Instagram is now making it easier for users to share links on their IG Stories. A feature that was previously available for only verified accounts and those with a large number of followers is now being rolled out to all users. Link stickers, which lets you add an external link to your Story, can now be accessed and used by all kinds of Instagram users. Whether you’re a business promoting a product or a content creator linking to your other platforms, you can now do so just by adding a sticker and pasting the link.
Previously, brands, businesses, and select creators could add a link to an external page to their story with the “swipe up” feature. They eventually introduced the link sticker earlier this week and then discontinued the swipe up feature by August. But only users with verified accounts or those with a big following were able to test out this sticker. But now Instagram is opening it up to everyone who wants better engagement with their followers on the platform.
Adding a link sticker is pretty easy. Just capture or upload content in your Instagram Stories and then go to the sticker tool in the top navigation bar. You’ll now see the link sticker there and after tapping it, add the link that you want people to go to and tap “Done”. You can then place the sticker anywhere in your story just like any other sticker. You can also tap on the sticker to see the other color variants available.
Instagram says they’re also working on other ways that you’ll be able to customize the sticker so that your followers know what they’ll see if they tap on the link. Instagram also says that users who keep on sharing things like hate speech and information, whether they’re new or old accounts, will not have access to the link sticker. This is part of their effort to limit harmful content on the platform, especially after much scrutiny on how Instagram has affected the mental health of younger users.
You can now see if the link sticker is available for your account by checking out your Stories. If it isn’t there yet, just wait as they are rolling it out to all users (unless you’re one of those that have been spreading misinformation, which we hope you’re not).
