How to Post Links on Instagram

Trying to share links on Instagram can feel like a guessing game, especially when you can’t just drop a clickable URL into a post caption. The good news is, you have several powerful ways to drive traffic from the platform, you just have to know where to find them. This guide walks you through every single method for posting links on Instagram, from your bio and Stories to DMs and beyond.

The Bio Link: Your Most Valuable Digital Real Estate

Your Instagram bio is the first - and often the only - place a new visitor looks for more information about you. It's home to the only permanent, clickable link that’s visible on your main profile, making it incredibly valuable. Whether you’re sending people to your website, a new blog post, your online store, or another social profile, this is your primary signpost.

How to Add or Change Your Bio Link

Putting a link in your bio is straightforward. You can add one main website link, and as of a recent update, you can now add up to five links directly.

• Open the Instagram app and go to your profile page.
• Tap the Edit profile button.
• Select the Links option.
• Tap Add external link and paste your destination URL in the URL field. Give it a title so people know what they're clicking.
• Tap the ✓ (checkmark) to save your changes.

This is where you update your primary website, but you can repeat the process to add more links. You can also reorder them by tapping the three dots in the top right corner and selecting "Reorder links."

When to Use a "Link in Bio" Tool

While having five native links is great, it often isn't enough for creators and businesses with a lot to share. If you need to direct followers to your latest YouTube video, blog post, affiliate links, and product pages all at once, a dedicated "link in bio" tool is a fantastic solution.

These tools create a simple, mobile-friendly landing page that houses all your various links under one single URL. Popular options include Linktree, Later's Linkin.bio, and Koji. You simply place your unique link-in-bio URL in your Instagram bio, and from there, your audience can access a formatted list of all your important content.

This strategy is perfect if you:

• Frequently publish new content: You can keep your bio link the same and just update the landing page with your latest article, video, or podcast episode.
• Have multiple streams of revenue: Showcase your online course, digital downloads, Etsy shop, and freelance services all in one place.
• Want to track clicks: Most link-in-bio services offer analytics, so you can see which links are performing best and learn what your audience cares about most.

The key to making the bio link work is referencing it often. Train your audience to find it by using the call-to-action "Link in bio!" in your post captions, Reels, and Stories. Constant reminders turn checking your bio link into a habit for your followers.

Driving Clicks with the Instagram Stories Link Sticker

Instagram Stories are a dynamic and immediate way to connect with your audience, and the link sticker feature turns that momentary engagement into direct website traffic. Initially only available to accounts with over 10,000 followers, the feature is now open to everyone, making it one of the most effective ways to share links platform-wide.

A link in your Story is perfect for time-sensitive content like flash sales, event registrations, new product drops, or sharing an in-the-moment article you just read.

How to Use the Link Sticker in Your Instagram Story

Adding a clickable link to your Story takes just a few seconds.

1. Start by creating a Story. You can upload a photo or video from your camera roll or capture something new.
2. Once your creative is ready, tap the sticker icon (the smiley face in a square) at the top of the screen.
3. In the sticker tray, find and tap the LINK sticker.
4. A new screen will appear. Paste your destination URL into the box.
5. You can then customize the sticker text. Instead of showing the plain URL, you can write something more exciting like "Read the Article!" or "Shop the Look." This is your chance to add a clear call to action.
6. Tap Done. Now you can position and resize the sticker anywhere on your Story. Pinch to zoom in or out.

Best Practices for Stories Links

Just adding the link sticker isn’t enough, you need to convince people to tap it.

• Make it Obvious: Don't leave your link sticker floating without context. Verbally mention it, type out "Tap to read," or use Instagram’s built-in GIFs (search "tap here") to draw eyes to the sticker. An arrow pointing right at it never hurts.
• Tease the Content: Don’t just post a link to your new blog post, share a compelling quote from it first. Teasing the value behind the link gives people a reason to care. Ask a question, create a poll, and then follow up with a Story that has the link to the answer.
• Keep it Clean: The Story frame can get busy. Make sure your link sticker is placed over a simple background and isn’t obscured by other text, GIFs, or the Instagram username in the corner.

Sharing Links Through Instagram DMs

Direct messages might feel more like a conversation tool than a traffic driver, but they're an incredibly effective channel for sharing links. Clickable links work automatically in DMs, and this method feels more personal and direct than a broadcast link in a Story.

When to Use Links in DMs

• Conversational Marketing: Ask your audience to DM you for a link. For example, post a Reel about a new recipe and say, "DM me 'recipe' for the direct link!" This boosts your engagement significantly and gives you a direct line of communication with interested followers.
• Customer Support: When a follower messages you with a question about a product, you can reply directly with the shopping link. This is a seamless path from inquiry to purchase.
• Exclusive Access: Make a group of followers feel special by sending them a direct link to an early-bird sale, a private resource, or a pre-launch page.

Save Time with Saved Replies

If you have a Creator or Business account, you can use "Saved Replies" (also known as "Quick Replies") to avoid typing out the same message and link repeatedly. This feature lets you pre-save messages that you can insert into any DM with a shortcut.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Go to your profile and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. For Creator accounts, tap Creator tools and controls. For Business accounts, tap Business tools and controls.
4. Select Saved replies.
5. Tap the + icon to create a new one. Enter a shortcut (a word like "blog") and write out your full message, including the link. For example: "Here is the link to our latest blog post! Thanks so much for reading: [your weblink]."
6. Save it. Now, any time you're in a DM, just type your shortcut ("blog") and a blue saved replies icon will pop up. Tap it, and your full message will automatically appear.

Other Smart Methods for Sharing Links

Beyond the main three, there are other features and strategies on Instagram that can help guide users off the platform or to your products seamlessly.

Add Action Buttons to Your Profile

Under the "Edit profile" section, Business accounts can add action buttons that appear right under their bio. These aren’t for any random website, but they are incredibly useful for service or food-based businesses. The options include:

• Order Food: Links directly to delivery services like DoorDash or Grubhub.
• Book Now: Integrates with scheduling partners like Acuity or Calendly.
• Reserve: Connects to reservation platforms like OpenTable.

These buttons create a direct path for customers to take a high-intent action right from your profile.

Instagram Shopping & Product Tags

For e-commerce brands, Instagram Shopping is the most powerful "linker" of all. Instead of sending people to an external site, it turns your entire profile into a clickable storefront. By setting up an Instagram Shop, you can tag products directly in your Feed posts and Stories.

When a user taps a product tag, they're taken to a product detail page right inside the app, where they can learn more and often see a "View on Website" button that takes them directly to your e-commerce store to check out. It cuts out the friction of navigating to your bio, finding the link, and searching for the product on your website.

Promoted Posts & "Message Us" Ads

If you have a budget for advertising, you can add a direct link to nearly any post. When you run an Instagram ad, you can add a call-to-action button like "Learn More," "Shop Now," or "Sign Up" that links to any URL you choose. You can also run "click-to-message" ads, which encourage users to start a conversation with you via DM or WhatsApp, where you can then share links and talk to them one-on-one.

Final Thoughts

Sharing links on Instagram is a multi-faceted strategy that goes far beyond a single URL. Combining a permanent, well-curated link in your bio with timely Stories, personalized DMs, and integrated shopping features allows you to create a smooth experience for your audience, guiding them exactly where you want them to go without running into dead ends.

As you plan your posts and decide which link should go where, it's easy for things to get disorganized. To manage it all, we built our visual calendar in Postbase to be a central command center for your entire content strategy. You can schedule all your posts for all your platforms, plan out campaign-specific bio links, and make notes about which Story will get which sticker, all in one clean view. It helps make sure every piece of content is working toward your goal, helping you turn those followers into website visitors.