How to write an Instagram bio: a simple formula and 12 examples
October 4, 2026 · 6 min read
Your Instagram bio has room for 150 characters. That is enough to tell a stranger who you are, why they should follow you, and what to do next, if you spend those characters wisely.
A four-part formula
- Who you are: your role, niche or what you make.
- Who you help or what you offer: the benefit for the person reading.
- A bit of proof or personality: a result, a place, a quirk.
- A call to action: tell people to tap the link and say why.
You don't need all four every time. Two or three that are clear beat four that are crowded.
12 examples to edit
- Photographer in Austin. Weddings and portraits with natural light. Booking autumn dates. Tap to see the portfolio.
- Small-batch candles, hand-poured in Leeds. Free UK delivery over 30 pounds. New scents every month.
- Personal trainer. Simple strength plans for busy people. Free 7-day starter plan below.
- Illustrator and zine maker. Weird animals, soft colours. Prints and commissions in the link.
- Home cook sharing 20-minute dinners. New recipe every Sunday. Full recipes and my newsletter below.
- Musician. New single out now. Tour dates, merch and streaming links in one place.
- Freelance designer helping small brands look great. Open for projects in January. See my work.
- Student building in public: learning to code, one project a week. Follow along and grab the repos.
- Plant shop and studio in Bristol. Workshops, care guides and our online store in the link.
- Podcast about money without the jargon. New episodes every Tuesday. Listen anywhere.
- Travel notes from slow journeys. Small towns, long trains. Itineraries and guides in the link.
- Dog trainer. Calm, kind methods that work. Free guide to stopping lead pulling below.
What to avoid
- Vague lines like "Living my best life". They tell visitors nothing about why to follow you.
- Walls of emojis. A few help the eye, too many make it hard to read.
- Links that don't match your promise. If your bio says free guide, the link should open the free guide.
- Never updating it. Change your bio when you launch, travel or run a promotion.
Make the link do the heavy lifting
Your bio is short on purpose. Anything that doesn't fit belongs on the page your link opens. With a link-in-bio page such as simple2.link, you can list your shop, your booking form, your newsletter and your latest post in the order you want, and update it without editing your bio. You can write the bio once and keep changing the page behind it. Make your page free.