Jan 20, 2020
Written by
Martina Young
As social media continues to surge in popularity, we’ve received lots of questions from publishers about how and where to post affiliate links.
In response to those requests, we created this handy guide! We'll walk through how and where to share affiliate links on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and live streaming platforms Discord and Twitch.
Facebook allows you to share affiliate links to your Timeline and the About section.
Timeline
More detailed information about editing URLs and images in your posts can be found in Facebook’s Help Center article, How do I share a link from my Facebook Page?
About Section
You can also include clickable links in the About section, under Contact and Basic Info. This section is set up to add your websites and social links, as well as additional content which may contain affiliate links.
On Instagram there are two areas where you can place a clickable link: your Instagram Bio and Instagram Story Swipe-Up.
Instagram Bio
Instagram allows all users to post a link in this section, but you’re limited to a single link.
Instagram Story Swipe-Up
If your Instagram account is a business account with 10k+ followers, Instagram gives you the ability to add a URL in the Swipe Up of your Instagram stories.
Here are the steps we took to pin an affiliate link on Pinterest:
Note: Due to Pinterest rules, the visible URL in the pin will be the first redirect which is the CJ tracking domain.
On Twitter, it’s easy to add affiliate links to your tweets, bio section, or direct messages by typing or pasting the tracking URL just like you would when sharing any other link.
Note that all links included in Tweets are shortened by Twitter using their t.co service. When viewing the Tweet on twitter.com the original URL (or shortened version of the original URL) will be displayed. When clicked, the link would redirect through a t.co link before arriving at it’s destination to an Advertiser's site.
Why? Twitter shortens links to protect users from malicious sites that engage in spreading malware, phishing attacks, and other harmful activity. A link converted by Twitter’s link service is checked against a list of potentially dangerous sites.
Affiliate links can be posted in the Video Description or in comments below the description. Adding too many links can violate YouTube rules regarding spam, so limit your choice of links to the video topic.
Video Description
Providing links in this area helps followers learn more about products or services you presented in your video. Links to your other promotional properties (website and social channels) are allowed as long as they are registered in your YouTube account.
Comments
If you allow comments below your Video Description, you may include a link in one of your own comments, as long as it is related to the video. Posting links in the comments sections of other vloggers is a violation of the platform’s policies.
Video streaming platforms that are primarily used for gaming often will allow user content including links in the Bio, Chat, and About Me sections.
Discord
You can drag and drop text links into the Chat box in your own server to share them with your community. Don’t post your affiliate links on servers belonging to other members. It’s a best practice to disclose that it’s an affiliate link.
Twitch
User content, including links, can be included in Stream Chat. Twitch allows user-generated content throughout the platform in virtually all media available according to their Terms of Service.
--
Happy posting!
Share