Been pounding the digital pavements trying to build the coveted 10,000 followers needed to add that all-important “Link Sticker” to your Instagram Stories? Hoo boy do I have some good news for you!
That elusive sticker, once available only to the (fairly) rich and famous, has now been rolled out to Instagram users across the board! What does that mean? Now pretty much anyone can add a clickable URL to their Instagram Stories. If you’ve been laser-focused on growing your follower count, now you can turn your attention to bringing those conversions instead. Hint: This should always be your focus.
How to Use the Sticker Link
Adding the sticker link is easy. Here’s how:
- Tap your user icon to open up the Story creator
- Snap your photo or create your video
- Tap the “sticker” icon at the top of the screen (between the text and music buttons)
- Tap the sticker that says “link”, type in your desired link, and customize your little heart out. Tada!
(Don’t see the “link” option yet? Be patient – it’ll show up!)
Sticker Link Strategies
Any time Instagram introduces a platform change, you can bet there’s a strategy behind it. My guess is that the Sticker Link dealio means that the mysterious algorithm will start weighting Stories more heavily again.
If you swing your strategy back towards Stories, remember:
- Deliver on-brand creative
- Keep it clear and succinct
- Tell people WHY they need to click and what they’ll get out of it
- Don’t overwhelm – too many links too often can make eyes glaze over and have the opposite effect.
- Continue to deliver valuable content that aims to nurture your audience down the buyer journey rather than hitting them upside the head with sale after sale after sale.
And don’t forget to think about what your goals are once you get people to click that link. Remember, Instagram users aren’t Facebook users – they’re not used to being driven off the app. So be sure to send them to a landing page or spot that captures information (ahem, that’s their email address), lands a sale or delivers value (for example through a blog or a podcast). Add that link to the *last* clip in your series of Stories, not the first one, or you’ll send traffic away and lose those eyeballs.
Want to see how it’s done? Follow me on IG and see that link magic in action!