How To Make An Eye-Catching Instagram Bio in 2020

“Keeping you hungry through delicious recipes and recommendations.”

That’s my tag line. That’s the first thing someone sees when they come to my Instagram page. That is the first impression someone has of what they are about to see when they scroll down my page.

What does yours say?

Instagram bios are something that you can use to your advantage, whether it be with how you position yourself, how much you share — or how much you don’t share. When I was first starting my Instagram, I watched endless of those ridiculous fake Zoom-style calls where the same-looking bunch of 30 year old women tell you how they made their first £100k in 6 months. They each told me something different about my bio, they each told me something different about how to reach out to brands, and generally it was just so misleading. I’m not going to tell you that you’ll make £100k by changing your bio - that’s crazy! It won’t happen. I will tell you that you can grow your followers by tweaking your bio to make sure you are sharing the correct information and to intrigue people to stay on your page.

It’s super important to have your bio on point as this is what your potential followers will see within seconds of landing on your page, so you need to get them as much info about you in a super short amount of time so that they don’t float away but hit the FOLLOW button.

Kent food bloggers, (below) Rach & Josh have gotten in spot on with their bio. Clear and descriptive, they are to the point, and explain that in addition to what they share, they are focused on accessibility.

150 Character Limit

How in the heck am I supposed to tell someone everything I want them to know about me in 150 characters? I could talk for all of Great Britain, AND the United States combined! Well, it’s got to be done and I’m going to tell you how I did it, how I changed it, and how I feel about it moving forward. Your bio needs to tell the people of Instagram what they will get from your feed. What kind of content do you share? Fashion-forward styles (god, I sound like such a mom) are you thrift, nifty and handy with your sewing kit? Are you whipping up the next tasty treat or cooking up everyone’s favourite brunches? You need to tell people what they will see. Use adjectives (within reason) and get creative. Write down words that describe your page, what you’re sharing, and how you’re going to share it. Then, form a one-liner and that can be your bio. It takes some creativity and a spark of motivation, but it’s better than just writing:

Gemma
TAKING FOOD PICS

or…

Gemma
Keeping you hungry through delicious recipes and recommendations

Which one would you choose? (Be nice)

Say my name, say my name

The biggest tip I have to share is to use your name as a way to grow: KEYWORDS ARE KEY. For example, would I come up in the top accounts names Gemma? No, there are millions. But would I come up under London Food Bloggers or something more niche like London Recipe Creator or London Foodie? There is potential. So change your name (not legally but at least on Instagram).

Let’s talk HASHTAGS!

Oh controversy, how I love you sometimes. Do they work, do they not work? They will not make you show up under a hashtag, but they can bring a user to look at related content, which isn’t a bad thing. They are clickable and I’d recommend using them if you’re a brand and you have brand-specific hashtags, otherwise, if you’re tight on space, use a hashtag to make it cute: #lovetotravel over I love to travel. That’s way less characters. West Elm, well-known furniture and home brand, have used the same method I have for creating their “tag line” and it’s concise and easy to understand exactly what they offer.

West Elm, a well known furniture and home brand have used the same method I have for creating their “tag line” and it’s concise and easy to understand exactly what they offer.

Do you have a website? A Youtube?

Let people know in your bio, it’s another way to catch people and grab their attention and keep it on YOU and the platforms you use and share on. Make sure on all of your platforms that your links work correctly, and if you have other places outside of Instagram that you are sharing — be clear that you want people to go visit your profile on Instagram. The clearer you are as to where you direct people to look, the better. For example, on my Youtube page, I make it clear that I’m an Instagram focused blog right now — people can subscribe to my Youtube (which I LOVE) but if they want to follow for daily updates, recipes, etc, then my Instagram is the place to go. You can use this bio or tag line you’ve created not only for your Instagram but as a little “about” you in case anyone asks, “what is your Instagram about?” or “share in short what you do”. It’s helpful to have and is useful as you can build on it if longer descriptions or bios are needed in the future when it comes to partnerships, publicising yourself, or just reaching out to people.

Want to check if your bio is good to go — drop me an email with the subject line: Best Bio Ever and I’ll have a look. Leave questions and feedback in the comments!

7 Questions Answered: What I Wish I Knew When I First Became An Influencer

Watch:

How To Work With Brands During Covid-19

Sophie Allport Haul: Make Your Perfect Picnic