If you’re on Instagram, you’ll have an Insta bio: It’s the section at the top of your profile where you get to tell the world who you are. The platform gives you 150 characters to play with, which is only about 25 to 30 words. That means choosing the right words – and potentially emojis – is important.
If you’re looking to make money as an influencer on Instagram, it helps to think of your bio like a storefront. If the goods in the window are your posts, Reels, and Stories – your precious content – then the bio is the signage around it. Craft a good enough bio, and it can also help entice people in for a more thorough browse (i.e. to keep scrolling through your impeccably curated profile).
Instagram is the top influencer marketing platform worldwide. For influencers, an IG bio can be a key way to both shout about an existing brand partnership, driving engagement through links, and make it super easy for marketing teams to initiate a conversation with you.
A good bio will also take advantage of external links to signpost where to find out more about you and how to get in touch. You may also include influencer discount codes, affiliate links, and other partnership offers.
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With such little space, the best Insta bios are the ones that give an easily distracted browser all the information they need instantly, while still bursting with personality and feeling authentic. There are no hard-and-fast rules – and many great bios utilise a combination of the below traits.
1. The storyteller
Can you craft a narrative in just a few words? Absolutely. A good storyteller does more than just summarise – they entice, with a promise that if you engage with their content, you’ll get to be part of their journey and hear the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
2. The literal bio
At its most basic, a bio is a brief rundown of who you are, what you do, and what you post about. That may cover your work, but it also may include more personal information such as whether you have kids or pets, where you live, and your hobbies and passions, creating a more holistic portrait in just a few lines.
3. The multihyphenate
In 2025, it’s not uncommon to have more than one strand to your career – especially if you’re an influencer. The best bios use formatting tricks to stack the different strands of their work in a way that’s clear and legible. A bio can be a great way to let people who know you for one thing in on all the other stuff you do!
4. The minimalist
The opposite approach can also work. If you want your Instagram account to reflect just one side of you, focus on that and tantalise the casual browser with a short or enigmatic bio. Just make it intriguing enough that they want to check out your posts!
5. The joker
A bio doesn’t have to be serious, especially if your personal brand isn’t. Wit and humour can be a great way to convey your personality. Promoting yourself on the internet can feel a bit ridiculous, but lean into it and you can use it to your advantage.
A great example of a storyteller: She gives a clear offer, makes an appealing promise, and reels you in with an intriguing story. Just think how much heavy lifting that (seriously) does! The emojis help it seem not too earnest, the spacing makes it swiftly digestible, and the all-important agent contact is right there to make partnerships simple.
This potted bio in four lines stacks career experience and personal qualities into a seamless package, feeling both professional and authentic. Dr Alex tells you what to expect from his content, why you should trust him, and where else you can find him. It’s also worth noting what he’s not telling us: Dr Alex first came to the nation’s attention on reality TV show Love Island. By not including that, he’s redefining his brand on his own terms.
A true multihyphenate, actress-artist-comedian-podcaster-writer and OnlyFans creator Jessie Cave’s bio is a masterclass in squishing a lot into a small space, with cute emojis saving words and tags directing you to find out more. Its brevity works, piquing interest and tempting people to stick around.
Jessie Burton’s bio isn’t minimalist in length, but it keeps things simple – and lets her work as a novelist speak for itself. By assigning all her books an emoji, she shows she gets Insta, but there’s a clear and classy focus on the work. And her Linktree features quick links to buy the books, naturally.
Most people who look at Ash Sarkar’s Insta bio probably already have an opinion about the prominent left-wing commentator. Her bio is funny, then, for a purpose: It swiftly both nods to and shrugs off people’s preconceptions in a way that’s self-aware and appealing, while still signposting where more serious work happens. And, of course, she also includes a link for where to buy her recent book.
1. Keep it crisp: You want to be able to absorb a bio in just a few seconds. So keep your sentences short and sweet.
2. Use keywords: Keywords can help people find you, and they feed the algorithm. Include key terms about your content (e.g. “theatre” or “travel”), what you do (“actor” or “food blogger”), or where you’re based. Try using a keyword in your name to give it a boost: Consider an account like Daisy Jordan | Colourful Fashion.
3. Be strategic with emojis: Use emojis to break up text, save on space, reinforce what you’re saying, or point to key bits of information, such as an email address, or where to find links. Just don’t go crazy; too many emojis can seem cluttered or unfocused.
4. Choose your links wisely: Instagram allows up to five links in your bio, but think carefully about how many to include. A link-in-bio service that collects on one page, such as Linktree, can be a more elegant approach for collating content, contact info, or promotional links.
5. Do @me: Got a few accounts for different projects? Do you work for several companies, brands, media outlets, or podcasts? Then @ them (aka, link directly to the other accounts) as another way to cross-promote.
6. Write out key contact details: If there’s one central point of contact – whether it’s your inbox or your agent – it can be worth including it in the bio so it simply can’t be missed. Make it easy!
7. Keep it up to date: Update your bio regularly with new achievements, product launches, or relevant links to keep it fresh and functional.