If you want to stand out on Instagram, a strong bio will help you catch people’s attention. But how do you write a bio that makes people want to stop scrolling and find out more about you?
Table of Contents
What is an Instagram Bio?
What Makes a Great Instagram Bio? 7 Tips
Instagram Bio Examples
Funny Instagram Bio Ideas
Clever Instagram Bio Ideas
Instagram Bio Quotes Ideas
Cool Instagram Bios Ideas
Cute Instagram Bios Ideas
Instagram Bios for Girls Ideas
Instagram Bios for Guys Ideas
Simple Instagram Bios Ideas
Witty Instagram Bios Ideas
Short Aesthetic Instagram Bios Ideas
Classy Instagram Bios Ideas
What is an Instagram Bio?
An Instagram bio is a short piece of text on your Instagram profile page, used to tell people who you are and what your account is all about. If you’re hoping to grow your audience by attracting new followers, your bio is essentially an elevator pitch where you have a very brief opportunity to capture their attention and convince them that they want to see more content from you.
But here is the challenge; an Instagram bio is only 150 characters long, which is the exact length of this sentence, including spaces and punctuation.
That might not feel like enough room to convey the true depth and complexity of what you have to offer, but nobody wants to read long bios anyway, so it’s a good exercise in figuring out how to say more while saying less.
Other than your 150 character description, your Instagram bio can also contain a link to your website, a profile pic, and not much else, so it’s vital to make your bio text really sparkle if you want to hold people’s attention.
If you’re a social media manager for a brand, this is going to be a little easier, since you probably already have a pithy one-liner that describes your organization and will serve perfectly well as bio for all of your social profiles. For everybody else, including content creators, influencers, and anybody just hoping to build an audience on Instagram, you’ll need to put a little extra thought into getting it just right.
What Makes a Great Instagram Bio? 7 Tips
There’s no single guaranteed way to write a great Instagram bio, what works for one type of account might not work for another, so ultimately you’ll need to experiment a little to figure out what works best for you.
How do you know if your bio is working well? You just need to track how it’s performing against whatever goals you have for your Instagram account. For example, if you’re trying to grow an audience but you’re not getting many new followers despite putting out strong content, maybe your bio isn’t convincing people to click on the follow button. Or maybe you’re trying to send traffic to your website from Instagram, so you can use your web analytics to see how many people are clicking through from your profile page.
If you’re not happy with your current Instagram bio, here are seven tips to help you improve it:
- Keep it Punchy
Instagram limits the number of characters in bios for a good reason; nobody wants to read long ones. Write down exactly what you want your bio to say, then look for ways to shorten what you’ve written. Remove unnecessary filler words, replace long words with shorter synonyms, think of how you can rephrase what you’ve written in fewer words.
Not only will this help you say more in limited space, it will be easier for people to quickly read and digest.
- Use Relevant Keywords
Include the most important keywords about your niche topic, so that your profile shows up in search results. For example, if you run a foodie Instagram account, you might consider including words such as “food, cooking, cuisine” in your bio. As well as helping you to show up in relevant search results, taking this approach will make sure that people immediately have a clear idea of what your Instagram account is about.
- Deploy Emojis with Care
A picture paints a thousand words, and a carefully chosen emoji can help you squeeze a little more meaning into your instagram bio without eating up all of your character limit. Try to use emojis that add to what you want to convey in your bio, don’t just throw a bunch of random ones in to look fun - if you overdo it, you risk looking spammy and discouraging followers.
- Use Multiple Lines
A line break counts as one character in your bio limit, but it can add a lot in terms of the formatting of the text and the way it looks to readers. Breaking your bio text across two or more lines can make it more impactful, in the same way that breaking a paragraph down into short bullet points makes it more readable, so long as you’re able to say what you need in several shorter lines..
- Express Yourself
Instagram has over 2 billion users, but there’s only one you. The best way to differentiate your bio is to let your unique personality shine through. Of course, it’s difficult to do that in 150 characters, but don’t fall into the trap of trying to emulate styles that work for other people, because that will just make it harder for people to see what’s special about your account.
- Clear Call to Action
If you want people to do something after reading your bio, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Want to grow your audience? Use something like “Don’t Forget to Follow!” or “Follow Me for Updates!”
Or if you want to send traffic to your website, you can just say “Click the Link for More Info!” or something similar. Specifically telling people what you would like them to do is far more effective than dropping subtle hints, or just hoping they’ll do what you want, so don’t underestimate the power of a strong Call to Action.
- Don’t Forget Your Link
Assuming that you’re building an Instagram profile for a purpose, rather than simply just for the sake of being on the platform, you probably want followers to visit your website, or your other social channels, so they can see more of your content. So don’t forget to add a link to your bio - it doesn’t eat into your 150 character limit - and think carefully about the best place to send them.
Often you’ll want the link to be to your own website, but if you don’t have a website and want to let people know about your other social channels, you can use a service like https://linktr.ee/ which provides one convenient link where you can list all of your other profiles.
Instagram Bio Examples
OK, ok, we said it’s important to be unique and original in an Instagram bio, but just in case you’re struggling to get your creativity firing on all cylinders, here are 100 examples of Instagram bios. We don’t recommend you copy them outright, but hopefully skimming through them all will help inspiration to strike so that you can come up with something breathtakingly original.
Funny Instagram Bio Ideas
Being funny is a great strategy for making your Instagram bio memorable:
- "Instagram influencer (almost, maybe)"
- "Just here for the memes and shameless selfies"
- "Unicorn whisperer and pizza connoisseur"
- "Spreading smiles like they’re going out of style."
- "Professional dog petter and snack enthusiast"
- "Powered by caffeine and bad decisions"
- "Professional procrastinator. Do not disturb."
- "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm a 9... and you're the 1 I need"
- "Taking over the world one nap at a time."
- "Sorry, I'm already taken... by my dog."
Clever Instagram Bio Ideas
A clever one-liner will always grab people’s attention, although being clever isn’t for everyone:
- "In a world of algorithms, I choose to stay human."
- "The best things in life are not things."
- "Less perfection, more authenticity."
- "Just trying to be extraordinary in an ordinary world."
- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
- "Turning coffee into code and dreams into reality."
- "Making mistakes, but always learning."
- "Conquering life one step at a time, in heels."
- "Too inspired to be tired."
- "In a world full of copies, I strive to be an original."
Instagram Bio Quotes Ideas
If you’re struggling to think of something clever for your Instagram bio, simply quoting another clever person is the next best thing:
- "Do more things that make you forget to check your phone."
- "Create your own sunshine."
- "She believed she could, so she did."
- "Be a voice, not an echo."
- "Chase your dreams, but always know the road that will lead you home again."
- "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." – Eleanor Roosevelt
- "Happiness is not by chance, but by choice."
- "What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create."
- "Bloom where you are planted."
- "Do what you love, love what you do."
Cool Instagram Bios Ideas
The first step to being cool is not trying to be cool, at least not trying too hard. An icy one-liner can make your Instagram bio pop:
- "Creating a life I love."
- "No bad vibes."
- "Work hard, stay humble."
- "Catch flights, not feelings."
- "Living my best life."
- "Stay wild, moon child."
- "Chillin’ like a villain."
- "Explorer of the world, lover of life."
- "Too glam to give a damn."
- "Born to stand out."
Cute Instagram Bios Ideas
If you’re looking to spread a little positivity with your Instagram profile consider a heartwarming, endearing bio that will show people you’re all about the good vibes:
- "Just a sunshine chaser looking for smiles"
- "Glitter enthusiast and daydream believer"
- "Coffee addict, dog mom, and happy camper"
- "Unicorn in training, sparkles on standby"
- "Collecting moments, one smile at a time"
- "Crafting, baking, and living my best life"
- "Spreading good vibes and plant lady status"
- "Fueled by kindness, powered by positivity"
- "Chasing sunsets and making memories"
- "Dreaming in color, living colorfully"
Instagram Bios for Girls Ideas
If your profile is targeted at a mostly female audience, here are some bio examples with a touch of feminine intuition:
- "Boss lady by day, unicorn by night"
- "Fueled by glitter, caffeine, and girl power"
- "Collecting memories, one adventure at a time"
- "Wearing my heart on my sleeve, and my smile on my face"
- "Living my best life and loving every minute of it"
- "Adventure-seeker, nature-lover, always-dreamer"
- "Chasing sunsets, making playlists, being authentically me"
- "Coffee, chaos, and a whole lot of creativity"
- "Empowering other women is my superpower"
- "Glitter and grace, with a side of sarcasm"
Instagram Bios for Guys Ideas
Hoping to get the guys on board with your Instagram profile? These bio ideas are dripping with positive masculinity:
- "Adventure seeker, coffee snob, dad joke enthusiast"
- "Taco connoisseur, craft beer aficionado, living my best life"
- "Outdoor explorer, adrenaline junkie, perpetual wanderlust"
- "Part-time superhero, full-time goofball, always hungry"
- "Chasing dreams, making memories, never skipping leg day"
- "Believer in dad bods, good music, and bad puns"
- "Fly fisherman by day, Netflix binge-watcher by night"
- "Fueled by ambition, powered by optimism, addicted to adventure"
- "Sports fanatic, tech nerd, dad joke champion"
- "Husband, dog dad, adventure partner, lifetime learner"
Simple Instagram Bios Ideas
Simplicity is a vastly underrated virtue. These concise instagram bio examples show you how to say more without saying more:
- "Capturing moments, one photo at a time"
- "Living life to the fullest"
- "Seeking joy in the little things"
- "Adventurer, explorer, daydreamer"
- "Spreading positivity, one post at a time"
- "Passionate about [hobby/interest]"
- "Lover of [food, travel, music, etc.]"
- "Storyteller, creator, eternal optimist"
- "Finding beauty in the everyday"
- "Just a [age]-year-old on a journey"
Witty Instagram Bios Ideas
Who doesn’t love a witty one liner? Win your audience over with a funny but clever bio:
- "I'm not saying I'm Batman, I'm just saying no one has ever seen us in the same room together."
- "I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious."
- "Why be difficult when with a bit of effort you can be impossible?"
- "I'm the person your mom warned you about... but she wanted you to meet me anyway."
- "I'm not saying I'm a problem solver, but I am definitely not part of the problem."
- "I can't adult today, I have a headache."
- "Here to make bad decisions and blame my friends."
- "I put the 'Pro' in 'Procrastinate.'"
- "I'm not bossy, I just have better ideas."
Short Aesthetic Instagram Bios Ideas
A focus on beauty, but in as few characters as possible, kind of like a Haiku for your Instagram bio:
- "Chasing sunsets and making memories."
- "Collecting moments, one adventure at a time."
- "Life is better in color."
- "Seeking beauty in the ordinary."
- "Wanderlust fueled, camera ready."
- "Crafting a life I love."
- "Fueled by curiosity, powered by passion."
- "Finding magic in the everyday."
- "Creating my own sunshine."
- "Inspired by the world around me."
Classy Instagram Bios Ideas
Elegance is always appreciated. Try keeping it classy with a sophisticated and charming bio:
- "Effortlessly elegant, unapologetically authentic."
- "Connoisseur of fine arts, good wine, and great company."
- "Sophisticated style, timeless grace."
- "Pursuing passion projects and perfecting the art of living well."
- "Classically trained, creatively inclined."
- "Cultivating a life of refinement, one moment at a time."
- "Seeking beauty, finding inspiration in the everyday."
- "Blending tradition with modern flair."
- "Meticulous in my craft, mindful in my approach."
- "A discerning eye for design, a penchant for the finer things."
Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve now got plenty of inspiration to write a unique and attention grabbing Instagram bio that will convince people to follow your account. Meltwater is trusted by global brands to manage social media at scale - let us show you how we can help you grow your Instagram audience, request a demo today.