While you might not have unlocked that elusive “10,000 follower swipe up feature” just yet, we can all agree that linking to things on Instagram is pretty important.
I’m chomping at the bit to unlock that feature myself, BUT, until then, let’s discuss other ways to achieve this same exciting effect.
A lot of times, the hardest part about “linking” to something on Instagram is deciding what to link to. I surfed my own feed for a bit over the weekend and made a few observations that I think are worth noting. Here’s what we seem to be wanting links for…
- Clothing
- Recipes
- Accessories
- Home decor
- Music
- Makeup
- Filter presets
Of course, these things could purely be what I’m seeing given the algorithm Instagram has forced me to follow. However, I’d trust this general outline for a few reasons.
For starters, I’m constantly seeing influencers post links in their stories stating “here’s what you asked for” and 9/10 times it’s one of the items that I mentioned above.
All of the previously mentioned items of interest have one major thing in common; they help us achieve a desired aesthetic. We believe that clothes, makeup, accessories, food, music, home decor, and filter presets will help us give off a certain vibe that speaks to who we are. They’ll introduce the world to who we are without us having to speak about it. They make our life (and connecting with our followers) easier. They allow us to express an element of individuality.
I’ll even go so far as to argue that showing our personal interest in the items mentioned above can spur a creative streak in our followers. That fact is interesting to them. That fact keeps them coming back to our page for more. They want to be inspired. They want to learn about something that they maybe haven’t seen before.
So, how do we show off these amazing things if we don’t have 10k followers yet and don’t have the “swipe up” feature for linking? I think it’s best to make use of the space you have.
We all have the ability to list a website in our bio (if you’ve chosen a “business” profile) – so use it!
You can put the main link (your main website) that serves as “hub” for everything you’re linking to in blog posts, etc easily. This is what I do. It’s usually why I simply have “www.valinvogue.com” listed in the website section of my Instagram bio. I know my followers will find literally everything I’m talking about (including what I link to) at that specific site. Social media queen Kylie Jenner does this too with Kylie Cosmetics.
You could even go so far as to put a few items into a Link Tree, and list that in the website section of your bio. This way, your followers can choose what they want to explore from the options you’ve presented them with. If you’re doing this, be sure to ask your followers to visit “the link in your bio” to remind them that some fun information is there.
The Instagram stories function is as strong and as popular as ever, so I wouldn’t ignore that either. I don’t have the 10k swipe up for linking feature (yet) myself right now, so I’ll create a fun story using a Tezza template that includes a screenshot or screen recording of a recent blog post. I’ll post that creation in my stories, and caption it with a call to action requesting that my followers “go to the link in my bio” to read it. This accomplishes two things: 1) I’m drawing attention to content that is new and 2) I’m directing followers to a link without the ability to use the “swipe up” feature itself. Mission accomplished!
Even better, when it comes to stories, you can create (and hide) hashtags that create the potential for greater reach. Use these hashtags there, and in regular posts that mention something you’re linking to as well.
Got any other tips you’d like to share? Tell me about them! Do you think these ideas would work for you?
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