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Instagram Bio Ideas: 9 Steps To Crafting The Perfect Copy For Your Shopify Brand

A woman wearing a hat with covered eyes.

The Instagram bio is often treated as an afterthought—a line or two about your company you hastily fill out when you create your account.

In reality, your bio is valuable social media real estate which welcomes users to your profile, creates a first impression of your brand, conveys key information about your business, and turns profile visitors into followers and followers into customers.

But aside from writing a catchy company description, what else can you do to optimize your profile to make the most of your Instagram account and marketing efforts?

What is an Instagram bio?

Your Instagram bio gives you 150 characters and a single external link to work with. Your username, which you can customize separately from your handle (i.e. @user), gives you another 30 characters.

What your Instagram bio needs to accomplish

It may not seem like you have much room to work with when you consider everything your profile should accomplish. Good Instagram bios will:

  • Highlight essential information about your business (your brand name, category, etc.), which you can change in your profile settings
  • Provide Instagram users with a way to get in touch with you
  • Showcase your brand and your personality, matching your voice and style to your site and other social platforms
  • Establish your USP, helping your target audience understand what makes your brand valuable to them
  • Drive valuable actions, such as sharing or viewing content, registering for an event, or heading to your site to make a purchase

Luckily, there’s an array of Instagram features you can use alongside your written bio that help cover these considerations with a profile that helps users quickly understand your business, what you’re selling, and how they can take further action.

How to create the perfect Instagram bio

Since you only have a limited number of characters at your disposal, there are a handful of objectives you need to prioritize in your bio before you start optimizing the rest of your profile.

1. Tell profile visitors who you are and why they should care

However you choose to express it, the first thing your bio needs to accomplish is to explain what your business offers and who you serve.

When new users discover you on Instagram for the first time, you need to quickly give them the info they need to keep them interested. As on most social media platforms, you won’t have their attention for long, so use concise copy that gets your point across quickly.

For many brands, such as Knix in the example below, that means explicitly spelling out who they are for profile visitors in clear and simple terms.

Knix instagram bio

Your bio doesn’t need to rely solely on text either. You can make it stand out by using:

  • LingoJam to customize your font (just copy and paste the text into your bio)
  • ☕️fun emojis to add personality
  • ↴👇directional characters or emojis to draw attention to specific parts of your bio, like a clickable link to your website

2. Use clickable tags to promote branded hashtags and sister accounts

The link in your bio isn’t the only thing visitors can click on to learn more about you.

If you have a branded hashtag, include it in your bio to draw clicks and take interested users to an Instagram feed of branded or user-generated content. Just type it in your bio as you would any hashtag.

Pura Vida Bracelets, for example, uses a linked hashtag in their bio to promote their branded hashtag: #PuraVidaBracelets.

Pura Vida Bracelets instagram bio

This actively encourages customers to create and share photos of themselves wearing their bracelets. Branded hashtags are also searchable, which provides a variety of benefits:

  • It makes it easier for Pura Vida to collect this content so they can reshare it.
  • It allows them to ensure customers use the right hashtag with clear instructions in their bio.
  • When users click on the hashtag, they’ll be taken to an entire feed of branded or user-generated content, which is a big win for their brand.

Pura Vida Bracelets

Similarly, you can tag other accounts to direct profile visitors to your other properties. If you have a sub-brand with a separate Instagram account or a partnership you want to highlight, you can mention it in your bio (i.e. “@username”) and it’ll appear in your bio as a link.

Fashion Nova is a fantastic example of a brand that uses mention tagging well in their bio. They have separate Instagram profiles for their men's and plus-size sub-brands.

By tagging these accounts in their main profile, they ensure that they send users to the accounts with the content and products best suited for them.

Fashion Nova instagram bio

3. Include a call to action

Featuring a call to action (CTA) in your bio’s copy can be a valuable addition. CTAs significantly increase the likelihood that users take the action you’re describing because they explain exactly what to do and how to do it.

There are a number of different actions you can prioritize in your bio—you can even squeeze in a couple of different CTAs—so consider what would be most valuable to your business and make room for that.

Here are some approaches you can take with your CTAs:

  • Be direct: “Click our bio link to shop our latest products.”
  • Encourage users to share: “Tag #brandedhashtag to be featured”
  • Promote a limited time offer: “Shop our Black Friday sale”
  • Highlight a contest: “Share your favorite flavor for a chance to win!👇”

Leesa, for example, has two CTAs in their Instagram bio: one encouraging users to share and tag them in content, and the other driving users to click the link and learn more about their products.

leesa sleep instagram bio

No matter the CTA you use, there are a few best practices to always keep in mind:

  • Feature your highest priority CTA at the end of the bio. People will be more likely to take that action after you've established who you are. Plus, it puts your CTA in close proximity to your link.
  • Give clear instructions where needed. If you want to get users to contribute to your branded hashtag, opt for something like “share your unboxing experience with #opensesame” with a clickable hashtag at the end.
  • Start with the action. Begin your CTA with a verb (Start, Shop, Tag, etc.) to get straight to the point and eliminate unnecessary words.

Keep in mind that you can adapt your bio to promote special events like a seasonal sale, contest, or upcoming trade show. You can always swap in new CTAs and links to prioritize limited time offers or events.

4. Make the most of your bio link

With swipe-up story links and Shopping on Instagram, there are plenty of options to drive traffic to your site. But your Instagram bio link is still a valuable opportunity to send profile visitors to any page you’d like them to visit—whether it’s a Kickstarter campaign or a YouTube video.

Many brands link out to their website’s homepage by default until they have the chance to promote something specific, like this example from Claurete:

claurete jewelry instagram bio

You can also link to:

  • Your latest product launch to ride the wave of any other Instagram marketing efforts that bring attention to it
  • A link curation page, powered by a tool like Linktree, to promote a variety of links
  • A signup page for a course, email list, contest, etc.
  • Your latest article or video if content is at the heart of your business
  • An event registration page, such as a Meetup or tradeshow

Just be sure to adapt your bio copy to incorporate a CTA for your new link when you add one.

If you want to track how effective your bio link is at driving traffic relative to other Instagram sources, you can use a URL shortener like Bit.ly, along with UTM tracking, to measure click-throughs.

tattly instagram bio

Whatever you choose, keep your goals in mind and where you cover them across your business profile and content. You can change your bio link as often as you want, and increase its effectiveness by letting users know in individual posts and stories to “check out your bio link for more info.”

5. Adding “Action Buttons” to help users reach you

Speaking from experience, it’s extremely common for users to contact you after they come across your brand on Instagram.

Sometimes they’ll send you a direct message on Instagram, but if that’s their only option it can quickly become hard to manage. That’s why it’s important to direct customers to your preferred channels, whether it’s a phone number, email, or even directions to your store if you have a physical location.

Filling out your contact information on Instagram shifts most of this responsibility from your written bio to the appropriate “Action Buttons” that are easy to find when customers visit your profile.

You can do this by editing your profile and tapping on “Contact Options.”

edit instagram profile

From here, you can enter contact information or channels that makes it easy for customers to reach you:

  • Phone number, which you can set for users to either call or text you
  • Email address, which will open the user’s default email app, ready to compose a message to the provided address
  • Address, which will be converted into “Directions,” allowing users to pull up your business on a map and see where it is in relation to their current location
  • Third-party services to book an appointment, buy a ticket, and more through platforms like Booksy and Eventbrite

edit instagram project options

People will use the contact information you provide, so only enter information for customer service channels you actually support. If you don’t have a phone line dedicated for customer support, don’t add in your personal phone number just because you want to have something there.

This contact info will appear as clickable buttons on your profile when viewed through Instagram’s mobile app.

6. Enable Shopping on Instagram to showcase your products

You may have noticed the “Shop” action button in some of the examples above.

The Shop tab will appear by default after you set up Shopping on Instagram and start tagging images with product tags. You can learn more about how to set this up in your own Shopify store.

The Shop tab is also home to all the content you’ve tagged with your product tags, giving users the opportunity to shop your collection through the photos you’ve posted. They can tap on any of these photos to view it and to learn more about the products featured in them, and tap once more to visit the product page on your website to make a purchase.

Try to only use product tags on photos that clearly show off your products to create a carefully curated gallery of product photos under your Shop tab. Here’s what the Shop tab looks like for the Lucky Tackle Box Instagram:

lucky tackle box instagram bio

7. Curate Highlights for your profile

Instagram Stories are an essential part of Instagram marketing, and Story Highlights give them a longer lasting presence on your profile. They allow you to save individual stories into different “highlights,” which you get to name and organize as you see fit.

These highlights will live in your profile indefinitely right underneath your bio, above your feed, and when clicked will show the saved stories one after another. United By Blue has stories curated for product collections, their environmental cleanups, their online store, news, and press.

united by blue instagram bio

Not only will your expired stories of the day be given a longer lifespan, but you’ll also be able to feature content that strongly represents your brand at the top of your feed where users are most likely to see it.

This gives you a chance to control the narrative, and even produce stories with the express purpose of turning them into highlights.

Creating highlights is easy:

  1. Head to your profile page and tap “New+” under your bio.
  2. You’ll be able to select all the stories in your archive that you want to add to this specific highlight. Choose them based on a specific theme or a narrative you want to convey.
  3. You’ll then be asked to name your highlight. Note that you only get a maximum of 15 characters, including spaces, so you want to be clear and creative enough to grab attention on your profile.
  4. The last step is to edit the cover image (you can even create a story to specifically use as your cover), and it will be published to your profile. You can add to your highlights at any time by simply clicking on it and pressing “Edit.”

instagram highlights

There are countless ways you could organize your highlights, but some of the more common themes include:

  • Event coverage or event details
  • User-generated content
  • Product tutorials
  • “How It’s Made” content
  • Behind-the-scenes content
  • Product features or highlights of bestsellers
  • News and announcements

8. Share a promo code

To give followers extra incentive to jump over to your site to make a purchase, consider putting a coupon code in your bio. Nutriseed does this in their Instagram bio, sharing a code followers can use to get 10% off their first order.

nutriseed uk instagram bio

Discounts and promo codes are proven conversion drivers. Not only will this drive users to your site to make a purchase, but it also gives you a more accurate way to track these conversions. Use a code unique to your Instagram bio so you can see exactly how many sales you’re driving.

Dig deeper into the data and see what those people are buying. Then use those insights to inform your Instagram strategy. If there’s lots of interest in a particular product, do a Q&A on your Stories about it. If they’re all located in a similar location, partner with a local Instagram influencer to promote your brand. The possibilities for insights truly are endless.

9. Leverage IGTV

IGTV is an extension of Instagram which allows brands to create videos up to an hour long (versus 60 seconds with a standard video post). These IGTV streams happen live, and are then published to your main page so users can tune in later.

Kylie Cosmetics has built a strong loyal base of customers largely thanks to the influence of social media. The makeup brand frequently uses IGTV to publish makeup tutorials, by founder Kylie Jenner herself as well as outside influencers.

IGTV

Though product tutorials may seem a straightforward strategy, brands are also pushing creative boundaries with IGTV. Bacardi, for example, used it to create a music video with Grammy-winning artists—they even gave their followers the role of director, allowing them to be a part of the process.

You might not be ready to make a full-blown music video. There are tons of other ways to use IGTV to enhance your Instagram bio:

  • Show behind-the-scenes footage of the materials being sourced or product being made
  • Partner with influencers to do an IGTV takeover
  • Broadcast in-person events you’re involved in
  • Record unboxing videos and showcase your premium product packaging
  • Host a live Q&A

Instagram bio ideas: 30 best examples

Fashion/apparel

1. Würkin Stiffs

würkin stiffs instagram bio

Würkin Stiffs promotes its brand and magnetic collar stay accessories for men on Instagram. Their bio has a strong brand voice which aligns to its other communication channels, with just the right amount of humor. They’ve also incorporated their hashtag and a simple URL to the main website.

2. Evelyn & Bobbie

evelyn and bobbie instagram bio

Evelyn & Bobbie reiterates their mission to uplift and empower women. They also have the simple URL to their website homepage, plus stories that highlight product collections, press, and in-person events.

3. Manitobah Mukluks

manitobah mukluks instagram bio

Footwear brand Manitobah Mukluks has an Instagram bio with a carefully curated visual aesthetic. Complementary Instagram bio photos and stories thumbnails give it a clean, on-brand look. They also share fun emojis and their branded hashtag.

4. KaiKini Bikinis

KaiKini Bikinis instagram bio

KaiKini Bikinis makes major use of the stories real estate, giving followers an inside look at their product and how it’s made, and a guide on how to choose the right suit for your needs. The bio also succinctly tells you how you can get your own custom bathing suit.

5. Johnny Cupcakes

Johnny Cupcakes instagram bio

Johnny Cupcakes gives followers a peek into founder Johnny Earle’s everyday life, building an authentic, personal connection with consumers. Social proof in the form of a nod from Boston Globe and plenty of emojis give this Instagram bio the perfect balance of business and fun.

6. iHeartRaves

iHeartRaves instagram bio

iHeartRaves also favors the use of emojis, which are particularly appealing to their younger, music festival-going audience. The apparel retailer also puts emojis in the titles of their stories, which promote events, product collections, and giveaways. The bio also includes their branded hashtag and a link to shop what’s been posted to Instagram.

Jewelry

7. Patrick Adair Designs

Patrick Adair Designs instagram bio

Patrick Adair Designs has a more subtle approach to emojis, using arrows to direct users’ eyes to their Linktree URL. The bio also promotes the company’s B2B page and designer Patrick Adair’s personal page. They use stories to go behind-the-scenes and show off the custom, handmade process that goes into their rings. Perhaps the best part about this Instagram bio is the trackable discount code customers can use to shop.

8. Beth Macri

Beth Macri instagram bio

Beth Macri’s jewelry is also custom, and like Patrick Adair, the Instagram bio has emojis that direct users’ eyes to the main Linktree URL CTA. Here, the Instagram bio also has a CTA to get customers to share their content via the branded hashtag, which they can then repurpose for their own marketing initiatives.

Beauty/skincare

9. Poo-Pourri

Poo-Pourri instagram bio

Unsurprisingly, Poo-Pourri’s Instagram bio features the poo emoji right in the profile name—but there’s more to it than that. The voice conveyed in the copy is completely on-brand and matches the humor of the overall brand voice. A simple Linkin.bio link takes users to a page where they can learn more about and purchase products featured on Instagram.

10. Rocky Mountain Soap Company

Rocky Mountain Soap Company instagram bio

Rocky Mountain Soap Company also uses emojis, except these are nature-inspired—much like their products. The Linktree link takes you to a page where you can engage in more content, get a freebie, or shop the full online store. Stories highlight their commitment to sustainability and in-person stores and events.

11. ColourPop Cosmetics

ColourPop Cosmetics instagram bio

ColourPop Cosmetics uses their Instagram bio to share the branded hashtag and remind users that their products are cruelty-free—plus a cute animal emoji to go with it. They also leverage IGTV to broadcast longform videos that share content from behind the scenes and at in-person events.

12. Love Hair

Love Hair mostly dedicates its stories to highlighting product collections, though they also share tips to help customers better care for their hair. They reiterate the benefits of their products, include a branded hashtag, and drive users to their website’s homepage.

Technology/electronics

13. Master & Dynamic

Master & Dynamic instagram bio

Master & Dynamic’s Stories thumbnails instantly jump off the screen. They use striking imagery on their website, and Instagram is no difference. stories highlight individual products, and the bio is simple and clean—just like their imagery. The website’s URL is also included for users who want to browse more.

14. Quad Lock

Quad Lock instagram bio

Quad Lock has a uniform, icon-based approach to their Stories thumbnails, with black backgrounds and striking white graphics. The bio highlights their free shipping policy, as well as promotes Quad Lock sister brands. Emojis direct users’ eye, while the brand encourages social sharing via branded hashtag and a chance to be featured, and drives followers to a Linktree landing page.

15. Studio Proper

Studio Proper instagram bio

Another company which cells cases for phones and electronic devices, Studio Proper uses the inverse for their stories thumbnails: white background with black illustration. Here, the Instagram bio is sans emoji, creating a clean and simple aesthetic. The bio features their tagline, a brief description of their products, a cross-promotion to their B2B channels, and a website URL.

16. Zero Gravity

Zero Gravity instagram bio

The third phone case company on this list—with three completely different approaches—Zero Gravity doesn’t skimp on the emojis, even using one to title a Stories collection. This is the first instance in this list where an email address is included. This makes customer support easy to access, which signals to existing and potential customers alike that doing business with ZG would be a positive experience.

Home goods

17. Port of Raleigh

Port of Raleigh instagram bio

Port of Raleigh uses its Instagram bio to describe what they offer in terms of products, as well as where customers can get them: online or at their brick-and-mortar location (complete with store hours). Stories highlight in-person events and retail spaces, as well as answers to commonly asked questions.

18. St. Frank

St. Frank instagram bio

St. Frank leads its Instagram bio with a form of social proof: Vogue magazine giving the brand praise for its textiles products. The brand also uses the bio to promote their ethical practices, brick-and-mortar locations, and free shipping policy. They regularly change out the link; in this example, they’re promoting the timely collection of Mother’s Day products.

19. Hem

Hem instagram bio

Like St. Frank, Hem uses their Instagram bio space to promote free shipping and their latest product collection. They also update it to promote in-person events. Hem’s stories are curated product collections and design inspiration.

20. Floorplan Rugs

Floorplan rugs instagram bio

Floorplan Rugs uses their Instagram bio space largely to promote their brick-and-mortar locations. They keep it simple, with the ultimate goal of driving Instagram traffic to become foot traffic. They also include a link to a landing page, as well as the homepage URL in their bio space.

21. Au Lit Fine Linens

Au Lit Fine Linens instagram bio

Au Lit Fine Linens has a clean, simple brand—and their Instagram bio reflects that. Simple graphics on a muted background make up the thumbnails for their Stories, which curate gift ideas, new products, behind-the-scenes content, and more. “We change the way you sleep,” promises the brand.

Food and beverage

22. Perfect Keto

Perfect Keto instagram bio

Perfect Keto seems to use emojis for one reason: to draw users’ eye to the area they want to emphasize. The first points to their URL, driving traffic to the site, while the second draws the eye to one of their stories. This particular one is for a contest, while other Stories collections include healthy Keto tips and motivation, podcasts, and recipes.

23. Ugly Drinks

Ugly Drinks instagram bio

Ugly Drinks has an Instagram bio and presence that’s anything but ugly. The list-like approach makes it easy to read each of the points, emojis match the playfulness of the brand, and there’s a branded hashtag encouraging users to follow and share. Social proof is offered by mentions of Quartz, Forbes, and Bustle, and the bit.ly link takes users to a page where they can purchase their first box.

24. Skinny Teatox

Skinny Teatox instagram bio

Global brand Skinny Teatox uses their Instagram bio to remind followers of the advantages of shopping with them: all-natural and fast shipping. They also incorporate social proof: “Thousands of happy customers” means that their product has worked for many, and it can work for you too. The CTA is strong and in all caps, drawing attention to it, and driving users to the main homepage.

25. Press London

Press London instagram bio

PRESS London’s Instagram bio reads like a list of bullet points, which is ideal for a quickly scrolling mobile audience. The stories thumbnails match the branded green color of the main profile picture, and feature simplistic illustrations. The customized and easy-to-remember bit.ly link takes users to a collection page of various diet plans available on their site.

Miscellaneous

26. Faucet Face

Faucet Face instagram bio

Faucet Face sells water bottles, but their Instagram bio is about more than just that. They use emojis and messaging that share the brand’s mission to make the world a healthier place for humans and the environment alike. Stories highlight the brand story and how they live their mission, health and wellness tips, footage from events, and ideas on how to give back to the community.

27. Two Wheel Gear

Two Wheel Gear instagram bio

Two Wheel Gear has five core elements to their Instagram bio: tagline, description, UGC CTA, social proof, and link. What’s most interesting here is the way they go about social proof. Rather than touting a quote from an industry publication, Two Wheel Gear highlights the author of their blog, Joe Meissner, who is an influential figure in their niche. This brings the community full circle, and followers are more likely to trust the brand and their content.

28. The Giving Manger

The Giving Manger instagram bio

The Giving Manger sells a unique product: a DIY manger kit for families to make together during Christmas. Though they sell just a single product, the brand has used their Instagram bio in a number of ways: a heart-warming and emotional appeal to users, simple emojis, and website URL. Stories give a look into how the product works, the book that comes along with the kit, and tradition ideas to start with your family.

29. Holstee

Holstee instagram bio

Holstee is a bright and playful brand, and their Instagram bio reflects that. However, instead of relying on the use of emojis, Holstee uses the space to promote their membership program and Linktree link. Their stories feature bold, solid-color thumbnails for a unique but appealing aesthetic.

30. Pure Cycles

Pure Cycles instagram bio

Pure Cycles has a few key elements that make theirs one of the best Instagram bios: light use of emojis, well-designed stories thumbnails, and link to their website. Like some of the other examples, they also share a support email address, along with a CTA for customers to post UGC with their hashtag.

Make the most of your Instagram bio

As you go about building relationships with others on Instagram and posting new content for your current followers, users are bound to visit your Instagram profile out of curiosity or for a quick update about your business.

Your bio is your shot at making a strong introduction on behalf of your brand and convincing these visitors to stick around for a while or even follow along.

This article was originally published by our friends at Shopify.

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