A few months ago, as I started sharing more about my business on Instagram, I started a little series called “Instagram Bio Audits”. I asked people to comment on a post or send me a DM if they would like help creating an Instagram Bio that would pass the “5-second test”. In other words, I was offering to help them write an Instagram bio that would quickly and clearly define who they are, what they do, and who they help within 5 seconds of a new person stumbling upon their page.

In general, I give these businesses and influencers 5 simple tips when crafting their Instagram bio:

1. Fill in your name field. This will improve your “searchability” on Instagram, AND it gives you extra space to quickly tell your audience what you do. So, think about what your ideal customer would be searching Instagram for, and include this in your bio. This could be, “Chicago Café,”, “Online Personal Trainer”, “Business Coach”, etc. Since the character count in the Instagram bio is limited to 150 characters, the name field is valuable real estate that you need to take advantage of.
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2. Create an “I help” statement. In 1 or 2 sentences, you should clearly define what you do and who you help. Be as detailed as possible, and don’t be afraid to get extremely specific with who you’re trying to reach.
   • Example: “I help 30-something moms get their dream body by training for only 30 minutes per day.”
     • This is A LOT more specific/intriguing than “I help people lose weight and become their best self”. A 30-something mom, who is super busy and only has 30 minutes to workout, will read your bio and instantly feel understood and inclined to hit that follow button.
3. Offer them a freebie of some sort. Use the website link in your Instagram bio wisely! You only have the option to share ONE link, so include something that your ideal customer wants and needs. It’s also important to introduce what exactly the link is. Use the line ABOVE the website link to create an attention-grabbing headline that will quickly appeal to your ideal customer. Depending on your industry, you could create a free guide, tutorial, blog post, or email opt-in that will make them say, “I need this!” and click on the link.
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4. Cut the fluff. I know, I know, I want to tell the world how much I love my dogs, too. 🙂 But, keeping your hobbies and interests out of your bio gives you more real estate for the important stuff – like speaking directly to your ideal customer’s wants and needs. Save your hobbies and passions outside of business for your Instagram Stories!
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5. Speaking of Instagram Stories, you need to have Highlight buttons set up. When a potential follower/customer stumbles upon your profile, they want to quickly read your bio, check out your Highlights, and do an extremely quick scroll over your grid. Having Highlights set up not only shows that you’re serious about Instagram and using it as a business tool, but it also gives you A TON more opportunities to show your work! As a business owner, it’s a MUST to have a Highlight button that showcases your products/services, projects, testimonials/reviews, and other aspects of your life and business that a potential follower/customer would find valuable, entertaining, or educational. A mix of business-related content and personal hobbies is perfectly fine here, in my opinion. 🙂 I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You want to attract customers who do care about YOU as a whole – not just your products and services.
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Please follow along on my Instagram Stories for more audits in the future! Check out my Audits Highlight for lots of examples so far. 🙂

Want me to audit your Instagram bio for FREE? Send me a DM on Instagram and I would be happy to help!