100+ Instagram bio ideas [+ free bio generator and templates]

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 exactly known for being concise).

Typing those fateful words into your profile can be 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?

An Instagram bio is a description of your account that can be up to 150 characters long. It’s a snapshot of your brand, and a quick way to show users who you are and what you’re about.

Source: @threelittlechicksofficial

Because of the limited character count, a good 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.

So, whether you’re a daydreamer or living life to the fullest, your bio should reflect your personality and passions!

What should you put in your Instagram bio?

Since Instagram bios must be 150 characters or less, it’s best to deliver information as briefly and clearly as possible. Your bio sits at the very top of your profile page, next to your profile picture, and it’s one of the first impressions you’ll make on potential followers.

A strong Instagram bio should include:

• Who you are
• What you do (what industry or niche you work or create for)
• Where you are based
• Contact information
• Timely news or updates
• A call to action
• No typos!

Source: @burnbootcamphollysprings

This fitness boot camp’s Instagram bio is packed with info, including what they do, what makes them special, their location, and a call to action.

Free Instagram bio generator

Hootsuite’s Instagram bio generator is a web-based tool that takes a bit of information and uses ChatGPT to transform it into the perfect one-liner for your Instagram profile.

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 in all fields 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.

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.

109 Instagram bio ideas

Need some inspo to write the best Instagram bio for your brand? These 100-plus ideas and bonus insta bio examples should set you on the right track.

Funny Instagram bio ideas

Why so serious? A lighthearted, funny Instagram bio helps show potential followers your sense of humour, and reminds them of the human behind your brand. Here are some ideas:

• Is this thing on
• Follow me or else
• Content hoarder
• Permanent Instagram takeover
• Following is free
• Chronically online
• For me, by me
• Internet enthusiast
• A judgement-al zone

Source: @hulu

Streaming services Netflix and Apple TV generally have the market cornered on funny pop-culture-related Instagram bios, like this Gilmore Girls reference from Hulu.

Short Instagram bio ideas

Sabrina Carpenter would approve of these short and sweet Instagram bio ideas (spoiler: we’ll come back to her later).

• Welcome to my life
• It’s me, hi
• Sharing things I love
• 📷(or any other emoji)
• Highlights
• Me!
• Come along for the ride
• All original content
• What’s happening
• Follow for [your content focus]
• Since [your brand’s founding date]

Source: @newyorkermag

The New Yorker exemplifies the last idea—this magazine’s bio simply states the founding date and has a simple call to action. It’s short, sleek and effortlessly cool.

Cute Instagram bio ideas

If adorable is the name of the game, try these bio ideas on for size.

• 🍕🍺🐶⛰️📸 [or any emojis that represent your content]
• These are a few of my favourite things
• My digital diary
• Memories to look back on
• The good old days
• Captured by me
• Cheesin’
• Let’s be friends
• Just for fun
• A must-follow
• Daily inspo

Source: @dailyeggspiration

This egg meme account bio cracks a cute pun. (See how easy that is?)

Quotes for Instagram bios

Can’t think of your own words? Try someone else’s. If you’re running a business, think of icons in your industry and see if they have any inspirational quips to share. For example, here are some Instagram bio quotes you can use:

• “You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe.”—Oprah Winfrey
• “Courage doesn’t grow overnight.”—Greta Gerwig
• “Great things in business are never done by one person.”—Steve Jobs
• “Lead by example with hope, never fear.”—Michelle Obama
• “Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”—John Lennon
• “It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.”—Lionel Messi
• “Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death.”—Taylor Swift
• “If you can’t love yourself how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?”—RuPaul
• “I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks.”—Serena Williams
• “Peace begins with a smile.”—Mother Teresa
• “It was my delusion and naivety that brought me here.”—Lady Gaga
• “Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn’t make you who you are.”—Michelle Yeoh
• “Adapt, react, re-adapt, apt.”—Michael Scott
• “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”—Winnie the Pooh
• “Me love cookies.”—Cookie Monster

Source: @calvinandhobbes.comics

This comic strip fan account has a bio that includes a quote from the artist.

Aesthetic Instagram bio ideas

Once you’ve decided what information to include in your Instagram bio, you can use emojis, fonts, and some clever bio tricks to make it appear more unique or visually pleasing. Give these strategies a try:

• Use one emoji to create bullet points
• Use only emojis that are a single colour
• Use | vertical | bars | to | separate | ideas
• Forward / slashes / also / work
• Use emoticons to create images, like 🙂 or /ᐠ • ˕ •マ
• use only lowercase letters
• 𝕌𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕡𝕡 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕚𝕘𝕗𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕤.𝕚𝕠 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝕗𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕠𝕟𝕖,
• 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔬𝔫𝔢,
• 𝙾𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎
• 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘰𝘰

Source: @shauryasanadhya

For example, this creator’s Instagram bio uses vertical bars to separate the different niches that they focus on…

Source: @black.fashion.mom

…and this one uses a different font to set the account apart from the rest.

Cool Instagram bio ideas

The more you try to be cool, the harder it is… don’t overthink it. Here are some ideas:

• Mood board
• Might as well follow button
• My POV
• You have arrived
• Made you look
• Good vibes only
• Keep scrolling
• 🇨🇦‍✈️🇮🇹[replace with countries you’ve travelled to/work in]

Source: @eggyboom

Comedians are a great source of inspo when it comes to cool IG bios, like this very chill example from Ego Nwodim.

Witty Instagram bio ideas

When in doubt, a niche-related pun always works. Or, try these creative Instagram bio ideas:

• Official Instagram account for [Your name/brand]
• Stories of my life
• I have more followers on TikTok
• Phone eats first
• Everything you see here is Reel
• If you are reading this it’s too late
• Putting the I in Instagram

Source: @rainforestalliance

This nonprofit uses a witty and concise brand slogan as their Instagram bio, which immediately communicates the uplifting, rallying vibe of the account.

Professional and business Instagram bio ideas

Instagram bios for businesses can vary so much industry to industry, so the following is a list of ideas for things you can include in your professional bio—pick a few that apply and you’re set.

• What your company does
• A list of services you offer
• What your brand is known for
• Any awards or achievements you have
• Your job title
• Your education
• Best contact info
• UGC hashtags
• Upcoming events or giveaways
• A list of places you ship to (flag emojis work well to reduce character count)
• A call to action to drive traffic to your business

Source: @elementcafe

In the example above, the cafe’s Instagram bio lists what the brand is known for (latte flights), what they do (serve coffee, pastries and vibes) and contact info for reservations.

Instagram bio ideas for influencers

Just like brands, Instagram bios for influencers can differ a lot depending on your niche. Fashion influencers won’t have the same kind of bios as tech influencers, and pet influencers won’t have the same kind of bio as interior design influencers.

In that spirit, here are a few ideas of things to include in your Instagram influencer bio:

• Your specific niche
• What kind of content you make
• Where you are based
• Any big partnerships you have ongoing
• Any affiliate links or coupon codes you have ongoing
• Other social media accounts you post on and how many followers you have on those accounts
• Other Instagram accounts you manage
• Your influencer marketing agency representation
• Contact info for partnerships
• A call to action (sign up for your newsletter, read your blog, visit your e-commerce site, check out your merch, etc.)

Source: @tasdhaliwal

This foodie creator’s bio includes a short quip describing their content (“I eat everything”), some cute emojis, information on their TikTok, and contact info for brand collabs.

Trendy Instagram bio ideas

Using language or slang that is popular on the internet will give your account a more personable vibe. The best way to familiarize yourself with this is to spend time on the platform itself. But, we’ll get you started with a few ideas:

 

• In my [blank] era
• Photo dumps only
• This is your Roman Empire
• Why are you so obsessed with me
• Holding space for my own content
• Someone cooked here
• Your favourite creator’s/brand’s favourite creator/brand

Source: @snailgirlceramics

This ceramicist uses “In my bird era” to show that she has been making a lot of bird-related art recently.

Timely Instagram bio ideas

It’s always a good idea to keep your Instagram bio up-to-date. To keep it fresh and new, consider changing your bio to suit upcoming news, events or launches. For example:

• Get tickets for [your next event] now
• [Your new collection] launching on [date]
• Enter [your giveaway] by [deadline]
• Celebrate our [brand’s age] birthday on [date]
• Countdown to [upcoming occasion]
• [Your new line] drops on [date]
• Applications for [your initiative] due on [deadline]
• New episode of [your podcast] every [day you post]
• Warehouse sale: [percentage off] starts [date]
• [Your new album] out now

Source: @sabrinacarpenter

Singers often use their Instagram bios to advertise new projects, like this example from Sabrina Carpenter. Have you ever tried this one?

8 tips to craft a great Instagram bio, according to the experts

For industry advice on writing a standout Instagram bio, we turned to social media marketing pros Barb and Deb Peng, who handle the Instagram presence of eye care centre President Optical — here’s their insight.

1. Consider your audience

Your Instagram bio, just like every other part of your social media marketing strategy, should be specifically targeted to your audience. Knowing exactly who you are targeting and what they are looking for on social media is essential.

“Aim to be personable and relevant to the community you seek to serve,” advises Barb. For more expert insight on how to get to know your audience, check out this case study.

2. Be concise

“Keep it simple, less is more,” Barb suggests.

Even though Instagram bios can be up to 150 characters, you don’t need to use all of them. Only the first three or so lines of your bio will appear on your profile (before the “more” button), and it’s likely that many users won’t take the extra step of reading the entire thing.

Also, packing your bio with words can actually hurt your chances of making a good first impression. “Too much information leads to overload,” says Deb.

Be as brief as possible, and make every word (or emoji) count. It also helps to use line breaks to make the info easier to read:

• Your bio shouldn’t look like a paragraph
• It should look like this instead
• So users can easily scan it!

3. Use relevant keywords

Deb recommends making it as easy as possible for Instagram users to identify your business — your bio should share, at a glance, who you are and what you do. This is useful not just for human Instagram users, but for the Instagram algorithm and for Instagram SEO.

When the platform’s technology can understand what your content is about and who it is for, it can organically push your Instagram posts to your intended audience.

For example, say you’re a travel influencer: If your bio includes wanderlust, catching flights, and capturing moments, your profile will immediately resonate with followers who share those passions.

Source: @callduckofficial

This Instagram bio from a pet content creator uses keywords that immediately tell to both users and the platform what their account is all about.

Psst: For more tips on how to find the best keywords for Instagram, read our Top Instagram SEO tips for 2024.

4. Provide your location

If you run a brick-and-mortar business or your brand is retail or service-based, it’s a good idea to add your location to your Instagram bio.

You can put your location in your bio, or use the designated location field — the latter method won’t affect your character limit.

Stating your location in your Instagram bio can help with your SEO (mentioned above) and of course, make it easier for your customers to find you. “It easily clicks into Google Maps,” Deb points out.

5. Include contact information

Barb stresses the importance of including contact information in your bio.

We all know that anyone with an Instagram account can be reached by DM, of course — but when your audience grows to a certain size, it can be difficult to handle all of the direct messages you receive. (Hootsuite’s Inbox 2.0 makes it a lot easier).

Just like your location, your contact info can be added to your bio itself or inputted into the designated field. You can also use your bio to tell your audience what the best way to contact you is — for example, some businesses prefer email inquiries only.

Source: @dohhut

This donut shop uses their bio to note that their DMs aren’t monitored.

6. Use a link in bio to drive traffic

Links are arguably the most valuable part of your bio: adding a clickable link is an opportunity to direct your followers to other aspects of your brand. This might be a blog, an e-commerce site, your latest Youtube video, a new product launch announcement… if it’s on the internet, it can be added to your bio.

Instagram allows for up to five links in your bio. You can also use a link tree (like Hootbio) to gather important links on one landing page. Barb and Deb Peng use a link tree for their business; Deb notes that it’s a “one-stop-shop directory to access services like booking appointments.”

7. Review regularly

Once you write your Instagram bio, it can be easy to kind of forget about it — unlike your notifications, messages, Instagram Stories, and feed posts, your bio doesn’t require monitoring and updating. But, you should still make sure you review it regularly.

Since your Instagram profile is a sort of “home base” for your content, you can use your bio to tell your followers about timely things — for example, an upcoming product launch, sale, or event. “Don’t be afraid of changing it up,” says Barb.

Psst: Just make sure that you update your bio if you use it to announce anything with an expiration date.

For example, if your bio is still promoting a September event in December, your profile will appear outdated and inactive. Consider using a social media calendar and scheduling a bio review every quarter or so.

8. Put your heart into it

In the end, your Instagram bio should be authentic to you and your brand. Deb notes that some businesses have IG bios that “lack heart and soul.” Pack in all the info you can, but make sure there is some personality in there, too.

For example, if you want your bio to feel like a selfie — reflecting your best life, with a touch of positivity and an overall classy vibe. As Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Let that wisdom guide your Instagram bio.

3 Instagram bio templates to inspire your own

1. The emoji list

Emojis can be great tools for communicating a message without using too much of that precious character count. Here’s a template for a simple, clean emoji list.

[Your interests/content themes]

💼 [Affiliated account/job title + company]

📍 [Location]

💌 [Contact info]

Source: @Steffy

2. Share UGC hashtags

UGC (user-generated content) hashtags give your audience a way to connect with your brand (and a library of user-generated Instagram content for you to use, too).

Share your branded hashtags in your bio to make sure your followers know what tags you pay attention to.

[Brand mission]

[Branded/UGC hashtags]

[Contact info]

Source: @passionpassport

3. Brand accounts galore

If your brand is affiliated with other accounts, or you’re a business owner with both a personal and professional Instagram account, it’s best to list the other account(s) in your bio. This helps your audience connect you and your brand, and can cross-promote other elements of your business to new fans.

[Brand statement + UGC hashtag]

[Emoji + affiliated accounts]

[Emoji + affiliated accounts]

[Emoji + affiliated accounts]

[CTA]

Source: @revolve

For more Instagram bio ideas, read up on Hootsuite’s complete list of social media bio templates.

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