The Most Requested Instagram Stories Feature Available to All Accounts
Have you updated your app? If not do so NOW because Instagram, one of the most popular social networking platforms made links in Stories available to ALL accounts recently.
Previously this feature was only available to accounts with over 10,000 followers or verified users.
As explained by Instagram:
“When we first introduced Stories links, the feature was limited to verified accounts or those with a certain number of followers. We’ve heard from the rest of our community that they also want to share things that matter with their friends and family. Whatever you’re into, from cooking to volunteering or shopping, you now have a space to share in Stories – regardless of your account size.”
As the above examples show, all users can now access the link sticker for Stories, which Instagram introduced as the primary link sharing option back in August.
Stickers give more creative control over how links appear in the Stories frames, which could be an ideal way to drive referral traffic to a website or landing page. Almost everyone except for brand new accounts or users who’ve been flagged for abusing privileges can now add a link sticker, expanding the potential value of Stories by driving audience action outside of the platform.
This update will likely put even more focus on Stories as a communication tool for brands. Instagram, has already placed more emphasis on video content, like Stories and Reels and it seems this trend is continuing to grow in momentum. The platform itself is looking to increasingly emphasize Stories usage as it seeks to continue to engagement in coming years.
Mark Zuckerberg allotted to so much in Facebook’s most recent earnings announcement, noting:
“Reels is already the primary driver of engagement growth on Instagram. It’s incredibly entertaining, and I think there is a huge amount of potential ahead. We expect this to continue growing and I am optimistic that this will be as important for our products as Stories is. We also expect to make significant changes to Instagram and Facebook in the next year to further lean into video and make Reels a more central part of the experience.”
If you didn’t already know, Reels is becoming a central element of the platform. Instagram may align around Stories and Reels specifically, with the traditional feed – standing feed – taking a back seat and possibly shifting to a separate tab in the app all together.
Stories will become even more valuable for exposure, and the capacity to drive direct traffic from them will also take on more priority, making this a very significant announcement.
It’s been one of the most requested additions I’ve received from clients. Expect to see more links in your IG Stories – which could aggravate some users, and lead to less engagement via the disappearing feed or it will like the platform is hoping drive engagement. It’s typically a blessing or a curse for social media platforms when more features are added to monetize more return on investment for businesses. With Instagram rolling out access to link stickers to almost all users, the impact will soon be more clear.