What is a link in bio?
A link in bio is the clickable URL in a social media profile, like your Instagram, TikTok, or X bio. Because Instagram and TikTok don’t make links in regular posts clickable, creators say “link in bio” to send people to that one profile link, which usually opens a simple page with everything they want to share.
That page is called a link-in-bio page. At its simplest it’s a list of buttons. At its most useful it’s a small personal website: your name, one piece of work, the other profiles, and a way to reply.
Why the phrase exists
For years Instagram gave each profile a single website field and no clickable links in captions. If you wanted followers to find your shop, your new video, and your newsletter, you had one link to do it. People started pointing that link at a page of links, and “link in bio” became the shorthand. Instagram now allows up to five profile links, but the habit stuck, because one page is still easier to keep current than five links spread across several apps.
What a good link-in-bio page includes
- Your name and photo, matching your profile so visitors know they’re in the right place.
- One line about what you do, specific enough that it couldn’t describe someone else.
- The thing you’re promoting right now, at the top: a new release, a product, an event.
- A few other links: your shop, newsletter, podcast, or portfolio.
- Your other social profiles, smaller and lower down.
- A way to contact you, like email or a contact form, if you want messages.
How to make a link in bio
- Decide what you want most visitors to do. Watch, buy, subscribe, book, or get in touch. That becomes your top link.
- Pick a tool. Link-in-bio builders like SayHi, Linktree, or Beacons are the quickest. A page on your own website works too.
- Add your name, a one-line intro, your top link, and the rest of your links.
- Publish and copy the page’s URL.
- Paste it into the website or links field on each of your profiles.
- Tap the link from your own profile on your phone to check it opens properly.
Where the link goes on each platform
- Instagram: Edit profile, then Links, then Add external link. Up to five links.
- TikTok: Edit profile, then Website, if your account is eligible for the field.
- X: Edit profile, then Website. One link.
- YouTube: YouTube Studio, Customization, Profile, then Links. Up to 14 links.
- Threads: Edit profile, then Links. Up to five links, each with an optional title.
Facebook, Pinterest, Twitch, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and GitHub each have their own field. The guides index has a step-by-step page for every one of them.
Common mistakes
- Twenty equal buttons, so nothing stands out and visitors leave.
- A top link that still points at last month’s launch.
- Links that need a login or open a file download on a phone.
- A page that looks nothing like your profile, so people aren’t sure it’s you.
- No way to contact you, when getting messages is half the point.
Making yours with SayHi
SayHi gives you a free link-in-bio page at sayhi.page/yourname that reads more like a small personal site than a button list: a name, a sentence, your latest work, then your links. The link in bio page explains how it works, and there are eight layouts on the templates page. The Creator template below is the one most people start with for a social profile.
Rio Hale
Short films about ordinary nights
I walk around with a small camera and wait for the steam, the bus lights, the joke someone almost told. Weekly pieces from Los Angeles kitchens and sidewalks.
YouTubeOrdinary Nights — “Steam on 3rd”@riohaleThe weekly night walkWhat this is
Three-minute films about the part of the day after the work lights go off and before anyone has decided to go home.
For more finished pages, see the link-in-bio examples. If you’re deciding whether you need a full site instead, read personal website vs link in bio.
Questions
What does “link in bio” mean?
It means “tap the link on my profile.” Creators say it in posts and videos on apps where links in captions aren’t clickable, so followers know to go to the profile and tap the website link there.
Is a link in bio free?
Adding a link to your profile is free on every major platform. Most link-in-bio tools also have a free plan. SayHi is free, with your page at sayhi.page/yourname.
How many links should a link-in-bio page have?
As few as you can manage. Three to six is plenty for most people. Put the one you care about most at the top, and remove links nobody uses.
Is a link in bio the same as a website?
Not quite. The link in bio is the URL on your profile. It can open a simple list of links or a one-page personal website. A page with your name, your work, and a contact form can do both jobs.
Can I use the same link on every platform?
Yes, and you should. One page means one place to update. Put the same URL on Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and anywhere else that has a website field.