Sharing links on Facebook is a great way to spread interesting content with your friends and followers. When you come across an article, video, product listing, or any other webpage that you want to share, you can easily copy the link and post it to your Facebook story.
Sharing links on Facebook stories allows you to add context and commentary to the content you’re sharing. Your friends and followers will see the link preview along with your thoughts on their main news feed. Links shared to Facebook stories only stay live for 24 hours, so it’s a good place to share more ephemeral, timely content.
If you’re new to sharing links on Facebook stories, don’t worry – it’s very simple! Here is a step-by-step guide to copying a link and successfully sharing it to your Facebook story.
Step 1: Copy the Link You Want to Share
The first step is to copy the URL of the webpage you want to share. Here are the basic ways to do that:
– If you’re on a desktop computer, highlight the link in the address bar and press Ctrl+C on a PC or Command+C on a Mac to copy it.
– On an iPhone or Android phone, press and hold your finger on the link until a menu pops up. Tap “Copy” to copy the link.
– On an iPhone or Android phone, you can also press and hold the link and then tap the Share icon. On the sharing menu, tap “Copy Link.”
– If the page you want to share has a Share button or icon, click that and select “Copy Link” on the menu that pops up.
The key is to ensure the full URL of the page you want to share gets copied to your clipboard before heading to Facebook. Don’t just copy text from the page – grab the link itself.
Step 2: Access Your Facebook Stories
Once you’ve copied the link, you need to access your Facebook stories composer. Here’s how:
– On desktop: Click the Stories icon, which looks like two overlapping circles, at the top of your main news feed.
– On the iOS app: Tap the Stories icon at the top of the screen, to the right of the search bar.
– On the Android app: Tap the Stories icon at the top of the app, to the left of the search bar.
This will open up the stories composer, where you can select a background, add images/video, and post text.
Step 3: Paste the Link
Now it’s time to paste your copied link into the story composer.
– On desktop: Click in the text box where you normally write a status update. Paste the link there by pressing Ctrl+V on PC or Command+V on Mac.
– On mobile: Tap inside the text box below your story. Hold your finger there until the Paste option appears. Tap Paste to drop the link into your story.
You should now see the link pasted into the story text box, along with a link preview if applicable.
Step 4: Add Your Commentary
One of the great things about sharing links on Facebook stories is that you can add your own thoughts. After pasting the link, write a comment about why you’re sharing this page or why you think it’s interesting.
Some things you could include:
– A quick blurb giving context for the link (“Check out this hilarious video my friend made!”)
– Your reaction to the content (“This news article is fascinating. I can’t believe…”)
– A call to action for your viewers (“Help me choose the best product on this list”)
Keep it short and sweet – you’re just giving your followers a little insight into why this link is worth their time.
Step 5: Customize Your Story
If you want to spice up your link share, add some visual flair! Facebook stories allow you to:
– Add a background theme or color.
– Overlay creative stickers and GIFs.
– Use the drawing tools to highlight parts of your story.
– Add location tags, polls, questions and other interactive elements.
Feel free to customize the look of your story to match the vibe of the content you’re sharing. You can keep it simple with just your text, or get creative with visuals.
Step 6: Share Your Story!
When your link share is ready to go, simply tap the Share button at the bottom to post it to your story on Facebook.
That’s it! The link will now be live on your story for the next 24 hours for all your friends and followers to see.
Tips for Sharing Great Links on Facebook Stories
Here are some tips to share awesome links through your Facebook stories:
– Comment sincerely when sharing other people’s content – your thoughts will show why it’s worth viewing.
– Keep your commentary concise and engaging – you don’t need long walls of text.
– Use stickers, GIFs and drawings to accentuate your message.
– Add location tags when relevant – like linking to a local business.
– Reshare great content from friends to show your appreciation.
– Follow trending news and share timely articles people will care about.
– Follow relevant fan pages and share interesting updates they post.
– Share funny videos, entertaining quizzes, compelling photo galleries, and more.
– Use polls and questions to engage your audience and get their feedback.
– Give backstory and insider info not contained in the links to make them more intriguing.
– Encourage discussion by asking people to comment on the story with their own thoughts.
Common Questions about Sharing Facebook Story Links
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about posting links to Facebook stories:
Can I share links to Facebook stories from my desktop?
Yes! You can access stories from the desktop site and share links just like you can on mobile. Click the Stories icon at the top of your news feed.
What happens when I share a link on a Facebook story?
When you share a link, it appears as a preview within your story along with your text commentary. People can then tap the preview to open and view the full page.
How long do link shares stay in Facebook stories?
Links shared in Facebook stories will only stay live for 24 hours. After that, they disappear like all story content. So it’s best to share timely, relevant links that your friends will see quickly.
Can I add hashtags when sharing a Facebook story link?
Yes! Using relevant hashtags is a great way to categorize your link share so it’s easily discoverable by others interested in that topic. The hashtags will appear above your link preview.
Do my Facebook friends get notified when I share a link to my story?
No, Facebook doesn’t send notifications to your friends when you post a new story – they just come across it if browsing stories. However, you can notify friends directly by tagging them in your story text.
Can I share links to both Facebook feed and stories?
Absolutely. There’s no reason you can’t share a great link on both your feed and your story if you want extended visibility. Just don’t spam people!
Embedding Links for Clicks
When sharing links on Facebook, you want to encourage clicks and views to the site. Here are some tips for getting the most traction:
– Comment on why people should click through – give them intrigue and value.
– Use urgent, exciting wording like “you have to see this now!”
– Ask questions to create curiosity – but make sure they are answerable by clicking.
– Use tantalizing ellipses like “When you see what happens next…”
– Remind people links only last 24 hours to create FOMO.
– Inform people if a deal or offer is for a limited time.
– Let them know if a link contains exclusive, premium or special access content.
– Say if it’s from an account they don’t follow so they may have missed it.
– Call out if the link will help solve a relevant problem for your audience.
– Note if it’s going viral and building social proof.
– Point out if a famous or influential person posted it.
Just make sure your calls to action are honest and add value when people click through!
Troubleshooting Link Sharing Issues
While sharing links on Facebook is usually straightforward, here are some troubleshooting tips for when things go wrong:
Link won’t properly paste
– Make sure you are copying the URL from the address bar and not just text on the page itself.
– Try pasting into a notes app first and then copying again before pasting to Facebook.
– If on mobile, touch and hold the text box to bring up paste instead of just tapping.
Link preview isn’t generating
– Double check that you pasted the actual URL and didn’t just type it out manually.
– Try deleting and repasting the link, or close and restart the Facebook app.
– Ensure the page you are linking to provides proper metadata for Facebook to scrape a preview.
Redirecting to another page
– Some sites have intermediary redirect pages before landing on the content. Paste the direct URL instead.
– Try using a link shortener like bit.ly to avoid redirects.
Link was blocked or banned
– Facebook’s algorithms sometimes block sketchy or suspicious domains. Try another source.
– Check if the link tries to redirect off Facebook, which is prohibited.
– The site may be known for spreading false news or misinformation and is blacklisted.
Link is now broken
– Sites sometimes go down or delete old content. Not much you can do in that case.
– Double check the URL is typed correctly and didn’t get garbled.
– Try posting a mirror link if available.
Conclusion
Sharing links through Facebook stories is a handy way to add your perspective to content and spread it with your friends and followers. Simply copy the URL you want to share, paste it into your story composer along with your commentary, customize with visuals if desired, and share it to your story.
Use catchy wording to get people intrigued to click on your links while they last for 24 hours. Now that you know how to properly paste in and format links, as well as troubleshoot any issues, you’ll be a pro at sharing great content on your Facebook stories!