Instagram is changing the way you click an external link in Stories, moving from a swipe-up link to a new Link Sticker.
Instagram Tutorial: Add Clickable Links to Your Instagram! (Story Stickers/Link in Bio)
Starting August 30, Instagram is ditching the "swipe-up" link in favor of a sticker that takes your followers to a link of their choosing, app researcher Jane Manchun Wong found on Monday. However, the new link feature will still only be available to certain accounts that are verified or have at least 10,000 followers.
The Link Sticker was initially announced as a small test in June, but the platform also tested letting anyone, regardless of verification or follower count, add a link to their Stories. It's unclear if Instagram will open up the new Link Sticker to more accounts than what's currently allowed.
TechCrunch notes that some of the benefits of a Link Sticker over the traditional swipe-up link style include that users have more control over their Stories. With stickers, you can choose their size and style, and place them anywhere in your Story to increase the likelihood that people will click on them. You can already add a bunch of different types of stickers to your Story, including ones asking for donations, a music player sticker, polls, questions, countdowns to important events, and more.