The short answer
Links in stories use the link sticker. You add it the same way you add a poll or a location tag. Tap the sticker icon, tap Link, paste the URL, and place the sticker on the story. Viewers tap it to open the page.
How to add a link to your Instagram story
- Open Instagram and swipe right, or tap the plus icon and choose Story.
- Take a photo or video, or pick one from your camera roll.
- Tap the sticker icon at the top. It looks like a square smiley face.
- Tap the Link sticker.
- Paste or type the URL.
- Optional: tap Customize sticker text and type a label, like “Shop here.”
- Tap Done.
- Drag the sticker where you want it, then share.
It takes about 20 seconds once you have done it twice.
Do you need 10K followers to add a link?
No. The rule is gone. Until 2021, only verified accounts or accounts with 10,000 followers got the swipe-up link. In October 2021 Instagram opened the link sticker to everyone. Instagram covered the change on its official blog.
If you do not see the sticker, update the app. It is not a follower issue.
How to customize the link sticker text
By default the sticker shows a shortened version of the URL. You can change that.
- After pasting the URL, tap Customize sticker text.
- Type a short label. “Read the post” or “Get tickets” work well.
- Tap Done.
Tap the placed sticker to cycle through its styles. Pick one that stands out against your photo.
How to resize and place the link sticker
Pinch with two fingers to make the sticker bigger or smaller. Drag it with one finger to move it. Keep it out of the top and bottom edges, where your name and the reply bar sit. From our own stories, a sticker near the subject of the photo gets tapped more than one pushed into a corner.
Can you add multiple links to one story?
Yes. Repeat the sticker steps for each link. You can add several link stickers to one story, each with its own URL and label. Keep it to two or three, so the story does not look cluttered.
Do story links stay in Highlights?
Yes. Save a story to a Highlight and the link sticker stays. It keeps working for as long as the story sits in the Highlight. Many shops keep a “Shop” Highlight with link stickers on every slide.
Why your Instagram story link does not work
A few things can stop a link sticker.
- Old app version. The sticker needs a recent version of Instagram. Update and try again.
- Blocked domain. Instagram blocks some sites it marks as spam or unsafe. Shortened links are sometimes flagged too. Try the full URL.
- Wrong format. The URL needs to start with http:// or https://. Check for typos.
- Account limits. New accounts, or accounts that broke a rule recently, can lose sticker access for a while. See our Instagram shadowban guide if other features are limited too.
- Instagram outage. Stickers fail when the app is down. Check our is Instagram down page.
If nobody can tap the sticker, the story was likely shared from a scheduling tool. Post it from the Instagram app instead.
Story link vs bio link
The two serve different jobs.
| Story link | Bio link | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Inside one story | On your profile |
| How long | 24 hours, or longer in a Highlight | Until you change it |
| How many | Several per story | Up to five |
| Best for | Today’s post, a sale, a new video | Your main site or shop |
Use the story link for anything timely. Use the bio link for your main page.
Getting more taps on your link
A link only works if people see the story. Post it when your followers are online, using our guide on the best time to post on Instagram. More followers means more story views, and more taps on every link. Our free follower count checker tracks it. Famoid also sells Instagram followers with paced delivery, if you want a push.