Link in Bio (LIB) is a common term in social media, but what does it mean? Link means a URL, typically one that directs out to an external landing page. Bio refers to the information section on a profile/handle. See the example below.
Since Instagram does not allow linking images to external sites, Link in Bio has become an industry-accepted way to work around Instagram limitations.
Meltwater has developed the ability to include unique links to Instagram posts, which auto-populate on a handle-specific, external page, for you to reference in their Instagram bio. In other words, we have automated the link in bio process within the current Meltwater Instagram publishing workflow!
We automatically create the unique hosted site for your Instagram handle, host the site for you, and allow you to upload Instagram posts to that site, with unique URLs, all from within Engage using the same publishing workflow you already know!
Terms to Know
Link in Bio (LIB) - a URL at the end of an IG profile’s bio that takes users outside of Instagram.
Hosted Site - a simple website with a grid view of images that we build and host for the client. Web and mobile-friendly.
Hosted Site Link - the URL for the simple hosted website that we build for the client.
Unique Link - the customer-provided link that is sent along with image/video on Instagram posts.
What's the Value?
Link in Bio offers a unique opportunity to expand your functionality and use cases for Instagram. By using Link in Bio, you can more easily disseminate information to your followers, and drive sales.
Improve the ROI of your social media investment by converting Instagram followers into paying customers.
Save time through automation, as posts are automatically added to the Link in Bio page.
Easy to use, it only adds one additional option to the current Instagram workflow!
Populate their link in bio site retroactively by adding unique links to any existing Instagram posts via the message details screen.
How does it work?
Link in Bio is easy to use, and only adds one option to your current Instagram publishing workflow! Follow the steps below to get started.
Enabling Link in Bio
Before you can utilize Link in Bio, it needs to first be enabled for each of your Instagram handles.
When editing an Instagram post, the composer will include a hover tip and link to open the ‘link in bio’ pop-up. This will appear below the First Instagram comment box. Click Enable link in bio.
The link in bio popup will list all connected and assigned Instagram accounts you have access to in Meltwater.
An Enable button will appear beside each available Instagram handle. Click Enable to have Meltwater automatically create your Hosted Site.
After clicking Enable the custom URL for your handle will display, along with a new Copy button.
The URL will always follow the same format as above: simplybio.io/handle name. Here is an example Link in Bio URL: https://simplybio.io/sunnyside_beachclub1/
Clicking Copy will copy the URL to your clipboard. A success message will display confirming your link is copied.
You will then need to paste the URL directly into the bio field of your Instagram handle, on Instagram directly. This step is not automated, and cannot be done via Meltwater.
Publishing Workflow Updates
As long as at least one IG account selected in step one of the publishing workflow has a hosted site available, a Unique Link option will appear on the Instagram specific Publish composer (Unique LInk will not appear on the multi-channel composer).
All Instagram publishing rules (image size, character count, etc, still apply). The Unique link field is not a required field and can be left blank if not needed. If a link is not included, the post will not appear on the hosted site.
Related Article: Publish: What Options are Channel-specific For Meltwater Engage?
Sending Content to the Hosted Site
Once the Instagram post in Meltwater, containing a unique link, is published to Instagram, the post’s image/video, and the corresponding unique link, will be sent to the hosted site. Example hosted site URL: https://simplybio.io/travel.destination.station/
Posts are sorted in chronological order, with the most recent publish date at the top left, moving left to right following the rows.
All media displays as a single width and height. This grid view is mobile and web-friendly.
Videos are displayed as a thumbnail with a video icon in the top right corner
Clicking on any image on the hosted site will open the unique link added in Step 2 of the publishing workflow in a new browser tab.
Display Unique Links in Engage and Manage Hosted Site Content
In the post preview in message details, the unique link will display at the bottom of the post preview.
Click the pencil to edit, or trashcan to delete the link. Any edits or deleting here will automatically update the hosted site as well.
Posts without a unique link can have one added retroactively. From the message details screen, click Add unique link.
Any post that has a unique link added to it retroactively will auto-populate on the hosted site, relative to the original publishing date of the post!
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