How To Upgrade Your Instagram Link In Bio

Instagram is great for getting the word out about your business, but how do you optimize your link in bio? Currently, you’re only allowed to have one link. If you have multiple websites, other social media profiles, or anything else that you wish to link to, it seems that you’re out of luck. This has caused headaches for creators and marketers alike.Leave it to innovative minds to find a solution to this! There are many apps that now let you put everything you want to direct your audience to in one convenient place, with one link. Milkshake, Linktree, and Lnk.bio are just a few of the apps you can use for this.

Benefits Of Instagram Link Apps

“I’ve only got one website, why on Earth would I need more than one link?”Things change so quickly in today’s digital world, and everything is connected to a link somewhere. What’s been missing is a central hub where you can give your Instagram audience a quick way to find all of your content in one place. In these apps, you can include almost anything through a single link placed in your Instagram bio.

• Featured products or sales on your eCommerce site
• New blog posts you’d like to promote
• Contests you’re hosting on other social media platforms
• New videos on your YouTube channel
• Charities you support
• Your artwork on sites like Tumblr
• Events you’re promoting

These are powerful tools for marketing, no matter what type of business you have. They essentially allow you to create a mini-website that can be accessed from your Instagram profile. Since you can’t put links in your Instagram posts and can only have one in your bio, these apps are insanely useful for synchronizing your social media marketing.

Milkshake For Instagram

Milkshake is available on both iOS and Android, so you can make your mini-site right on your phone. When you first download the app, it walks you through the simple process of setting up an account, including your custom Milkshake URL. You can select cards from their library to add to your page and customize them with your information. They have a variety of styles to choose from depending on what information you wish to convey. Some of the card types they offer are:

• About
• Links
• Top Picks
• Splash (for pics, quotes, promotions, etc)
• YouTube

Once you’ve selected a card to edit and added your information, you can customize the card’s picture, layout, and style to your liking. They’ve got some fantastic layout designs, from a simple minimalistic look to edgier and on-trend selections. You can customize colors, add pictures or text, and really go to town making your Milkshake website look great.All that’s left is to copy and paste your Milkshake link into your Instagram bio, and Voila! It really is that easy! Now when you ask your audience to ‘Click the link in bio,’ they will be able to see your cards, click the links there, and find all the information you want them to have. Out of the three apps I’ll be discussing today, Milkshake is the only one that is 100% free, and in my opinion, is also the most visually appealing.

Linktree For Instagram

Linktree is very similar to Milkshake, and it provides some of the same functionality in that you can put links to all of your non-Instagram content in a single place. It doesn’t have as many design options, especially with the free version, so if designing isn’t in your wheelhouse, Linktree is for you. Available for iPhones and Androids, this app is fantastic for blogs and other media or entertainment companies. Imagine having a central place to list all of your blogs and news articles, even if they’re located on different sites. eCommerce businesses can also benefit from having a place to list current specials and promotions. After downloading the app, it’ll walk you through setting up an account, let you pick your theme, then you can start adding your links. Paste your Linktree link into your Instagram bio, and you’re good to go.In addition to the beautiful simplicity of the free version, the paid version of Linktree offers robust analytics that go beyond clicks and views. If you go nuts over marketing data, it may be worth it to pay the $6/month to upgrade your account. You’ll also unlock more customization options and the ability to remove the Linktree branding from your page. Here’s some of what the paid version gives you:

• Link scheduling
• Newsletter signup (i.e. organic lead generation)
• SMS and RSS links
• Clickthrough rates and unique clicks
• Button and font styles
• Animated backgrounds
• Social media badges

As you can see, this can be extremely cost-effective if your marketing budget doesn’t have much room, but you want more control and information than the free option gives you.

Lnk.bio For Instagram

This service doesn’t have an app, but aside from that, it’s something of a middle ground between the previous two. Lnk.bio looks and feels more like it’s an extension of your Instagram profile, offering more customization options than Linktree. Its paid version is much less than Linktree as well, and at only 99¢ per month, it gives you access to more customization options and analytic data.While this one doesn’t allow quite as much customization as Milkshake, it still offers you the ability to express yourself design-wise with thumbnail previews, backgrounds, and other style choices. There’s even a layout that takes your thumbnail images and arranges them into square tiles like your Instagram profile. They have a great video that shows how easy your page is to set up.One unique feature on Lnk.bio is that it allows you to anchor a YouTube video at the top of your page, lending a fantastic vibe for professional creatives! You can also place badges from over 40+ social networks on your page so your audience can find you wherever you have a presence, all through a single link in your Instagram bio.

Beyond Instagram

One of the best things about these is that you get a copy and paste link you can use anywhere. You can put your link on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, or even on your website. The idea behind these was originally inspired by the link limitations on Instagram, but they can truly be your social media hub, bringing your entire online world into one simple, beautiful space.

Artists and Musicians -

If you’re making your dreams come true and turning your creativity into a career, you know how important Instagram is to getting seen. This is the perfect platform to showcase your talents, and having one place your fans can go to access all of your media outside of Instagram is a game-changer.

eCommerce -

With social shopping becoming a reality, shop owners are flocking to Instagram to get their brand out there. If you’re getting your social media juggernaut rolling, this can give you the boost you need to take it to the next level.

Bloggers and Other Media Professionals -

Professional bloggers, vloggers, writers, reporters, and podcasters can quickly build up a pile of links to their content all over the web. Guest spots, mentions, reviews, interviews... you name it. With these apps, you can give your audience access to your entire portfolio, no matter how spread out it is.

Service Companies -

Reviews are the lifeblood of service-based businesses like plumbers, electricians, and contractors. No matter where someone talks about your business, whether it’s on Yelp, Google, or on your own website, you can use these apps to showcase your best reviews in one place!

The Importance of your Instagram Bio

The reason these apps are geared towards Instagram is because that’s where they’re most useful. Getting the most out of the little bit of real estate you get for your bio can have a huge ripple effect through all of your social media marketing efforts. They can also work with any budget, as nearly all of the Instagram link apps will have a free version, and the paid versions are generally not expensive. I highly recommend making these apps a part of your marketing strategy!Now, on a slightly different note, if you need help keeping up with actually creating Instagram content, $99 Social is here to help! We’ll keep your feed full with professionally curated content, customized for you and your brand. Our Instagram add-on plans start at $49, giving you two beautiful and engaging Instagram posts each week, or you can get five posts a week for only $99. Check out all of our plans here, then reach out today to get started!