Your Instagram bio is more than just a quick blurb about your company. It can also be a powerful social media marketing tool that helps your brand stand out to potential customers.
“I like to think of it as your visual business card,” says Ben Fingeret, vice president of social media at the creative production company Full Picture Productions.
“Twenty years ago, you’d go meet someone, and you’d physically hand them your business cards, and you’d basically have your elevator pitch of what you do, why you’d help them, what value you’re gonna bring to them. And today, it’s your Instagram profile,” he says.
Ahead, learn how your bio can be an influential part of your social media marketing strategy. Explore 10 Instagram bio examples for inspiration, and read tips for optimizing your own bio.
What is an Instagram bio?
An Instagram bio is the summary of you or your business displayed next to your profile photo on your Instagram account. It can include the following:
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A 150-character blurb about you or your brand
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Up to five links, such as your website or popular products
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A customizable display name, separate from your handle
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Your Instagram verification badge, if you have one
With a strategic approach, this important piece of marketing real estate can work hard for your brand.
10 Instagram bio ideas
“A lot of the best profiles and bios sort of follow the same format,” Ben says. “It’s something that’s a little active, it’s maybe a little humorous. It says who you are, why people should follow you.”
These 10 brands make careful use of the limited space an Instagram bio offers to highlight different types of information about their companies.
1. Bombas
Rather than advertising products in their Instagram bio, sock and apparel brand Bombas uses the space to share their mission. The company strives to make “the world a more comfortable place” by donating a pair of socks for every pair purchased. Sharing your mission often and across different channels helps customers understand what your brand is about—and differentiate it from competitors.
“If you’re not sick of telling the same story over and over again, then you’re not saying it enough,” Randy Goldberg, Bombas’ cofounder and chief brand officer, says on Shopify Masters. Bombas features the same “one purchased, one donated” message from their Instagram bio throughout their website.
“How could you possibly expect somebody who’s paying attention to a million other things to understand the thing that you hold deeply, at the same nuance level that you understand it? It’s impossible,” Randy says. “So you have to repeat yourself with conviction time and time again.”
2. Kloo
The coffee brand Kloo uses their Instagram bio to convey their value proposition. The tagline “Exceptional coffee concentrates crafted by Q Grader coffee sommelier” explains what makes the brand special. Their products are crafted by a bonafide expert—a Q Grader is a licensed professional coffee taster.
Kloo cofounder Claudia Snoh says choosing just one value prop helped focus her marketing efforts. “As a founder, I think you always want to communicate 10 different things that make your product great. But at the end of the day, no one is going to remember what makes your product unique. They’re going to remember one thing about your brand,” Claudia says on Shopify Masters. She recommends making a list of all your value propositions, and choosing the most important one to focus on.
3. Simpli
Simpli sells pantry staples like oils, beans, grains, and spices from farms that use regenerative agriculture practices. The company uses their Instagram bio to share the tagline, “Nourish like a mother.”
Taglines and slogans are short, catchy phrases that communicate the heart of your brand identity. You can create your own with Shopify’s free slogan maker.
4. Ithaca Hummus
Ithaca Hummus shares their tagline—“Dip into a new world of flavor”—in their Instagram bio. They also use the space to show customers where to find their products in retail stores, and to highlight new products. Their Olive Oil Sea Salt Hummus is also featured as the brand’s profile photo.
Ithaca Hummus’s Instagram bio follows a common format for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. That format is:
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Tagline
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Emoji + value proposition or featured product
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Emoji + retailers where you can buy the products
5. Jaxxon
The jewelry brand Jaxxon uses their Instagram bio to share social proof. Highlighting that the company has received 100,000 five-star reviews is a powerful boost to their brand’s credibility.
Jaxxon shares another form of social proof here, too: Their product has been voted the number one men’s chain. These two data points show prospective customers that people already love Jaxxon’s products.
6. Blume
In their Instagram bio, skin care brand Blume shares their products’ benefits, rather than simply featuring products. Benefits-focused messaging tells Instagram users exactly why they should buy from Blume. “Prevent, treat, and fade acne” lets customers learn the basics without clicking on product links.
The company also includes social proof in the form of press mentions. Blume notes that they’ve been featured in both Popsugar and Forbes, which lends them credibility. Lastly, they use their bio to share which retailers carry their products in which markets. Flag emojis help keep this bio under the 150-character limit.
7. Prose
Hair care brand Prose uses their Instagram bio to share their brand values. Copy such as “Clean ingredients” and “Cruelty-free” communicates Prose’s commitment to ethical beauty.
The brand’s bio also features Prose’s certification as a B Corporation. This lets customers know that the business lives up to its values and meets B Corp social and environmental standards.
8. Quad Lock
Quad Lock sells electronic accessories for active lifestyles, like phone mounts for bicycles. The brand uses its Instagram bio as a space to encourage user-generated content (UGC). By asking users to tag the brand or use the #quadlock hashtag in their content for a chance to be featured, Quad Lock taps into the power of UGC as social proof.
9. Anker
Electronics brand Anker uses their Instagram bio to direct users toward their customer support channels. The company includes their email address and phone number, along with a link to their customer service-focused Instagram account, @ankersupport. Visitors can DM that profile for help without leaving the Instagram app. It’s a strategic use of key real estate to encourage self service and help get customers any support they may need.
10. Le Creuset
Cookware brand Le Creuset includes a CTA in their Instagram bio that encourages users not only to buy their products, but also to explore recipes. This provides an additional value to potential customers, encouraging engagement beyond just shopping—and tapping into their power as a lifestyle brand.
Le Creuset also encourages UGC by asking customers to tag @lecreuset in their own Instagram content. The company highlights its legacy status by noting that it sells “the first, finest, and favorite colorful cookware, since 1925.”
Instagram bio templates
Many of the Instagram bio examples above use a similar format:
1. Brand tagline
2. Brand description or value proposition
3. Where to shop
4. CTA
5. Link
Some companies use an emoji before or after the CTA. Here are a few Instagram bio ideas using emojis from the examples above:
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Shop now 👇
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Shop and get recipes 👇
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🛒 Find us in retailers, restaurants, and more
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🌀 I dare you
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📫 Available in [country]
Instagram bio features
- Bio text
- Profile photo
- Username and display name
- Bio links
- Contact information
- Instagram Shop
- Curated Highlights and pinned posts
Here’s how brands use built-in Instagram bio features for branding:
Bio text
Your Instagram profile might be the very first thing a potential customer sees from your brand. A good bio tells users who you are—and why they should follow you—in just a few words.
Here’s an example from skin care brand Beekman 1802. The company explains who they are, “Sensitive Skin Experts,” in their bio. They also use the space to convey the idea behind their business, the benefits of their products, and their brand values.
Lastly, an Ulta Beauty tag tells users where they can buy Beekman 1802 products in store.
Profile photo
Almost all of these Instagram bio examples use a logo or wordmark for their profile picture. Here’s an example of a logo profile photo from footwear brand Larroudé:
Username and display name
You can use your brand name or a variation of it, like @eatsimply or @anker_official, as your Instagram handle. Use the display name field for your real brand name.
The olive oil company Graza, for example, uses the handle @getgraza and displays their true brand name underneath.
Bio links
You can add up to five links to your brand’s Instagram bio. These links can direct followers to your website, a product or collection page, or anywhere else you want to drive traffic. Only one link will immediately be visible in your bio; users will need to expand your bio to see the rest.
Contact information
Some users might want to contact you directly on Instagram. Instagram has the option to add contact info, which will appear as clickable buttons on your profile when viewed through Instagram’s mobile app.
To add this, navigate to your Instagram profile > Edit your profile > Contact Options.
The clothing brand Damson Madder, for example, includes a button for users to email the company.
Instagram Shop
You can set up an Instagram Shop to start selling on Instagram. This lets users browse your products within the Instagram app. Once you’ve set up your storefront, a Shop button will appear on your profile page, directly below your bio.
If you’re on Shopify, you can set up an Instagram Shop by adding the Facebook & Instagram app to your online store. Once you’ve set it up, product information will automatically sync from your ecommerce website to your Instagram Shop.
Here you can see the Shop button on the profile of the tinned fish brand Fishwife.
When users click on Fishwife’s Shop button, they arrive at the company’s Instagram Shop. When they’re ready to check out, shoppers are directed to Fishwife’s ecommerce store.
Curate Highlights and pinned posts
Instagram Highlights and pinned posts appear directly below your Instagram bio, just above your regular feed. Users see them before they scroll down your page.
Highlights are saved Instagram Stories presented as clickable thumbnails. They let you preserve your Stories beyond their typical 24-hour run, and you can name and organize them into scannable collections that support your brand story. Pinned posts are regular Feed posts that you pin to the top of your grid.
You have a few options for what to spotlight.
“A lot of people will look at the last six months and pin their top three highest performing posts because they know that that’s a flywheel for engagement,” says Ben of Full Picture Productions. “Some people, especially brands, sometimes will either do the latest promotion they have, or they’ll do something that really speaks to their brand origin or DNA, like an intro video.”
For example, lifestyle brand United By Blue uses Highlights to introduce users to their environmental cleanups, the materials they use, and their commitment to sustainability. A pinned post highlights the brand’s status as a Certified B Corporation.
Read more
- 20 Inspiring Instagram Post Ideas for New and Unique Content
- Pinterest Ads: A Beginner’s Guide (2024)
- How To Use (Meta) Facebook Ads Manager: A Guide for 2024
- How To Write Instagram Captions for Likes & Comments
- How To Get Verified on Instagram (Blue Check) in 2024
- Instagram Handle Usage on Business Cards (Guide )
- How To Set Up and Use Meta Pixel (Formerly Facebook Pixel)
Instagram bio FAQ
Can I use hashtags in my Instagram bio?
Yes, you can use hashtags in your Instagram bio. One way to use them is to encourage your followers to post content with a certain hashtag as a way to encourage user-generated content.
How many characters are in an Instagram bio?
An Instagram bio can have up to 150 characters.
How do you put a clickable link in an Instagram bio?
To add a link to your bio:
1. Open your Instagram mobile app.
2. Navigate to your profile (bottom right icon).
3. Select Edit Profile at the top of the screen.
4. Select Add links, then add your URL.
5. Tap Done to save.
How do you edit an Instagram bio?
To edit your business information on Instagram:
1. Go to your profile.
2. Select Edit Profile, then make edits.
3. Select Done to save your changes.
How do you add a location to your Instagram bio?
To add the location of your business on Instagram:
1. Go to your Instagram profile.
2. Select Edit Profile.
3. Select Contact options.
4. Add your location in the Business address field.
5. Select Done to save your changes.
