How to Add a Shop Link to an Instagram Post

Seeing an amazing product on an Instagram feed and then finding no clear way to buy it is a frustrating experience for shoppers and a missed opportunity for your brand. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to add a shop link to your Instagram post, so customers can go from discovery to checkout in just a few taps. We'll cover everything from setting up your Instagram Shop to tagging products in posts, Reels, and Stories.

First Things First: You Need to Set Up Instagram Shopping

Before you can add a direct shop link or tag a product in a post, you need to enable Instagram Shopping. Think of this as building the digital storefront that connects your products to your profile. While Instagram doesn't let you embed a clickable link directly in a post caption (a long-standing frustration for many marketers), Instagram Shopping is its powerful, native solution. Instead of sending people away from the app, it allows them to browse and buy right within Instagram.

Getting set up involves a few important steps, but investing the time here unlocks the powerful shoppable features we'll cover later. Without this foundation, none of the direct tagging methods will work.

Step 1: Meet the Eligibility Requirements

Instagram wants to make sure the businesses using its shopping features are legit. Before you start, check that you meet these core requirements:

• Your business must be located in a supported market where Instagram Shopping is available.
• You need to sell physical, eligible products. (Some services and digital products aren’t supported).
• Your business must comply with Instagram's commerce policies and merchant agreement.
• You need to own the website domain you'll be selling from.

Step 2: Convert to a Business or Creator Account

Personal Instagram profiles don't have access to commerce features. If you haven't already, you'll need to switch your account to a Business or Creator profile. You can do this easily in your settings:

1. Go to your profile and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Settings and Privacy.
3. Scroll down and tap Account type and tools.
4. Select Switch to professional account and follow the prompts. Choose 'Business' if you're a brand or retailer.

Step 3: Connect Your Facebook Page

Instagram is owned by Meta, so its commerce tools are deeply integrated with Facebook. You'll need to connect your Instagram professional account to a Facebook Business Page.

If you don't have a Facebook Page for your business, you'll need to create one. Once it's ready, you can connect it within your Instagram settings under Edit Profile >, Page.

Step 4: Create a Product Catalog

This is where your product information lives. Your catalog is a data file containing all the products you want to sell, including names, descriptions, prices, and high-quality images. You have two main ways to create and manage your catalog:

• Catalog Manager: This is Meta's native tool for building a catalog manually. It's a good option if you only have a handful of products. You'll upload product info directly into Meta's Commerce Manager.
• E-commerce Platform Integration: This is the easiest and most scalable method. Platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, and WooCommerce have direct integrations with Facebook and Instagram. By connecting your online store, your entire product catalog syncs automatically, keeping prices and inventory up to date without any extra work.

For most brands, using an e-commerce platform integration is the way to go. It saves countless hours and prevents errors from manual data entry.

Step 5: Submit Your Account for Review

Once your catalog is set up and connected, the final step is to submit your account for review. Instagram will check to make sure your account and catalog follow all the rules.

1. Go to your Professional dashboard on your Instagram profile.
2. Tap on Set Up Instagram Shopping (this option might vary slightly).
3. Follow the steps to connect your catalog and submit your account.

The review process can take a few days, so be patient. Once approved, you'll receive a notification, and a "Shop" tab may appear on your profile. Now you're ready to start tagging products!

How to Tag Products and "Link" Them to Your Shop in Instagram Posts

With Instagram Shopping enabled, you can now add those valuable "shop links" as product tags directly in your images and videos. This turns a standard feed post into an interactive storefront.

Here's the step-by-step process:

1. Start Creating a Post: Open Instagram and start a new post as you normally would. Select your photo or carousel of images.
2. Compose and Edit: Add any filters and edits. Once you're happy with the visual, tap 'Next'.
3. Tag Products: On the final screen where you write your caption and tag people, you'll now see a new option: Tag Products. Tap it.
4. Select the Product: Tap on the area of the photo where your product is visible. A search bar will appear, allowing you to search your product catalog. Find and select the correct product.
5. Position the Tag: You can drag the product tag to position it perfectly over the item. A small shopping bag icon will appear on your published post, signaling to users that it's shoppable.
6. Repeat for Multiple Products: If you have multiple items in one photo, you can add up to five product tags per image. For carousel posts, you can tag up to 20 products in total across all the images.
7. Share Your Post: Once all your products are tagged, go back to the caption screen, finish writing your caption and hashtags, and tap Share.

When users see your post in their feed, they can tap the photo to see the product tags appear with the item name and price. If they tap a tag, they are taken to a product detail page where they can learn more and proceed to your website to purchase.

Beyond Feed Posts: Tagging Products in Reels and Stories

Your ability to create a seamless shopping experience doesn't end with feed posts. Instagram lets you integrate your shop into its most engaging formats: Reels and Stories.

Tagging Products in Instagram Stories

Stories are a fantastic place for limited-time offers, new arrival announcements, or behind-the-scenes content that features your products. Using the product sticker is incredibly simple.

• Create your Story by uploading a photo or video.
• Tap the sticker icon (the smiley face) at the top of the screen.
• Select the Product sticker.
• Search for and select the product you want to feature from your catalog.
• Customize the look of the sticker - you can change its color or text.
• Place the sticker anywhere on your Story and share it with your followers.

Viewers can tap the sticker to go directly to the product page, just like with a feed post tag.

Tagging Products in Instagram Reels

With the explosive reach of short-form video, tagging products in Reels is a great way to drive sales and discovery. A Reel demonstrating your product in action can be incredibly persuasive.

• Record or upload your Reel as usual.
• Before sharing, tap on the Tag Products option on the final screen.
• Select the products or collection you want to feature.
• Finish your caption and share the Reel.

A "View Products" button will appear at the bottom of your Reel, allowing viewers to shop the featured items directly.

Don't Forget the Most Powerful Link of All: Your Link in Bio

While Instagram Shopping is the best way to make individual posts shoppable, your 'link in bio' remains one of the most valuable pieces of real estate on your entire profile. This is the only place on your main profile where you can place a permanent, clickable URL that sends people anywhere you want.

Instead of just linking to your homepage, you can maximize its power using a link aggregator tool like Linktree, Beacons, or Later's Linkin.bio. These tools let you create a simple landing page that houses multiple links.

This is especially helpful for:

• Promoting Multiple Things: Share links to your newest products, a recent blog post, your YouTube channel, and a sign-up for your newsletter, all from one central link.
• When You Can't Use Shopping Tags: If you're a service-based business or aren't yet approved for Instagram Shopping, your link in bio is your main method of getting people off the app and onto your website.
• Driving Targeted Traffic: In a post caption, you can write a strong call-to-action like, "Shop our new spring collection now! Tap the first link in our bio to see it all." This guides your audience and makes the experience feel intentional.

Final Thoughts

Turning your Instagram feed into a powerful sales channel is about creating a frictionless experience for your audience. It all starts with setting up Instagram Shopping, which unlocks the ability to tag products directly in posts, Stories, and Reels. By complementing this with a strategic link in your bio, you give customers clear and easy paths to purchase, no matter how they discover your brand.

Consistently planning this content - from Reels that highlight a new item to beautiful feed posts showing your products in use - is what turns followers into loyal customers. To make this easier, we built Postbase with a visual calendar that lets you see your entire content strategy at a glance. You can plan and schedule all your posts, Reels, and Stories weeks in advance, ensuring your shop is always active and your content is driving sales around the clock.