Copywriting, Marketing, Social Media

How to write an effective Instagram bio (with examples!)

 

This post covers how to use copywriting tricks to optimize your social media bio so you get discovered by those MOST likely to follow you & invest in you!

If you’d like to read a full PDF guide that goes into a bit more detail (with fill-in-the-blank templates & examples) on how to write your IG bio, you can get that for FREE by clicking here:

https://bit.ly/how2writeInstaBio

There is also a video at the end of a class I taught on this subject in partnership with The Influencer Lab!

Let’s get to it!


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Your Instagram Bio is your public calling card that tells the world who you are, what you do, & why people should care enough to follow & engage with you.

….That’s a LOT to pack into just 150 characters!

Luckily, there are a few copywriting tricks you can apply to writing your bio that will make you easily discoverable by your ideal audience (& even get you discovered by brands, if you’re looking for that kinda thing).

Before You Start:

Make sure your profile is set to “business” or “creator”. It’s a myth that this hurt your engagement! You need to be a business or creator to be discovered by brands AND to see your analytics.  DO it. 

Now, find 3-5 creators you admire on Instagram who are in a similar industry or who have an audience you’d like to reach. Copy & paste their bios into a document and see if there are any keywords or key phrases that repeat. Steal those keywords for your bio!

Other places to Find Keywords & phrases:

– Google search (what are the most-searched-for terms when you type in your niche)

– Pinterest – type your niche into Pinterest and see titles of top pins

– Amazon Kindle Store – the titles of best-selling books are ALSO keywords & phrases!

Step 1: Write an SEO friendly name field

Your 30-character name field is an often-overlooked place to put keywords that will make you more discoverable! This is the FIRST place brands search. Put a keyword or two in your name field, even if it means deleting your last name.

If you want to see examples of what this looks like, download the accompanying PDF Guide for this blog post.

Step 2: Build a Better Bio

Include the following to make your bio the best it can be:

WHY do your followers NEED YOU? 

What EXACTLY are you offering on your social media (get specific here!).

Add “social proof” or an element of trust

If you have room, it’s a great idea to add some social proof to establish yourself as an expert, thought-leader, or someone who can be trusted. Like “featured in” or “trusted by” or “winner of” [fill-in-the-blank].

Add a “human element”

People want to engage with a human being, not a faceless brand. If you have room, pick a hobby, interest, detail or quirk to share. It makes you more approachable, and therefore, more trustworthy.

Add a CTA – “Call To Action”

One of the biggest mistakes people make with their Instagram bios is forgetting to include a call to action, or “CTA”! You NEED to tell people EXACTLY the action you want them to take. It’s not enough to just put your website in your bio link and expect people to click. You have to tell them WHY they should click.

 Answer the question, “what’s in it for them if they click that link?”

Again, there are fill-in-the blank examples and templates of EXACTLY how to do this in the accompanying PDF Guide for this blog post.

Step 3: Optimize your Bio Link

This might be a surprise to you BUT- your bio link shouldn’t drive to your website- it should drive to your email list. Why?…

Because Sales don’t happen on Instagram. They don’t happen on your website… SALES HAPPEN IN THE INBOX.

  • For every $1 spent on e-mail marketing, you get an estimates $44 return.

  • A message is 6X more likely to be found in your inbox vs. social.

  • 70- 80% of your audience straight up isn’t seeing what you post.

So, what to do with that info? 

Create a freebie or opt-in that offers value in exchange for someone’s email address.

If you want to learn how to do that, I have another freebie, “How to Start and Grow an Email List” that can help.

Extra Credit: Create a freebie page on your website

This blew my mind when I learned it: if you’re driving to another provider (like “link in bio” or “linktree”), you’re hurting your personal SEO. You want as many click-throughs to your website as possible, SO- here’s the solution. Create a landing page on your website, specifically meant for freebies. That link should go in your Instagram bio.

If you want to see this in action, you can check mine out here: http://www.kelseyformost.com/freebies

Last thoughts…

  • Make your bio EASY to read QUICKLY

  • Use emojis sparingly (but OK to use!)

  • Make sure you’re including SEO-friendly keywords

  • Tell the reader EXACTLY what you want them to do at the end (CTA)

 

Time to get to work! 

Write a few versions of your Instagram Bio until you land on one you LOVE! YOU GOT THIS!

Want the free PDF Guide? Click HERE to download!

A HUGE thank you to Guinwa & the Influencer Lab for having me as a guest teacher! Here’s my full class:

 

Follow @kelsey.writes