Instagram announced on Wednesday that all users now have access to its Link Sticker feature in Instagram Stories. The expansion comes as the company recently ditched the “swipe-up” link in Instagram Stories in favor of the new Link Stickers. Both the previous “swipe-up” link and new Link Stickers have been historically limited to businesses and high-profile creators.
The company says link sharing is helpful in many ways to accounts of all sizes and types, which is why it’s expanding access to enable everyone to share what they want in their Stories. In the past, link sharing has been largely used by creators and businesses to direct their viewers to a website to learn more about a product, read an article, sign up for a service, and more.
“We made this decision based on feedback we heard from the community about how impactful it would be for creators and businesses of all sizes to benefit from link sharing to grow in the same way larger accounts do,” Instagram said in a statement.
You can access the feature by selecting the sticker tool from the top navigation bar when you capture or upload content to your Story. After selecting the “Link Sticker,” you can add your chosen link and then tap “Done.” From there, you can place the sticker anywhere on your Story and tap on it to see the other color variations.
Instagram previously noted that the decision to expand Link Sticker access to everyone had to be made carefully, as it could impact the app’s integrity and safety. For instance, if Link Stickers were to be adopted by bad actors, they could be used to spread misinformation or post spam. It’s worth noting that accounts that share misinformation and hate speech will be blocked from using Link Stickers.
Today’s expansion is the first step in broadening access to link sharing on Instagram for all users. It’s worth noting that Instagram still doesn’t allow direct linking in posts, which is why “link in bio” platforms like Linktree, Shorby, and Linkin.bio have become popular over the past few years. However, with this latest expansion, users now have an additional way to share links through their accounts.
