About link previews

When you add a link to a post in Hootsuite, a link preview appears. Link previews summarize the content at the link destination with a title, description, and thumbnail. Previews are generated automatically, and each social network generates them differently.

If you don’t want to see link previews, you can add an image instead. Attaching an image overrides the preview, so the published post contains a link and a separate image.

This article explains what to expect from link previews, and how to customize them for Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. Find out how to shorten and apply link tracking parameters to links.

About link previews on each social network

Each social network pulls previews differently from the link’s website, so previews may look different on each social network. Here’s what to expect from link previews on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

Note: Link previews aren't generated for Instagram because Instagram doesn't support hyperlinks in post captions.

Facebook

To create a link preview, Facebook pulls open graph meta tags (for example, og:image) from the link's website. If these tags are missing or incomplete, Facebook tries to fill in the blanks with the data available. You can customize these previews in Hootsuite.

Note: Due to an issue with the YouTube interface, Hootsuite cannot retrieve thumbnails for YouTube videos and display them in the post preview. However, once the post is published on Facebook, the thumbnail will display correctly.

Preview and troubleshoot a link - Enter a link into Facebook's Debugger to preview how it will look on Facebook. The tool flags missing meta tags and anything else you need to fix.

Optimize previews for your website - Visit A guide to sharing on Facebook to see if your website is set up to generate optimal link previews.

  X

X only displays link previews in posts when the link’s website has Cards enabled. To verify the site you’re linking to has an X Card, enter the link into X’s Card validator. Learn more about X Cards, and how to add them to your website.

To guarantee that your post contains an image, you can attach your own, or select any suggested images pulled from the link. Attaching an image overrides the preview if the link has an X Card. The published post will contain a clickable link and a separate uploaded image.

Shortened YouTube or Vimeo links display a playable link preview on X.

  LinkedIn

LinkedIn creates link previews based on the data it pulls from each website. You can customize these previews in Hootsuite.

Enter a link into LinkedIn's Post Inspector to see how it’ll be read and processed. The tool helps you identify missing data on a page that could improve its link preview.

Note: Due to an issue with the YouTube interface, Hootsuite cannot retrieve thumbnails for YouTube videos and display them in the post preview. However, you can upload a custom thumbnail when you create the post, and it will display with the YouTube link when the post is published to LinkedIn.

Customize a link preview

You can customize link previews for LinkedIn Page, Facebook Page, X, and Bluesky posts that meet the following requirements:

• For Facebook:
  • The link is from your own website.
  • The website domain has been verified through Facebook’s Domain Verification process.
  • The Facebook Page has been associated with the verified domain in Facebook Business Manager.
• For X:
  • You have an X Ads account connected to Hootsuite.

Customize your link preview

Customize link previews for your LinkedIn Page, Facebook Page, X, and Bluesky posts.

1. Go to Create, enter a link in the body of your post.
2. Select your social network account(s). If you select more than one social network that supports link previews, select a social network tab to see the link preview.
3. Select Edit link preview.
   
4. Choose from the available link images, or select Link image to upload your own (see Image file requirements). Images from a content library cannot be used for link previews.
   X does not support uploading your own image for the link preview.
5. Enter the title and description (up to 70 characters)s, and then select Save.

Link previews on LinkedIn must have a thumbnail image, title, and description. On Facebook, you need at least a thumbnail image. If your link preview does not have these elements when you publish a post, the social network will fill them in.

Troubleshoot link preview errors

Try these troubleshooting steps if you get either of the following link preview errors:

• We couldn't populate a link preview - This error appears when Hootsuite is unable to read the metadata at the URL provided. Verify that the URL is a published link. Hootsuite can't show a link preview until the website is live and accessible to the public.
  
  If you've confirmed that the link is live, see the previous sections in this article for ways to optimize your link for each social network.
  
• Link preview customization is not permitted for this URL - This error appears if you try to customize a link preview for Facebook that doesn't meet requirements. Revisit the Facebook Page post requirements listed in Customize a link preview.

You can also try creating your post with Hootsuite open in your browser's private mode. This bypasses the cookies, cache, and add-ons that might be disrupting your link preview (see Troubleshoot display issues).