The swipe up feature has been synonymous with Instagram for many years now. We’ve all watched that one influencer begging followers to get them to 10k so they can obtain it then to celebrate joyously when it became a reality. Then of course we were subjected to the swipe up feature which I on many occasions fell prey to (more often than I’d like to admit!)
However – as of August 30th of this year – this option was removed and replaced with a link sticker. If you’re on Instagram then you are sure to have seen it, and in my case, pressed on it several times. It works exactly the same way as the swipe up feature by directing you to an external website.
So, why did Instagram get rid of it? Former Head of Product at Instagram, Vishal Shah conveyed that when the option for Swipe-Up was present in a story, people were unable to respond with a private message so they decided to incorporate an option where you could link to an external website and respond privately.
The Link Sticker works by adding a link where you can tap and be taken to the product or website mentioned. It can also be customised with colour, size, text and placement within your story. The downsize. You’ll have to wait until you reach 10,000 followers (like the swipe up option) or have a verified account.
Link stickers can match the aesthetic of your post so you can customise it with your brand’s colours and you can make it as eye-catching as you want it to be.
For now, (and this includes us!) the link sticker is a distant dream however, hopefully Instagram decides to support small business and allow accounts with smaller followings the ability to access the link sticker. Keep liking, commenting and linking to build your following and maybe one day soon you’ll be able to sticker your stories to your heart’s content!
