You have less than 7 seconds to make a first impression – and on Instagram it can be as little as 3 seconds.
That is why a good Instagram bio is so important.
Relevant keywords, a great link in bio tool and the perfect profile picture all adds up to making your bio stand out from the crowd.
The Instagram Bio is that section just underneath your profile picture that provides a first glimpse of the content you create and share.
The section includes:
Since your bio is normally the first point of contact for new visitors, it’s vital that it summarizes who your are and what you do, as quickly as possible.
A good Instagram bio is basically one that converts more visitors to followers.
Keep it short, to the point and give potential followers a good idea of what they can expect from your content.
How to actually make it? Let’s dig into some specifics below.
If you need more help creating the perfect bio, I have some more tips and tricks in other blog posts.
If you do it right, your Instagram bio can sky rocket your growth. Here are 10 ways to use the 150 characters optimally:
Do not write a book in your bio haha. Thankfully its not possible due to the 150 character limit but seriously, you do not need to use all the characters to tell your story.
Simply write the shortest summary of what you do with a corresponding emoji if it feels right.
No need to overcomplicate it, if you look at the official Instagram profile they simply write “Discover what’s next on Instagram” and added two emojis to go along with it. Plain and simple but really describes exactly what they need their audience to know.
Just like any other mainstream platform, Instagram needs a good SEO strategy to increase your reach and to ensure your target audience is the ones who actually see your content.
Even though your captions handle the majority of your keywords, your account name and bio play a vital role as well.
Having said that, now its time to really put in the effort to make sure the keywords you choose match the search terms your target audience uses.
You can then add your focus keyword in your name field and description. For example “Your name | Content Creator + Entrepreneur”
On Instagram you have one link that you have to choose very carefully, and that is where a good link in bio tool comes in handy.
Tip: You can use your website, your funnel or even a link to a YouTube video. “Just make sure the reason that you use a specific link is well thought out”
There are many link in bio tools out there that will work just fine.
I recommend Stan Store simply because they have 0% transaction fees and it takes about 10 minutes to have it ready to go.
Makes it really easy to point followers to a specific page you mentioned in your content, like your other social accounts, websites or product pages.
It just makes your life easier to have everything you want your audience to see in one place, easy to update and add new features all using one link.
Since your Instagram bio is about you or your brand, the idea is to share a bit of your personality to make a personal connection.
So it’s a good idea to use this space to really speak to your audience, highlight your skills, background, or something personal that makes you unique.
In doing so, potential followers will understand what you’re about.
You want to drive followers to perform an action, the way to do that is by including an effective call-to-action.
Remember to keep it clear and specific, your audience needs to know exactly why they are going to take the action you want them to.
For Example: Alex Hormozi uses a down arrow to show his followers that his new book is available if they click on the link.
You can also make use of the Action Buttons that Instagram provides for certain types of accounts.
Notice how on Alex Hormozi’s profile there is a follow, message and shop button?
It comes down to simply asking and if your content is valuable and your audience likes you, they will take action.
When using an Instagram business profile, you get a feature that enables you to add contact information directly in your bio.
You can add your email address, phone number, and physical address – keep in mind it does not count towards your character limit.
Using the contact features gives your visitors or followers and quick and easy way to reach out to you.
Something we all talk about but somehow forget to utilize, Personal Hashtags!
They are clickable!!!
I understand that if you are still growing an audience that a personal hashtag might now be very effective, but as you grow it becomes a very nice way to gather your community in a public place.
When someone uses your hashtag then future visitors can quickly access a place to see a whole lot of social proof.
Emojis are a great addon to bring some color and energy into your bio, however it can very quickly become a showcase of graffiti that simply feels like you are not serious about your profile.
It also makes it very hard for your audience with visual impairments since each emoji will be vocally communicated to them.
Use an emoji to separate ideas or as an effective call to action. For example a down arrow like Alex uses or a finger pointing down to your link.
Ok now this feature really is special. For those with a creative eye for brands and nice looking things, story highlights ticks all the right boxes.
They are perfect for sharing things that you want to showcase, like community spotlights, social proof, FAQs and portfolio items.
The best part still, they just look so cool! “If you put in the effort to make the thumbnails represent your brand”
See how YouTube’s profile uses the highlights to showcase very specific items.
It all just comes together to create a very good looking well optimized bio that is attractive to new and existing followers/visitors.
If you changed something, remember to update your bio to keep the information relevant and to ensure your followers have the latest intel they need to stay up to date.
Last thing you need is to mislead your audience with an outdated bio.
If you have not updated your bio in a while, now might be a good time to have a look and do some updates and changes.
A good Instagram bio really has many benefits and helps to build trust with your loyal followers.
I know there is a lot to remember and it can become overwhelming at times. I got you covered!
Here is a FREE Instagram Bio Checklist that summarizes my post and makes it easy for you to quickly check all the boxes.