Your Instagram bio is one of the first things that a person sees when they visit your Instagram page. It is a small summary about you or your business placed on top of your Instagram page. 

Most people consider writing and polishing this valuable asset only after creating the page.  They only write a line or two about the company just for the sake of filling out all the fields to complete the account creation. But, a lot of thought and attention needs to be dedicated while writing a bio, and ideally, businesses should invest time for this even before the page creation. Since everyone notices your Instagram bio space instantly, it could play a crucial role in deciding whether a person should follow you or not.

On a similar note, if you require any professional help, feel free to connect with us. We have a team of experienced social media experts to assist you. In this article, we’ll be discussing 9 easy steps to craft a killer Instagram bio for your brand.

Step 1: Profile Photo

One prime component of the Instagram bio is the profile photo that you use. It is also the first thing that a person notices about your Instagram profile. It is a very small piece of space, so the photo that you place there should be interpretable and recognizable in its miniaturised form. For this, ensure that the percentage of background is less in the photo compared to the object/product/thought which you intend to show through the picture. Also, use an image with high quality for your profile photo. 

If you already have a brand logo for your business, you can use that. Try to use the same photo across all your social media handles so that it becomes easier for people to recognize and relate to you. To ensure that the viewers don’t see a blurry and stretched photo, use a photo between the size of  110 x 110 pixels to 200 x 200 pixels. 

Step 2: Username & Name

The username is what helps people search for you and identify you on Instagram. It is located on the top of the description/bio making it the first text element that everyone finds on your page. Thus, making the username that element of the bio (and your business) which gets registered in people’s minds.

You can use your official business name if it’s an established one. If the name of your business is already taken by someone, you can modify that name by adding terms related to your product/industry or use the location of your business as a suffix term. But ensure that you keep your business name as the first part of your username. The reason for this is simple, people who don’t know or remember your “exact” username can still find you through searching your business name.

The name is written in bold in the bio section making it look prominent. Also, the name on the profile is searchable just like the username; so the name should be chosen with the same effort you invested for the username.  You may start by writing down some keywords related to your niche.  And then use the best terms directly in your username & name. You can even combine terms to form a username & name.

Step 3: Description/bio

This is the core of your Instagram bio. Although it is limited to 150 characters, it is the heart and soul of the whole page. You can explain who you are and what you do through this space. You can showcase the personality of your company through this piece of text and further urge people to take action.

The tone you use matters the most when you write your bio. It should be written appealingly so that your prospects or current customers feel that they’ve come to the right place. You can add your key value proposition in the bio. For example, suppose you run a cafe, and if you use only organic produce in the cafe, then you can tell them that your cafe is organic on your bio. The word “organic” grabs the attention of many people.

The next type of bio that grabs people’s attention is a fun and witty one. People enjoy such short and witty bios rather than serious ones. Obviously, the Instagram profile of certain products/services may not be able to apply this approach.

You can use emojis to add emphasis to the description you’ve written or use it to represent the personality of your company/brand. For example, you can use the Earth emoji to show your brand’s global reach or simply say you ship your product all over the world.  Use appropriate fonts, symbols while writing the description and using quotes, spacing & line breaks to make the whole bio appealing to the public. Sometimes, crafting a perfect Instagram bio is similar to writing Instagram captions.

You can showcase the latest promotional offer to the public by including a link to them on the bio. Or you can give a “social media only” promo code to excite people. 

IGTV is an option for brands to create an hour-long video instead of the 60 seconds standard video post. Updating the bio with your latest IGTV content ensures that the user reaches the valuable content that you have got to offer and thereby helps your brand grow. You can do this by adding IGTV videos as story highlights.

Step 4: Clickable URL & Profile links

There is no place to mention or include a clickable link on Instagram outside of the Website field in your bio. You can add a link to this box to direct and actively link visitors to your website, messenger bot, a specific campaign, or anywhere you want to drive traffic. 

You can also promote your sub-brand with a separate Instagram account or a partnership you want to highlight, by mentioning it in your bio (i.e., “@username”) and it will appear as a link. Mentioning your other Instagram handles makes it easier for people to reach your sub-brands/product without making them search for it. People can still find your official handle for sub-brands even if they aren’t verified when it is mentioned in the main, verified handle.

At times, there can be accounts that solely support your brand with the same name as yours. It is a good form of promotion for your brand. But people will accept it as a legit account only when there is your profile link in their bios. Also, such accounts won’t be able to maintain your profile link on their bios if you don’t wish to associate with them. Instagram notifies you whenever someone tries to insert a link to your profile in their bio, and you have the liberty to accept or deny it. And your handle will remain on their bios without any link if you deny it.

Step 5: Brand Category

The category section is shown under your business name and is generated by the category chosen on a linked Facebook page. Also, you require a business account for using this feature. This is a quick way to give visitors a better idea of the products you offer. For the people who are entirely new to your brand, it’s much easier to understand what kind of business you run just by looking at the business category you’ve mentioned. This section is helpful because you don’t have to waste the precious 150 characters of the bio section for mentioning your brand category. 

Step 6: CTA buttons

Think about the goal or objective you wish to achieve through your Instagram page from the marketing perspective. Ask yourself the action that you want your page followers to take. Do you want them to connect with you via email or a call, or do you want to help them book an appointment? Or is it something else? In the bio, try to include CTAs that resonate with the goal you want to achieve. Use it to tell your audience what you want them to do, and if possible, how to do it. 

Using CTA buttons is an easy way for page visitors to contact your business. Earlier companies used to write out their email addresses and location addresses to help customers find them in the bio/description section. But, with the help of CTA’s, business accounts could now save their precious bio space for writing something better. Business accounts can add CTA buttons such as Email, Directions, Call, Book, Reserve, Get Tickets, etc.  Also, these buttons show up only in the app view and not in the web view.

You can add CTA buttons by clicking on the “Edit Profile” and then going to “Contact Options”. If you are unable to see these fields, it means that your account is not a business account yet. So, switch to a business account to use this functionality.

Remember, there is no point in merely placing too many CTAs without being able to promptly maintain it. So, identify the CTAs that you wish to use on your page and keep only them! 

Step 7: Hashtags 

Hashtags are another way to connect with the visitors who want to learn more about you instead of using the usual clickable links in the bio. Hashtags help your content reach a wider audience who are interested in what your page has got to offer. Creating hashtags forms a community of like-minded people coming together solely focussed around your brand. It allows your followers to share their content with you and your community via your branded hashtag.

Including branded-hashtags on the bio makes it easier for the users to see all the relevant posts with just a tap. The user-generated content would speak for your brand, and when many people take up your branded hashtag, it promotes your brand. You can also boost your content by collecting content from the user-generated ones and resharing it. 

Step 8: Story Highlights

Story Highlights are the Instagram stories that you post and later on save as clickable thumbnails on your Instagram profile. You can name them, and categorize them so that it’s easier for people to view and relate to. You can name individual stories as well as thumbnail Highlights. To make it more presentable, you can add a custom icon or image that represents the topic of the Story shown in the thumbnail. You may archive them and use them for future Highlights. 

You can use highlights to promote your products, remind people about upcoming events, showing a glimpse of behind the scenes activities, polls/quizzes, and more.

Conclusion

A perfect Instagram bio can help your page convert. Craft it wisely to tell your audience what to expect from following your profile, and build a connection with people on a real level. 

Highlight only the essential information about your business. Use it to provide Instagram users with a way to get in touch with you. Show your target audience what makes your brand valuable to them. 

Polish your bio frequently, keep it simple and engaging, or maybe not so serious if your category of business allows that. It’s a small space, but managing to include your essential information without boring your page visitors is all that matters.  

Consider these 8 steps while crafting a bio for your brand and make a strong first impression for your brand. If you think you require any professional assistance for creating an engaging Instagram bio, our social media experts are happy to help you!