Customize How Your Link Looks When Shared
When you share a Brevr short link on social media or in a message, a preview card appears showing a title, description, and image. You can customize all three directly inside the link editor — no extra tools required.
What You’ll Learn
- How Brevr generates the default link preview
- How to override the preview with your own title, description, and image
- How to check that your preview looks right before you share
How Link Previews Work
When someone shares your short link, the platform — Slack, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, WhatsApp, or iMessage — reads preview information attached to your link and displays a card. By default, Brevr pulls that information directly from your destination page: whatever title, description, and image the destination already has. You can override all three with custom values in the link editor, which is useful when the destination page content does not match the message you want to send in a campaign.
📸 Screenshot: [Example link preview card appearing in a Slack message, showing a custom title, description, and image]
How to Customize Your Link Preview
- Open the link editor for a new or existing link.
- Scroll to the “Social Preview” section.
- Type a custom title into the Title field (aim for around 60 characters).
- Type a custom description into the Description field (aim for around 155 characters).
- Upload a custom image or paste an image URL into the Image field.
- Save the link.
Any field you leave blank continues to pull from the destination page automatically. You can override just the image, just the title, or all three — your choice.
📸 Screenshot: [Link editor with the Social Preview section expanded, showing a filled-in title, description, and uploaded image]
Image Guidelines
The image you upload has a direct impact on how professional your preview card looks. Follow these guidelines to get consistent results across every platform.
- Recommended size: 1200 x 630 pixels
- Minimum size: 600 x 315 pixels — smaller images may not display on all platforms
- File format: JPG or PNG (PNG preferred for logos and graphics with text)
- File size: Keep it under 5 MB for fast loading
- Avoid text-heavy images: Platform cards crop images differently, so text near the edges may be cut off
A strong preview image — especially on LinkedIn and Twitter/X — significantly increases click-through rates compared to a blank or low-quality image.
📸 Screenshot: [Comparison of a preview card with a well-sized custom image vs. one with no image set]
Testing Your Preview
Always test your preview before a major campaign launch. Platforms cache preview data, so what you see immediately after saving may not reflect the latest changes right away.
Quick ways to test:
- Slack: Paste your short link into any Slack channel or direct message. The preview card appears inline within a few seconds.
- Twitter/X: Use the Twitter Card Validator — paste your link and click “Preview Card”.
- LinkedIn: Use the LinkedIn Post Inspector — paste your link to see exactly how LinkedIn will display it.
- WhatsApp and iMessage: Send the link to yourself in a test message.
If a platform shows outdated preview information after you update your link, use that platform’s own cache-clearing tool (LinkedIn’s Post Inspector has a “Regenerate” button) or wait a few hours for the cache to refresh naturally.
📸 Screenshot: [Twitter Card Validator with a Brevr link pasted in and a preview card rendered on the right]
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my link show the wrong image after I update it?
Platforms cache preview data, sometimes for several hours. Use the platform’s inspection tool to force a refresh — LinkedIn’s Post Inspector and Twitter’s Card Validator both have a button to clear the cache for a specific URL.
Do all platforms support custom previews?
Most major platforms do: Slack, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram, and Facebook. A small number of apps may not render preview cards at all — this depends on the app, not on Brevr.
What if I do not upload a custom image?
Brevr pulls the image from your destination page automatically. If the destination page has no image, the preview card appears without an image — which is less visually engaging. Setting a custom image is strongly recommended.
Can different short links point to the same destination but show different previews?
Yes. Each short link has its own independent preview settings. You can create multiple links pointing to the same destination URL and configure each one with a different title, description, and image — useful for A/B testing social copy.
Does customizing the preview affect the destination page itself?
No. The preview information is attached to your Brevr short link only. Your destination page is not changed or affected in any way.
How long is the title or description I can enter?
Brevr does not enforce a hard character limit, but we recommend keeping titles to around 60 characters and descriptions to around 155 characters. Longer text gets cut off on most platforms.
Watch the Full Walkthrough
🎬 Video walkthrough: [Customizing Your Link Preview in Brevr — ~2 min]
Walk through every step below with the screenshots to follow along at your own pace.
Step 1: Open the Link Editor
Open the link editor for a new or existing link from your dashboard. The editor panel slides open on the right and displays all configuration options for that link.
📸 Screenshot: [Dashboard with a link row selected and the link editor panel open on the right side of the screen]
Step 2: Navigate to the Social Preview Section
Scroll down inside the editor until you reach the “Social Preview” section. This section contains three independent fields: Title, Description, and Image.
📸 Screenshot: [Link editor scrolled to show the Social Preview section with the Title, Description, and Image fields all empty]
Step 3: Enter a Custom Title and Description
Type a custom title into the Title field (aim for around 60 characters) and a custom description into the Description field (aim for around 155 characters). Any field you leave blank continues to pull from the destination page automatically.
📸 Screenshot: [Social Preview section with a campaign-specific title typed in the Title field and a short description typed in the Description field]
Step 4: Upload or Link a Custom Preview Image
Upload a custom image using the image uploader, or paste a direct image URL into the Image field. Use a 1200 x 630 pixel image in JPG or PNG format for the best results across all platforms.
📸 Screenshot: [Social Preview section with a custom image uploaded and a thumbnail preview of the image visible inside the editor]
Step 5: Save the Link
Click the Save button to apply the custom preview settings. The short URL does not change, and the new preview data takes effect immediately for platforms that read it fresh.
📸 Screenshot: [Save button highlighted at the bottom of the link editor with the Social Preview section showing all three fields filled in]
Step 6: Test the Preview on a Platform
Paste your short link into Slack, the Twitter Card Validator, or the LinkedIn Post Inspector to confirm the preview card shows your custom title, description, and image before your campaign goes live.
Next Steps
- Create Branded Short URLs — use a custom alias or your own domain to reinforce your brand in every share
- Set a Link Expiration Date or Click Limit — automatically retire campaign links after a deadline or click cap
- Password-Protect Your Links — control who can access your link before they reach the destination