Viewers can then access the link by swiping up on the screen, similar to the same option in other Stories tools.
You have the option to preview and edit your link before publishing, and while Navarra also notes that users will have access to link click information in their Stories insights.
But there is a fairly significant catch, at least in terms of usage from your personal LinkedIn profile.
As per LinkedIn, the ‘swipe up’ feature for LinkedIn Stories is only currently available to
LinkedIn Pages.
Individual members who have at least 5,000 connections or followers and the Follow button as the primary action on their profile (instead of Connect).
LinkedIn added the option to switch your profile CTA from ‘Connect’ to ‘Follow” back in 2018, as a means to help users build audience on the platform, as opposed to having to add people you don’t know into your professional network. LinkedIn’s now made that a requirement – at this stage – for the swipe up stories links, while the 5,000 connections mark will put it beyond the reach of many individual users (as a related note, LinkedIn’s personal network limit is 30,000 first degree connections).
How to Use the Swipe-Up Feature in LinkedIn Stories
LinkedIn Stories, introduced in September 2020, now has a feature that gives businesses and marketers more of a reason to use it.
Stories launched to a mixed reception from LinkedIn users, with many questioning whether it’s a good fit for a professional network.
The casual nature of the stories format makes it a fit for Instagram and Snapchat – but LinkedIn?
Now that links can be added, businesses may have the reason they’ve been looking for to participate in LinkedIn Stories.
LinkedIn can generate a meaningful amount of referral traffic to websites. Now there’s another tool with which to drive more traffic from the same source.
Be it your company website, your latest blog post, a new job listing, or anything else you want to drive people’s attention to. Link out to anything and users can access it with a simple swipe up.
But there’s likely more benefit for your brand stories anyway, and according to LinkedIn, all Company Pages will be able to add URLs to their LinkedIn Stories. I checked the SMT account and we don’t have the functionality as yet, but it is listed on LinkedIn’s Help platform as being available now, so it’s likely on the way soon.
The jury’s still out on whether Stories fit on LinkedIn or not. Really, LinkedIn is looking to align with emerging content behaviors, so even if Stories feels like a bit of an odd fit at present, it’s the preferred platform of younger users (over the traditional news feed), so it could be more relevant over time, as opposed to being immediately critical.
How to Use the Swipe-Up Feature in LinkedIn Stories
Here’s how to add a link of your choice to LinkedIn Stories:
Start creating a story by adding a photo or video to it.
Tap the link icon at the top of the screen (looks like a chain)
Add a URL under Add a link.
Select the applicable action button.
Tap Done.
Tap Share Story.
To make sure users land on the correct page, you will have the option to preview a link before the story goes live.
LinkedIn Stories can only be created from the mobile app. You can use the app to capture photo and video, or upload media from your camera roll.
Like other social media apps, Stories remain on LinkedIn for 24 hours. Video content is limited to 20 seconds in length.
Eligibility
The swipe-up feature for Stories is available to all LinkedIn Pages.
It’s available to regular LinkedIn members if they meet the following criteria:
Have at least 5,000 connections or followers.
Have the Follow button as the primary action button on their profile (instead of Connect).
Changing the primary action button on a LinkedIn profile page from ‘Connect’ to ‘Follow’ can be done from the privacy settings menu.
Example of Swipe-Up in LinkedIn Stories
Here’s an example shared by Matt Navarra of what the swipe-up feature looks like in action:
Linkedin Pages and eligible users will be able to track statistics for the stories they post.
Matt Navarra shares an example of stats viewable by Pages and members eligible for the swipe-up feature:
Like the Story itself, insights are available for a limited time. Make sure to check the data within the 24-hour time window.