For the majority of influencers, Instagram is their top priority when it comes to social media channels. This is the place where content creators share their outfits, daily routines, creative ideas, recipes, and so on. In an ideal world, potential new followers and partners will take the time to scroll through your feed, investigating your content and diving into who you are as a creator. However, people are busy, attention spans are short, and there are literally millions of influencers out there on Instagram, so you need to grab attention right off the bat.

How do you go about doing that? Your Instagram bio is a good place to start! Think of your bio as a mini resume of sorts; it provides a clear and concise overview of who you are and what your account focuses on, along with contact information. If your goal is to secure more brand partnerships in the future, you will need to optimize your profile so that it includes the information brands and agencies are looking for.

Here are 5 things you should include in your Instagram profile:

Sam’s Instagram bio is a great example of how to make a great first impression AND share the information that brands want to know

1) Your Email

Don’t have an email in your Instagram bio? This is the main reason why you might not be hearing from brands! Make it as simple as possible for brands and potential partners to reach out and include your professional email in the text of your bio.

Since most marketers and brands are researching potential influencer partners on computers, you shouldn’t just include your contact information in Instagram buttons, as those don’t show up on the desktop version of the app. Add your email in the text of your bio so that viewers can find it with minimal effort.

2) Your Main Location

Brands are often looking to target specific markets when casting influencers. If they aren’t sure where you are from, they might pass over you for campaigns. Additionally, if they are hosting events (like we do from time to time) they’ll want to invite people who are in the right location! Adding your home city our country will help potential partners immediately know where you are located.

If you are an influencer who travels a lot, it’s okay to include your travel plans and current location in your bio. Just make sure you also include your “home base” city or country so that brands know where you usually located.

3) An On-Point Bio

You can only include 150 characters in your Instagram bio, so every word counts!

A good Instagram bio should succinctly summarize who you are and what your account is all about. If you’re an influencer, detail what type of influencer you are (i.e. fashion & lifestyle influencer, content creator, beauty influencer, etc.). A brand account should include what they do and a brand motto if there is space.

Don’t be afraid to get creative with how you present yourself in your bio, but always make sure that it’s clear who you are, what you do, and what you’ll primarily be posting.

4) A Relevant Link

You can include 1 link in your Instagram profile. Be sure to utilize it! This should default to your website or blog, or maybe a new YouTube video or other social media post that you would like to promote. If you have the ability to add swipe-up links to your Instagram Stories, we recommend keeping your profile link an evergreen link to your main site.

If you have several channels and pages you wish to link to, you might want to consider adding a Linktree or similar app. This allows you to build a homepage for all your links.

5) A Profile Picture That Shows Your Style

When someone is combing through hundreds of Instagram profiles to find the perfect influencers for their next initiative, chances are they don’t have a lot of time to browse through your entire feed. Because of this, make sure you make a good first impression with a killer profile photo. This photo should capture the essence of your feed and personality. Make sure it’s a relatively recent photo, too!