Even if you’ve only seen a few posts on Instagram or TikTok, you’ve probably come across the phrase ‘link in bio’. It appears everywhere, from the product posts of your favorite brand to the latest photos of that #CottageCore account you follow.
So what does ‘link in bio’ actually mean? Why do people use it all the time? And should you take action too? Let’s find out!
What does “link in bio” mean?
Creators on Instagram and TikTok use the phrase “link in bio” to tell their audience that they can get more information about a post by clicking the URL in their bio.
Anyone can add a link to their bio on Instagram and any Business account owner can add one to their TikTok. Once there, creators draw attention to the link by mentioning it in the content they’ve posted.
There are rumors that saying “link bio” in Instagram captions reduces post reach and engagement, so we ran an experiment to test the theory. Spoiler: It actually means “link in bio” increased our participation and reach, but you can watch this video to see the details:
‘Link in bio’ is the only way for Instagram and TikTok creators with less than 10,000 followers to send people off the platform. Accounts with more than 10,000 followers are allowed to add links to their Stories.
Most creators use their Instagram and TikTok bio link to send viewers to one of six things:
- websites
- Other social media profiles
- a blog
- a product page
- an online store
… or all of the above (more on that later).
Where is the link in the Instagram bio?
On Instagram, you’ll find the ‘link in bio’ in the short description at the top of the user profile. It is located below other important information such as the number of posts and the number of followers.
Venture North, an organization promoting tourism in the North of Scotland, uses the link in the bio to direct its viewers to its website.
Where is the link in the bio on TikTok?
To keep things simple, the bio link is all in the same place on TikTok. It can be found in the bio at the top of a creator’s profile page.
How to put a link in your Instagram bio?
Adding a link to your Instagram bio is a simple process. It’s actually so simple that you can get it done in just three short steps.
1. Click ‘Edit profile’ at the top of your profile page
2. Enter your destination URL (link you want to promote) in the ‘Website’ box
3. Click ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the page
And just like that, you’ve added a link to your Instagram bio.
Quick tip! If you don’t see the link when you get back to your profile, you probably forgot to hit ‘Submit’ before leaving the page.
How to put a link in your TikTok bio?
The process is similar on TikTok. But right now most users need a Business account to add a link to their bio.
If you have a Creator account on TikTok and don’t have access to the link in the bio, the first thing you should do is switch to a Business account. In order to do:
1. Click the TikTok menu icon
2. Click ‘Manage account’
3. Select ‘Switch to Work Account’
4. Choose the category that best describes your business
5. Click ‘Next’
Now that that’s done, you’re ready to add a clickable link to your TikTok bio.
1. Click ‘edit profile’
2. Click ‘Add your website’
3. Enter the URL you want to feature on your profile
4. Click ‘Save’
You now have a link in your TikTok bio.
How to add a link to bio with multiple links
The problem with the bio link feature on both Instagram and TikTok is that you can only have one. You can’t post links anywhere else on these platforms, so you’ll have to be crafty to optimize your only opportunity.
For most creators, this means turning one link into multiple links using a landing page.
Create a landing page with all the links you want to show and add a link to that landing page to your Instagram or TikTok bio.
And if that’s starting to sound a little complicated. Don’t worry, there are many tools to help you easily create a highly-linked landing page.
Link in bio tools
Create a link on the bio landing page with Linktree
Linktree is a free tool that lets you create a simple multilink landing page from basic templates. It is quite easy to install.
With the free version, you’ll get access to templates with some customization options and a simple statistics interface so you can see how your page is performing.
If you pay $6 a month to upgrade to Pro, you can remove Linktree’s logo from your landing page, access better analytics and customization options, and Linktree’s social media retargeting feature.
Create a one-click bio with Moyens I/O
If you are using Moyens I/O to manage your social media, you can create a link tree from your control panel using oneclick-bio.
With oneclick-bio you can create a simple link on bio landing pages with text filled buttons like the ones offered by Linktree. But you can also add social media links and an image gallery.
You can use the images feature to recreate posts from your Instagram or TikTok account on oneclick-bio. However, unlike your posts on the platform, you can add clickable links to images in your one-click.bio.
Thus, anyone who goes to your landing page from your Instagram or TikTok account will have access to a clickable version of the post they are interested in.
Learn how to create a one-click.bio landing page here.
Create a landing page with Unbounce
If you have a little more time and prefer a fully customizable link on the bio landing page, you can create one using a landing page builder like Unbounce.
With Unbounce you can create a fully branded landing page that perfectly complements your Instagram or TikTok profile. Use a simple drag and drop builder or super smart AI to get the job done.
5 Link in bio tips to drive more traffic to your website
Highlight your most important connections
Less is more when it comes to multi-link landing pages. Resist the urge to include every link under the sun. The last thing you want to distract people from the things that matter.
Here are the good things to highlight in your link on the bio landing page:
- Your website home page
- Your latest or most popular content
- Information about a sale, promotion or giveaway
- Links to your other social media accounts
- Your online storefront or best product page
- Your best performing lead magnet
Match your links to your goals
Which links you choose to include in your link on the bio landing page will depend on what you want to achieve.
If you want to build your email list, you can skip other social media account links but put your main magnet and listing front and center.
On the other hand, if you’re on Instagram or TikTok to drive sales, you’ll want to focus your attention on your online storefront and the latest sale or giveaway.
Offer value, not hard sell
Someone following a ‘link in bio’ request from Instagram or TikTok is probably new to your content. That’s why it’s best to avoid hard selling on your landing page.
Focus on delivering value instead. For example, you can:
- Offer special deals or discounts to people who buy through your landing page
- Link to your most read or most useful content
- Make a good introduction to you or your brand
Keep your link in bio short
Both Instagram and TikTok display your full URL in your bio. So you want it to be something short and strong.
Some links in bio tools allow you to customize your URL. If you can, you should!
You can use this space to specify your brand name and add a call to action. E.g:
www.mybrand.ca/learnmore
www.mybrand.ca/sayhello
www.mybrand.ca/shopnow
www.mybrand.ca/welcome
Customized links are effective, easy to remember, and more likely to encourage clicks.
And don’t worry if you can’t generate a short URL at its source. You can use a URL shortener like ow.ly, which is accessible from the Moyens I/O dashboard, to create ultra-fast links.
Use emojis to highlight your ‘link bio’ call within the post
Once you have a super stylish link on the bio landing page, you’ll want to put in the extra effort to drive traffic to your profile. One way to do this is to use emoji to draw attention to your link in the bio CTA.
You don’t have to switch to the full Z generation though. One or two well-placed emojis are sufficient.
Drive traffic from Instagram to your website and manage your other social profiles in one place using Moyens I/O. You can schedule and publish posts, engage with your followers, track relevant conversations, measure results, manage your ads, and much more, all from a single dashboard.
