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How to share affiliate links on social media platforms

As the popularity of social media grow, we receive many questions from creators about how and where to share affiliate links on social media platforms. In response, we’ve created this handy guide – let’s talk about how to share affiliate links on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and the Discord, Mixer, and Twitch streaming platforms.

What to know before you share a link to a social media

Before you begin, you need to create a manual link in your Contentiamo publisher zone. To create a manual link, you have to at first create a campaign, which can be named for example by the e-shop you want to promote. After creating the campaign, you will return to the manual links section and select the created campaign in the first line. In the second line, insert a link to the product or category that you want to promote from the selected e-shop. Now all you have to do is copy the manual link (for use on YouTube or Instagram shortcut) and paste it on the social network.


Facebook

Facebook allows you to share affiliate links to your Timeline and in the Information section.Timeline

Go to your page and at the beginning of the timeline, in the Create Post section, click the gray text next to your profile picture. Add an affiliate link, or a suitable image or description that puts the link in a broader context. A preview of the destination URL will appear below the text. If everything looks fine, click Add. For more information on editing URLs and images in your posts, see the Facebook Help Center article: How do I share a link on my Facebook page?

Information

You can also add clickable links to the Information section, under Introductory Information. Here you can add your site and profiles on other networks, or other content that includes affiliate links.


Instagram

There are two places on Instagram where you can place a clickable link – Instagram Bio and Instagram Story.

Instagram Bio

Instagram allows users to post a link in this section, but you are limited to one link only. Go to your profile and click Edit Profile. Add a link to the Web shelf. If you want to share links more, tools like LinkTree and Linkinbio will help you.

Instagram Story Swipe-Up

If you have a business account with more than 10,000 followers, Instagram allows you to insert a link to the Swipe Up function in the Instagram story.

Go to your Instagram profile and click on the camera icon in the upper left corner to create an Instagram story. Take a photo, video, or add previously created content from your phone’s library. Before uploading content to your story, click on the link icon and add an affiliate link. Be sure to add a call-to-action to your story so your followers know they should use the swipe up feature.


Pinterest

Here are the steps you need to follow to add an affiliate link on Pinterest:

  • Select the product you want to promote from one of your advertisers.
  • Locate and download the product image and save the image to your computer.
  • Click the “+” button on Pinterest to create a pin.
  • Drag or click to upload a product image.
  • Add an affiliate link as a Destination Link.
  • Add a description stating what the pin is about.
  • Select the bulletin board you want to pin it to.

Done!

Note: Due to Pinterest’s rules, redirects will be visible in the pin.


Twitter

You can easily add affiliate links to your tweets, in the “About Me” section, or to messages, just as you would share any other link. Note that all links in the tweet are automatically truncated using Twitter t.co. When you see a tweet on Twitter.com, the original URL (or abbreviated version) is displayed. After clicking, you will be redirected via the t.co link before you reach the advertiser’s website.

Why?

Twitter shortens links to protect users from malicious websites that spread malware, run phishing attacks, and other malicious activities. By redirecting, Twitter checks links for a list of potentially dangerous websites.


YouTube

You can share affiliate links in video descriptions or comments. Adding too many links may violate YouTube’s spam policies, so limit them to the most relevant ones.

Video description

In this section, add links to help viewers learn more about the products or services they saw in the video. Links to your other profiles or pages are allowed if you register them in your YouTube account.

Comments

If you enable comments, you can include a link to the video in your own comments. Posting links in other YouTubers’ comments is a violation of the platform’s policies.


Streaming platforms

Video streaming platforms, which are primarily used for gaming, often allow the user to add links in the Bio, Chat, and About Me sections.

Discord

You can drag text links to the Chat box on your own server and share them with your community. Do not share affiliate links on other users’ servers. We recommend announcing that this is an affiliate link.

Mixer

Mixer allows links in chat if you grant permission in Settings. Go to Chat Settings> Channel Preference. Select Allow Links and Make Links Clickable. These steps will ensure that followers see your posts and that they will be taken to e-shops when clicked.

Twitch

You can add links, including affiliate links, to your chat. Twitch allows the user to generate content everywhere on their platform, as long as the compliance with the terms of the contract.

– Tzvetelina Mechkarova