If Instagram is the gateway to online social connection, then your bio is your first impression. It’s what potential followers initially see when they stumble across your profile. And while a good Instagram bio might not make or break your social media success, leveling up this part of your profile can’t hurt.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything from writing creative Instagram bios to making them longer and adding cool effects like line breaks. Read on to learn how to make an Instagram bio worth reading.
Crafting a great Instagram bio doesn’t require a degree in creative writing or extensive vocabulary. In fact, there are a few simple tips and tricks you can use to make your bio stand out from the rest.
You only have 150 words, so let’s make them count. Use these tips to show new followers who you are and what your online presence is all about.
Don’t let the prospect of coming up with a great one-liner intimidate you to the point that you opt for a boring bio — or, worse, no bio at all. Instead, try to add a little bit of your personality into your mini-biography.
Whether you’re using Instagram as an individual or as a brand, ask yourself what makes you, you. Are you known for your sarcasm? Renowned for your creativity? Celebrated for your generosity?
Whatever it is that makes you the unique person you are, include it in your bio as a way to let people know what your profile is all about. Maybe you can comment on how often you take photos of your dog or discuss your epic plans for taking a picture of every colorful front door that crosses your path.
Your bio is where your content and personality meet. So don’t be afraid to go there.
Your bio is the first peek a new follower has into what kind of content you’ll be producing. Using relevant and specific Instagram hashtags is a simple way to make sure the message you’re sending is loud and clear.
Even though any hashtags you use within your bio are clickable, they won’t show up on the hashtag’s search results page. So using them is less about getting your profile in front of potential new followers and more about solidifying your page as a part of a specific Instagram community.
If your page is all about makeup, for example, you could use a hashtag like #makeupaddict or #makeupbyme.
Is anything more fun than emojis? Painting your bio with adorable images not only makes it more colorful and interesting but also makes you more relatable as a user.
You could add a simple emoji to the end of your snappy one-liner or take up a good chunk of your 150-character limit to add a string of emojis describing what kind of stuff you like to post. Not only can emojis break up your bio in a visually appealing way, but, when used correctly, they can also give potential followers key pieces of information about your personality or brand.
When people read content online — be it an Instagram bio or a long-form thought piece — they want to digest information quickly and easily. A great way to do that on your profile is by using line breaks within your bio.
Line breaks are exactly what they sound like, a break in a line. Now, Instagram doesn’t enable line breaks within the app, but you can get around that rule by first typing out your Instagram bio in your iPhone Notes app. Add whatever line breaks you like, copy the text (and line breaks), and paste it into your bio on Instagram.
This same hack also works for Instagram captions.
The best Instagram bios are the ones that inspire you to do something. Whether it’s clicking the link on your bio to check out your jewelry blog or asking people to take photos of their adorable dogs and tag your pet store’s new hashtag, asking people to take action is a great way to engage with new followers right off the bat.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the top tips for creating a unique and captivating Instagram bio, it’s time to show you some examples. The profiles listed below are sure to get your creative juices flowing.
If you want your Instagram bio to show your sweet and softer side, Bunny, aka @milkybot, describes her fashion-filled feed as a place where “all the cute stuff lives.” How adorable is that?
Another great Instagram bio idea is to write out some fun titles you wear in your life, like blogger and writer Beth of @bethsbookshelf does. Consider yourself a coffee addict or a dog whisperer? Put those personality traits front and center on your social media page.
An easy way to stand out from other Instagram bios is to show off your unique sense of humor. Take the inventor of Spanx, Sara Blakey of @sarablakey, for example. She took a trait about herself (that she refuses to give up her scrunchie) and highlighted it to showcase her style of humor.
YouTube star David Dobrik (@daviddobrik) is another excellent example of how to make a quick and snappy bio that will bring a smile to people’s faces. Plus, he’s proof that you don’t need more than three words to write a funny Instagram bio.
If coming up with an Instagram bio seems a little overwhelming, try using your bio as a place to show off one of your favorite quotes. Blogger Kerstin Allgau (@kerstin1704), proudly displays the popular Shanti quote, “And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.”
Kendall Long (@keykendall8) shared the inspiring Aesop quote, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” showing off the generous side of this public figure.
There are tons of fun ways to use emojis in Instagram bios. Travel writer Stephanie Be of @stephbetravel uses emojis not only as line breaks but also to relay information about how many destinations she’s visited and the website she writes for.
Mackenzie Craven (@craven_haven) found another cute way to use emojis by putting a relatable string of them at the end of her bio.
Instagram bios are a great way to introduce yourself to the virtual world. Whether you want to show off your sense of humor or display your favorite quote, the important thing is to make sure your bio is uniquely you.