Social Rocket
What is the Instagram bio?
Beginners often think the short description next to their profile picture isn't that important. After all, interested people will look at everything: they read posts, click "Like", and in the best case, they follow you. In practice, it looks different. Interested people only glance briefly at your description. In a fraction of a second they check whether there's anything exciting here. Hardly anyone has the time to look at everything you've ever posted. So you need something that sums it all up. Something that explains to people who you are, what they'll find here, and why they should follow you. It all comes down to: I like it, or I don't. But how do you get complete strangers to like an account? The profile as a whole, and especially the bio, gives you an invaluable advantage. Here you can briefly and clearly present what makes you who you are. Rule of thumb: potential followers will find you anyway. Make sure they become real followers. Make sure they stay! So what exactly is the bio and where is it? The bio is the short description directly below the profile picture. It often spans several lines. Many people make it more interesting with emojis and different fonts. Usually there's a link at the end to an external website, you can find out how to set it here. There are a few basic rules to follow for your bio. Whether you represent a company, are self-employed, or are here purely privately: Instagram thrives on quick clicks. That's why everything important about you should be visible at a glance. At the same time, it should always be up to date. It should also be as clear as possible, so specific information can be found right away. [caption id="attachment_30428" align="aligncenter" width="840"] The bio is the first thing users see on your profile[/caption]What makes a good bio
Informativeness: it contains everything important about you. Clarity: you achieve this through a good structure. Currency: change it when the facts are no longer correct.How do you get there?
All of this has been very theoretical so far. So let's get straight to practice: what belongs in a good bio. For that, you need to know how much space you have: the bio fits 150 characters, spread across a maximum of four lines. But if you only write text, it quickly looks boring or even cluttered. Liven up the bio: this works with a good mix of links, letters, hashtags, and emojis. If you'd like to try things out while reading along:How to edit the bio
- Open the Instagram app / log in
- Three small dots appear next to your name.
- Tap on it: "Edit profile".
- Let's go!
What belongs in the Instagram profile?
The profile includes more than just the bio. It only feels coherent when the individual components complement each other. They should fit together without looking too monotonous. Below we'll go through them point by point so you understand what matters.Your Instagram profile - what belongs in it:
- Username
- Profile name
- Profile picture
- Bio
- Story highlights
- Business accounts only: category
A meaningful username
Your username is what appears at the very top of your profile. It only contains certain characters. Spaces and special characters are excluded, but periods and underscores are allowed. It's linked like this: @username. Very important: it must be unique! If it already exists, Instagram won't let you use it at all. Why you should think about it: the username isn't the same as your profile name, which we'll come to shortly. However, both together influence Instagram's search function. They therefore determine how well you rank in search results. To use this to your advantage, you should be able to tell the two name formats apart. In particular, duplicates with your profile name should be avoided.Profile name: room for more information
You have more freedom with the profile name. It doesn't have to be unique, and it doesn't restrict your character choice: spaces, hashtags, special characters, emojis, everything goes. But think carefully about what gives you an advantage: Peter-Berlin@peter_berlin wastes space. Peter@yogakurse_berlin, on the other hand, gets straight to the point about who runs this account and what they offer. The profile name may not be longer than 30 characters.Creating a meaningful profile picture
First, let's clarify what makes your profile picture "good". Whether it's a selfie, a logo, or a professional portrait is secondary. What matters: it should always fit the account! This applies to colors, backgrounds, and above all the theme. Even a photo of you in light clothing on the beach can work - provided it suits the account. It does have two drawbacks, though. For one, it may reveal too much about you, and at worst it can come across as unprofessional. Even more, when heavily reduced in size, you may no longer be recognizable. So it's best to use what makes you unique: your face. That creates strong recognition value, even at the maximum allowed size of 110 x 110 px. More tips for your Instagram profile picture.Use tools for creating profile pictures
If you don't feel up to doing this alone, you can use external tools. They help you get even more out of your profile picture. Here's a guide on how to upgrade your Instagram bio with a good profile picture.Guide: How to change your profile picture on a smartphone
- Open Instagram.
- Go to: Profile (bottom right).
- Tap: "Edit profile".
- Tap directly on the profile picture to change it.
- Choose where you want to import the new picture from: a library, take a new one, or from another platform like Twitter.
- Select the picture you want to use as your profile picture going forward.
- Don't forget to save!
Designing a business account: choosing the right category
Instagram lists business accounts by category. So choose the appropriate category for your business account from the start! Only then does the platform know what you do and link you accordingly! The more precise your classification, the better the people match who are shown your account.Using story highlights effectively
If you post stories, it gets easier for you: don't let your work simply disappear after 24 hours. Use them for your bio too! Mark the best ones as highlights, and the selected stories will appear in your profile. They're an important part of the first impression a potential follower gets of you. If they have a moment, they'll surely check them out! Companies should take this great opportunity to showcase their corporate design again. Here are tips for creating story highlight covers.3 Ideas and tips for your Instagram bio
Your Instagram bio describes you: who are you, what do you do? And what does someone gain from following you? The better you can describe that, the more success you'll have on Instagram. Here are a few tips that have proven effective.Keep it short!
Write bullet points instead of full sentences. Focus on what followers should know about you. Everything else you can write in posts. Or on your website, if you have one. Link there for more information.Link your own website
The link there shouldn't be too long, though. Long links make the bio cluttered! So use tools that shorten the link. So-called URL shorteners do this for you. There are also tools that create link trees or Linktrees: here, make sure it complies with data protection rules. Where that isn't the case, there's a simple trick. If you want to work with Linktrees, set up your own landing page there! Also: our guide on how to use links on Instagram.Basic structure
Clarity also has to do with what someone can grasp at a glance. This includes the division into lines. So don't just write whatever comes to mind; decide in advance what absolutely has to go in. Keep asking yourself: can it be expressed in four lines so that it's easy to understand and sparks curiosity?One piece of information per line
If you type everything straight into the app, you end up with one giant run-on sentence. A text without paragraphs isn't just unattractive. It also makes reading harder and looks off-putting. So write using an office program or your phone's notes function, where you can insert line breaks. Once the text is finished, simply copy it into your Instagram profile.Use different fonts
Have you ever tried working with different fonts? Instagram allows it, but it requires a small detour. The external app Instagram Fonts works well: just experiment and dare to try unusual fonts too. These serve later as eye-catchers. Once you're happy, copy them into the bio font by font.Use #hashtags and @account links
The # symbol marks a hashtag. Meanwhile, @username creates a direct link to an account. You can use both in your bio too: show others who you follow and what interests you. Tip: if you try typing # or @ under "Edit profile", Instagram suggests matching terms!Don't forget emojis!
Need something that grabs attention? Small emojis are hard to imagine everyday life without. For good reason: they lighten up a text. They also add not just humor but are easy to grasp at a glance. But use them wisely and don't overdo it. Many people use them to start a new line. But then they should also fit the topic. If you enjoy photography, for example, you can express this with a camera. A tree could highlight your commitment to nature. Rule of thumb: the younger your fans, the more used to emojis they are. It also has a decisive advantage: you need fewer characters than if you expressed the same thing in words.Provide your contact details!
Personal exchange with followers is important: after all, it plays a decisive role in how successful an account is. But how should that happen? Not everyone wants to make their phone number public. So think carefully about how people should be able to reach you. Should this only be possible via Instagram, or by other means too? For companies, it's common to list an email address and phone number. For retail stores, the full address is often given. If you already have your own website, you can of course simply link to it.Call to action: get your followers to do something!
Often, listing a website or email address isn't enough. People should actually click on it! What seems obvious isn't always: tell readers what they should do. We call this a call to action. An emoji reinforces it even more. Often, because it's very effective, it's a pointing finger directing straight to the link. If the link follows below, the finger logically needs to point down as well. Before we get to examples, you can check out more valuable tips from Caroline Preus!Examples of a good bio
Having given a few tips on how to improve a good bio, here are some examples. While looking, always ask yourself: what makes a bio exciting? Which account would you spontaneously look at more closely yourself? So read the posts and maybe visit the associated website? Then consider why that is. Which look, which emoji especially appeals to you? And why? You'll find plenty of inspiration on Instagram. While browsing, you'll quickly notice: not everything has to go in every bio. The details should make sense and relate to the account's theme. Take your time looking at a few large accounts, because behind them are professionals. They know exactly what matters. It doesn't matter whether the accounts are business or private. You can learn something from every good bio.In general, the following should be included:
Template for companies
- What do we offer?
- Benefit for our customers
- Difference from competitors (company philosophy)
- Contact option(s)
- Link to the shop
Template for private individuals
- What's my focus?
- What's the benefit for my followers?
- Call to action: what should followers do?
- Where can I be found: location / contact option?
- If available, link to your own website