Working with links on Instagram is tricky. The network lets you put one clickable link in your bio and that is it. All the other links are neither clickable nor copyable. If you are not famous or willing to pay, there remain only a limited amount of options. This article will explore different solutions and you how you can manage your links on Instagram for free.
You may have noticed that some accounts include links in their stories. One swipe up and you are on a webpage. But this feature is only available for accounts with over 10’000 followers and verified users. Then there are the sponsored posts on your Instagram feed with official, clickable links underneath the image. But these are only available as paid advertising.
If you sell physical products there is a perfect solution for you. Instagram shopping. Just create a Facebook Catalog and connect it to your Instagram account (to learn more about this, enter "ART1" on vosqua.com). You will be able to tag your products in your stories and posts with clickable tags.
IGTV can be another useful tool for you. If you post a 60s or longer video, it can be posted on IGTV. A preview of the videso will appear in your feed. Whereas the preview is like a normal post, the video on IGTV can have clickable links in its caption. However the user has to open the caption on IGTV. The caption of the preview in your profile still has no links in it.
Instagram also offers action buttons for specifically “Call”, “Text”, “Email”, “Directions”, “Start Order”, “Book”, “Reserve” and “Gift Cards” which are directly visible in your profil. For some of them you have to work with an Instagram-partner (e.g. for the gift cards you have to work with Gift Up!, LaFourchette, Rise.ai or SumUp).
Even if you do not sell physical products, post long videos, use the buttons, want to buy ads or already have exclusive features, there remain other external solutions:
*this article has been written by a vosqua KIG executive*
The company later offers a great service with linkin.bio. You post your linkin.bio-profile as your bio-link. If your costumers click on it, they are redirected to a page that looks like your Instagram profile where all your pictures are hyperlinks.
It looks great and it is easy to use. From a post to a link it only takes 3 clicks and 1 search for a picture. It only gets tricky, when you are looking for the link of an old post, because you might have to scroll a while and then also be able to recognise the picture.
You can create a free profile and get linkin.bio lite, which allows you to post one hyperlink per picture. For USD 192 per year you can upgrade to the standard version with extra features. To learn more about it enter ART2 on vosqua.com.
The swiss start-up vosqua lets you convert links into memorable codes (e.g. A2B). These codes, when entered on vosqua.com, will redirect the user in the same way your link would. You can place your codes directly in your post or write them in the caption. Then you tag @vosqua. This allows you to still use your bio-link.
It’s a great work-around and easy to understand. From a post to a link it takes 3 clicks and the entering of the code. As the code is directly in the post, your costumers will not have to search for anything. They will however have to memorize a code for a few seconds, which might pose a challenge.
You can create a profile for free and get unlimited access to codes. It is possible to choose your own custom codes. A branded code is USD 20 per year and to scale USD 1 per code per year. However as a new company vosqua KIG will offer free custom codes for exposure.
The Australian company enables its users to save and present all of their links on one clear page. You can put your linktree-profile as your bio-link.
It is a simple and easy to use product, for the costumer and for you. From a post to a link it only takes 3 clicks and 1 search for a link. The link page gets quite crowded when you have more than 10 links. With just a few links it is a very neat solution.
You can create a profile for free and can use it for an unlimited amount of links. For USD 72 per year you can upgrade to pro and make use of extra services.
Bitly makes it possible to shorten links. This makes them more memorizable and nicer looking. That way you can posts your links in the caption of your post.
This is probably the easiest way to use links. From a post to a link it takes four clicks and the entering of a link in the browser. As it is impossible to copy text from a caption your costumers will have to memorize the whole link, which depending on the person might force them to switch back and forth between Instagram and the browser.
An account can be created for free and up to a 1’000 links can be generated per month. For USD 348 per year it is possible to upgrade and profit from extra features.
On many channels, like email, sharing links is simple. You place a link, and people click it. But it doesn’t work that way on Instagram. You cannot even copy the caption.
You have to make the best out of the tools Instagram gives you and find your own strategy on how and which external services to use.
Most important is, that you tell your followers exactly what you do and how they have to use it. A vos-code alone might be confusing and if you do not specifically reference the bio-link options, they will not be found.
You have to use these services to build a bridge away from Instagram and then gently take your costumer by their hand and guide them to the other side.