Your Instagram bio is the prime spot for sharing a link because it's prominently visible on your profile and is clickable. Historically, Instagram allowed only one single link in the bio.

However, Instagram has recently introduced the ability to add multiple links in your bio. In fact, as of 2023, you can add up to five links to your Instagram profile bio. Here's how you can add multiple links to your Instagram bio using this feature:

Go to your profile and tap "Edit Profile." On your Instagram profile page, press the Edit Profile button.
Find the "Links" option: In the Edit Profile screen, there will be an option labeled Links. Tap Add Link.
Add an external link: Select Add external link. Then enter the URL you want to add, and give it a title. (The title is like a label for the link – for example, "My Blog", "YouTube Channel", "Store", etc.) Save it.
Add more links: To add another link, tap Add Link again and repeat the process with a different URL and title. You can do this for up to five links total on your bio. You can also reorder the links or remove them later via the Edit Profile menu.

After adding multiple links, visitors to your profile will see the first link and something like "and 2 others" (if you added more) – tapping that will reveal the full list of all your bio links. This new multi-link feature is great for showcasing several things at once (for example, you can have one link for your website, one for a portfolio, one for a newsletter signup, etc.).

Using a "link in bio" tool for even more links: What if you have more than five links, or you want a more customized linking page? This is where third-party link-in-bio tools come in.

These tools allow you to create a special landing page that can contain many links, and you put that landing page's URL in your Instagram bio. For example, Slashlink is a free link-in-bio tool that lets you create a custom bio link page with unlimited links, plus it can automatically display your latest Instagram posts or YouTube videos, and it provides analytics to track clicks.

With a tool like this, you can share a virtually unlimited number of links through the single URL in your bio. This is useful if you have a lot of different content or pages to promote – your followers click one link on your profile, and it leads to a menu of all your links. It's a convenient way to bypass Instagram's one-link (or five-link) limit while also creating a nicely branded landing page for your audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

To share a link on Instagram, you have a few options:

Bio link: Add the link to your Instagram profile bio. This is the simplest way – anyone visiting your profile can click the link. (Now you can even add multiple links in your bio, as mentioned above.)
Story link: Use the Link Sticker on an Instagram Story to share a clickable link there. When viewers watch your Story, they can tap the sticker and go directly to the website or page you added.
Post (caption workaround): You cannot have a clickable link in a regular post caption, but you can put the URL in the caption text (it just won't be clickable). Often, people will do this and then write "link in bio" to tell users where to find the clickable version.
Direct message: You can also share links privately by sending someone a DM (Direct Message). For example, if someone asks for a link, you can send it to them in a chat – links in DMs are clickable.

In summary, the main places for clickable links on Instagram are your bio and your Stories. Posts can mention or point people to those links, but can't include active links themselves.

How to add a link to an Instagram post?

By design, Instagram doesn't support clickable URLs in regular post captions or comments. So you cannot add a clickable link directly to a feed post that users can tap.

What you can do is: include a URL in the caption as plain text (for example, "Check out our site at mywebsite.com"), knowing that people would have to copy-paste it. A better approach is to use your caption to direct viewers to your profile's bio link (e.g. "Link in bio"). Then make sure the link in your bio is updated to whatever you want to promote in that post.

Another option is to use Instagram's advertising features – if you promote the post as an ad, you'll be able to attach a clickable button or swipe-up link to it, but this costs money and is usually used for business purposes. For most users, the "link in bio" method is the go-to solution for adding a link associated with an Instagram post.

How to add a link to an Instagram Story?

To add a link to your Instagram Story, use the Link Sticker feature. Create your story (capture or upload content), then tap the sticker icon at the top and choose the Link sticker. Type in the URL you want to share (and customize the sticker text if you like).

Once you place that sticker on your Story and post it, viewers will see a clickable link sticker on your Story. They just need to tap it, and it will take them to the link you added. (Previously, Instagram had a "swipe up" link feature for Stories limited to larger accounts, but now the Link Sticker is available to everyone.)

Remember you can only add one link sticker per Story, so if you have multiple links to share, use multiple Story slides or consider using your bio link for the extra link.

Instagram now allows users to add more than one link in their bio. You can include up to 5 different links on your profile, all of which will be clickable. To do this, go to your profile > Edit Profile > Links > Add external link, and add the URLs one by one (with titles). This is great for sharing, say, your website, your blog, and your other social profiles all at once.

If you want to share even more than five links or present them in a custom way, you can use a link-in-bio tool. With a tool like Slashlink, for example, you put one special link in your bio, and that link leads to a page that lists all your other links. That way, you're not limited by Instagram's built-in link count – your followers click one link to see a whole menu of your links. This is an excellent solution for creators, businesses, or anyone who has a variety of pages and content to promote via Instagram.

Share more links for free using Slashlink