How to Give Your Instagram Bio a Makeover in 2019

Published in

Octoly Magazine

4 min readMar 27, 2019

When you meet a new person, what often happens at some point during the meeting? You probably exchange Instagram information so you can keep in touch. This means that your Instagram page is now one of the first ways people get to know you better. Therefore, it is important to have a clear, concise Instagram bio that is a reflection of who you are and what people can expect to see on your page.

If you haven’t updated or thought about your Instagram profile in a while, now might be the time to consider a change. Below are a few tips to help you craft an Instagram bio that leaves an amazing first impression.

Keep it short and to the point

You should tailor your bio to attract the type of audience you want. If you want to attract young women and men who love makeup than a bio like: “I do trendy makeup tutorials every week” is perfect. It is simple, easy to understand, and lets a potential follower know exactly what to expect from your page.

Remember, you only have 150 characters to tell people what to expect from your Instagram page. Use that character count wisely and only include information that is helpful to your audience.

Use the name field to give more details

On Instagram you have your username, then you also have a field where you can put your name. If your Instagram username is already your name, you can use the name field to give more keywords about your page. Check out how Conscious.Kin did their name field below:

You could do something similar. Let’s say your username is @tiffany.smythe, you could use the name field to say ‘Makeup Guru’. This simple hack makes your Instagram page more searchable and also provides even more context around what to expect from your page.

Showcase your custom hashtag

Many influencers have adopted custom hashtags to make their work more searchable and set it apart from other influencers doing the same thing. You can include your custom hashtag in your bio. Even better, the hashtag will be totally clickable so anyone visiting your page can click on your custom hashtag to see your body of work immediately.

Don’t forget to link to your main site

You are allowed to include links in your Instagram bio. Don’t forget to include a link to your site, blog, or YouTube channel. Instagram can be a big traffic driver — plus more people discover new Instagram pages before they discover new blogs these days. So if you are a blogger, don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your site via Instagram.

If you use Instagram only and don’t have an external site, make sure your email address is easily accessible. Think of your Instagram page as your online introduction — but don’t make it too hard for a potential partner to get in touch with you. So make sure your contact information is easy to access.

Practice what you preach

Once you have crafted the perfect bio, it is essential that your bio speaks to the content of your page. If you say in your bio that you are a makeup guru but your page only has pictures of you and your friends, that is misleading and will ultimately hurt you as you try to build your audience.

If you decide to make a shift in your content, just make sure to update your bio to reflect any changes. That way you can prevent any unnecessary confusion and continue to grow your page.

Want to learn more about how to work with brands as an influencer? Hop on over to our website and join the #OctolyFamily now.

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