As far as history goes, we’re living in charmed times — but Shakespeare never had to write an Instagram bio (and let’s face it, the man wasn’t known for being concise). Typing those fateful words into your profile is stressful, and for good reason: your Instagram bio is often the first place other users will look when they’re deciding whether or not to follow you.

Here’s everything you need to know about Instagram bios, and how to write one worthy of a three-act play. Wherefore art thou bio?

What is an Instagram bio?

A bio on Instagram is a description of your account that can be up to 150 characters long and sits at the very top of your profile page, next to your profile picture. It’s a snapshot of your Instagram account and a quick way to show users who you are and what you’re about.

Because of the limited character count, an Instagram bio needs to be concise, easy to read and informative… but don’t be afraid to have fun with it. Emojis and jokes are fair game, even for professionals using the platform. After reading your bio, people should understand what you do and why they should follow you.

What makes a good bio for Instagram?

A good Instagram bio is a bio that users can’t resist interacting with, whether it’s by slamming that “follow” button, scrolling through (and liking and commenting on) your content, watching your story highlights or sending your Instagram profile to friends. The best Instagram bios are short and sweet, and genuinely convey your personality as a creator or brand.

For more details, watch our video on making the PERFECT Instagram bio:

When you’re dreaming up your bio, try asking yourself these questions — especially if you’re using Instagram for business:

• What is your brand promise?
• How about your brand personality: Funny? Serious? Informative? Playful?
• What are your special skills?
• Are you a local business? National? Global?
• What makes your product or service unique?
• What is the first thing you want people to do after they visit your profile?

On that last point: All good marketing materials should include a clear and compelling call to action. Good Insta bios are no exception. Give visitors clear direction if you want them to click the link in your bio, follow your account or take a different specific action.

You might want to add a link to your bio to send people to a page where they can buy your products, or you might have a different conversion goal in mind. Maybe you want people to Like your Facebook page, follow you on TikTok or sign up for your newsletter.

If your goal is to build an Instagram following, your call to action might be simply to ask visitors to press that follow button, or to share their photos with a branded hashtag.

Instagram bio ideas generator

Please note: This tool may display inaccurate or offensive material that doesn’t represent Hootsuite’s views. You’re solely responsible for use of any content generated using this tool, including its compliance with applicable laws and third-party rights.

This Instagram bio generator is a web-based tool that takes a bit of information and transforms it into the perfect one-liner for your Instagram profile. It uses ChatGPT. But, like all good robots, it still needs a little human intervention to really knock it out of the park. So make sure to fill out all the inputs with as much detail as possible to get the best results. Like the list of ideas below, it’s a great tool to get inspiration for your final draft.

10 Instagram bio ideas

Want to write your Instagram bio from scratch but feeling a little stuck? Have no fear — there are literally 1.22 billion Instagram users you can get inspiration from. Here are a few bio ideas for Instagram to get you started.

1. Funny Instagram bios

Unfortunately, there’s nothing less funny than trying to be funny. The key to a comedic Instagram bio is keeping honest, like this one from a drink brand.

Source: @innocent

Playing to your audience — and embracing how they see your brand — is another way to get laughs.

Source: @buglesmemes

And when all else fails, being quippy and somewhat vague is also a good source of comedy. If chaos is your brand, embrace it.

Source: @fayedunaway

2. Instagram bio quotes

Using Instagram bio quotes can be a great way to express an idea or create a feeling of connection.

You could use a saying, a line from a poem or song, or any phrase that will mean something to potential followers. Just make sure to give credit where credit is due if you use someone else’s words.

The Quotations Page is a good place to start your search for good Instagram bio quotes.

Here are 15 quote ideas you can copy and paste directly into your Instagram bio.

1. Happiness depends upon ourselves – Aristotle
2. We’re all born naked and the rest is drag – RuPaul
3. Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time – Barack Obama
4. I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done – Lucille Ball
5. Imagination is more important than knowledge – Albert Einstein
6. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretzky
7. Cherish forever what makes you unique, cuz you’re really a yawn if it goes – Bette Midler
8. If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one – Dolly Parton
9. Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game – Babe Ruth
10. I am a rich man – Cher
11. You can be the lead in your own life – Kerry Washington
12. When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful – Malala Yousafzai

3. Creative Instagram bios

A bio may only be 150 characters, but that’s more than enough to stretch that creative muscle. During the launch of Netflix’s Heartstopper, the company changed their bio to an invite for the main actors to start a band.

Source: @netflix

This bio from Crocs is so creative, it takes a second to understand — we’ll let you read it before spoiling.

Source: @crocs

Did you get it? It’s “If you ain’t Croc-ing, you ain’t rocking.”

If you can’t make up your mind, do it all. Insta-famous Italian greyhound Tika has emojis, a quote from Lizzo, “Fashion Model” and “Gay Icon” status, and a link to her book in her bio. Impressive (but not as impressive as a dog writing a book).

Source: @tikatheiggy

4. Cool Instagram bios

“All your friends are so cool, you go out every night” — Olivia Rodrigo. Who is pretty cool herself: this short, informative and rhyming bio says it all.

Source: @oliviarodrigo

Another way to up the cool factor: commit an ultimate branding faux pas and don’t introduce yourself in an easily identifiable way. For example, most folks would identify Serena Williams as a tennis superstar. In her Instagram bio, she’s simply “Olympia’s mom.” It feels very true to her, and that’s cool.

Source: @serenawilliams

There’s a pattern here — ”cool” and “short” go hand-in-hand. If you want a cool bio for Instagram, being too wordy won’t help. If that’s what you’re going for, try and be as concise as possible. Like Lizzo.

Source: @lizzobeeating

5. Short Instagram bios

Speaking of short — if you don’t need 150 characters, don’t use them. Dating app Bumble’s bio simply prompts folks to make the first move.

Source: @bumble

Fewer words makes the words you do use more powerful, and really makes a statement.

Source: @bobthedragqueen

Or, you can go in a totally opposite direction and write a short bio that few, if any, will understand. You do you.

Source: @kirstentitus

6. Clever Instagram bios

A clever Instagram bio will score a chuckle (and hopefully a follow) from users. Stay self aware and lighthearted, and the cleverness will come. Old Spice’s bio is a play on the bizarre masculinity that’s present in men’s deodorant branding.

Source: @oldspice

Tiffany Haddish hypes herself, but stays humble in her Instagram bio.

Source: @tiffanyhaddish

And sometimes, the cleverest route is the simplest: in a world of people trying to be as cool as possible, artist Allie Brosh just tells it like it is, and really stands out.

Source: @allie_brosh

7. Instagram bios with emojis

Emojis are like cheating (the good kind). When words fail, emojis are there. Designers Josh and Matt describe their relationship, career, home base and pets all in a single line of emojis.

Source: @joshandmattdesign

You can also use emojis like bullet points for a super-aesthetic look.

Source: @oliveandbeanphoto

Or, go with the classic (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it) and substitute emojis for the words they represent — hearts for love, etc.

Source: @pickle.the.pig

8. Instagram business bios

If you’re using Instagram for business, a bio can be a great place to introduce yourself (more and more folks are using social media to research brands). Kraft peanut butter has a great example of a succinct bio that describes their company.

Source: @kraftpeanutbutter_ca

Businesses can also use their bio to describe their brand ethos, and what makes them different from others in the industry.

Source: @ocin

If you’re doing affiliate marketing or partnering with other businesses, a bio is a good place to put discount codes or promotions related to those affiliations.

Source: @phillychinchilly

9. Instagram bios with links

Your link in bio is a rich place for users to gain more resources and information about your brand. Make sure your audience sees it by pointing to it. Yeah, we mean literally. Clothing brand Free Label uses their bio to identify what the link is (in this case, a path to their latest launch).

Source: @free.label

In a similar fashion, artist Zoe Si uses her bio to point to her latest book, which is accessible through her link in bio.

Source: @zoesees

10. Informative Instagram bios

Sometimes, you just want the facts. Having the answer to your most frequently asked questions — in the example below, that’s probably “When are you open?” — can pay off. It might not be fun, but it’s simple and clear.

Source: superflux.cabana

13 Instagram bio tricks you may not know about

Hungry for more? We got you. Here are some tips to make sure you have the best bio for Instagram.

1. Use fancy Instagram bio fonts

Technically, you can only use one “font” in your Instagram bio. But there are tools out there that will help you create the look of a custom font by mapping your text to existing special characters.

Here’s an example of what Hootsuite writer Christine’s bio looks like in a few different fonts, as created using the tool Instagram Fonts.

That third one is a little bonkers, but you could pick and choose a few words to incorporate strategically for visual appeal. In general, it’s a good idea to use this trick sparingly, for emphasis, rather than dressing your entire bio up in fancy fonts.

Once you find a font style you like, just copy and paste it into your Instagram bio.

2. Use Instagram bio symbols

We’ve already talked about using emojis. But you can also go old-school and use special text symbols to break ★ up ★ your ★ bio. (Remember Wingdings and Webdings? How very 1990s.)

This trick uses the same principle as the tip above, but instead of using symbols to create the look of a custom font, you can use them as retro emojis or unique bullet points:

Source: @blogger

The easiest way to find your special character is to open a new Google Doc, then click Insert and choose Special characters.

You can scroll through the available options, search by keyword, or even draw a shape to find a similar character. Then, just copy and paste into your Instagram bio.

3. Add a location

This is particularly useful for businesses: customers will want to know who (and where) they’re buying from. Marking your location can also help your brand be more searchable.

When you add your address to your Instagram business profile, it also appears below your bio but does not use up any of your bio character count. This is another great way to free up space for more compelling bio information. Be warned, your address only shows up on mobile.

Source: @pourhouse

4. Add contact buttons

Business profiles can include contact information in the form of buttons that allow people to phone you, email you, or get directions to your business directly from Instagram. This is another one that only shows up on mobile.

Source: @midnightpaloma

5. Add a call to action button

Another mobile-only feature: You can encourage people to take action straight from your Instagram bio with CTA buttons. These allow your followers to take direct actions like ordering food from your restaurant, or buying tickets for your event.

Source: @maenamrestaurant

You’ll find these options under Action Buttons when editing your business profile.

6. Add a link in bio

You get one clickable link in your Instagram bio. Since you can’t use clickable links in Instagram feed posts (unless you’re using Instagram ads or Instagram Shopping), your bio link is valuable real estate.

You can change the URL as often as you like. You might want to link to your newest or most important content (like your latest blog post or video), a special campaign, or a landing page specifically for visitors coming from Instagram.

You can also use Instagram tools like Hootbio to set up a mobile landing page with multiple links. That way, you don’t have to keep updating the link in your Instagram bio, which can lead to outdated “link in bio” statements on older posts.

To get started with Hootbio, sign in to your Hootsuite account and navigate to the Create section of the dashboard. There, select Hootbio from the menu.

Note: Hootbio is available to Team, Business, and Enterprise plan Hootsuite users. If you are a Professional plan user, upgrade now to access this feature.

To build your Hootbio page, start with basic profile information:

• Profile name. This will show up as the heading at the top of your page.
• Profile description. This is the subtitle text located below your profile name.
• Profile picture. We recommend using an image aligned with the branding of your Instagram account to keep the look of your bio page familiar and on-brand.
• Your website. This is where you create a URL for your link in bio page. We will let you know if a URL has already been claimed by someone else.

Then, add your links. Every link has to include a URL and text that will be displayed on the button. You can also add images to links, but this feature is optional.

To change the order of links on your page, simply drag and drop them using the triple bar icon.

When you’re done, click Update in the top right corner of the page.

Try for free

You can also direct followers to your other social accounts — or your email inbox — using dedicated buttons.

Head to the Social section of the menu to set up links for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Messenger, and email.

To save your changes, click Update in the top right corner of the dashboard.

In the Design section, you can customize the design of your Hootbio page. Pick one of the recommended color themes, or customize your font, button, and background colors to make the page truly yours.

When you’re done — you guessed it — click Update in the top right corner of your screen.

That’s it! Your Hootbio page is ready. To start using it, copy the link displayed in the top right corner of the dashboard, and paste it into your Instagram and TikTok bios. You can update your bio whenever you need, but note that URL edits are restricted to once every six months.

Ready to build your own custom link in bio page? Sign up for a free 30-day Team plan trial now, and start converting your Instagram followers into online customers.

Start free 30-day trial

7. Use your bio to direct traffic to another platform or website

If your primary social media is on a different platform and you consider Instagram a necessary evil, that’s okay — you can use your bio as a way to direct other users to that platform.

Comedian Ziwe Fumudoh rarely posts on Instagram, but is very active on TikTok, so she uses her bio to steer audiences towards that app.

Source: @ziwef

Lush, weirdly, “departed” from social media but still has an active Instagram and uses their link in bio to explain why they’re not online.

Source: @lushcosmetics

8. Use line breaks

People don’t tend to read information online. Instead, they scan for bite-sized chunks of information.

Make that information easy to identify using line breaks.

Okoko Cosmetiques uses a combination of emojis and line breaks to create this cute Instagram bio:

Source: @okokocosmetiques

It’s really easy to add line breaks using the Instagram web interface. Simply space your bio as you would like it to appear.

On mobile, your best bet is to create your bio with the spacing you want using a notes app. Then, copy and paste it into your Instagram bio field. Or, use one of the Instagram bio templates below.

9. Share your pronouns

If you want to, it’s great to share your pronouns on Instagram. Since the option was first added in May 2021, it’s become customary on the app to add your pronouns to your bio, whether you’re cisgender, transgender or nonbinary. Displaying your pronouns means your followers will know how to properly address you, and normalizing the practice helps make everyone feels more comfortable on the platform.

Source: @ddlovato

10. Use Hashtags

Hashtags in your Instagram bio are clickable links. Keep in mind, though, that Instagram bios do not appear in hashtag search results. Adding Instagram hashtags to your bio won’t make it more discoverable.

That means you should not include hashtags unless they are directly related to your business, because each one represents an opportunity for potential followers to click away.

However, adding a branded hashtag to your bio is a great way to promote and collect user-generated content.

This is one of the best ways for businesses to use hashtags in their bio. When a user clicks on the hashtag, they will see all the content your fans and followers have posted, which creates excellent social proof for your business.

Source: @hellotushy

Branded hashtags are also a great way to get more content: you can reshare follower’s posts that use the hashtag. In fact, some users build their entire following off of user-submitted posts.

Source: @chihuahua_vibes

11. Use your bio to link to other accounts

If you have a personal and a business account, or you’re involved in a cool project that has its own handle, you can tag that account in your bio. This can help people identify you (Oh, THAT’S where I know Zendaya from) but be careful using them, as they may encourage audiences to navigate away from your page. (This is something Zendaya likely does not care about).

Source: @zendaya

12. Add a category

If you have a business profile on Instagram, you can choose a category for your business. This appears under your name and can help people see what you do at a glance.

Source: @elmo

Elmo, for example, is a public figure.

Using a category for your business can free up space in your Instagram bio, since you don’t need to repeat this information. However, it only appears in the mobile view, so you can’t assume everyone will see it.

13. Announce news

As long as you remember to update your bio regularly, you can use it to announce news about new products and updates for your brand. If you’re going to put a date in your bio, though, mark your calendar or set a reminder to change it. If you have an old date in your bio, it makes your account look like it’s not being monitored closely.

After Mexican pizza made its triumphant return, Taco Bell updated this bio.

Source: @tacobell

Instagram bio templates

Still not sure what to include in your Instagram bio? We’ve created some social media bio templates, including IG bio ideas, to get you started.

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