How to enable swipe up on instagram
How to Get and Use the Swipe Up Feature on Instagram
Image source: Getty Images
Users can swipe up within an Instagram story to go directly to your website or your store. Sound great? Here's how to do it for your business.
When the first iPhone arrived, it revolutionized the human-machine interface. Not only by the touch, but also by the shake. For some of the first successful apps, you were invited to shake your iPhone to activate them, like searching for a restaurant nearby. Today, that same function allows you to undo an action.
Give it a try if you have an iPhone. Some people have even tested the limits, like the people who tried putting an iPhone in a paint shaker. After all, we are explorers in this world of technology, are we not?
Smartphone technology has a strong influence on social media trends and user behavior. Smartphones' operating systems often use the new technical features like the shake and the touch, and apps have also adopted touch screens for functionality.
One of the most powerful examples is the swipe left and swipe right function in the dating app Tinder to sort through people you like or dislike at first glance -- a convenient and easy way to organize your love life, worthy of the digital society we live in.
Tinder has become synonymous with left and right swipes. Will Instagram be able to pull off something similar with swipe up?
Overview: What is the Instagram swipe up feature?
Social networks are often criticized for being closed circuits that make it difficult for you to drive visitors to your website or your store while they monetize the time users spend on their platforms.
Previously, you could only use the profile link to drive traffic to your website on Instagram --that is, until the arrival of the swipe up feature. Now you can create a destination for individual stories and use the swipe up feature for events, promotions, or news.
You can now directly associate your social media holidays messaging with a destination link to your site, and if you provide 30% off on a promotional product, you can link directly to the product page in your online store in today's story.
The little video on this Instagram help page illustrates the swipe up feature on a brand page. Image source: Author
The swipe up destination can be an external web page, but it can also be your Instagram shop. As such, the swipe up feature is an additional chord on your arc for social commerce. You can choose View Shop, View Product, or View Collection.
What are the requirements for getting the Instagram swipe up feature?
The swipe up web link feature only appears in verified accounts or accounts with at least 10,000 followers and an Instagram business profile.
If you don’t meet those criteria, there is a work-around you can use: You still have access to the swipe up feature, but only if you link to Instagram TV (IGTV). To do this, set up a 15-second video where you tell users to click on a link in the video's title, where you will have inserted the link to your external page.
This isn't the same user experience and requires more work on your side, but you can use it while you build up your audience to meet the required 10,000 followers.
Alternatively, you could pray to the social media gods and ask them to remove the follower requirements. It just might happen.
How to use the Instagram swipe up feature in your stories
It's pretty straightforward to use the Instagram swipe up feature, but many people don’t have access to the feature and are curious about the way it works.
If you're a known brand or celebrity, you can apply to become a verified account on Instagram. But if you don't have a verified account, here are the steps you need to take to use the feature.
1. Get an Instagram business account
First, make sure you have an Instagram business profile. This is easy, free, and fast, so you might as well set this up immediately if Instagram is an important part of your social media marketing plan.
2. Reach 10,000 followers
It will be much more challenging to reach the follower threshold. Post great and engaging content, and post frequently and consistently while generating interactions with your audience as part of your social media strategy to reach that goal over time.
3. Create a story
Once you are eligible, the rest of the process is straightforward. However, with so many Instagram stories online, you will need to use some of your best social media content to stand out. When you are setting up the story itself, the link button will appear at the top of the screen.
4. Indicate the destination URL
Your Instagram story swipe up feature will be activated when you insert a web link after clicking that button. It is basically just a URL you add to Instagram story characteristics.
5. Use calls to action
In order for users to adopt the swipe up behavior, you must inform them that it is activated in your story. A good way to do this is by adding calls to action in the form of words, call-outs, or symbols.
Two arrows pointing upward appears to be a commonly accepted symbol for triggering a swipe up, but three stacked arrows are starting to fight their way in, too.
A great way to find inspiration for symbols and emojis is a Google image search like this one for "swipe up.
" Image source: Author
3 tips to increase story clicks to your promotions
Now that we have seen how to activate swipe up, let’s look at three important things you need to master to get the most out of the feature.
1. Recurrence
As swipe up is not activated in all the stories a user sees, a good way to accustom your audience to it is to make recurring use of the feature: Use it every time you publish a certain type of story, so users can know what to expect.
Additionally, make consistent use of imagery and language in the process. Social media management tools can be of good use when planning ahead and when executing recurring publications.
2. Engagement
To increase your social media engagement on stories, create effective calls to action: Short, clear, visual, and impactful. In a good engagement strategy, use both text, images, and labels. Monitor your click-through rate to learn what works best, and repeat and tweak that for future stories.
3. Make the click worth it
Finally, you need to make sure that the flow through the story, the call to action, the swipe up, and the landing page content fit together in a consistent manner. Test run the user experience, and make sure the experience of clicking through to your page is gratifying.
Swipe up is an entirely new way to engage and drive traffic
You can generate brand awareness by posting great content to Instagram, but it may be difficult to measure the impact elsewhere, as the only direct link from Instagram to your site hides on the bio page. But the swipe up feature now allows you to associate temporary destinations with specific stories.
Swipe up from a promotional story to land directly on the specific product page in your online store. The feature is easy to implement but is reserved for verified accounts and business profiles with large followings.
As for the rest of us, let’s cross our fingers that the feature will be made available to accounts with smaller following in the future.
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How to Use It & How to Get It Without 10K Followers
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world with more than 1 billion monthly active users. Plus, every day, more than 500 million daily active users are on the app to watch Instagram Stories. For brands and influencers, Instagram Stories provide an excellent way to create and share content, boost brand awareness, and get more sales and leads.
If you have the Swipe Up feature, that is.
The Swipe Up feature is available to Instagrammers with more than 10,000 followers and allows those users to add a link that their followers can get to by swiping up while watching their stories. This is a huge deal on a platform where you’re limited to a single clickable link in your Instagram bio.
With the Swipe Up feature, brands and influencers can promote specific products, content, or signup pages that followers can access right from Instagram Stories instead of going to the bio screen to click a link there. And, you can change the link from Story to Story, if you want.
The Swipe Up feature is a game-changer for brands and Instagram influencers. In this article, we’re going to tell you how to get the Instagram Swipe Up feature and use it effectively. We’re even going to share a trick you can use if you don’t already have 10,000 followers.
Using Instagram’s Swipe Up feature can boost your traffic, increase conversions, and build customer loyalty.
Excited? Let’s get started!
Instagram Swipe Up: How to Use It & How to Get It Without 10K Followers:
- How to Get the Instagram Swipe Up Feature
- Use This Trick If You Don’t Have 10K Followers
- Instagram Swipe Up Best Practices
- How to Use the Instagram Swipe Up Feature to Increase Engagement
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Get the Instagram Swipe Up Feature
Instagram wants to keep the Swipe Up feature exclusive. As such, there are restrictions on who can get one. To get access to this coveted feature, you have to have an Instagram Business Profile and at least 10,000 followers or have a verified account. That means if you’re a public figure who has gone through the trouble of getting verified on Instagram you can get the Instagram Swipe Up feature even without 10K followers.
But once you have it, how do you use it?
How to Add a Swipe Up Link to Your Instagram StoryAdding a Swipe Up link to your Instagram Story is a simple, 3-step process.
Start your Instagram Story as you normally would, either uploading an image or video or doing it directly in the Instagram app.
Step 2. Click the Link Button
Tap on the link icon at the top of the screen.
Image Source: later.com
A new screen will come up so you can add your link.
Image Source: later.com
Type in the URL and tap Done (iOS) or the checkmark (Android). Now you should see that the image or video is linked and the hyperlink icon in the top right corner of the screen should be white.
For best results, make sure you’re using a specific link related to your post. Don’t just send your followers to your website and leave them wandering around. You want them to do something, right? You need to make it really easy for them.
Step 3. Add a Call-to-Action
Once you’ve added your link, it’s time to add a call-to-action.
Most creators use a GIF or text that says “swipe up” to let viewers know they can swipe up and take action.
Your call-to-action should be eye-catching. We love GIFs for this. If you haven’t started using GIFs in marketing, you’re missing out.
After adding your call-to-action, just post your story as usual.
Use This Trick If You Don’t Have 10K Followers
So, what if you don’t have 10,000 followers? You can use IGTV!
IGTV (Instagram TV) is an Instagram app that lets you share longer videos. The videos have to be at least one minute long and can be up to 15 minutes long if uploaded from a mobile device or up to 60 minutes long when uploading via web browser. Just download the IGTV app, click the settings icon in the right-hand corner, and click Create Channel.
Note: If you’re already logged in to Instagram, you can just click Continue as… and your channel will be created.
Next, create a video promoting whatever you want to drive Instagram traffic to.
Be sure to add a call-to-action to get viewers to click on the title link in the top left corner.
Image Source: thepreviewapp.com
Once you’ve created your video, upload it to IGTV by clicking on your channel and choosing the video you just created. You’ll be able to preview the video and add a cover photo before clicking Next to add a video title and description.
Keep your title short. It should be a call-to-action that will encourage viewers to click. Then, in your description, add the URL to whatever you want to drive traffic to and post your video to IGTV.
After you’ve posted your IGTV video, head back to Instagram and create an Instagram Story as a teaser linking to your IGTV video. On the Story, add a call-to-action that tells viewers to swipe up. Then, you’ll click the link icon at the top and add your video from IGTV as the call-to-action before clicking Done.
Image Source: thepreviewapp.com
When your Story is posted, viewers will be able to swipe up for your IGTV video and click the link in the top left of the IGTV video, sending them to wherever you want them to go.
A little convoluted, to be sure, but if you don’t have a verified business account or 10,000 followers, you have to take special measures.
Instagram Swipe Up Best Practices
Now you have a couple of different ways to add the Swipe Up option to your Instagram Stories. Here are some Instagram Swipe Up best practices you can follow to improve your Instagram engagement.
Post a Teaser on Your Main FeedSome people don’t pay attention to Instagram Stories. To make sure that your followers aren’t missing your Story, make a post about it and share it on your main feed. By posting a preview or teaser on your main feed you’ll generate interest and curiosity, not to mention building a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) since Stories are only available for 24 hours unless you save them to a highlight.
Save Your Story as a HighlightHighlights are great for driving traffic, too. Instead of disappearing after 24 hours, highlights stick around.
That means your followers can continue to access your story and follow your calls-to-action to boost your engagement, conversions, and sales. Highlights show up on your profile just above your regular content:
You can get creative with your Highlight cover images, too. Here’s how to create custom Instagram Highlight covers.
Create Interactive StoriesInteractive content gets engagement. This could mean running a contest or Q&A on Instagram—anything that encourages your followers to participate and share your content. When you give your followers opportunities to engage and interact with your brand, they’re more likely to check out your Stories again and again for more ways to connect.
In this example from Abbi Jacobsen and Ilana Glazer, you can swipe up to make a donation to The Bail Project and enter to win a 30-minute Zoom call with Abbi and Ilana:
Source: instagram.com
How to Use the Instagram Swipe Up Feature to Increase Engagement
Now that you know how to get more followers to engage with your Instagram Swipe Up content, let’s talk about the ways you can use this feature to promote your brand.
To promote a recent blog post or article, create a graphic, and share it to Instagram Stories. Make sure you have the correct Instagram Story dimensions so you can create amazing visuals that are a perfect fit. Your visuals should be relevant to the blog post you’re promoting and you’ll want to use colors and fonts that match your brand to encourage brand recognition and increase brand awareness.
Here’s an example from @diversifyvanlife:
Source: instagram.com
They’ve used an eye-catching screen grab of the article and a colorful “swipe up” GIF to direct their followers to an article they know will resonate with their target audience.
Promote Products
The Instagram Swipe Up feature is also great for promoting your products. Since Instagram is a visual platform, you’ll want to create eye-catching, high-quality images of your products and include direct links to specific product pages.
Here’s an example from @fatgirlflow:
Source: instagram.com
The professional, high-quality image is of a single product and the post includes text that’s easy to read along with a GIF that says “lovelovelove.” When you use the Swipe Up link, you’re taken to the page specifically for that product.
Pro Tip: You could even use Instagram Shopping to link your products with your Instagram account, letting viewers of your Stories make purchases without leaving the app.
Promote Events
Are you hosting a virtual event and want a huge turnout? You can use the Swipe Up feature to get viewers to register. Just create an Instagram Story using your event graphics and add a link to the event registration page.
Here’s another example from @diversifyvanlife:
Source: instagram.com
They shared a series of Stories about this event, including a “swipe up to register” CTA that takes viewers directly to the event registration page.
Promote Landing Pages
Regardless of where you’re linking to you want to get your message seen. Landing pages are particularly useful when you’re trying to get viewers to take action. Landing pages are largely transactional. This means that they exist to get users to convert, either through signing up for something or buying something.
Here’s an example of an Instagram Story from @techladies promoting a signup page:
Source: instagram.com
This is a simple post, but it grabs attention with the color and emoji. Plus, the incredibly colorful and vibrant “swipe up” GIF is hard to miss.
Promote Videos
Have you recently published new video content on YouTube, IGTV, Facebook, or on your website? You can increase views on that content by sharing the links on your Instagram Stories.
Here’s an example from Northwestern University sharing their new video about the Northwestern Prison Education Program:
Source: instagram.
com
The Swipe Up link takes viewers directly to the NPEP website where they can watch the video right away.
Instagram’s Swipe Up feature makes it easy to cross-promote your content from other social media platforms and marketing channels to your Instagram Stories by simply creating a graphic or video on Instagram, adding a link, and publishing.
Promote Podcast Episodes
Everybody loves podcasts these days. If you’re a podcast creator, you should definitely start using your Instagram Stories to send viewers to your new podcast episodes.
Chalene Johnson is pretty much the master of this. She posts a new podcast every day (mostly business-related, but she covers wellness, too) and shares the link in her Instagram Stories:
Source: instagram.com
Chalene normally uses video or audio to talk about the content of that day’s podcast, but sometimes she just adds in a picture and calls it good. This is one of the benefits of solid brand awareness—Chalene could post a black screen with a link included and a majority of her followers would swipe up without any context.
Promote Lead Magnets
When you’re trying to grow your email list, leads magnets are a great option to encourage people to sign up. You can promote your lead magnets by using a Swipe Up link on your Instagram Stories that take viewers to your lead magnet landing page or signup page.
Instagram also has Instagram Story ads that let you add a signup form right on the swipe instead of sending users to a landing page off the platform.
Use Instagram Swipe Up to Drive Traffic and Engagement
The Swipe Up feature is an incredibly useful and valuable tool for Instagram influencers who use it to share their own content, promote affiliate links, share promotional content, and more. For peak eCommerce conversions, you can even add Shoppable Stickers to your Instagram posts!
No matter what you’re trying to promote, Instagram Swipe Up is a feature you’ll love. And, with the IGTV trick we shared, you can still benefit from Instagram’s Swipe Up feature while you’re getting more Instagram followers to hit that magical 10K number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Instagram Swipe Up feature?
Instagrammers with other 10,000 followers can access the Swipe Up feature. They can use it to add a link that their followers can get by simply swiping up while they are watching their stories. As Instagram allows you only one clickable link in your Instagram bio, this Instagram feature is a big benefit. You can use the Swipe Up feature to promote specific products, content or sign-up pages that your followers will be able to access right via Instagram Stories.
How can I get the Instagram Swipe Up feature?
Technically, the Swipe Up feature is only available to users with an Instagram Business Profile that has at least 10,000 followers or a verified account. The good news is that if you do not have that many followers, there is another way. You can also use the IGTV (Instagram TV) app. All you then have to do is upload your video to IGTV and create an Instagram Story as a teaser that links to your IGTV video.
How do I add a swipe up link to my Instagram Story?
To add a swipe up link to your Instagram Story, you need to complete only three steps. The first step is to begin your Instagram Story as you normally would. You can either upload an image or video or do it directly via the app. The second step is to tap on the link icon at the top of your screen. A new screen will pop up where you can then add your link. Lastly, add a call-to-action GIF or text that says “Swipe up”.
How can I improve my Instagram engagement?
As some people do not pay attention to Instagram Stories, you can create a post about it which you then share in your main feed. Content that works well includes something interactive such as running a competition or a Q&A session. Highlights are also very effective for creating traffic. What makes them great is that they do not disappear after 24 hours which means that your followers will still be able to access your story and calls-to-action prompts.
How can you use Instagram Swipe Up to increase your engagement?
To increase engagement, you can use Instagram Swipe Up to promote lead magnets, podcast episodes, videos, landing pages, events, products and blog posts or other content. You can, for example, create a graphic about a recent blog post and share it to Instagram Stories, or share high-quality images of your products with a direct link to that specific product page. If you will be holding an event, you can use the Swipe Up feature to add a link to the registration page.
How to swipe on Instagram in Stories, what it is and what it is for
In modern applications, you can switch functions using a swipe, to do this, you need to swipe up, down, left or right on the screen. Instagram is no exception, the social network has built-in options for a quick transition to Stories and Direct. Let's figure out how to make a swipe on Instagram, what is Swipe Up.
Contents
- What is swipe and how to use it
- Why Swipe Up is useful
- How to add a swipe on Instagram
- Who can Swipe Up
- Examples of using swipe on Instagram
What is a swipe and how to use it
The word Swipe is translated as swipe or swipe .
The option is available in mobile devices with touch screens and allows:
- to unlock the device;
- print messages without taking your finger off the phone display;
- zoom in and out photo; nine0008
- quickly navigate to settings or application features.
Instagram swipe is built in by default. With it, you can open the Direct chat, launch the camera to shoot Stories, change the size of the sticker when editing a photo. The option does not need to be configured or enabled. To quickly navigate, just swipe the screen in the desired direction.
Why Swipe Up is useful
You can add a swipe by yourself. It is usually used in Stories to go to ads or to a site with their own products. To use Swipe Up, you need to launch ads in Stories or add a link to the Internet portal. nine0003
When viewing a story, a subscriber can swipe up from the bottom and follow a pre-assigned link. When setting up, you can add a picture with an arrow or a caption.
Often, companies use an unusual trick: they add a drawn hair to the publication, when the user tries to brush it off, he instantly clicks on the link.
Important. Using ads in Stories is a paid option. You must have at least 10,000 followers to add links to your posts.
How to swipe on Instagram
How to swipe on Instagram in Stories? To do this, you will have to use third-party services, create a layout and place it in the publication. To create a design for free, you can use the free service Canva .
How to create a design for Stories on Instagram:
- Launch a browser on your computer and go to the service using the link.
- Create or sign in to an existing account. You can use account 9 to login0048 Facebook and Google .
- On the page that opens, select the appropriate option to use Canva .
- Click on the search bar and type: "Instagram Story" , click on the search result.
- Go to the Downloads tabs and download the photo you want to publish in Stories .
- Add promotional text, additional photo, music using the panel on the left. nine0008
- Download the finished image to your phone. To do this, click on the button with an arrow and select the option "Download" .
The resulting image can be used to attract customers or promotional publications. When adding a story, you need to add a link to the store, this is done using the button in the form of a chain on the panel at the top.
Who can swipe up
To swipe in Stories, you need to open the Story using the icons in the main Instagram window and swipe up from the bottom. After a few seconds, another publication or online store opens. nine0003
Users with more than 10,000 followers can create a swipe in Stories. Any member of the social network can follow the created link by swiping up from the bottom of the screen while viewing Stories.
Instagram swipe examples
How to use swipe on Instagram? To do this, you do not need to go to the settings and enable the option. Swipe is available by default and works on phones and tablets with touch screens. nine0003
How to use the swipe:
- To go to chat Direct swipe the display from right to left. In the window that opens, you can select an interlocutor, send him a text message, record a voice message, send a picture or a link to a publication.
- To quickly access Stories and open the camera, swipe the display from left to right. The smartphone will start the camera, using the buttons you can select the recording mode, apply effects, turn the flash on or off. To record a video, press and hold the shutter key, for a photo, click on it. nine0008
- Using a swipe, you can update the feed . To do this, swipe down on the display. A download icon will appear at the top, new posts will appear in a few seconds.
Instagram swipe is enabled by default. The option allows you to quickly navigate through ads in Stories, open Direct chat, launch the camera, or refresh the feed on the main window. The option does not require getting used to, to launch the desired option, it is enough to swipe the screen in the right direction. nine0003
How to swipe up on Instagram in Stories: Swipe Up in Stories
Share!
Swipe! Swipe up!” - most often, this call to action is accompanied by most advertising publications in stories. Let's see what it is and how you can do it.
In general, Swipe in translation from English means to swipe, to hold . And by the way, not always up, as in Instagram, but for example to the right or left. Therefore, in the case of Instagram, it would be more correct to use Swipe Up - swipe up .
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We figure out how to attach a swipe to a story, how to style it better and how to make it more clickable.
See also: How to attract competitors' followers
How to add an Instagram swipe to your Story
At the moment, there are only 2 ways to add a swipe to your story:
- Run ads in Stories. This is a paid option.
- Add link to History. It's free, but with one condition, you need more than 10,000 subscribers on your account.
Choose and use the method that suits you. In this case, only a small, translucent arrow will appear pointing up and the signature "More" or "More". nine0003
Thus, our task is as follows: to create a story layout where the up arrow will be. Plus, you need to focus on the arrow using graphics. You can add a swipe on a photo or video.
How to swipe in Instagram Stories
In the photo
To add a swipe to the image that we will publish in the Story, you can use any free online graphic editor. For example, Canva or Crello. Consider creating a layout in Canva.
Step 1 . We go to the main page of the service, go through authorization or register. You can use your Facebook account.
Step 2 . A page will open where we can select a template. Find the template "Instagram Story" and click on it.
Step 3 . We are in the editor. We upload the photo that we want to publish in Stories with a swipe.
Step 4. Click on the image and apply filters or additional effects. nine0003
Add text and other elements as needed.
Step 5. Then we go to Google or Yandex, enter in the search [ Swipe up png ]. We select the element you like, download and upload the same way as a photo.
Step 6. Add a swipe to the story layout, adjust the size and position.
Step 7 . Finally, in the upper right corner, click "Download" and download the resulting layout in PNG format.
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Now it can be used in ads or when posting regular stories.
On video
To make a video with a swipe or an animated swipe on a video, we will use the Supa service.
Step 1 . We go to their website and register.
Step 2 . Next, click "Create", select a selection of templates "Stories" and click on the template you like.
Step 3 . Edit the template and add your call to action. nine0003
Step 4 . Download video in MP4 format. You can download videos in low resolution for free.
You can now publish or run ads.
Article in the topic: How to schedule Stories posting
Conclusion
If you plan to publish a link or run an ad in Stories, be sure to prepare a layout in advance. On the layout, highlight the clickable element with a graphic or animation. Add a call to action.
