How to Create the Perfect Instagram Bio

Instagram is a powerful tool for marketing your business well. It can be the perfect place to connect with your ideal customers. That connection starts with being clear about what you do. And so, here’s how to create the perfect Instagram Bio.

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It goes without saying that there are a TON of things that go into marketing your business well. Chances are, you know that well! The truth is, if you look at the whole process at once, it can seem overwhelming.

Here at Social Media & Coffee, we don’t do overwhelm. We make things as simple as possible. We take things one step at a time.

And that’s exactly what we are going to do in this article today. We are going to focus on one step at a time. One little topic at a time. Get some clarity, and then end with clear steps you can take to master this one step.

So, let’s dig in!

Today, we are going to take a quick deep dive into a specific topic… How to Create the Perfect Instagram Bio.

First, why is your Instagram Bio so important?

Your Bio is the one place where you get to announce to the world who you are and what you are about.

It is like your business card on social media.

When people make the decision to follow you on Instagram, they are visiting your profile to make that choice. And so, the information at the top of that profile is HUGE.

This is your chance to pique their interest and really communicate who you are for, and what they have to gain by following you.

This first step that we are taking today is really setting your Instagram account up for success. You will be getting all of ground work laid so that you are set to really crank up the results for your business through growing your Instagram account. We are going to be “optimizing” your account – meaning it’s in the best possible position to grab attention and get results.

So what’s the first action step in getting your Instagram account optimized?

STEP 1: Make sure you have the proper “Type” of account.

Instagram has 2 main categories of accounts: Basic/ or Regular Accounts…… and Professional Accounts.

A Basic, or Regular account is likely what you have for your personal use. This is the type of account that you can choose to be Private or Public, depending on your personal tastes.

A Professional Account is the type of account you will want to use for your business. In these types of accounts, you get access to a bunch of different features that are helpful for business owners. You can see analytics and statistics on your followers, and also on the posts you create. You can see what is working well on your page, and what is not. You also have the option to create ads and more from a professional account.

Now, your options as a professional account are to have either a “Business” account or a “Creator” account.

So, how do you know which TYPE of Professional account you need?

If you are a business with a physical location, or that sells physical products, you should have a “Business” account. In this type of account, you get access to setting up an Instagram shop, which can be a really powerful tool!

If you are any other type of business – either a service-based business, or you sell information products or courses, or you are an influencer – basically any type of business that does NOT sell physical products, I recommend that you have a “Creator” account.

Ok, let’s quickly look at how you can know which type of account you DO have, and how you can change your account type.

Follow these steps:

Open up your Instagram app on your phone
Go to your Profile
Go to the top and click on the hamburger, the 3 little lines
Click on Settings
Click on “Account”
Scroll to the bottom, and click on “Switch account type.”
You can see your options. If you have the option to switch to “business” – then you will see the option to switch to creator or personal. And vice versa.

It’s pretty straightforward, and you can always change again later if for some reason you didn’t like your choice.

Ok, let’s move on to the next step of optimizing your account.

STEP 2: Have an effective and clear Profile Picture.

This profile picture is the first thing people see, and first impressions truly do matter!

If you have a personal brand, your profile picture should be a photo of YOU.

This photo should be close up, basically just your face. If you get any farther out than that, it’s too vague. Think about it, people are seeing this photo as tiny, tiny on their phones. You need a close up photo.

This photo should be simple and make sense for your brand. For example, don’t have a photo of you with a horse…. If your brand has nothing to do with horses! It’s awesome that you love horses, but if it’s not your brand it’s just confusing. We want to be simple and clear.

Your photo should be well lit, and bright. If you need to edit your photo in a way so that it looks great, I recommend that program Canva. You can go to canva.com, upload your photo and crop it just perfectly. You can even remove the background of the photo if you want to take an extra step!

Now, if you do not have a personal brand, but more of a company, you will want your profile picture to be your Logo. Make sure that your logo fits well into the circle profile photo. If it does not, once again – you can head to canva.com and edit your logo to fit well inside a circle.

STEP 3: Have a clear username and title.

The next step toward optimizing your Instagram account is having a clear username and title.

First, your username is the same thing as your handle. You may hear it called either one. It’s the thing with the @ symbol and then your name.

Your username should be either your name or your business name. It should be clear, and be something people would search for to find you.

Now, if you have a common name, you may have to get a little creative. You can use periods or underscores, or even add “official” at the end. That’s something we’ve seen lots of personal brands do these days.

Then, your title, or name, is something different! This is the line in bold right at the top of your Instagram Bio.

Now, here’s something to know.

Both your username and your title are “searchable.” So that means that when people type in words in a search that are in your title…. Your Instagram account shows up in the search. (You want this! You want people to find you easily!)

So, it’s important to use your title WELL, and really be using words that communicate exactly what your niche is, and what you do.

I recommend that you use different words in your username (the @ symbol thing!) and your Title. Why? Because then you have even MORE words that are searchable and allow people to find you!

Let’s look at a couple of examples quickly. I think it’s easiest to learn when you can see it all in action.

STEP 4: One sentence that states who you help, and what problem you help with.

Now, this may take a little bit of thinking and prep work, but it will be worth it… promise!

Think through this template sentence, “ I help _________ solve ________ by _______”

In the first blank, be specific about WHO you help. Do you help women? Men? College graduates? Doctors? ….. Who is your audience that you are trying to help as a business?

Now, you’ll want to get specific with WHO you help. For example, if you said “I help women with…..” Well, what women? Middle aged women? New moms? Busy professionals? Empty-nesters? Be as specific as you can, in as few words as you can.

The 2nd blank in that sentence is what “problem” you solve for your customers. Do you help them lose weight? Save money? Write their first book? Once again, be as specific as you can, in as few words as you can.

The third blank is a bonus, but is really helpful. Say HOW you help to solve that problem. For example, Do you help by having 1:1 coaching? Do you provide unique products? Do you have a course? Fill in that 3rd blank, if you can.

Now…. You put it all together into a sentence!

Let’s give some examples:

“I help small business owners manage their own marketing through simple training and tools.”

My former coach, Alison Reeves’ is:

“I help entrepreneurs make more money by thinking outside the box.”

STEP 5: Build credibility.

This can feel odd, because it’s pretty much like bragging online. And not even a humble-brag, it’s just telling it like it is.

But, this is an important thing to include in your Bio. Think of YOUR niche, and what problem you are solving for your audience. What is your credibility? Why should they listen to you?

Have you lost 50 pounds? Have you been published? Have you helped 100 people reach their goal?

Everyone in business has credibility from something or somewhere.

This will be the 2nd line of your little Bio paragraph.

STEP 6: Include a Call to Action & a Link to click on.

The next line of your Bio, will be a call to action for your followers.

What would you like them to do? Would you like them to sign up for your email list? Send you a DM? Visit a certain blog post?

Right below this call to action is going to be your website link. This link can be whatever link you choose…. But your Call to Action is what send them there.

All that to say, the more specific you are in your call to action and link, the better.

A simple “follow me for more” and then a generic link to the front page of your website is not as good as it could be.

Here are some examples:

“Lose your next 10 pounds with this free guide” (and then link to the guide below)

“Email me to set up your free consultation.” And then your email address.

Think of the action you would like your audience to take, and lead them there through your CTA and your link.

Let’s take a minute and look at a few examples.

When you have followed these steps, you will have an Instagram Bio that is ready to ROCK. People will be able to come to your profile and know exactly who you are and how you can help them.