On its face, Instagram is not all that link-friendly, especially compared to other sites like Facebook or Pinterest, which are practically driven by linked-to content. Even though you can’t make an Instagram post link to a URL, there are ways to maximize the linking features Instagram does have.

If you can figure out how to best use Instagram to direct traffic to your site, you can take advantage of the platform and all of the free marketing and traffic production it offers.

Note that some features aren’t available to all users. If you don’t qualify, consider working with an influencer who has those features enabled.

Place Your Link in Your Bio

Most people will link to their website’s homepage in their bio and then never change it. However, by updating your bio link frequently, you can constantly direct people to whatever page you need them to visit. To make sure people see and click that link, you can add CTAs to your captions. For example, write, “For more information, link in bio” or “To visit the rest of the new collection, click the link in our bio!”

Remember that older Instagram posts will have that CTA, but the link will no longer be relevant. You can update the caption of your latest post every time you add a new one so that it’s not confusing for people scrolling back. 

Enable Instagram Shopping

With Instagram shopping, you can tag products in your posts. This takes your posts and turns them into linked storefronts that can direct people right to the product they’re interested in buying. 

By clicking the small circle over a product, the user can bring up more information, like price and product name. When you have shoppable posts, your profile will also have a Shopping tab that gathers all of your tagged products in one place. 

Add Links to Stories

If you’re using Instagram Shopping, you can add a link to Stories. If a user clicks something like “Learn More” at the bottom of a Story or if they swipe up on the story, they can go straight to your link. There are also CTA stickers that will tell people to swipe up for more, making the link even more prominent.

Gather Stories in Highlights

Since Stories expire after 24 hours, use highlights to keep them on your profile indefinitely and to keep those links working for you long after the 24-hour window has passed. 

The Highlights feature is especially beneficial because you can organize the content by topic. For example, if you sell jewelry, you can add all of your Stories about earrings to one Highlight, then make another about just bracelets, and so on.

Add a Link to IGTV Post Descriptions

If you use IGTV, or think it would benefit your brand, you’ll be happy to know that you can add clickable links to the video descriptions. However, since a user can only see the description if they tap the title of the post, you need to make sure that title is compelling enough to make people want to take the next step. 

Add a CTA to the title or talk about the link in the video to encourage people to go there. For example, maybe they can access a freebie or coupon code by following the link.

Send a DM That Includes a Link

Instagram allows you to send links in DMs, but what if you don’t usually chat one on one with your followers? You can still take advantage of the feature by welcoming new followers and sending them a link to a page or product you think they’ll find helpful. 

The more customized the links can be, the better. For example, if a new follower commented on a specific product you posted, you can send them the link to that product or a complimentary one.

Run Contests and Giveaways

It can be difficult to get people to click a link, especially if they’re not familiar with your brand or content, but it’s much easier when you’re giving them something great – or even just the chance at getting something great. Holding contests and giveaways is a great way to drive traffic to your blog. 

Talk a bit about the content – mainly the prize – but leave the fine print for your blog. Ask people to follow the link to find out more and enter for the chance to win.

Remember: Mobile Pages Only!

While you can access some features of Instagram via a web browser, it’s mainly a mobile app, which means people are going to be clicking your links on mobile, too. Make sure that any page you link to is optimized for mobile. If the page has a bad mobile experience, not only will you lose that visitor during that visit, but they may never bother clicking one of your links again. 

Wrapping Up

As a brand, you want your Instagram to work for you, and while engaging with your dedicated followers is excellent, that’s not a direct enough line to converting them to customers. By driving traffic to your blog or website, you can turn them from a fan into a client, customer, or subscriber. 

In general, you can get people to click on your links by not giving it all away on your Instagram: If you have a series of posts that covers a topic from beginning to end, what’s the point of visiting your blog for more? Use Instagram to give away teaser information instead. Offer enough to catch their interest, but not enough to paint a full picture. In the same vein, use Instagram links to further explain something, like how to use one of your products.

Brian Meert is the CEO of AdvertiseMint.