How to Create Pre-Filled Social Share Links

Pre-filled social share links let you create a post that’s already written for your audience. When someone clicks the link, it opens their social platform with text and a URL ready to go.

This can be helpful when you want people to share a message quickly and consistently.

When should you use this?

Pre-filled share links work best for:

• Campaigns where messaging matters (fundraising, advocacy, events)

• Email newsletters (“Click to share”)

• Landing pages where you want to encourage social sharing

They’re less necessary for everyday content, since most users share directly from social apps.

Creating a One-Off Share Link for X (formerly Twitter)

X still supports pre-filled posts using a simple URL structure.

Base URL:

https://twitter.com/intent/tweet

Add your content

You can include:

• Text

• A link

• Hashtags

Here’s a basic example:

https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Support%20our%20mission&url=https://example.org

How it works

• text= is the message (spaces must be replaced with %20)

• url= is the link you want to include

• You can also add:

  • hashtags=nonprofit,donate

Tips

• Keep your message short and clear

• Put the most important words first

• Test the link before sharing it

Creating a Facebook Share Link

Facebook uses a simpler structure and pulls most content from the page itself.

Base URL:

https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php

Example:

https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://example.org

What to know

• Facebook ignores custom text in most cases

• It pulls the title, description, and image from the page (Open Graph settings)

• If the preview looks wrong, you may need to update your page metadata

Creating a LinkedIn Share Link

LinkedIn also supports share links with a URL.

Base URL:

https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/

Example:

https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://example.org

What to know

• Like Facebook, LinkedIn pulls preview content from the page

• Custom text is limited or ignored in many cases

• Make sure your page has strong metadata (title, description, image)

A Note on URLs and Link Shortening

You may want to shorten your links before using them in share URLs.

When shortening helps

• Your URL is long or messy

• You want to track clicks

• You’re using the link in print or email

Tools you can use

• Bitly (still widely used and reliable), though most social platforms often shorten links automatically

• Rebrandly (for branded short links)

• Built-in tools in email or CRM platforms

• Share Link Generators, like https://www.sharelinkgenerator.com/

When you might skip it

• Social platforms often shorten links automatically

• Some users are cautious of unfamiliar short links

• A clean, readable URL can build more trust

Testing Your Share Links

Before publishing, always test your links:

• Click the link and confirm the message looks right

• Check how the preview appears on each platform

• Update your page metadata if needed (especially for Facebook and LinkedIn)