What is Story link sticker?
A story link sticker is an interactive sticker in Instagram and TikTok Stories that links directly to an external URL, replacing the legacy swipe-up feature and available to all accounts regardless of follower count.
Before 2021, only Instagram accounts with 10,000+ followers could add clickable links to Stories via the swipe-up function. The link sticker removed this restriction, making direct story-to-URL traffic available to creators at any follower count.
Link stickers see lower click-through than swipe-up did for large accounts because users must tap rather than swipe, but the accessibility trade-off is widely considered positive. Creators should customise sticker text to be action-oriented rather than leaving the default URL displayed.
For brands, story link stickers are a key deliverable for driving direct traffic in influencer campaigns. When specifying deliverables, brands should request the specific URL or UTM-tagged link to be used in the sticker for accurate attribution.
Related terms
- Call to action (CTA)
- A call to action is a direct instruction within a piece of content that prompts the audience to take a specific next step, such as clicking a link, using a discount code, or leaving a comment.
- Link in bio
- A link in bio is a single landing page linked from a social media profile that holds all of a creator’s important links, used because platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow only one clickable link in the bio.
- Conversion rate
- Conversion rate is the percentage of people who took a desired action (purchase, sign-up, click) out of the total who saw or clicked a piece of content or ad.
- Deliverables
- Deliverables are the specific content assets a creator is contractually required to produce and publish as part of a brand deal, including format, quantity, platform, and timeline.
- Sponsored post
- A sponsored post is a piece of content a creator publishes in exchange for payment from a brand, which must be disclosed as advertising under FTC and platform guidelines.
More in Content
Story link sticker sits in the content part of the glossary. These terms come up in the same conversations and are worth reading alongside it.