The Instagram creator community loves a good conspiracy theory, and lately, one particular phrase has been at the center of heated debates: “link in bio.” For months, creators have questioned whether using this seemingly harmless phrase could tank their reach.

The logic seemed sound enough. Instagram wants to keep users on the platform, so naturally, it would penalize posts that direct people elsewhere. Add to that the fact that “link in bio” has become the calling card of questionable supplement sellers and crypto bros, and you’ve got a recipe for algorithmic suspicion.

The theory gained traction because it felt plausible. Instagram’s algorithm is notoriously opaque. Creators are always looking for explanations when their posts underperform, and “link in bio” is an easy scapegoat when engagement drops.

But Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head honcho, has officially stepped in to set the record straight. In a recent statement, he was refreshingly direct: using “link in bio” won’t hurt your reach. Period.

Still, some creators swear they’ve seen their reach drop when using the phrase. If Instagram isn’t actively penalizing “link in bio,” what’s really happening? The most likely culprit is lazy content creation. When creators rely too heavily on driving traffic elsewhere, they sometimes neglect to make the actual Instagram post engaging on its own.

There’s also the fatigue factor. Users have been trained to associate “link in bio” with sales pitches and promotional content. Even if the algorithm isn’t penalizing it, users might subconsciously scroll past these posts faster.

As always, Instagram’s algorithm remains something of a black box, but at least we can cross one item off the list of things to worry about.

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