StInstagram profile writing… Not such an easy task! Most of the time we find it hard to describe our own business in a few words in a short and crisp way. In this article, you’ll find my best tips and recommendations to make the most of the last available Instagram bio character and write a strong bio.
What is the Instagram profile? The basics
First, let’s look at what elements make up an Instagram profile (also called a "bio" or "bio" for short):
Username
The username is the name you use to log into Instagram. This name must be unique (meaning only one account can have the same username) and will be displayed at the top of your profile. It must not contain any spaces or special characters, apart from dots and (under)dashes.
Profile name
Unlike the username, the profile name doesn’t have to be unique. Also, it may contain spaces and special characters. It is basically a text area, which max. May contain 30 characters. You can find out how best to use this text space in a best practice in a moment.
Profile picture
You can upload a profile picture here. This can either be a logo or, in the case of personal brands, your own photo. It’s important that you use the same profile picture across all social media channels. This helps new users make sure they "got" the right page and just looks better and more professional.
Category
Here you can set the category of your business. When you switch to business account, the category you entered on Facebook will be used. You can change it on Instagram by tapping the "Edit" button under the profile description.
Profile description
This is where you have 150 characters to write an irresistible Instagram bio. How you can best do this – more on that in a moment.
Contact details and address
The profile description can also include your location and other contact information such as email address or phone number. This way, your followers can reach you even faster and easier.
Instagram bio ideas
Let’s take a look at how you can best fill out the above information using Kohlori as an example.de, a label for beach fashion.
Note: I was not paid or otherwise compensated by any of the companies below to mention them here as examples.
The username is equal to the store URL. This makes it immediately clear that it is an online business. The profile name ("Refreshing beach fashion") and the category ("Clothing store") complete the first impression perfectly.
This is great, because in just a few seconds everyone knows what this is about.
IMPORTANT: The username and profile name are among the most important pieces of information in a profile description, in part because they’re the only content Instagram considers in searches. So if someone searches for "hairdresser cologne" on Instagram, your account will only show up in the search results if these keywords are part of your profile or description. Usernames are. Therefore, choose a name, respectively. Keywords that your potential followers enter on Instagram.
Moving on to the actual description. Kohlori.de works with emojis and line breaks, which not only looks nicer, but it’s also much easier to read.
Also, the link in the bio is aligned with recent posts, so followers are always referred to the link, thus generating traffic for the store.
So far, so good. Now that you know what the basics are, let’s take a look at a few strategies for an optimal Instagram bio.
Strategy 1: Tell what your business does
Unfortunately, far too often I see the mistake of not making it clear what the company actually is in the profile description. What are you selling or. you do? Can I buy this somewhere? Don’t fall into the trap of being creative or using visionary mission statements like "We’re here to change the world".
This is even more important for new or smaller businesses where there is a need for explanation.
I found a great example at ace&tate, a brand for trendy glasses. Pay attention to how "sober and factual" the description is. Bam! I know immediately what the company does.
Strategy 2: Describe the content of your page
This strategy does not describe the company itself, but the content that can be found on the page. This works well for pages from already well-known companies (s. example), but also for accounts that revolve around a specific topic.
Huawei Germany does a good job here, letting followers know that photography is the main topic of their Instagram page.
Strategy 3: Promote your "Branded Hashtag"
When a company creates its own hashtag, we talk about a branded hashtag. Since the Instagram bio is the most prominent place on your Instagram page, it makes sense to point users to the hashtag at this point.
For example, the Kunstmuseum Bonn uses this strategy to promote its hashtag. This way, all posts related to a brand are bundled under one hashtag and can also be used as reposts later on.
Strategy 4: Promote a specific offer
I personally use the profile description to link to a recent post of mine. That could be a freebie, as in this case here, or it could be a workshop, webinar or online course.
So I regularly update my profile description and link in bio to match my current campaign.
Call-to-action and the link
The link in the bio is one of the few (for some accounts, the only) ways to promote your website, store, blog, etc. Link directly from Instagram.
It is therefore important to be strategic with this link. Very important here is that we are transparent and tell users what they can expect behind the link – for example, "See all styles here," "See the new video here," or "Shop here."
Now you can always point your followers to the link in your posts and in your Stories, so you can also generate more links from Instagram.
Instagram profile: extra tips for formatting
In general, you can format the Instagram bio as body text or in bullet points. Whether or not you also still use emojis depends on your business and your target audience. But if it can be done somehow, I would definitely recommend it. Not only does this add some character to your bio, but it helps visualize your message.
Tip for iPhone users: to get the line breaks right, you’ll need to format the bio outside of the Instagram app. For example, I use the notes app to format the bio here the way I want it and then paste it on Instagram.
I hope my tips and strategies will help you in creating your Instagram bio. If that’s the case, please let me know in the comments below!