As of October 2021, Instagram announced that businesses and content creators with fewer than 10,000 followers can join in on the fun and post links to their Stories, driving traffic to relevant web pages. 

This is great news for brands and individuals alike!

Since its inception in 2010, Instagram has grown from a simple photo-sharing app with low-quality, over-edited photos to an all-encompassing collection of professional photos, videos, “Stories” (basically the Instagram version of Snapchat), celebrity gossip, news updates, business branding, and more.

With one billion monthly active users, Instagram has opened up a world of opportunities for inspiration, sharing, and learning.

No matter who your customers are, they’re likely on Instagram — and hopefully your business is, too.

Should My Business Be on Instagram?

It’s a valid question, and the answer is almost always “yes.” Here’s why:

• 90% of Instagram users follow a business
• Two in three people surveyed say Instagram enables interaction with brands
• 50% of users are more interested in a brand when they see ads for it on Instagram

If your business isn’t on Instagram, it should be.

But once your business has an Instagram profile, then what? Where do you go from there?

4 Things Auto Dealers Need to Know About Facebook and Instagram Stories (With Setup Instructions!)

Establishing a Presence on Instagram Stories

First off, you need to start using Stories.

Over the past few years, the app has actually made it pretty easy for companies and content creators with less than 10,000 followers to get users from Instagram to a website by allowing “swipe-up” links in Stories. 

In August 2021, Instagram ditched swipe-up links for link stickers in Stories. The end result of getting Instagram users to visit a website through a Story didn’t change. Only the appearance of the link was updated.

Swipe-up links and link stickers were great for businesses and creators with more than 10,000 followers to connect with an audience and drive traffic to a website — but what about the rest of us “unverified” accounts? 

Thankfully Instagram’s October 2021 update made it possible for nearly any Instagram account to share link stickers on their stories, regardless of follower count.

Instagram Link Stickers in Stories for Business

If you’re still a little unclear on how Instagram users can access your website through Stories, here’s how it works:

When you pull up the Instagram app, you’ll find your newsfeed with Stories of people and accounts you follow at the top. 

When you click on an account’s Story, like the example below from 9 Clouds, you may see a link sticker mentioned within the Story. 

Just click the link, and you’re no longer on Instagram, but now viewing the 9 Clouds website. 

You can add a link sticker to your Story by clicking the sticker icon on the Story draft, and selecting the “link” option. 

Virtually any link can be shared — it all depends on your business goals! 

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