Say Goodbye to Instagram Swipe-Up

Long live the exclusive Instagram swipe up because the new stories link sticker is here. 

The Swipe-Up feature on Instagram Story officially disappeared on 30 August 2021. So, to users of 10k or more followers, if you don’t see it anymore: welcome to the new normal. For users with fewer than 10k followers, say hello to new linking opportunities. 

We’re covering everything we know below, along with some Growth hacks you can use to add links to stories. 

The Swipe-Up feature has only been available for verified businesses and creators with massive audiences of 10K followers or more, and it was an absolute fire at directing their Instagram Story viewers to their websites. This created a lot of exposure for Big Influencer products, services, and brands. 

Not so much for IG users, creators, and businesses without the feature. 

IG profiles without the Swipe-Up feature had to depend on one tiny link on their bios or link tree with nothing on the actual Story itself. Now, we’re ALL going to get Link Stickers that work the same way the Swipe-Up feature used which will help every last one of us. Welcome to social media democracy!

How Link Stickers Work

So, why the change? When you create a Story on Instagram, adding a sticker to the Story works as a live link to whatever you want your viewers to see more of. For example, you can link to:

• a trending gif
• a poll
• a location on the map
• a mention
• a song
• a video
• a hashtag, and more. 

Before, that sort of feedback from viewers wasn’t possible on posts with the swipe-up link, as the gesture for instant reactions is also a “swipe up.” Now when a user taps on a location or poll sticker, they will be able to move these widgets around your IG Story to maximize clicks. 

Just like the Swipe-Up feature used to do. 

How Link Stickers Work for Your Business

How many times have you had to direct your followers to the #linkinbio so they can access the latest content or resource that you want to share? New link stickers are much more visible and can be added anywhere on a Story so that customers who love your Story content can skip the step of going to your bio or link tree.

This allows your users to tap to open those shares right on the Story itself which allows for more opportunities of engagement. That’s a big win for businesses large and small on Instagram. 

The sticker also shows your audience the first part of the destination link (i.e. the domain) for more transparency.

Now, businesses can add a direct call to action to promote business services. By implementing a link sticker, the consumer moves directly to the form or lead capture taking them from interest to action without leaving the app.

Increased audience engagement, more qualified leads, and higher click-through rates is the name of the game!

Thanks, IG!

Instagram never stops surprising us, and this update to the Instagram toolkit has our team raving. If you’re ready to start driving traffic to your website from Instagram, talk to us about how Instagram is rapidly developing new functionalities to tackle your business issues while helping users support their favorite brands.