Is your Instagram business bio really that important? It’s only 150 characters long…how much does it actually matter?
Well, to put it bluntly: a lot.
The Instagram business bio is an uber-short “about me” section for your brand. It’s where you show people who you are at a glance — like speed dating, but with actual profits on the line.
Your brand identity and value proposition (i.e. what you do for your customers) have to be crystal clear to stop people from scrolling right on by you.
And to be clear, a lot of people are scrolling. Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users. 500+ million of those users swipe through their feed every single day. It’s also the fifth most popular social media platform in the world.
That’s a lot of eyes that you can turn towards your business. And it doesn’t stop there.
- Over 70% of online shoppers use Instagram to find new products.
- 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business.
- 83% of users say Instagram helps them discover new products or services.
- 80% use Instagram to decide whether to buy a product or service.
So, what do these millions of users see first when they visit your profile to see if your product or service is right for them?
Bingo. Your Instagram business bio. You’ve got to make this space count, or you risk losing followers, engagement, and ultimately — sales.
What do the best business bios for Instagram have in common?
Your business bio needs to declare who you are and what you do. And, it’s got to do that within a 150 character count.
Instagram also cuts off part of your business bio under the “more” section. This depends on how you format your bio, so add line breaks, play with emojis, and mess with your phrasing until you get something you’re happy with.
For example:
Over on our Instagram, we explain what we do in just 72 characters.
We also squeezed in “Instagram” as one of the best platforms for our message marketing tools before the “more” section cut us off.
A great business bio for Instagram includes three elements:
- Business description
- Contact information
- A call to action (CTA)
Let’s look at these in-depth.
1. Business description
Our description is straight to the point:
The world’s best real-time #chatbot and text message marketing tools for:
⚡️ Facebook Messenger
💻 Website Chat
📱 SMS
First, we say who we are. Then, we say what we do. We use emojis next to each social media platform to add a visual element to the bio, which also makes the bio easier to understand at a glance.
When you write your own business bio, ask yourself a few questions:
- What’s my brand personality?
Are you clever? Funny? Creative? Expert? Pick a tone that’s true to you.
- Who am I speaking to?
Over two thirds of Instagram users are younger than 34, but that doesn’t tell you everything. What do your prospective customers want? What do they like? Dislike? What’s their sense of humor? Really put yourself in their shoes.
- How can I stand out?
Standing out comes from knowing your audience and knowing yourself. Tell the most important thing about your brand in as few words as possible.
There are lots of different ways to write your business bio, and we’ll explore more examples in a moment. But first, make sure you’ve nailed your contact info and CTA.
After all, once you wow viewers with a spot-on business description, they’re gonna want to know what to do next. It’s up to you to tell them.
2. Contact information
When you set up your Instagram business profile, you’ll be prompted to enter your physical business address. This lets customers contact you by mail, and it also lets them find your storefront if you have one.
Most importantly, Instagram business accounts let you add buttons that allow visitors to call or email you with a click.
You’re also still able to display the “Message” button — one of the best ways for customers to contact you.
This is because when you generate DMs, your Instagram content actually gets an algorithmic boost. When people message you, Instagram realizes that real customers value your content. So, it uses conversations as a factor when ranking content in its users’ feeds.
DMs help you get found on Instagram. Use your sacred bio space to get these golden conversations started.
3. Call to action (CTA)
Your CTA is the most crucial part of your bio.
Without a CTA, you’re leaving interested viewers without a next step. They might scroll through your feed. They might drop a few likes. They might or might not follow.
Viewers are not likely to do what you want them to do unless you tell them directly.
Think carefully about what you want viewers to do when they land on your page. Do you want them to follow you? Do you want to direct them to an external link, like your website or online store? Do you want them to message you?
On Instagram, you only get one link. (At least, until you’re a business account with over 10,000 followers and you get access to the “swipe up” feature, but you still only get one clickable link in your bio regardless.)
Choose wisely, and put your most relevant link in your bio. Remember, you can always change it later.
You can use a link in your bio to direct users to even more links — but they can only see one link. This is where a digital business card can come in handy. You can customize it to add your contact details, website landing pages and any lead magnets you want to offer
Because DMs affect the Instagram algorithm so much, the best CTA is actually “DM me for [special offer].”
Give it a try yourself by DMing @Customers.ai.ai on your Instagram mobile app to sign up for beta access to the new Instagram-approved tools for messaging automation.
Encouraging DMs has the double benefit of boosting your engagement and creating a real human connection. Private conversations are always more personal than public likes and comments.
So yes, use that precious link space. But use your CTA to start a conversation.
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10 Brand Examples to Inspire Awesome Instagram Bio Ideas
1. Shopify
“The entrepreneurship company.” That about sums it up…and in just three words.
For newer or less well-known companies, you’ll want to explain your business more thoroughly. Still, less is more. The fewer words you use to describe yourself, the better.
2. Spotify
Maybe it’s something about having “-ify” in the name, but Spotify’s also gone for the straightforward approach.
“Music and podcasts for every moment. Play, discover, and share for free.”
That’s Spotify’s value prop, and that’s exactly what users get. Their link brings you to an image gallery and a CTA that reads “Listen Now.”
3. National Geographic
“Experience the world through the eyes of National Geographic photographers.” Notice a trend? National Geographic’s bio is extremely literal. This is what they do. This is what people want to see.
Their link brings you to their Instagram shop.
4. Instagram
“Bringing you closer to the people and the things you love.” There’s a variety of ways Instagram could have approached their bio, but they chose a heartwarming approach. If your brand brings people together or helps people out, try leaning into that.
Just don’t be fake. People can smell fake, and they’ll call out lip service when they see it.
5. Gamestop
Gamestop keeps it brief. Their bio reads “Power to the Players. #GameStop.” Clicking on the link gives you several different options, like seeing the deal of the day, finding a store near you, and more. Their CTA brings readers to their store.
If you have a punchy tagline and your brand is already well-known, keeping it short could work for you. If you’re still building your audience, though, you might want a bit more meat.
6. Pura Vida Bracelets®
Pura Vida Bracelets® does a few cool things in their bio. First, they tell a mini-story by explaining where they founded their business. Secondly, they show us their support for the artistic community by writing “Supporting 800+ Artisans Worldwide.”
Under the “more” cutoff, they use a branded hashtag to inspire user generated content and get their brand name out there. After that, they include an email address. And finally, they use the CTA “Shop New Arrivals” to direct viewers to their store.
This bio makes good use of emojis, which adds to their brand’s fun and artsy vibe. It also makes the bio more visually interesting.
And last but not least — notice where Pura Vida Bracelets® lets Instagram cut them off under “more.” They emphasize their origins and their commitment to supporting the artistic community. Only after viewers decide they’re interested enough to click “more” do they see the CTA to shop.
7. Rumpl
Rumpl creates blankets for outdoorsy adventurers. Their bio highlights what they do and why they’re different from other blanket companies.
Check out where Instagram cuts them off. Their bio only loses their branded hashtag, #gorumpl, which means that new users still learn everything they need to know at a glance.
Rumpl’s link brings users to a page where they can explore and buy blankets made from recycled bottles. Notice Rumpl’s expert use of a clear URL here…you can see that it says “recycled-bottle-blankets” even before you click on it, which sparks curiosity.
8. Magnolia Bakery
Magnolia Bakery is a chain of bakeries founded in New York City. Their business bio explains what they do and how long they’ve done it: “Baked from scratch since ‘96.”
Then, they use a series of fun bakery themed emojis to direct users to their website.
9. Elna Cain
Elna Cain is a freelance writer and coach who writes email sequences for product creators and service providers. She also helps new freelance writers (especially moms) build their business online.
Her display name highlights her role as a content writer, which helps her stand out to prospective clients. She displays her content writing services above the “more” cutoff to create even more professional interest.
But, her branding as “Mom to 💑 twins” speaks to her coaching clients, and her website link is primarily aimed at freelance writers (although she offers her content writing services there, as well).
Overall, Elna Cain’s business bio is a great example of how to accomplish multiple goals in just a few words.
10. Gourmet Texas Pasta
We handcraft our pasta using only natural ingredients to make 100% Whole Wheat and Gluten-Free VEGAN pasta that’s so good you don’t need a sauce! 🍝”
First, the Instagram bio gets the word “pasta” in up-front. That’s what people are looking for. Second of all, it puts the focus on the user, not the brand. And third of all, it highlights their vegan status — even squeezing it in before the “more” section cuts them off.
Their CTA is a button to view their shop.
Writing a Business Bio for Instagram that Gets More Followers
At the end of the day, writing a great business bio for Instagram only has three steps.
- Find the intersection between what you do and what your customers want to know
- Write it down in as few words as possible
- Finish with the perfect CTA
Of course, that’s easier said than done. By using the template we’ve provided, you can represent your business well on Instagram and get as much customer engagement as possible.
And don’t forget the best CTA available to you: “DM me for [special offer].”
To bring your Instagram account to the next level, you’ll need a system in place to manage all those DMs once they start pouring in.
Our Instagram engagement tools help you scale message volume and increase engagement. Wanna try it out? Apply here to sign up for beta access.
Remember…people go to Instagram to see the real you. Now show them what you’ve got.
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