Social Media
Short links for social bios and posts
How to use short links and QR codes on social profiles, in posts and on video, where you often get exactly one link.
By Lumara Links Team
3 min read
Social platforms are stingy with links. Many give you a single clickable one in your profile, some do not make links in captions clickable at all, and on video a link has to be read off the screen. A short, memorable link is often the only kind that survives.
Make the bio link count
Your profile link is the one place every post can point to. Treat it as a signpost and change what it leads to as your priorities change: a new product this month, an event next month.
A readable alias helps here because people often see the link before they tap it. A link that ends in your brand name or the offer looks intentional. A long address with tracking codes looks like an accident.
Captions, stories and video
- Where links in captions are not clickable, a short link is at least possible to type. Keep it to a few words.
- On video, show the link on screen long enough to read, and say it out loud as well.
- For live events and streams, put a QR code on screen. Viewers can scan it from a second device without leaving the stream.
- Repeat the link at the end. Few people act on a link the first time they see it.
One link per platform
If you post the same content in several places, create a separate short link for each one. They all lead to the same page, but each keeps its own click count, so you can see which platform actually sends people your way.
This takes a minute and replaces a lot of guessing. After a few weeks you will know where to spend your effort.
Be clear about where it goes
Say what is behind the link in the post itself: “Full recipe at the link in our bio”, not just “link in bio”. People are more willing to tap when they know what they will get, and they are less likely to feel misled when they arrive.
Try it yourself
Shorten a URL