Racking your brain trying to write the perfect Instagram bio?
The struggle is real.
Because those 150 characters represent one of the most important components of your Instagram presence.
After all, it’s the first thing your followers and customers see when they land on your ‘gram. Not only that, but your lone bio link is your only shot to drive traffic and shoppers to whatever you’re promoting.
And so there’s a lot of pressure to make that small space count.
If you’re worried that your Instagram bio isn’t “clever” enough or isn’t doing enough to encourage clicks, don’t panic – we’re here to help.
The anatomy of an awesome Instagram bio
There is no single “correct” way to craft your bio.
And while there are a ton of cut-and-paste Instagram bio templates out there, we recommend that you assemble your own.
Why? Because cut-and-paste isn’t going to help you stand out from the crowd. Instead, we encourage brands to find their own voice and understand the best practices of putting together a bio for Instagram that scores clicks.
But what best practices are we talking about? We’re glad you asked!
Include a call-to-action
Ask yourself: what exactly do you want your Instagram followers to do?
Check out your site? Shop your feed? Share your hashtag?
Either way, be loud and clear about that desired action.
Although your IG bio might seem self-explanatory, consider that your bio link could very well be your introduction to a potential customer. Don’t assume that they’ll take action: tell them what to do.
For example, Yeti encourages followers to share photos featuring its products coupled with the #BuiltForTheWild hashtag.
Meanwhile, Bellroy funnels its traffic to a store link and quite literally points to it with an emoji.
See how that works?
Feature your branded hashtag(s)
Of course, hashtags are central to your Instagram presence.
And what better place to put ’em on display than your bio?
You can feature as many tags as you want, although most brands typically include one or two. Note that hashtags in your Instagram bio don’t make your profile discoverable via search.
Check out how TeeFury uses two branded hashtags to encourage and promote user-generated content.
Hashtags actually serve as a call-to-action by themselves in addition to your bio link. For example, clicking through one of TeeFury’s tags allows followers to explore user-generated content and see their products in the wild.
Think about your link
Remember: Instagram only allows you to post one link in your bio.
How do you make it count? For starters, make sure whatever you’re linking to makes sense based on your business’ goals. Most brands use a custom, branded URL rather than a generic homepage link.
The benefits of this approach are two-fold. Not only do you have the opportunity to shorten your URL, but also track the behavior of your Instagram traffic once they click through.
For example, tools like Bitly or Tap.bio allow you to create trackable, branded links that don’t look clunky or bulky.
Similarly, you’ll see many retailers and ecommerce brands use their customer shoppable feed links (like this Like2Buy link from Curalate).
If you don’t want to restrict yourself to a single link, tools like LinkTree can do the trick. LinkTree links are both customizable and trackable but also allow your Instagram traffic to take multiple actions upon clicking through your bio.
For example, Skillcrush has a pretty minimal Instagram bio…
…but upon clicking through their LinkTree, visitors have a variety of options to click on based on what they’re looking for.
And as a side note, make sure that your link is up-to-date and working properly. This is especially important if you’re consistently switching up your promotions.
Let your personality shine
There’s no rule that says your Instagram bio needs to be strictly business.
Besides, there are tons of creative ways to show off your brand voice in 150 characters or less.
For example, bold brands with name recognition often take a minimalist approach to their bios. A slogan and hashtag don’t take up many characters but have the potential to speak volumes.
Emojis are a popular way to inject some personality into your Instagram bio, too. Suavecita does exactly that, using an emoji-list format that we see often from beauty brands.
Humor is also fair game. Viking Books’ bio is clever (“We publish great books. Here are some photos of them.”) and manages to make their profile stand out in a way some may not expect from an account not strictly based in comedy.
A slogan or sentence that highlights your brand’s values is also a great way to make your bio pack a punch. For example, the North Face defines its mission statement and doesn’t come off as a salesy brand whatsoever.
Most Instagram bio ideas follow a list-style format
As you’ll notice with most of our Instagram bio examples so far, many brands follow a list format.
There are a few reasons for this. List-style bios are scannable and easy to read. Just like people don’t feel like slogging through a paragraph of text, bullet-points get your message across to folks faster.
Given that the vast majority of Instagram users are visiting you via mobile, a list-style bio flat out makes sense.
Plus, list-style Instagram bios are fair game for pretty much any type of business.
Beauty brands? Local restaurants? E-commerce empires? Check, check and check. The short, punchy style of a list bio forces you to get creative with the space that’s available.
Here’s a sample Instagram bio template using a list format.
- Slogan or brief mission statement
- Hashtag
- Location
- Call-to-action
- Bio link
Make the most of your character count
Beyond using a URL shortener, there aren’t too many tricks to cut down on your character count.
However, local businesses, in particular, should be aware that setting up a business profile is a brilliant way to save space.
For example, business profiles allow you to feature your address, phone number, email and industry without needlessly taking up characters.
You may not have to worry about this if you have a minimalist bio – just something to keep in mind.
18 of the best Instagram bio examples you can swipe from
Now that we’ve outlined the best practices of writing an Instagram bio, it’s time to craft your own.
And to help you make it happen, we’ve highlighted some of the best Instagram bios we’ve found in the wild.
Broken down by industry, check out the different approaches brands take to encourage followers to interact with their bios.
Retail and e-commerce
If you’re primarily concerned with sales, your bio’s calls-to-action are crucial. This includes your shoppable links and approach to promoting customer photos.
Chewy’s list-style bio is definitely a winner. With a compelling slogan, crystal clear calls-to-action and a customer service reminder, they tick all the boxes of what makes an awesome IG bio.
Target’s bio is somewhat similar but scores style points by being so simple and clean. Just because you have 150 characters available doesn’t mean you have to use them all.
Skull Candy’s bio is unique because it changes from month-to-month as they update their promotions and color scheme. Following specific content themes is a great way to promote your Instagram, granted you keep your bio up-to-date.
Beauty
Witty bios are the bread and butter of beauty brands. Oftentimes we see an emphasis on user-generated content as well as personality.
Colourpop boasts a list-style, minimalist bio with emojis. This amount of minimalism is indeed bold and makes sense for an established brand with such a huge follower count.
Aveda’s bio is wordier but manages to show off their consciousness and mission in the process. Note how they couple their evergreen branded hashtag (#AvedaColor) with a promotion-specific tag (#SapMoss).
Meanwhile, Milk Makeup’s bio highlights what separates their brand from the pack with an emphasis on product quality. Note their all-caps slogan for style, too.
SaaS and apps
For SaaS and tech brands, Instagram is no longer unexplored territory. Rather than take a stuffy approach to your bio, consider how you can highlight your unique selling proposition (USP).
Sprout’s own Instagram bio defines a mission statement, features a hashtag and includes a trackable, campaign-specific link.
Hubspot takes a similar approach, although their bio link is notably centered around specific pieces of content.
LifeLapse has a wordier bio but for good reason. Including social proof, a branded hashtag and emojis, readers are led directly to their download call-to-action with a trackable link.
Solo businesses and influencers
If you’re flying solo, your Instagram bio is more than likely going to be focused on your location, USP and how people can get in touch with you.
Chicago photographer Alicia Fierro uses a list-style bio that emphasizes her portfolio, a brand tag (@Southwestair) for social proof and a link to her homepage.
Rosie Clayton’s bold bio uses an emoji-heavy, list-style bio. Visitors know exactly what she’s about and how to contact her in addition to her shoppable bio link.
Meanwhile, Em Frederick uses a truly minimalist bio that works well with her aesthetic, including only an email address and no bio link.
Hospitality
Hospitality and service-based businesses typically focus on how they’re different from the competition.
Marriott Bonvoy’s list-style bio features a benefit-driven statement, a branded hashtag and a clear CTA to drive bookings.
Pei Wei notes their commitment to natural ingredients in addition to promoting UGC and online ordering.
Viking’s wordier bio manages to establish their principles and uses their #MyVikingStory as a call-to-action to fill up their feed with UGC.
Small and local businesses
Finally, here are some Instagram bio examples from smaller, local businesses.
Pop-up shop Orlandough users an emoji-filled list-style bio to highlight their killer donuts, noting that they have no physical location and that followers should check out their event calendar.
Another list-style bio, Sugar Fix Dental uses their Linktree to serve as a mini-website as potential patients browse their services.
And Early Mountain Vineyards rolls out a wordier bio that features some social proof alongside a community hashtag.
And with that, we wrap up our guide!
Ready to write a better Instagram bio?
Although it may seem like an afterthought, your Instagram bio isn’t something you should take for granted.
Within 150 characters, you have the opportunity to show off your brand’s personality and convince customers to choose you over the competition.
So ask yourself: is your bio click-worthy or is it going to waste? By understanding Instagram’s best practices and taking inspiration from the examples above, chances are you having everything you need to make your bio count.
We want to hear from you, though. What are some of the best Instagram bios that you’ve seen out there? Do you change yours regularly? Let us know in the comments below!