Craft the Perfect Instagram Bio and Profile to Set Your Brand Up for Success

A long list of factors goes into a successful Instagram presence, but note that your efforts should start with your bio and profile. Your profile is your first impression on potential followers, so it needs to stand out. The following tips will help you craft the perfect bio for your profile, as well as other parts of your Instagram presence.

1. Set It to Public

It goes without saying that the first thing to do is confirm that your Instagram profile is public. This should be the default setting on Instagram anyway. Remember that if your account is set to private, you won’t get followers or as much engagement.

2. Select the Right Username

When someone searches for your brand or name on Instagram, you want your profile to appear instantly.

One of the best ways to achieve this is to choose the right username. Ideally, you want to keep your username as close to your company’s name as possible. If your company name is already taken, try adding a short description. For example, a doggy daycare could add “_DogCare” after its business name.

3. Choose the Right Instagram Name

Before you do anything else, make sure you choose an optimized Instagram name. Your Instagram name should include your name and a searchable keyword that indicates your profession or industry.

As an example, a therapist could choose something like “[Name], Therapist.” Or if you are a recipe blogger, you could say something like “[Name] – Vegan Recipes.”

Incorporating keywords into your name field makes it likelier for your profile to come up when someone searches for the keyword on Instagram.

4. Indicate Your Target Audience and What You Offer

While writing your bio, make sure that the product or service you have to offer and your target audience are clear and easy to identify. For example, a recipe blogger that focuses on a particular type of recipe should always mention their specialty, whether vegan, vegetarian, Halal, Kosher, keto-friendly, etc

Your bio should make it clear who your content will appeal to. Just remember that you only have 150 characters to fit everything into your bio.

5. Include Keywords in Your Bio

Your Instagram name is far from the only place to include keywords. You can also work them into your bio, maximizing your searchability on the platform. When narrowing down the keywords to include, focus on your core interests and values. The space limit will force you to focus on what is essential. Make sure you work them in naturally so you sound authentic.

6. Break Up the Bio with Emojis and Formatting

The content and format of your Instagram bio should be easy to read. This means breaking up the text with line breaks or emojis. When selecting emojis, make sure you choose those that are universal. Otherwise, they may not appear on everyone’s devise.

7. Include Contact Information

As with any place your company or brand is listed, you want your contact information on your Instagram page. This helps potential clients find you easily. The good news is that Instagram lets business profiles add your physical address, phone number, and email address without using up any of the character count in the bio. Maximize this feature by including your contact information.

This Includes Your Business Category

Also, take a minute to add your business category. This is another selection that won’t take up any room in your bio but is crucial for attracting followers and seeking customers.

8. Include Branded Hashtags and Related Accounts

When you include a hashtag or a profile username in your Instagram bio, it turns into a clickable link. This makes your bio an excellent place to promote other relevant accounts. For example, if you have an individual professional page and a branded business page, you can promote either page in the bio section of both accounts.

Or you can promote a branded hashtag that your customers use to share content. Clicking on it will show viewers all the content tagged with it and highlight the size of your following.

9. Feature a CTA

Consider leaving some space in your bio to include a call to action. From requesting a follow to encouraging customers to tag you in photos, choose a CTA that works for your brand and goals. Just remember to be clear with your CTAs.

To make the CTAs even better, include action buttons on your Instagram profile. These will appear underneath your bio next to the buttons for “Follow” and “Message.” Options for these buttons include:

• Book now
• Get quote
• Order food
• Reserve
• View Shop

You can also add an external link, but remember that you can only add one per bio. Ideally, this link should be trackable and changed regularly.

10. Select a Relevant Profile Picture

Another important aspect of your Instagram profile is your profile photo. This will be a crucial part of your branding, as it is what people see the most. Company logos are great ideas, but a photo of a well-known product is another good option.

If you are an individual running your own brand, you can opt for a photo of yourself rather than a logo. Doing so will humanize your Instagram profile while also highlighting the most important part of your brand – you.

11. Take Advantage of Instagram Stories Highlights

Using your Instagram stories is a crucial part of your social media marketing. You can further maximize this feature with Highlights. These appear underneath your bio. Clicking on Highlights will display the story as a standalone.

This is a great way to highlight specific products or answer FAQs. You can even organize these Highlights into categories with cover images and titles, such as Press, Blog Posts, or Product Categories.

Set Your Instagram Up for Success to Grow Your Followers

Once you incorporate the tips above, you will set your Instagram profile up for success. Now, it’s time to start posting great content and attracting followers. As you do, remember to change the URL in your bio occasionally to stay relevant and highlight a new offering.