What to include in your Instagram bio

Your Instagram bio is like your shop window. You have about 3 – 5 seconds to give the reader a reason to stay on your profile and grab their attention. It should be very easy to understand what your business does/sells just from having a glance at your bio. 

And I believe there are certain things you need to include in order to achieve this. Ready to find out what you need to include in your Instagram bio to make it stand out?? Here’s 10 things you shouldn’t miss out!

What You Need to Include in your Instagram Bio

The important stuff: 

  1. Your name

Let’s start this out real simple, but you’ll be surprised at how many people miss this. It’s the most important factor to add into your bio and that is your name. People want to connect with people so it’s a little awkward when they want to pop into your DMs and can’t address you by name. Either add it into your bio name or bio description. 

  1. Profile picture 

Make this RELEVANT! Either use a picture of you (because people like to see who it is they’re talking to) or use your logo. Make the photo of you clear by either having a plain background if it’s a photo of you, or increase the size of the logo to make it readable for everyone. There are simple additions like making a border around your profile photo which can instantly make it stand out more. 

  1. What your business name/title

Where you click ‘edit profile’ on your Instagram page, you’ll see the first fillable section called ‘Name’. This is where you want to add in what you do, your business title or possibly your business name. This part of your bio is searchable so if you’re a Brand Designer you will pop up under the search results for this if you add it into this section of your bio. So think carefully, this is really important. You can’t change it more than once within 2 weeks so if you do change it, make sure it’s definitely what you want it to be. 

Your Instagram Bio Description: 

Now you have just 150 characters to tell your audience about your business. Make it clear, attractive and leave the audience wanting more. This (along with your content) is what will make people to connect with you.

  1. Your superpower statement

Superpower? This is what you are KNOWN FOR helping your clients achieve. How do you help them get from A to B? What transformation can you give them for their business? Just remember you only have 150 characters so try to make this statement short and snappy, or break it down into a few bullet points. 

  1. Call to action

You should always have a call to action added into your bio which leads to the link you’re using at the time. This can obviously be changed depending on what it is you want to promote at the time. For example, this could be a freebie you’re wanting people to sign up to, a waitlist for your next program, booking a service, or simply how to contact to work with you. 

Your business information: 

  1. Your website 

This is crucial and not one to forget about. This is the link that your CTA in your bio description will lead to. This link ideally wants to be your website because you can then track the traffic that is coming through from your Instagram bio. I suggest creating a page on your website which is a list of important links that you want to promote at this time and add it to your Instagram bio. And the URL could be something simple like /links or /Instagram (see my example here). There are sooo many third party apps out there to use to also present links to your website but this sometimes doubles the customer journey, and people sometimes go a little crazy with the amount of links they include as a lot of these apps give you unlimited links. It does depend on what you prefer but I’d highly recommend keeping it linked to your website. 

  1. Contact button

Make it super easy and obvious as to how people can get in touch with you and make contact with you. You have the option to add your email address, phone number or WhatsApp Business phone number. If you are happy for people to contact you through either of these ways, then add them to your profile.

  1. Location

This may not be relevant for every business, especially if yours is solely online, but I still think it’s useful for people to know where you are located. Some people may be picky with the location of the people they want to work with, especially if it includes different time zones.You don’t have to be too specific with location, it can just be the state or county if you wish. 

  1. Category

Another way to give your business title is through categories. This could be useful if you have something else you want to include in your bio Name but still want to include your job title. 

  1. Action button

Instagram gives the option to add an action button so it’s easy for people to book a service of yours straight from your Instagram profile. However, the apps they integrate with are limited (most I’ve never even heard of) so you may find that this isn’t beneficial for you. And don’t go out of your way to change your systems to use one of these apps as you would probably want people to message you before they book anything with you. 

Your Instagram bio may change frequently, especially if you’re niching down, changing what you’re promoting for the month, or have changed your business model slightly. Whenever you decide to change your bio, come back to this blog post and remind yourself what you need to include in your Instagram bio to attract your ideal clients, drive traffic to your website, and make those all important sales. 

If you need help with this process, book in a power hour with me and let’s nail your Instagram bio together!  

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What to include in your Instagram bio