3 Ways to Add Links to Your Graphics with Bannerbear
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Want to make your graphics more actionable? In this video, we break down the three main types of links you can add to your designs — text links, hyperlinks, and QR codes — and walk you through how to choose the right one for your project.
You'll learn:
• The difference between text links, hyperlinks, and QR codes
• When to use each type (and when not to)
• 3 key questions to ask before adding a link to any graphic
• How to add plain text links and QR codes directly in Bannerbear
• Pro tips like using secondary styles to make your links stand out
Whether you're designing for print, web, or social media, the right link type can turn your graphic into a gateway that moves your audience to the next step. Bannerbear makes it easy to do this at scale — with both static and dynamic data.
Video Transcription
[00:00:00] When you're designing a graphic, whether it's a product thumbnail, an event poster, or a social post, the goal is simple: give viewers information at a glance. You don't want them reading a paragraph of text and still missing the point. So what do you do when you need to add more context without overwhelming your design?
You use a link. Links let you provide more information without cramming it all into one graphic. And here's the thing, people who click them are already pre-qualified. They're interested, and they want to know more. You can use links for signup forms, navigation to related sites, review submissions. The possibilities go on.
Now, on a web page, you've got tons of options. You can anchor the links to text,
[00:01:00] images, or drop them in as plain URLs. But with graphics, it's a bit different. In this video, we'll walk through a few different link types, help you figure out which one fits your project, and show you exactly how to add it in Banner Bear.
Links can appear in many different forms, and some work better with graphics than others. Before we talk about what to consider when choosing one, let's walk through what each type actually looks like. First up, the text link. It's pretty straightforward. You can find text links not just on graphics, but on web pages, social apps, and more.
A text link can be plain text, which works great for short, recognizable URLs. You can also anchor it to other text for a more subtle look. Good for online use cases, but impossible on print
[00:02:00]
Next up, hyperlinks. This is when you attach a link to an entire graphic. When you click it, you're taken somewhere new. Now, hyperlinks work best on the web. They're trickier on mobile, and they don't work at all for physical prints. And here's the key difference from text links. You can't add a hyperlink while you're generating the image.
That's something you set up during publishing
Last up, QR codes. These are the most versatile of the three. They work for both print and web, but they do require a compatible device and an internet connection. If your users have smartphones and the ability to scan QR codes, they can skip the whole clicking or
[00:03:00] typing step entirely. QR codes are also pretty friendly to image generation, minimal setup required.
But because there's no text explaining what the code does, you'll want to make sure that the rest of your graphic gives enough context. People need to know what they're scanning into
Now, here's the thing. You don't always have to use just one type of link. One graphic might even include multiple types. The decision is one that you'll have to make for each link you want to add. But no matter what, you'll want to keep your overall goal in mind and where you want your viewers to go.
Asking yourself three simple questions can help you guide the link type decision. Question one: Where is your graphic going?
[00:04:00] A printed poster and a social post online, they're totally different experiences. Someone might happily click a hyperlink on Instagram Stories, but hesitate if they have to manually type a web address into their browser.
Choosing a link format that people will actually use is crucial. Question two: How recognizable is the link? Take The New York Times, Amazon, or YouTube. These are iconic enough that you might get away with a plain text link. People won't think twice about typing it in if they have a good reason. But an unrecognizable domain or one with a long path or parameters, go ahead and assume that no one's typing that in.
Hyperlinks and QR codes work much better for complicated links because they eliminate the friction of typing.
[00:05:00] Question three: What's your goal? How critical is this link to your graphic? Is it providing key information? Then you want something obvious and friction-free, something that really moves people down the funnel.
Or is it just a nice-to-have? Then you can be more subtle, perhaps even skipping the big QR code if it's eating up your visual real estate. Your graphics should be functional. Sometimes that means driving people to the next step. Sometimes it's just about being visually striking and landing your core message We've talked about the types of links that you can add to your graphics and how to decide when to use them.
Now, if you're generating images with Bannerbear, there are a few different ways that you can add them in. Here's what's important to know. Hyperlinks
[00:06:00] aren't an option in Bannerbear. Remember, that's something you handle during publishing. But text links and QR codes, both are Bannerbear-compatible and work great at scale.
Let's start with plain text links. These can appear standalone or embedded directly into passages of text. You add them in just like regular text
Here's a tip. Use secondary styles to make your links pop. When you input data, enclose your links in asterisks, and any adjustments to fonts, weights, and colors will automatically be applied. Need help with secondary styles? Check the description below. We've got a link to a blog article that walks you through it
[00:07:00]
Now for QR codes. These store alphanumeric data, so they can actually hold a lot more than just links if you need them to. To add one in Banner Bear, simply add a QR code layer to your template. Whatever data you input gets turned into a unique scannable QR code
And here's the best part, both plain text and QR code methods work with a static data that stays the same across all your image runs and with dynamic data that changes based on your input. So you've got flexibility either way. So there you have it, three ways to turn your graphics into gateways that propel your audience down whatever path you want them to take, whether you go with text links, hyperlinks, or QR codes.
The key,
[00:08:00] pick the right link type for where your graphic lives and who's viewing it. If you make it easy for people to take action, they often will. Banner Bear makes it easy to add links to your graphics at scale. Give it a try yourself and let us know how it goes. See you in the next video.
