Even though it may seem like a small part of your profile, coming up with the perfect Instagram bio for your business profile can be challenging. Your Instagram bio is your business card and portfolio all wrapped up into one. Your bio sets the stage for your brand presence on the platform. And you only have 150 characters to sum up what your business stands for, so it’s perfectly reasonable to overthink it.

What’s the secret sauce for crafting the perfect Instagram bio? Should you stuff this space with emojis, hashtags, and keywords? Or should you stick to the basics and only share a brief pitch, profile photo, and contact details?

Short Answer: it depends on what’s right for your audience.

To make creating a bio easier, we’ve broken down the elements that go into the perfect Instagram bio for business and how to write one for your brand.

Why your Instagram Bio matters

As simple as it may seem, an Instagram bio plays a critical role in establishing your brand presence. It shows people who you are and what you sell. You can also use the same space to tell them why they should care about your business and its offering.

In many cases, your Instagram profile may be the first point of contact whether someone discovers you through an Instagram hashtag or by clicking through from a paid post or share on Stories. Your bio is an essential good first impression while clarifying why they should follow you.

That’s why you should focus on creating an Instagram business bio that effectively portrays your brand personality and establishes your unique value proposition.

What goes into an Instagram bio?

• Name and Username

Your username is your @handle and your Instagram identity. It’s a part of your Instagram profile URL (instagram.com/myusername) and holds a prominent location at the top of your profile page. On the other hand, your name is your real or full brand name.

Depending on data sources like audience and keyword research, you may know of abbreviations or name variations commonly used for your brand name. You might consider using those in one spot in your bio, such as in your username.

• Profile Photo

This should be relevant to your brand’s visual identity. You could include a brand logo, a brick-and-mortar location or even a product photo. But regardless of which photo you choose to use, it should look great and be relevant to your business.

• Bio

This is the section under your name, where you get to express yourself (or in this case, your brand personality). You have 150 characters to tell people what the profile is about, what your brand offers and why they should follow you.

So you don’t have much to work with, which makes it even more crucial to plan ahead and perfect your Instagram business bio

• Website

This is the only section of Instagram that allows you to add a clickable link, so make sure you use this space wisely. While you can always add a URL to your homepage, you can also update this link more frequently by posting new products, new content, new projects and more.

Many brands use a service like Linktree to maximize the single link limit by taking the user to a landing page with shortcuts to featured content and product pages.

• Call-to-action buttons

You could further free up space in your bio if you make the most of the call-to-action buttons available for Instagram Business accounts.

This allows people to take action straight from your Instagram profile when on the mobile app, making it easier for customers to convert on actions – from buying tickets to booking tables

• Contact info

Contact options provide prospective customers with the info they need to connect with your business. Make the most of the email and call buttons to highlight your business contact info without taking up precious space in your bio.

Tips to Craft the Perfect Instagram Bio

Now that you know what goes into an Instagram Bio, let’s take a look at tips on how to craft the perfect Instagram bios for business:

#1: Use Your Instagram Bio to Attract Your Ideal Audience

A good Instagram bio explains what you do in a few short sentences or bullet points.

With a fine-tuned bio, you can target your ideal audience so any new visitors will understand what you and your business are all about. And if they like what they see, they’re more likely to tap the follow button.

Another way to attract your ideal audience? Focus your Instagram bio copy on how you help or inspire your community — making it more about them than it is about you.

Think of it as a 150 character business pitch. You want to speak directly to your target audience, make your brand stand out from competitors, and add a bit of personality.

Whether it’s a bulleted list or a few short lines, think about how you can use the 150 characters in your Instagram bio to write copy that attracts prospective clients and customers.

#2: Use the Name Field to Share Your Top Targeted Keywords

Did you know the Name Field in your bio is completely separate from your username?

The Name Field is a valuable (and rarely used!) SEO feature: you can customize it in your Instagram bio to reach even more people as they search the app.

And with Instagram’s new keyword search tool rolling out, we think SEO discoverability will become an even more important feature this year. Using targeted keywords instead of your username in this field is a great strategy for your brand or business to become more discoverable by potential new followers.

Brainstorm the keywords your ideal customer might search for on Instagram — it could be your niche, the products you sell, or the city your business is located. Once you find the right keywords, put them into your Name Field.

When deciding how to brand yourself on Instagram, it’s important to consider what your visitors are looking for and how you can present them with valuable information in just a few seconds. And leveraging your Instagram bio’s name field is a great way to do that!

#3: Tag Related Accounts & Share Your Brand’s Hashtag in Your Instagram Bio

Thanks to an Instagram update in 2018, profile usernames or hashtags included in your Instagram bio become clickable links.

Why does this matter? Because it gives you the ability to promote sister brands, highlight your founder’s Instagram account, or drive traffic to your branded hashtag.

NOTE: Placing hashtags in your bio doesn’t make your profile searchable within those hashtags, but adding your company’s branded hashtag into your Instagram bio is a great way to spotlight your audience’s posts and invite others to participate as well.

#4: Add a Call-To-Action (CTA) for the Link in Your Instagram Bio

Since Instagram only gives you one link on your profile, it’s a good idea to use the last line of copy to tell users what’s in it for them if they click your link. This is where a strong CTA becomes valuable real estate.

For example, if you’re offering a new promo, resource, or limited time offer, make sure to let your profile visitors know.

To help drive more eyes to the link in your Instagram bio, don’t be afraid to use emojis. They’ll make your link stand out and add some personality to your profile.

However you decide to style your CTA, it’s a great asset to your bio if you’re looking to drive even more traffic to your site.

#5: Add Your Contact Details to Your Instagram Bio

If you want your Instagram profile to be a one-stop-shop for new visitors, you’ll want to make it easy for them to contact you or find your location.

One of the best ways to do that is to switch to an Instagram business profile.

In addition to creating promoted posts and ads, and having access to Instagram’s built-in analytics, switching to an Instagram business profile gives you the ability to add key contact information directly to your Instagram bio.

After you’ve made the switch to an Instagram business profile, you can choose to include your email address, phone number, and physical address on your profile without having to use any character space in your bio.

You can also add a business or brand category that will appear underneath your Name Field — making it even easier for people to know what you do.

Once set up, a profile visitor can easily click on any of the links in your Instagram bio and reach out to you directly via email, a phone call, or be given directions to your location.

#6: Choose the Perfect Instagram Profile Picture  

A picture is worth a thousand words, and your Instagram profile picture could be worth ten thousand as it’s often one of the first things we notice.

If you’re a business on Instagram, using your logo (or a shortened version of your logo) as your profile picture can help with long-term brand recognition.

On the other hand, if you’re an entrepreneur — like a photographer, strategist, or life coach — you may want to use a headshot as your Instagram profile picture.

Why? Because if you’re selling “you” on Instagram, you want to make sure that you’re introducing yourself to visitors right off the bat!

#7: Strategically Use Instagram Stories Highlights in Your Instagram Bio

Share Valuable Information Using Instagram Stories Highlights 

Instagram Stories highlights appear directly under your Instagram bio and play as a stand-alone story when someone taps on them.

Think of them as a movie trailer for your Instagram feed — they’re perfect for sharing valuable information about your brand, spotlighting your community, and showing your personality.

Your Instagram Stories highlights allow you to provide additional information and value to profile visitors, so it’s a good idea to be strategic in how you set them up.

However you decide to style your Instagram Stories Highlights cover image, a consistent collection can make your overall bio more appealing and click-worthy.

Your Instagram bio is an important tool for attracting your ideal audience, driving traffic to your products and services, and making sales.

If you haven’t updated your Instagram bio in a while, now’s the perfect time to give it a look and ensure you’re making a great first impression with every new visitor that comes across your profile.

Ready to take your Instagram bio to the next level? With Think Digiads, you can drive traffic to your website and turn visitors into customers — all from the link in your bio!