diff --git a/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/DocumentSource.js b/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/DocumentSource.js
index 7ddf8ab187..851e2bcbc8 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/DocumentSource.js
+++ b/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/DocumentSource.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class DocumentSource extends ModalSource {
     this.onConfirm({
       id: data.id,
       url: data.url,
-    });
+    }, data.title);
   }
 
   componentDidMount() {
diff --git a/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/LinkSource.js b/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/LinkSource.js
index a01202c2b3..52e463d748 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/LinkSource.js
+++ b/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/LinkSource.js
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ const buildInitialUrl = (entity, openAtParentId, canChooseRoot, pageTypes) => {
     allow_external_link: true,
     allow_email_link: true,
     can_choose_root: canChooseRoot ? 'true' : 'false',
+    // This does not initialise the modal with the currently selected text.
+    // This will need to be implemented in the future.
+    // See https://github.com/jpuri/draftjs-utils/blob/e81c0ae19c3b0fdef7e0c1b70d924398956be126/js/block.js#L106.
     link_text: '',
   };
 
@@ -57,7 +60,7 @@ class LinkSource extends ModalSource {
       parsedData.parentId = data.parentId;
     }
 
-    this.onConfirm(parsedData);
+    this.onConfirm(parsedData, data.title, data.prefer_this_title_as_link_text);
   }
 
   componentDidMount() {
diff --git a/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/ModalSource.js b/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/ModalSource.js
index 104d849745..ea9f453f8b 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/ModalSource.js
+++ b/client/src/components/Draftail/sources/ModalSource.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import React from 'react';
-import { AtomicBlockUtils, RichUtils } from 'draft-js';
+import { AtomicBlockUtils, RichUtils, Modifier, EditorState } from 'draft-js';
 
 const $ = global.jQuery;
 
@@ -16,12 +16,21 @@ class ModalSource extends React.Component {
     $(document.body).off('hidden.bs.modal', this.onClose);
   }
 
-  onConfirm(data) {
+  onConfirm(data, text = null, overrideText = false) {
     const { editorState, entityType, onComplete } = this.props;
     const contentState = editorState.getCurrentContent();
     const contentStateWithEntity = contentState.createEntity(entityType.type, 'MUTABLE', data);
     const entityKey = contentStateWithEntity.getLastCreatedEntityKey();
-    const nextState = RichUtils.toggleLink(editorState, editorState.getSelection(), entityKey);
+    const selection = editorState.getSelection();
+    const shouldOverrideText = overrideText || selection.isCollapsed();
+    let nextState;
+
+    if (shouldOverrideText) {
+      const newContent = Modifier.replaceText(editorState.getCurrentContent(), selection, text, null, entityKey);
+      nextState = EditorState.push(editorState, newContent, 'insert-characters');
+    } else {
+      nextState = RichUtils.toggleLink(editorState, selection, entityKey);
+    }
 
     onComplete(nextState);
   }