How To Create The Perfect Instagram Bio In 2026

Social media has changed a lot over the years, but your Instagram bio is still prime profile real estate. 

With only a small amount of space to explain who you are, what you do and why anyone should care, your Instagram bio needs to work pretty bloody hard. 

It’s one of the first things potential followers and customers see when they land on your profile. So, rather than filling it with waffle, random emojis and something inspirational you saw printed on a mug, here’s how to create an Instagram bio that actually helps your business in 2026. 

How To Create The Perfect Instagram Bio In 2026

Why does my Instagram bio matter? 

Your Instagram bio, profile photo, name and content give people their first impression of your account. 

Someone might have found you through a Reel. They might have searched for the service you provide. They might have been sent your profile by a mate. Or perhaps they’ve been doing some late-night scrolling and somehow ended up on your page. 

However they arrive, they’ll want to know pretty quickly: 

Who are you? What do you do? Is this relevant to me? And what should I do next? 

Personal Instagram bios can get away with a partner’s name (cringe) or a favourite emoji.

Influencer bios are full of ‘manifesting main character energy’. 

Your business account needs to work a little harder. 

Think of your Instagram profile as a shop window. Your bio should give people enough information to decide whether they want to come inside. 

Depending on your business, that might mean following you, looking at your content, visiting your website, checking out your products or getting in touch. 

What should I include in my Instagram bio? 

First things first: keep it clear, memorable and on-brand. 

We’re not writing a Tinder bio here. 

People should be able to glance at your profile and understand what you do without having to decipher a cryptic collection of emojis and motivational quotes. 

Keywords matter too. 

Think about the words somebody might associate with your business, profession, service or location. Using clear, relevant language in your profile helps both humans and Instagram understand what your account is actually about. 

Here are five things to think about when creating your Instagram bio in 2026. 

1. Explain what you do – and why anybody should care

None of us particularly enjoys writing about ourselves (unless your name is Todd) 🤣, but this isn’t really about you. 

It’s about the person visiting your profile. 

Instead of simply describing what your business is, think about what you actually do for people. 

Before writing your bio: 

• Write down the products or services you offer. 

• Think about the problems you solve or the results you help people achieve. 

• List your USPs and values. 

• Identify what makes you different. 

• Write down the words somebody might use when looking for a business like yours. 

Then start cutting. 

Your goal is a short, punchy description that tells the right people they’re in the right place. 

And this exercise is useful beyond Instagram. A good one-line description of your business can be used across your website, other social profiles, presentations and marketing. 

2. Don’t forget about your Instagram Highlights

Your bio isn’t the only thing people see when they land on your profile. 

Instagram Highlights can give visitors a quick way to find out more about your business without having to scroll through months (or years) of content. 

Think of them as an extension of your bio. Your bio tells people who you are and what you do; your Highlights can fill in some of the gaps. 

Depending on your business, you could create Highlights for: 

• Your products or services. 

• FAQs. 

• Reviews and testimonials. 

• Behind the scenes. 

• Meet the team. 

• Events. 

• Tips and advice. 

• Previous work or results. 

Keep them useful and relevant rather than creating a Highlight for every Story you’ve ever posted. 

It’s worth reviewing your Highlights every so often too. If someone taps one and the first thing they see is an offer that ended three years ago, it doesn’t exactly scream “we’ve got our social media sorted”. 

And don’t forget how they look. If you use Highlight covers, keeping them consistent with your branding can help make your overall profile feel more polished. 

Your Instagram bio might make the introduction, but your Highlights can help people get to know you a little better. 

3. Make every bit of space earn its keep

Your Instagram bio doesn’t have room for your life story. 

Use the space to tell people the things they actually need to know, then use your profile links to send them somewhere useful. 

That could be: 

• Your website. 

• A particular service or product. 

• Your latest offer. 

• Your newsletter. 

• An event. 

• Your latest blog. 

• Another important destination. 

If you need to give people several options, you could use a dedicated landing page or a link-in-bio service such as Linktree. 

But don’t add links just because you can. 

Think about the journey you actually want somebody to take after visiting your Instagram profile and make the next step obvious. 

The same goes for the layout of your bio. 

Nobody wants to plough through a wall of words. 

Line breaks, spacing and the occasional relevant emoji can make your bio far easier to scan. 

4. Give people an obvious next step

What do you actually want someone to do after reading your bio? 

Don’t leave them guessing. 

Your call to action might be something like: 

↓ Book a consultation 

↓ Shop the collection 

↓ Read our latest blog 

↓ Get your free guide 

↓ Find out how we can help 

The right CTA depends entirely on what you’re trying to achieve from Instagram. 

If you use Instagram’s professional or business features, make sure any available contact information and action options you choose to display are accurate and useful too. 

An impressive profile isn’t much good if someone taps to contact you and disappears into an inbox nobody has checked since 2024. 

Review your details regularly. 

5. Give people a reason to trust you

Your bio isn’t the place to cram in every award, testimonial, and achievement you’ve collected since you started your business. 

But it should help reassure the right people that they’re in the right place. 

Think about the most important thing somebody needs to know before taking the next step. 

That might be what you specialise in, who you work with, where you’re based or simply what they’ll get from following you. 

If a branded hashtag genuinely forms part of your community or User Generated Content strategy, you can still make use of it. 

But don’t add one simply because a blog from a few years ago told you that every business needed its own hashtag. 

Use the limited space for information that has a job to do. 

A simple Instagram bio formula 

Staring at a blank bio box wondering what the hell to write? 

Try this: 

What you do + who you help + what makes you different + what they should do next. 

For example: 

Social media marketing for businesses that are sick of boring content.
Strategy, training + content.
↓ See how we can help 

Obviously, yours needs to sound like you. 

The important bit is that somebody who has never encountered your business before can understand it quickly. 

How to change your Instagram bio 

Open Instagram and head to your profile. 

Choose Edit profile, then update the relevant profile information. 

Depending on the options available to your account, this is where you’ll be able to review things such as your name, bio and links. 

Once you’re happy, save your changes and then look at your profile as if you’ve never seen your business before. 

Ask yourself: 

Can I immediately tell what this business does? 

Do I know who it’s for? 

Is there a reason for me to stick around? 

Do I know what I’m supposed to do next? 

If the answer to any of those is “not really”, have another go. 

Don’t write it once and forget about it 

Your Instagram bio isn’t something you create once and leave untouched until somebody remembers the login in 2031. 

Businesses change. 

Offers change. 

Content changes. 

Priorities change. 

Instagram changes. 

Set aside some time every few months to check whether your profile still accurately represents your business and supports what you’re trying to achieve. 

It can also be useful to ask someone who isn’t buried in your business every day to look at your profile. 

Ask them what they think you do after looking at it for a few seconds. 

Their answer might be illuminating. 

Or mildly horrifying. 

Either way, you’ll learn something. 

Your Instagram Bio Is Never Really Finished 

Your Instagram bio doesn’t have much space, so make every bit of it count. 

Clearly explain what you do, use language your audience will understand, give your profile some personality and make the next step obvious. 

Think beyond the bio itself too. Your profile name, links, contact options and content all work together to tell someone whether they’ve landed in the right place. 

And most importantly, don’t write your bio once and assume the job’s done. 

Check it regularly and make sure it still reflects your business, your audience and what you actually want Instagram to do for you. 

If you need some help with your social media, you can read our blogs or get in touch. We know a thing or two, and we’re always happy to share. 

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