Expiring links: how to use them for offers and launches

An expiring link is a short link that stops sending people to its destination after a set date or a set number of clicks. It makes sure your flash sale actually ends when you say it ends, keeps a presale from circulating for weeks, and gives late visitors something useful instead of a page that no longer applies. Here's how to plan one, what to show when it ends, and the mistakes worth avoiding.

In short:

• A link can expire on a date (when the offer ends) or after a number of clicks (the first visitors).
• Once it expires, it can show a notice or send people to a fallback page, such as a waitlist.
• Expiring the link doesn't end the offer: the coupon code and the sale price have to stop working too.
• Set the deadline with a time zone and use the exact same wording on every channel.
• Test the link before you post it and keep an eye on the clicks while the campaign runs.

When an expiring link makes sense

A regular short link works forever. An expiring link has an end condition: once the date passes or the click count is reached, it stops redirecting to the original destination. It's the simplest way to match the link you share with how long the thing you're promoting actually lasts.

It's a good fit whenever your offer has a clear end:

• Flash sales and holiday deals: a Black Friday price that ends Monday at midnight.
• Presales and launch pricing: the early-bird price only applies for the first few days.
• Registration deadlines: a workshop, webinar or event that closes sign-ups on a set date.
• Temporary resources: a seasonal lookbook, a download for attendees or a giveaway entry form.

If what you're sharing is permanent (your store, your website, your profile), don't make it expire. All you'll get is a broken link in an old post that still gets traffic.

Expiring by date or by click count

There are two ways to decide when a link ends, and they answer different questions: "until when?" and "for how many?"

Type	Use it when	Example
By date	The offer ends at a specific time	Sale ends Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
By clicks	You want to cap how many visits get through	The first 200 visits to the presale
Both	Whichever comes first	A 3-day presale or 500 clicks

With linko, expiry by date is part of the free plan, while expiry by clicks and the fallback destination are Pro features (the plan comparison has the details). You enter the date in your local time, and if you leave it empty, the link never expires.

One thing to know about click limits: they count clicks, not people. If someone opens the link twice, that's two. Bots and the automatic previews that apps like WhatsApp or Slack generate aren't counted, but it's still best to treat a click cap as a way to close the door, not as inventory control. If you have exactly 50 units, your store's checkout should be the one tracking stock.

What late visitors see

The most overlooked part of a time-limited campaign is what happens afterward. Some people will find your post days later, get the link forwarded by a friend or tap it from a saved Story highlight. You have two options:

• An expired-link notice. If you don't set anything else, visitors see a page explaining that the link stopped working because its owner set a limit. It's honest, but it's a dead end.
• A fallback destination. The link keeps responding, but it sends people to a different page you choose. This is the option that puts that late traffic to work.

A good "this offer has ended" page includes at least:

1. A clear sentence saying the offer is over and when it ended.
2. An alternative: the product at full price, another active promotion or the full catalog.
3. A way to catch the next one: a waitlist, a newsletter or a text club.
4. No countdown timers that reset and no "final hours" banners.

How to plan an offer around an expiring link

This workflow fits a small online store, a creator or an agency equally well:

1. Pick the exact time and time zone. "Ends Sunday" isn't enough when your customers are spread from New York to Los Angeles. Write "ends Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Pacific" (or Eastern, but pick one) and set the same moment on the link, converted to your local time.
2. Build the fallback page before you launch. You don't want to be writing it at midnight.
3. Create a short link with a readable alias, such as "fall-sale", and add a campaign tag so you can find it later.
4. Set the expiry: a date, a click limit or both, plus the fallback destination if you use one.
5. Test it. Open the link on your phone and on a computer. To see what expiry looks like, create a throwaway link that expires in a few minutes.
6. Use the same link on every channel. If you create one link per channel to measure better, give them all the same deadline.
7. Close the offer at the source too: deactivate the coupon code and remove the sale price in your store at the same time.

Launches, presales and your bio page

A launch usually has phases: teaser, presale, open sale and close. You can mirror them with one link per phase, each with its own expiry, or with a single link whose destination you change at every stage. The second approach has a bonus: older posts keep pointing to whatever phase is current, because the short address never changes.

If you use a bio page, scheduled links (Pro) appear and disappear on their own between two dates. That's handy for setting up the presale button the night before without staying up until launch time. If your page needs a rethink, this guide on what to put in your link in bio has practical ideas.

To measure the result, look at the link's clicks per day. You'll see the spike from the announcement, the quiet middle days and the jump on the last day, which is usually when real urgency kicks in.

Common mistakes with expiring links

• Expiring the link but not the offer. The short link stops pointing to the page, but the page still exists. Anyone with the direct URL or the discount code can keep using it unless you turn it off in your store.
• Forgetting the time zone. "Midnight" lands three hours apart in New York and Los Angeles, and your customers will notice.
• Putting an expiry on a printed link without a fallback. Flyers and posters stay in circulation for months. If the link is on paper, make sure it leads somewhere useful after the offer ends.
• Faking urgency. Extending the "last chance" every week wears down trust, and fake deadlines can be treated as deceptive advertising.
• Not checking the link mid-campaign. If the click limit is hit on day one, you may want to raise it or prepare another batch. An expired link comes back to life when you change its date or its click limit.

Frequently asked questions

What happens when someone opens an expired link?

If you set a fallback destination, they land on that page. If not, they see a notice explaining that the link stopped working because its owner set a date or a number of visits as its limit.

Can I extend a link that has already expired?

Yes. Change the expiry date or the click limit and the link works again at the same address. Use it to fix mistakes or for genuine extensions, not to manufacture urgency.

Does the click limit count unique people?

No, it counts clicks. If the same person opens the link several times, each one counts. Bots and automatic link previews are not counted.

Can I add an expiry to a link I've already shared?

Yes. You can add, change or remove the expiry at any time, and the short address stays the same, so every post that already uses it keeps working.

Do I need a paid plan for expiring links?

Expiry by date is included in the free plan. Capping by clicks and choosing a fallback destination require Pro. You can create a free account and try it before your next sale.