Instagram has been testing the link sticker since the end of June . According to The Verge, the swipe-up disappeared on August 30, 2021. And now the link sticker is available for all accounts. And that's good news for smaller accounts that previously didn't have the option to add a link to a Story. Adding a link to a post also remains an option. But because this works via 'link in bio', this remains cumbersome.
See the screenshots below from the Frankwatching account :
Concerns from the users
Creators are expressing their concerns about this change via various channels. Will this change result special lead in a lower CTR, due to the loss of the CTA? Can you schedule Stories with a link sticker or not ?
Now that the link sticker is available for all accounts, the chance of spam or other abuse also increases. Instagram therefore also tells Social Media Today the following :
“With this new roll-out, Instagram says that integrity and safety will be a key focus, and it'll be keeping a watchful eye over the links that people share via the option, in order to ensure that it doesn't become another surface for spreading misinformation and spam.”
If we as users do not handle this well, this function can disappear again. But for now: link away!