Your Instagram bio is arguably the most important part of your Instagram profile! Think of it like a digital business card which gives a brief outline of you & your business and gives a glimpse into what people can expect from your account. We have seconds to convert people into followers or to take action when visiting our account so a strong bio is super important. Not sure what to include and what to say in your bo? We got you! We are sharing all you need to know about crafting the perfect Instagram bio so keep reading (or use the menu below to skip to the sections you are interested in!).
Menu
- Where to find your Instagram bio
- What makes a great Instagram bio
- Step-by-step guide to writing the perfect Instagram bio
- Instagram Bio Examples
- Write your Instagram Bio with AI
- Conclusion
Where to find your Instagram bio
Your Instagram bio is located beneath your profile and above your highlights. Your bio includes:
- Your “name” – known as the name field
- Pronouns & business category (optional)
- Space to write up to 150 characters
- External link (up to 5)
- Clickable location (optional)
- Contact options & action buttons (optional)
Here is our Instagram bio as an example:
What makes a great Instagram bio?
A great Instagram bio grabs attention and makes visitors to your profile take action by encouraging them to:
- Hit follow
- Scroll your content to see more about what you offer / the types of posts you share
- Send you a DM
- Click on your external link
As your Instagram bio is the first point of contact for most new visitors, it needs to communicate who you are, what you do, who your target market is and include a CTA (call to action) – all in 150 characters or less, phew! 😅
So, what’s the secret to crafting the perfect Instagram bio that makes people hit that follow button and engage with your page? They key is to keep it short and sweet and use language that will speak to your ideal client or customer. Keep reading for our step-by-step guide to writing the perfect Instagram bio for your business.
Step-by-step guide to writing the perfect Instagram bio
Here is our step-by-step guide to creating an Instagram bio that grabs attention and encourages follows. Firstly, to edit your Instagram bio, head to your account page & tap on “Edit Profile”. From here you can edit all sections of your bio.
Step 1 – Enter a strong “name” field
Your name field is located just below your profile picture and can be up to 60 characters. The great benefit about this section is that it is searchable by Instagram so an ideal place to put keywords that your target market might be searching for on the platform. For example, if you are a local café, you could put in your café name, the type of food/drink you serve and your location (e.g., Café Mocha| Newcastle Coffee Shop & Lunch Spot).
Step 2 – Enter a business category & pronouns
These sections are optional and don’t need to be included in your bio if you choose not to. If you do not wish pronouns to be shown, simply leave this section blank. Categories help people find accounts like yours. You can select from various business categories including Education, Entrepreneur, Health & Beauty, Photographer & Restaurant. Once selected, your category will display below your name. If you do not wish it to be displayed however, simply switch off the “Display on profile” toggle.
Step 3 – Enter a some attention grabbing text into your bio
Next up, the most important part! Enter some carefully selected text into your main bio section. This can be a max of 150 characters and can also include emojis, hashtags and tags to other accounts too (although we wouldn’t advise this as it might take attention away from your account!). How you write this section will depend on what type of business you have, your brand personality and target market but could include:
- Who you are and/or what your business does – e.g., I’m Emily, a Social Media Manager helping clients create killer content!
- What people can expect from your account – e.g., do you share tips & advice? Tell people! It will give them a reason to follow you.
- Key information about your business – e.g., opening hours, brief overview of what you offer, your USP’s.
- A call to action – e.g., “DM for more info”, “Follow for tips & advice”, “Tap below to download” (arrow to your link & a freebie) or “Book now” (directing people to your booking site).
- Emoji’s are a great way to bring a little personality to your bio, have some fun & break up text. Use them sparingly though as you are limited in characters.
- Avoid industry jargon that people may not understand.
- Use keywords that your target market may be searching for as this will help with Instagram SEO.
Remember above all to get into the mind of your target market and what would entice them to hit the follow button. Be creative, have fun with it and remember to change it up every now and again as your business goals change and strategy evolves.
Step 4 – Add links
Next up, add some links to help your audience learn more about you and your business. These will display below your main bio. You can now add up to 5 external links to your Instagram profile (it used to only be one) although just your primary link will show up on your profile. When people tap it, it will open your other links. You can use these links to direct people to your website, blog, lead magnet, mailing list etc.
You also have the option to add a location link to your profile too which is great for bricks & mortar businesses such as shops, restaurants and studios. When you click on a location it will open a map to show exactly where you are.
Step 5 – Add contact and action buttons
Did you know you can add contact buttons to your profile making it super easy for people to get in touch with you quickly? Simply add your phone number or email in your profile settings and ensure the toggle is switched on in the “category display” section. When visitors to your profile tap on the contact button they will then be able to email or call you.
For certain types of businesses, you can also add “Action buttons” to your bio which can help you gain customers & sales directly from your Instagram profile. Action buttons will not work for every business but great if you have an external booking site, ordering platform or online service compatible with Instagram. You can choose from:
- Order Food – great for restaurants, take-aways etc. Can connect with online ordering platforms like JustEat & Deliveroo.
- Book Now – great if your business allows clients to book online e.g. beauty salons & hairdressers. Compatible with apps like Booksy & Bookedin.
- Reserve – ideal for restaurants to enable them to take table bookings. Connects with reservation platforms such as Quandoo & TableRequest.
Step 6 – Highlights & pinned posts
Whilst not technically a part of your bio, don’t forget about your highlights and pinned posts which are visible when people visit your profile. These act as an extension to your bio and give visitors to your profile more information about your business and an idea of what kind of content they can expect to see from you. Here are some tips and ideas of what to include in your highlights & pinned posts:
Highlights
- Highlights can be found just below your bio and before your content feed
- Think of your highlights as a mini website – what kind of information would people find useful about your business?
- Highlights to include will vary from business to business but could include About Us, Reviews, Gallery, Menu, How to book etc…
- Try to limit them to 5 max – anymore will be confusing!
- Make sure you update them regularly
- Find out more about Instagram highlights here!
Pinned Posts
- Pinned posts are found at the top of your page where you can “pin” up to 3 posts (including reels) that do not disappear down your feed as you post.
- Examples of pinned posts include;
- How to work with us
- Your bestselling products
- A new service / product
- Introduction to you & your business
- A post that has performed well in the past
- A top industry tip
- Learn more about pinned posts and ideas here
Instagram Bio Examples
Need some Instagram bio inspiration? We got you! We have scrolled Instagram for some examples of some great Instagram bios to give you some ideas:
Bar & Restaurant
@Motley_Manchester are a great example of using keywords in the name field to help increase the chances of being found on Instagram (they use keywords “restaurant”, “bar” as well as their location. Thy also use emojis to inject a personality into their bio giving contact to the text and breaking it up so it is easier to read.
Social Media Manager
@socialbyshrutika showcases how to call out your target market in your bio making sure you attract the RIGHT followers to your account. Here, she gives a shout out straight away to her niche (coaches and freelancers), summarises perfectly what she does and gives a clear call to action encouraging DMs. We love the emoji’s too which inject a little personality and fun too!
Fitness Business Coach
@The.fitbizcoach is another good example of how to use keywords in the name field to attract clients searching for her type of business (a Business Coach for Fitness Coaches) and summarising quickly & effectively how she can help fitness trainers level up their business. She also has a clear call to action, an action button and some great pinned posts that introduce her services, business and give an insight into what kind of content she shares.
Home Organisation
@simply_sortin‘s bio is a great example of a no-fuss and to the point bio which showcases exactly who they are and what they do and gives a clear call to action to book a free consultation by clicking the link in their bio. We also love their chosen pinned posts which showcase a great tip, a glowing customer review and an overview of how to work with them.
Write your Instagram Bio with AI
Suffering from a mind block and need help with writing your Instagram bio? Try using AI to help you write a great Instagram bio for your profile! AI can generate a custom bio for you in seconds which you can then edit or simply copy & paste into your bio, saving you loads of time racking your brains to come up with the perfect bio wording. All you need is to enter the right prompt that gives an AI tool enough information to go on. Here’s an example of a photographer’s bio generated using the AI tool within rapidely:
Is it time to refresh your Instagram bio to make it work harder for your business and start converting visitors into followers? Hopefully this article has been helpful and you will now be able to write a killer Instagram bio that hits the sweet spot with your target market!
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