Multiple times a week, I write some variation of "read at the link in bio" for the Instagram account I manage. I bet you see the phrase mentioned all the time on social media, too.
With your favorite Instagram and TikTok accounts using their links in bio all the time, maybe you're inspired to create your own. Or maybe you've seen the phrase all over the place and are too afraid to ask what it is at this point. Either way, I've got you covered.
What does link in bio mean?
In the most general sense, a link in bio is the link in a social media profile. It's especially important on Instagram and TikTok, where you can't include a clickable link in your caption.
You can put whatever page you'd like in your link in bio, but many folks create a dedicated link in bio page. These pages usually share links associated with posts or a list of the user's most important links, like their homepage or shop.
For example, the animal rescue Rags to Riches uses its link in bio page to showcase various ways to donate to and fundraise for them.
How to put a link in your TikTok bio
Before you can add your link in bio page to your profile, you'll need to know how to put it there in the first place. Let's start with TikTok.
TikTok only lets Business accounts put links in their bios, but it's free and simple to switch. Follow these steps:
When you start up TikTok, it lands you on your video feed. Tap the Profile icon at the right end of the bottom menu to get to your profile.
From there, tap the three lines at the upper-right of your screen to pull up some options.
Tap Settings and privacy.
Tap the first option, Account.
Choose Switch to Business Account. You'll choose your industry and get asked a few skippable questions.
Now that you have a Business account, go back to your profile, and tap Edit profile.
Under Business information, tap Website to add the URL to your website.
How to put a link in your Instagram bio
Instagram lets any account type add a link to bio—multiple links, in fact. Here's how.
Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture at the bottom-right of your screen.
Tap Edit profile near the top of your profile page.
Tap Add link under the Bio option.
Choose Add external link to add up to five websites to your profile.
4 ways to make a link in bio page
Since you can include any URL in your bio, you technically have unlimited ways to make your link in bio page. But here are four of the easiest and most effective methods.
1. Your social media management tool
Popular social media management tools like Later, Sprout Social, and Buffer have built-in link in bio page features.
Some of the paid tools' link in bio pages display a copy of your Instagram feed that features the links you connect with each post. Generally, you include the link when you schedule the post, and the platform then sends out the post and its link in bio counterpart at the same time. From what I've seen, these pages only work with Instagram, but you'll get to refer your followers to a unique link for each post.
You can see Sprout Social's tool in action in the game site IGN's Instagram bio.
Buffer, meanwhile, has its Start Page channel that you can use to make any landing page you want, although its origin lends it well to use as a link in bio. You can learn more about it in this overview of helpful Buffer features.
2. A dedicated link in bio tool
There's a huge selection of tools out there specifically made for building a link in bio page. Due to their focus on links in bio, they tend to have simpler interfaces and lower prices than landing page builders and website builders. There are quite a few that are free or have feature-heavy free plans.
Here are some examples:
Linktree creates an aesthetically pleasing list of your most important links. Free users can add unlimited links, and you can pay for a monthly plan if you'd like more customization or analytics options.
Milkshake is a mobile app that creates a website structured on "cards" that you swipe between. It's completely free.
Beacons combines elements like links, content, and media into a mini-website. It integrates with other tools in the Beacons suite, but in exchange, you'll have to pay to upgrade the full app family if you want to use a paid plan.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg—you can dig further to find even more link in bio tools, like Shorby and Campsite.bio. Fashion brand Lazy Oaf, for example, uses Linkpop for its Instagram link in bio.
3. Your preferred landing page builder
There's nothing saying that you have to make your link in bio page with a specialized tool. If you'd like more creative control over your page without dealing with the scale of a full website, why not give a landing page builder a shot? You'll still have only one page to deal with, but you'll have more freedom.
Here are a few landing page builders that could work well for building a link in bio page:
Carrd offers comprehensive landing page-building features at an incredibly affordable price. The free plan lets you build up to three one-page sites, and you can upgrade for $19/year to add capabilities like analytics and custom domains.
Leadpages can work especially well if you're developing your link in bio page as part of a full conversion funnel. It only has paid plans, but it comes with a range of other tools to help you convert visitors.
Zapier Interfaces brings your Zapier integrations to a landing page that can include forms, tables, chatbots, and other interactive elements. If you want your visitors to do something when they click the link in your bio, this tool will do the trick for free.
Illustrator Mary Cruz used Carrd to make an eye-catching link in bio page with room for commission info.
4. Your website
In a similar vein, nobody said you had to use a separate website for your link in bio page, either. You can create a page on your existing website and leave it off of your navigation, then link to it from your bio.
At Unwinnable, that's the method we use. We have a lean budget, but we wanted to provide links for each of our posts, which is usually a feature for paid tools. Our vice publisher, Sara, brought up the idea of creating a page on our website featuring images of our posts linked to their corresponding links. We update the page around the same time that our Instagram posts are scheduled to publish.
And since we can decide what order the images can go in, we can "pin" important posts by keeping them at the top of the list. It's simple, yet versatile.
Sara got the inspiration from making their own link in bio page when they wanted some of Linktree's premium features without having to pay for them. Their page is a list of links to their work hosted on their website.
Use a link in bio as part of the customer journey
Whichever method you choose for creating your link in bio page, consider what part it will play in your customer's journey with your brand. Choose what you want your customers to do after they get to know your brand through social media, and design your link in bio page around it. And don't forget to make things even easier by automating your social media management.
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