It’s not unknown that Instagram is taking over the digital world nowadays. From 24-hour stories to reels, so many exciting features make the audience hooked. However, this social media platform also has some drawbacks. For example, many people cannot add a link to reels.
Yes, the Instagram reel is a great feature and changed the blueprint of this platform since launched. If you are looking for how to add clickable links to Instagram reels, there are some tricky ways you have to follow.
After doing some research, we found some ways to add a link to a reel. If you want more engagement or more visitors to your website, these are the best solutions. Keep reading the article as we explore how to add a link to Instagram reel. So, let’s get started.
Instagram Reel: An Iconic Feature
Instagram launched an iconic feature called ‘Instagram Reels’ on 5th August 2020. The key goal was to provide short videos for entertainment. During the initial days, users can publish a 15-second long reel with sound effects and filters. However, the time duration was extended later because of high demand.
Most people started loving this feature because of the easy-creating technique. Yes, you don’t have to be an expert to create an Instagram reel. However, the users started showing creativity by implementing various ideas.
Just like a normal Instagram post, you can add a caption, hashtags, location, and other relevant things to a reel. Well, the music is the key focus of this feature. However, there’s no room for an external link. In fact, you can’t insert a Facebook URL to your reel.
Can You Add a Link to a Reel?
Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t provide a feature for adding a link to a reel. Simply put, you can’t insert an external link to your reels. It’s a marketing strategy by this popular social media platform to keep the engagement strong.
Since it launched, the ‘Reels’ feature has been making history for Instagram. You can see, it’s the key attraction of this platform at this moment. A huge portion of the audience is hooked on reels. So, it will be a big risk if each reel comes with an external link.
However, there are some alternative methods to add links to your Instagram. In this case, the profile link is the most popular. Besides this one, some people also put links on Instagram stories and posts (if you have an online store). Plus, sending links via direct message is a great idea as well.
How to Add Clickable Links to Instagram Reels
You see, there’s no direct way to add clickable links to Instagram reels. However, you can still add links by implementing different methods. Yes, this popular social media platform provides different features that can be extremely helpful if you want to promote your links. Let’s find out what you have to do:
Method #1: Add Links to Your Bio/Profile
The easiest way is by adding your link to your bio. Yes, you can add more than one link to your profile now. In this case, you have to follow some simple steps. Keep reading the following section as we share these easy steps:
Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your smartphone device and tap on your profile icon.
Step 2: As your profile is opened, tap on the ‘Edit Profile’ option to start the process.
Step 3: A new screen will be opened. Here, you have to click on the ‘Add Link’ option below the bio section.
Step 4: Now, tap on the ‘Add External Link’ option. If you have copied the URL, paste it here. Besides this, you can also add your Facebook link to connect your Facebook profile with Instagram.
Step 5: Once the link is pasted, you can provide a Title for the identification. After that, save changes.
Once you implement these steps, you can see the link on your profile. Moreover, you can also add more than one link to your Instagram profile. In this case, you have to follow the same steps.
Method #2: Add Links to Instagram Stories
Most people don’t check a profile often, but things can change with Instagram Stories. The best part is you can choose a story to insert your link. In fact, you can get effective results by implementing this method. Let’s find out what you have to do below:
Step 1: First, you have to open the app by using your mobile device.
Step 2: Once your app is opened, click on your profile icon on the top left corner of the screen. Now, you can either use a photo or video from your phone or use the Instagram camera to take a photo.
Step 3: Once you have selected the photo or video for the story, click on the ‘Sticker’ icon in the top menu.
Step 4: Next, you have to select the ‘Link’ sticker.
Step 5: Paste the copied URL or share the story.
Instagram used to restrict users from posting a link on a story, especially when they had a few followers. In short, sharing a link on a story was disabled for users with less than 10k followers. However, this policy has changed recently. Now, everyone can attach a link with their stories.
Still, there’s a drawback. Unlike posts or reels, a story will be live for 24 hours only. So, if the link is important, you should avoid this method.
Method #3: Send a Link via Direct Message
If you want some limited people to view the link, you can even use the DM or message feature on this platform. Yes, you can send the link to someone personally. Well, you can even send the link to a DM group. Keep reading the following section to know more:
Step 1: Just like other methods, you have to open the Instagram app from your iPhone or Android device. However, you can also implement this method by using your PC.
Step 2: Once the app is opened, go to the top right corner of your screen and tap on the ‘Direct Message’ icon.
Step 3: Next, you have to locate the username and tap on the ‘Send a new message’ option.
Step 4: Here, you have to paste the copied URL and click on the ‘Send’ button to complete the process. After that, you can see the preview of the link along with the receiver.
It’s an easy process. However, you can also send the link silently by using ‘/silent’ before the link. Just like the personal DM, you can share links on a group by following the same steps.
Method #4: Add a Clickable Link to Instagram Post
Even though you can’t add a clickable link to a reel, things aren’t the same for Instagram posts. Yes, you can actually add a link to your post. In this case, you can follow some easy steps as well. Let’s find out:
Step 1: As you open the Instagram app, start making a post by following the same way adding a caption, location, hashtags, and more.
Step 2: Before you hit the share button, you have to tap on the ‘tag products’ option.
Step 3: Now, select the type of the product from the list. After doing this, a shoppable sticker will arrive just like the stories.
Step 4: As you choose the sticker, you can see the list of products. Choose the product and paste the link. Complete the procedure by publishing the post.
Note: You can only implement this method if you have a business account. As you can see, most of these posts are initiated for a promotional link. So, if you want to share an ordinary link, it’s better to avoid this method.
Conclusion
Even though you can’t insert the link directly on your reel, there are some methods you can implement. We have shared some different ways to add links on Instagram. If you still need help, do your research or watch some tutorial videos for a better understanding.
FAQs
Q: How do you get a link on Instagram reel?
There’s no way to insert a link on Instagram reels. Even though you add the URL on the caption, it’s not going to be clickable when you publish the reel.
Q: How do you make a clickable link in your Instagram bio?
Open your profile and go to the ‘Edit Profile’ option. There, you can insert a website URL or your Facebook profile’s URL.
Q: What are the requirements for adding a link to Instagram stories?
There’s no requirement to add a link to your Instagram stories. You can put the link and promote it even with a few followers.
Q: Why are there no links in Instagram posts?
According to experts, Instagram doesn’t enable clickable links in posts and reels to keep the engagement. In simple words, the platform doesn’t want users to visit other websites frequently.
