Should I add a link in my bio?
How could this help my account?
..and is that even available to all TikTok users?
We’ll answer all these questions and more in this lesson!
First thing first
First of all, you should know that a link in the Bio is the only gateway you have to send your users outside of TikTok. Of course, the reason to do so is to convert your traffic, send them to other platforms where you can easily monetize (or even landing pages to sell services).
Link types
There are only 2 types of links on the TikTok platform.
- Button links
- Regular links
Button Links specifics
Button links are only available for YouTube and Instagram. So you can only connect these buttons to your YouTube or Instagram accounts and no other social platforms are available at the moment of writing. This is mostly helpful when you want to spread your TikTok following across YouTube and Instagram as well.
Usually, when your audience enjoys your content and becomes a loyal fanbase, they will also naturally be drawn to checking out your other social platforms. YouTube is of course of similar content to TikTok – you can post longer, more detailed versions of your clips on YouTube. The same goes for Instagram where you can use Instagram TV to upload your clips.
These buttons are available from the get-go! You can activate them when creating your account but also change them anytime you want. They’re also available for any type of channel – personal, business and aggregate!
Regular links specifics
To send people to other destinations than discussed above, there’s only one way to do it, and that’s using the Regular link within your bio.
Unfortunately at the moment of writing, not all accounts have the possibility of adding a regular link. It’s something that is being tested with random accounts across TikTok.
To check if this is available for you, check your settings. If you find no option to test a link in bio in your settings, then unfortunately you are not eligible to activate this option.
This goes only for accounts that are not verified! All verified accounts have by default the option activated. So, if you have a large enough account and a big following you could request TikTok to verify your account and this, in turn, will activate the option to post a Regular link within your bio.
Uses for your bio link
Sending people to lead magnets, landing pages, or websites is a very common practice.
Please note though: Adding links in your bio and buttons to your other social media platforms will drive some of your audience away from your Tiktok account. So please note adding this link is not necessary, and if you are looking to become an influencer on the platform then you should refrain from adding any links. Instead, to become a key influencer focus on keeping your viewers on TikTok!
Also, if you’re just growing a personal account and are casually browsing TikTok, then of course you shouldn’t add any links. But among Business and Aggregate accounts, most prefer adding links to increase their chances of monetization and converting their traffic into leads!
A special link for app companies
If you are an App company, please note that TikTok offers a unique link that’s special for your type of account. As a verified App business you gain access to a specific link within the TikTok platform that you can use to promote your app! This is a “Download App” type of link that’s positioned within your app just below your bio.
What does this button do? It offers the possibility to download the app without ever needing to leave the TikTok platform. It’s pretty powerful and it’s something unique to the platform. You’ll not find it on any other social platform. Use it wisely, it may be a game-changer!
Bonus tip
Remember the last lesson? We’ve covered in detail how emojis have great influence over people. Note that you can use emojis like arrows to point to your link. This will increase the engagement and click-through rate to your link! Is a best-practice that all pros do.
Your objective
While considering adding links to your account please focus on your objective first. It may be the case that it goes against your strategy to add any links. Also, note that it’s all time-sensitive. Most creators choose to add links only after they’ve grown a pretty large audience first. Their focus is on gaining as many followers as possible before trying to convert the traffic.
After your reach critical mass, converting your fans into multi-platform fans is very powerful as they have already gained trust in you and they are a very engaging type of people. Multi-platform fans are more valuable. They receive multiple notifications from you when you post content and jump right in to view what you just uploaded.
Congruence
As a pro tip, keep in mind that your content (across all platforms) should be targeting the same people, have a similar format, and appeal to the interests of your fans! It’s really important not to confuse your audience by sending them to other social accounts that are underdeveloped or, even worse, that focus on other niches. You should stick to a certain structure, build each account to a reasonable size, and only after that interlink them.
The type of link you put in your bio is dependent on your strategy and account type.
So, if you are a business account it’s only obvious that you link to your business website or a landing page to sell your services or products. But, if you own a personal account then linking to your blog (where you cover your topics in more detail and appeal to a more personal side of things) is a better idea. Often times, aggregate accounts will use the link space to send people to an affiliate platform.
Again, it all comes down to your strategy, so please make sure you have that really clear in your mind before deciding to link to anything.
Ask yourself:
- What’s my monetization model?
- Is driving traffic to my website more important than building my email list?
- How will my fans react (or respond to) being sent to the destination link?
Answer these questions and you’ll have a better understanding of how to use your bio link. It’ll also shed light on what not to do (to keep a happy fanbase).
To conclude
There are two types of links you can use in your bio.
- The first is a button that links to your YouTube or Instagram account.
- The other comes in the form of a Regular link that you can use to send people to your website, landing page, or even email list.
Regular links are currently being tested and not all accounts have access to them.
If you’re an App company and you verify your account you gain access to a special type of link. This gives your viewers the possibility of downloading your app without leaving the platform.
To drive more engagement to your regular link, please make full use of Emojis!
Always have clear:
- objective
- structure
- niche
- understanding of your fan’s persona.
Your strategy will shed light on how to make better use of your linking opportunity. First, make an effort to understand your audience and monetization model, and then you’ll have your answer to what types of links to use in your bio!
