How to Add Buttons on Instagram

Adding a clickable button to your Instagram profile instantly turns your bio into a high-powered conversion tool. It moves followers from passively browsing to actively booking, buying, or contacting you. This guide shows you exactly how to add action buttons, contact options, and other interactive elements to your account, transforming your profile into a hub for your business.

First Things First: You Need a Professional Account

Before you can add most business-focused buttons, you must switch your Instagram profile to a Professional Account (either a Business or Creator account). If you're still using a Personal account, this is a non-negotiable first step. Don't worry, it's free and takes about two minutes.

A professional account unlocks not only buttons but also valuable analytics about your audience and post performance, which is essential for any brand trying to grow organically.

How to Switch to a Professional Account:

• Step 1: Go to Settings. Open your Instagram profile, tap the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner, and select "Settings and privacy."
• Step 2: Find Account Type. Scroll down to the "For professionals" section and tap on "Account type and tools."
• Step 3: Switch to Professional. Tap "Switch to Professional Account" and follow the on-screen prompts. You'll be asked to select a category that best describes what you do (e.g., Restaurant, Digital Creator, Health/Beauty).
• Step 4: Choose Business or Creator. Instagram will ask if you are a "Creator" or a "Business." For most brick-and-mortar stores, service providers, and brands, "Business" is the right choice. "Creator" is better suited for public figures, artists, and influencers.

Once you’ve made the switch, you’re ready to add your new call-to-action buttons.

What Are Instagram Action Buttons?

Action Buttons are native Instagram features that allow users to take a specific action directly from your profile page. These buttons appear prominently below your bio, making it incredibly simple for a potential customer to engage with your business. They work by integrating with third-party services you already use to manage your operations.

For example, if you run a restaurant that uses Grubhub for deliveries, you can add an "Order Food" button. When a user taps it, they're taken directly to your Grubhub page to place an order. It removes friction and captures the customer while their intent is highest.

Common action buttons include:

• Order Food: For restaurants, cafes, and food trucks. Connects to services like Grubhub, DoorDash, or Uber Eats.
• Book Now: For service-based businesses like salons, spas, consultants, or fitness trainers. Connects to platforms like Vagaro, Squarespace, or Acuity Scheduling. You can learn more about how to add a Book Now button on Instagram for your business.
• Reserve: For businesses like restaurants or event venues that take reservations. Integrates with services like OpenTable or Resy.
• Get Quote: A newer option for businesses that provide custom services, allowing users to fill out a form for a price estimate.

How to Add Action Buttons to Your Instagram Profile: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to get started? Here’s exactly how to set up your first action button. Make sure you already have an account with the third-party service you want to connect.

Step 1: Go to "Edit Profile"

Navigate to your Instagram profile page and tap the Edit Profile button located just under your bio and follower counts.

Step 2: Select "Action Buttons"

Once you're in the editing menu, scroll down. Beneath your publicly visible information (like your bio and links), you'll see a section for professional tools. Tap on Action buttons.

Step 3: Choose the Button You Want to Add

Instagram will present a list of available action buttons like "Order Food," "Book Now," or "Reserve." Select the one that makes the most sense for your business model.

For this example, let's pretend we're setting up a "Book Now" button for a hair salon.

Step 4: Pick a Third-Party Partner

After selecting your button type, Instagram will show you a list of compatible partners. For a "Book Now" button, you might see options like Squarespace, Fresha, Vagaro, or Acuity Scheduling. You must have an active account with one of these services to proceed.

Choose the partner you use to manage your bookings. Tapping on it will take you to that partner's login page.

Step 5: Connect and Authorize Your Account

You will be prompted to log in to your chosen partner account (e.g., log into your Vagaro account). This step authorizes Instagram to connect with the third-party service. Follow the partner’s on-screen instructions to confirm the connection.

Once you authorize it, you'll be redirected back to Instagram. The action button should now be configured.

Step 6: Confirm Your Button Is Live

Go back to your main profile page. You should now see your brand new "Book Now" button displayed prominently between the "Follow" and "Message" buttons. Give it a tap to make sure it directs visitors to the correct booking page on the partner site.

Pro Tip: Announce your new button! Create a Story or Reel that screen-records the process of tapping the button and booking an appointment. This educates your audience that the feature exists and shows them just how easy it is to use.

How to Manage or Remove an Action Button

If you switch service providers or want to change your button, the process is straightforward.

1. Navigate to your profile and tap Edit Profile.
2. Select Action buttons.
3. You'll see your active button (e.g., "Book Now on Vagaro"). Tap on it.
4. You'll get an option to Remove Action Button. Tap this to deactivate it. From there, you can start over and connect a different button or partner.

Beyond Action Buttons: Other "Buttons" to Power Up Your Profile

While "Book Now" and "Order Food" integrations are powerful, they aren't the only button-like features you can leverage on your profile. Here are a few other types to consider adding.

1. Adding Contact Option Buttons

Alongside formal Action Buttons, Instagram allows you to add direct contact methods. These are perfect for any business that wants to make it incredibly easy for customers to get in touch. The available "buttons" are Email, Call, and Text (shown as 'Message' on the button but uses SMS).

How to Set Up Contact Buttons:

• Go to Edit Profile >, Contact options.
• Fill in your business email, phone number, and/or WhatsApp number.
• For your phone number, you can enable both calls and texts.
• Once you add this info, a "Contact" button will appear on your profile. When a user taps it, a small menu pops up with the options you enabled (e.g., "Call" or "Email"). This saves people the hassle of copying and pasting information from your bio.

2. Create a Menu of Buttons in Your Bio Link

Instagram's "one link in bio" rule has long been a challenge for marketers. The solution? Link-in-bio tools. Services like Linktree, Koji, or Beacons allow you to create a simple, mobile-friendly landing page that houses multiple links presented as buttons.

This is extremely powerful because you're no longer limited to one destination. You can create buttons for:

• Your newest YouTube video or blog post.
• Your top-selling product pages.
• A newsletter sign-up form.
• An affiliate link.
• Your other social media profiles.

Setting this up is simple: sign up for a link-in-bio service, customize your page with your desired button links, and then paste your unique link-in-bio URL into the "Website" field on your Instagram profile (via Edit Profile >, Links).

3. Using Story Stickers as Interactive Buttons

Don’t forget about your Instagram Stories. Stories are a fantastic place to drive action because they feel immediate and engaging. Stickers turn your passive viewers into active participants.

A few sticker "buttons" to use:

• Link Sticker: The most powerful story sticker. Add a URL to your website, a product page, or a blog post, and customize the sticker text to be a clear call-to-action like "Shop Now" or "Read More."
• Poll/Quiz/Slider Stickers: These are amazing for engagement. While they don't send people off-platform, they get your audience clicking and interacting with your brand. That interaction signals to the algorithm that your content is valuable. Learn more about how to add polls to your Instagram story.
• "Add Yours" Sticker: Encourage user-generated content by creating a prompt for your followers to respond to with their own stories. Excellent for building community.

Final Thoughts

Adding buttons to your Instagram profile bridges the gap between social media engagement and real business results. Whether you’re adding a "Book Now" button to streamline appointments, a contact button to generate leads, or a link-in-bio to direct traffic, you’re making it easier for your audience to take the exact action you want them to take.

Of course, a profile optimized with buttons is only effective if you’re consistently creating content that drives people to it. Keeping up with content creation for Instagram Reels, Stories, TikTok, and other platforms can feel scattered and chaotic. We built Postbase specifically to solve this problem, providing one clean, visual calendar to plan and schedule all your content reliably. It helps you maintain a steady flow of traffic so your new profile buttons can turn that traffic into customers.