Have you ever tried clicking on a link while scrolling on Instagram? You won’t be met with the classic blue, underlined text we’re all aware of. Instead, you’ll find a string of plain, gray letters and characters that lead to nowhere. 

Instagram doesn’t allow link-sharing within captions or comments. This is also true for TikTok. Within these apps, the only place you’ll find a link is in a user’s bio. However, TikTok doesn’t even allow the link-in-bio feature unless you are a business account with at least one thousand followers. 

What’s the deal with these limitations? It seems like nothing more than an inconvenience. 

However, the reasoning behind this is simple: allowing link-sharing contradicts the main goal of any social networking site, which is to get people to stay for as long as possible. External links are doorways for users to leave through… Naturally, platforms want to limit them. 

The Algorithm Hates Your Links

This anti-link-sharing phenomenon goes much deeper than these limitations we see on Instagram and TikTok. 

A research study was conducted to compare the engagement of Tweets containing an external link, and Tweets containing a phrase like “Link in bio.” The latter showed to have 8.98% more retweets, 21.24% more impressions, and 40% more reach. Not only do social media platforms limit link-sharing abilities, they have also trained algorithms to suppress content containing links. (The Science of Social Media, 2023).

The Evidence: Instagram’s Shopping Feature

The other day, I purchased a ticket for an event by following a link in an Instagram bio. As I checked out, a notification popped up on my screen asking me if I wanted Instagram to save my information for future use. At this point, I hadn’t even realized I was still on Instagram. 

In the last few years, Instagram has expanded to include a shopping feature. Businesses can use this feature as a part of their profile, allowing users to purchase products without leaving the app. 

This is evidence of the extent these sites will go to get you to stay for as long as possible. Everything you need is right here! Why would you leave?

It is almost sneaky how seamlessly Instagram has designed this feature. Users easily flow through the phases of clicking on a targeted ad, browsing, checking out, and exiting before realizing … “Oh, that’s right. I’m still on Instagram.” And so continues the infinite scroll. 

The Takeaway

The lesson here is simple: if you want to maximize your visibility across social platforms, it is best to avoid link-sharing. Using phrases such as “Link in bio” could be a loophole if it is necessary to guide your audience to an external website for any reason. 

While TikTok and Instagram don’t allow link-sharing to begin with, this goes for platforms that do allow external links within posts. Across Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn – the algorithm will bury your link.

by Samantha Hart

References

(2023, Mar 14). Why you shouldn’t add links to your social posts  [Audio podcast episode]. In The Science of Social Media. Buffer. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-you-shouldnt-add-links-to-your-social-posts/id1153119945?i=1000604148628