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People love Instagram. That’s because it allows you to share stories and information with others in a fun fashion. 

You have probably heard that images are worth 1,000 words, and Instagram has made this the focus of their platform

Sharing photos makes this site entertaining and easy to browse.

You can reach a wide audience when you post on Instagram, but if there’s a downside, it’s the fact that posting links is challenging

This may have you wondering how to shorten links for Instagram.

How to Shorten Links for Instagram

If you find yourself asking how to shorten links for Instagram, there are a variety of different ways you can do this. 

The easiest is to use a URL shortener that you find online. There are free versions as well as extensions you can add to your browser.

Here are the steps you would take to create an Instagram profile short URL.

Step 1: Find a URL shortening site

Doing a Google search is the easiest way to find a site that will shorten your URL for you. 

However, if you’re looking for the best URL shorteners, then you’ll want to use one of the following:

Bitly

bitly link shortener for instagram

Bitly is without a doubt one of the best URL shorteners to use because it is popular and trusted by individuals and businesses alike. 

It also gives you the ability to shorten custom domains, so if you are using the link to support and promote your brand, your audience will know.

There are both free and paid options when it comes to Bitly. 

There are benefits to paying for Bitly, including the fact that you have access to link retargeting. You’ll also get a customized dashboard that allows you to track individual links and gather analytics.

Need to see how your marketing campaign is doing in a specific location? You can track it using the paid features in Bitly.

This URL shortener goes beyond reducing the size of your links and gives you insight into how each one is performing. 

This can be incredibly beneficial if you are a business trying to figure out how well your marketing campaigns are working.

TinyURL

tinyurl link shortener for instagram

One of the other incredibly popular URL shorteners is TinyURL, and you can use this to create an Instagram profile short URL.

What makes this one of the best URL shorteners is that you can customize how your shortened URL looks

This will give you and your audience a better idea of where the link takes them.

If you are wondering how to shorten links for Instagram and debating whether or not to use TinyURL, one of the appealing features is that you don’t have to sign up and it’s completely free.

You won’t be able to track the success of your links, but if that’s not important to you, then this is a good shortener to use.

Rebrandly

rebrandly link shortener for instagram

This URL shortener is a good option for businesses that are sharing links across different social media platforms, not just on Instagram, but it can also create an Instagram profile short URL.

It offers a wide variety of features, including the ability to create custom links. If you have a team of marketers who are sharing your information online, then you can use Rebrandly to create separate workspaces for your various teams. 

You can also access link retargeting support, among other advanced features.

Step 2: Insert your link

After you have decided which URL shortener you want to use to create an Instagram profile short URL, you will insert your link into a dialogue box.

This can usually be found front and center on the page.

first Insert your link on the link shortener

Step 2.1 | Add a custom phrase

When asking how to shorten links for Instagram and wanting to make them customized, if you are using TinyURL or Rebrandly, after you have inserted the link, you’ll then go to the custom fields and add any specific terms you want to add to the URL.

Add a custom phrase to create your link short

Step 2.2 | Click on the shorten button

After you have inserted your link, you’ll then click the button to shorten the link. The site will automatically reduce the size of your URL.

If you are using Bitly or Rebrandly, you’ll click on the “Shorten” button.

Should you be using TinyURL, after you have inserted your link, you’ll click on the “Make TinyURL!” button.

click on make tinyurl to make the link short for instagram

Step 2.3 | Copy the shortened link

Once you have clicked on the shorten button, you will see your new, shortened link.

If you are using Bitly, you will click on the “Copy” button, and the link will be automatically copied to your clipboard.

For TinyURL, you will click on the “Copy to clipboard” button.

short link was sucessfully created

Step 2.4 | Paste onto Instagram

After the link has been copied to your clipboard, you’ll then be able to go to your Instagram page and paste the link into your bio or story.

There are a few ways to achieve this. If you are on a desktop or laptop computer, you can either right-click on the mouse and choose “Paste” from the dropdown menu. 

Or you can use the keyboard shortcuts and click Ctrl+V to paste the link onto your social media site.

How to Shorten Links for Instagram Using an Android Phone

If you use your Android phone to create your Instagram posts, you still have the ability to create shorter links. The steps to achieve this include the following:

Step 1: Download a URL shortener

When it comes to how to shorten links for Instagram using your Android phone, to make this process quick and easy, it’s in your best interest to download a URL shortener app.

If you want to use Bitly, they have an app that can be downloaded from the Google Play store

To use this, you’ll need to create an account or sign in with your current information.

There are also many other companies that offer URL shorteners on Google Play that you can research and download if you so choose. 

Many of these don’t require you to sign in, which may make them more appealing.

download a link shortener like bitly

Step 2: Get the link you want to shorten

After downloading a shortener app, you’ll then need to grab the URL that needs to be shortened.

To do this, you’ll open the page in Chrome on your phone, and then click on the address bar. This should open another window with the link listed right below.

Next to the link, you should see three icons: one that looks like a less-than sign with dots on the points, two squares stacked on one another, and a pencil.

If you touch the squares, this will automatically copy the link to your clipboard.

find the link you want to shorten

Step 3: Insert the link into the shortener

When you are wondering how to shorten links for Instagram, after the link has been copied to your clipboard, you’ll then go to the shortener app and insert it into the line that says, “Enter URL to shorten” (or some variation of this).

To copy it from your clipboard, you’ll need to open your text board. There should be an icon at the top that looks like a clipboard. 

Touch that to open another screen to see the most recent items that have been copied to this space.

Find the URL and touch it.

click on create to shortern the link

Step 3.1 | Choose the provider

If you are using a generic shortener from Google Play, under the line where you entered the URL, you may have the option to choose the structure of the URL (standard or custom) and the Provider.

If you click on the down arrow under “Provider,” there will be a list of different options to choose from, including potentially bit.ly or TinyURL, among others. 

Choose which one you prefer for your link.

Step 4: Shorten the URL

To get your shortened URL, you’ll then hit the “Shorten” or “create” button and the app will automatically shrink the link with the attributes you chose.

Step 5: Copy the link

Once the link has been shortened, new options should open within the app.

Depending on which one you are using, you should be able to copy the link to your clipboard, but you may also be able to share a QR code or share the link directly to your Instagram page.

copy the link you just shortened

Step 6: Post the link

If you copy the link to your clipboard, you can then go to Instagram and copy it into your profile or story so that your audience can access it.

paste the link on your Instagram bio

How to Shorten Links for Instagram – Why You Have to

As one of the most popular social networking sites, Instagram is used by anyone and everyone, including your friends and family, famous people, and even businesses. 

You have the ability to access the site from your phone, desktop, laptop, or any other device that connects to the internet.

Since photos are the focus of the feed, it makes scrolling through the site fun and easy. 

There is also the option to add text, which means that you can engage with your audience in a variety of ways, but the picture is what initially draws them in.

Instagram makes it easy to share stories of everyday activities or new products with your audience. 

The only downside to using this platform is including links in your descriptions.

You can include external links on Instagram, but for them to be clickable, you can only add them to your Story or your Bio page. 

Since you are limited on the number of characters in these areas, it’s imperative that you have an Instagram profile short URL.

Find More Social Media Tips

How to Shorten Links for Instagram – Promoting Your Brand

Using Instagram to gain followers and promote your brand just makes sense. With so many people on this site, it’s possible you can sell a lot of products or get them to visit your website to see what you have to say.

Of course, you have to know where and how to post links, and knowing how to shorten links for Instagram is in your best interest. 

The simplified steps are as follows:

  • Find a URL shortening site
  • Copy the link that needs to be shortened
  • Paste the link into the dialogue box
  • Hit the “Shorten” button
  • Copy the link
  • Paste to your Instagram page

The process is usually quick and easy, and it ensures that people know where to find you outside of Instagram.

The above article may contain affiliate links, which help support Clever Sequence

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