Thirteen months ago, Linktree, the link-in-bio company that allows creators to aggregate links from different platforms into a single, easy-to-digest page, has announced its latest round of funding. The $110 million investment from financiers including Index Ventures and Coatue Management put Linktree in quite an enviable position: it was valued at $1.3 billion.
A little over a year later, things look different. On his Instagram account, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Instagram users can now add up to five links to their bio on the app. “Probably one of the most requested features we’ve had,” he wrote.
Creators responded with joy as it made it easier for them to integrate external links into their Instagram profiles. Until now, they had to put each one on a Linktree page or a competitor’s page and then put that in their bio. “For anyone struggling to prioritize the link they include in their Instagram bio, this is a much-needed update,” said Lia Haberman, a social media marketing consultant and instructor at UCLA.
But Meta’s move may have just torpedoed Linktree and the wider link-in-bio economy. Some tech watchers reacted to the news by tweet videos by The office of Michael Scott yelling, “No god! No, God, please no. No, no, nooooo!”
But such a move was inevitable, some social media analysts argue. “Meta was trying to experiment with people paying for things, particularly on Instagram, like their subscription features and now verification, so it seemed like a good idea to eventually allow multiple links and possibly even charge for them later,” says Greg Baroth, a Los Angeles-based digital marketing consultant who tweeted “RIP all link in bio companies” when the feature was announced. “So many people are using the many ‘link-in-bio’ companies that have cropped up — and paying for them — that they’ve found it worth implementing,” he adds. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, did not respond to a request for comment.
The Instagram change was tested for several months with some users, including Sandra Colton-Medici, a physician and author. However, Colton-Medici has decided that she will stay with Linktree. “Finding new ways to get audiences beyond the platform is one of the top priorities for companies using social media,” she says. “Instagram’s introduction of the multi-link option for profiles forces the user to choose a link in the app and then return to the app if they want to view another link.” That extra friction is one that Colton-Medici thinks will benefit Instagram, but not her audience.
She calls Instagram’s change in link numbers “admirable,” but says the features it offers are sparse. Linktree allows users to customize the page an audience member lands on. When Colton-Medici tried out Instagram’s feature, it showed one link, plus a clickable “see more” link that rolled out the four others. “This hidden aspect of the five links wasn’t quick to scream, ‘Choose me, choose me, love me,'” she says. content strategy versus letting users wander without a clear focus.”
