A link in bio that sells: how to use it if you sell a course
How to turn your link in bio into sign-ups and sales: a page with one main action, link order, copy, UTM tracking and the most common mistakes creators make.
The link in your profile is the one fixed point where people who discover you on social can move from your content into your world: the email list, the free content, the course. Often, though, it leads to a page with ten identical buttons, and visitors don't know what to do.
This guide covers how to turn your link in bio into a clear path to sign-ups and sales, and how to measure whether it works.
Where should your link in bio go?
To a page with one clear main action. For most creators who sell courses, that's signing up for the free content. People arriving from your profile have often just discovered you through a video or post: buying a course straight away is too big a leap, leaving an email for something useful is a natural step. The right free content is covered in lead magnet ideas for creators.
How do you build the page?
With a few elements, in this order:
- One line about who you are and what you teach, with a photo.
- The main link, far more prominent than the others: the free content or, during a launch, the sales page.
- Two or three secondary links: the course, the newsletter, your latest long video.
- Nothing else. Every extra link distracts from the main one.
| Outside a launch | During a launch | |
|---|---|---|
| Free content (lead magnet) | On top | Lower down |
| Course sales page | Lower down | On top |
| Waitlist for the next launch | Lower down | Not needed |
| Newsletter | Lower down | Lower down |
| Every social profile and past project | Not needed | Not needed |
Our editorial framework.
For example, a launch calendar, with the dates to change the order, is in how to launch an online course.
What should the bio and content say?
One line on what you teach and to whom, and an invitation that previews what people get by clicking. "I teach wedding photography to beginners. Download the checklist of 12 shots" works better than "Photographer | Creator | Link below". Repeat the same invitation at the end of your content, as we explain in copywriting for creators.
In other words, the words in the bio, the content and the page must match: someone who clicks for the "checklist of 12 shots" must find exactly that, at the top of the page.
How do you measure whether it works?
With UTM parameters on every link on the page. Google Analytics' help page on URL builders says to always use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign. For your link in bio you might use utm_source=instagram and utm_medium=bio, with a different utm_content for each link on the page. That way you can tell profile visitors apart from people coming via a story link or a video description. The full method is in UTM tracking for creators.
An example
A creator has a link page with nine identical buttons: course, mini-course, newsletter, podcast, YouTube, TikTok, an interview, a past offer and a contact form. Adding UTMs, she finds that in a month 1,100 people visit the page but only 60 sign up for the free content, which sits in fourth place. She cuts the page to four links: at the top, clearly highlighted, the free checklist; then the course, the newsletter and her latest long video. She also changes her bio, which now announces the checklist in the same words as the button. The following month, with a similar number of visits, sign-ups rise to 180. Course sales from the profile don't drop either: people ready to buy still found the link. In practice, fewer choices led to more action. The numbers are our example.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- Ten identical buttons. Visitors don't know what to do.
- No main action. The first link must stand out.
- A link that doesn't keep the bio's promise. The words must match.
- An order you never update. Priorities change during a launch.
- No tracking. Without UTMs you don't know what works.
Key terms. A link in bio is the link in a social profile. The main action is the most important thing you want visitors to do. A UTM parameter is a tag that tells you where a visit came from.
How we checked. We found no official Instagram page we could read on profile links, so we don't quote platform limits. We read Google Analytics' help page on UTM parameters. We couldn't read Instagram's official pages on profile links, so we don't quote individual platforms' limits or features. The example is ours. Contact: hi@heytea.app. Editorial note: we check every figure against the sources listed below and correct mistakes openly.
Frequently asked questions
Where should your link in bio go?
To a page with one clear main action, usually signing up for your free content. People arriving from your profile often don't know you yet: asking them to buy a course straight away is too big a leap, while leaving an email in exchange for something useful is a natural step.
One link or a page with many links?
A page with few links, ordered by importance, with the first far more prominent than the rest. A list of ten identical buttons forces visitors to choose, and they often choose nothing. Three or four links are almost always enough.
When should the course link go first?
During a launch, the first link can point to the sales page or waitlist. Outside launches, put the free content at the top and the course lower down. Update the order when your priority changes.
How do you know how many sign-ups come from your link in bio?
Add UTM parameters to every link on the page, for example utm_source=instagram and utm_medium=bio. Google Analytics says to always use source, medium and campaign. That way you can tell profile visitors apart from people arriving via a story or video.
What should the bio say above the link?
One line on what you teach and to whom, and an invitation that previews what people get by clicking: 'Download the checklist of 12 shots'. The bio and the page should say the same thing in the same words.
Sources
- Google Analytics, "URL builders: Collect campaign data with custom URLs". Accessed 19 October 2026. support.google.com