Are you a freelance writer looking to up-level your online presence to attract new clients? A great place to start is by tweaking your social media bios. Think of your Instagram bio as your elevator pitch. You have 150 characters to tell your audience who you are, what you do and why they will benefit from your services. We know this sounds tricky, which is why we’ve prepared these Instagram bio ideas and step-by-step guide for you to follow!
Let’s explore why your Instagram bio matters, the ins and outs of crafting an effective bio and some Instagram bio ideas from other freelance writers
Unless you are a mega-influencer, likes and followers aren’t going to pay the bills. So why bother optimizing your bio? Here’s why: social media platforms like Instagram are not just about likes and follows. These online platforms give entrepreneurs like freelance writers a way to get their name out there and grow their audience.
When done properly, your social media presence can reach a lot of people and generate interest in your skills and services, which can be converted into paying clients over time.
Why your Instagram bio matters
Your profile and bio are often the first things potential clients see when they discover your profile so it’s important to choose your words wisely.
First impression
Your bio is your chance to leave a memorable first impression. Just as when you meeting people in person, you want those who come across your profile to leave with a positive impression of you and your work. Your bio should reflect these goals.
Engagement
The engagement factor is two-fold. First, highlighting your achievements shows your audience how engaged you are in the writing community. Second, your Instagram bio is a springboard for engaging with your audience.
Establish trust
A well-constructed Instagram bio shows your identity as a freelance writer. With the proper care and attention, your bio can instantly create feelings of authenticity, trust and establish you as an expert in your field.
Call-to-action opportunities
Your bio is where you can link to your website and add a call to action. Having these easily accessible makes it easy for your audience to take action, such as subscribing to your newsletter, booking a meeting with you or accessing your website.
One of the great things about your social media profiles is that all of this happens passively! By having an optimized bio, you can generate leads in your sleep.
How to create an Instagram bio
Your Instagram bio is like your virtual business card. You only have so much space to lay the groundwork for future business relationships. By utilizing some key Instagram bio ideas, you can optimize your bio to reflect what makes you unique, engage with your audience and attract clients. Here are 10 steps to creating yours.
1. Handle
The right handle (username) helps people find your profile and should reflect who you are and what you do. Choose a simple, relevant and professional handle that ideally matches your other social media usernames.
2. Profile picture
Your profile picture can be your logo or a professional photo of yourself. Whichever you choose, it should be a high-quality image that represents you or your brand and is easily recognizable.
3. Professional title
It is important to define your role as a freelance writer right away. Your name and title should be at the beginning of your bio if possible. If you have a business account, you can use the category feature, which shows your professional title at the top of your bio in a different eye-catching color.
4. Niche
Highlighting your freelance writing niche can help you attract your ideal client. If you specialize in areas such as travel, health and fitness or pets, mention your unique focus in your bio to set you apart.
5. Keywords
Utilizing SEO keywords in your bio can help your profile rank higher in searches and bring more traffic to your profile. Have your primary and secondary keywords present in various parts of your bio for best results.
6. Hashtags
You can use hashtags in your bio in a number of different ways. They can show your personality, professional interests or be custom-made to help your audience find your work and clients.
7. Contact info
Even though you can send and receive messages within Instagram, it’s still important to include your main contact information in your bio. You want to make getting in touch extremely easy for the best chance of attracting and landing clients. If you have a business account, you can add a contact button in your bio where your information can be found without taking up valuable bio space.
8. Call to action
A compelling call to action in your bio is critical for any freelancer. This is how you will guide your audience into taking the next step and start converting views and followers into clients. Your call to action may be a sentiment like “Let’s work together” or something more direct like “Sign up for my newsletter” or “Book a call with me.”
9. Links
Including links in your Instagram bio adds many more possibilities for how your audience can interact with you. Often going hand-in-hand with your call to action, send your audience to click on your “link in the bio” to access your website, portfolio, shop, publications, etc. To host multiple links and maximize your bio, set up a linktr.ee or something similar.
10. Story highlights
Story highlights are a great way to show new and potential followers the type of content you post. You can take old stories you have posted and curate collections of related content that are featured at the bottom of your Instagram bio with an eye-catching cover.
Don’t forget to infuse your personality into your bio and highlights (emojis can be great for this!) and maintain consistency amongst your other social media platforms so your audience gets a good sense of you and your brand.
Instagram bio ideas for freelance writers
Here are three inspirational examples of Instagram bio ideas from freelance writers active on this social media platform.
What’s working: @shrijitasom gives a clear sense of who her ideal client is and what she can do for them. Her story highlights allow her audience and potential clients to learn a lot about her, services and quality of work.
What’s working: @kristinalopezwrites immediately tells us who she is and what she does with this simple handle and we can see her professional title and niche right at the top. She prompts us to act by clicking on her linktr.ee to get in contact and her story highlights feature her professional and personal interests.
What’s working: @travellikeaprince’s profile effectively displays their niche in freelance travel writing through their handle, text and cohesive story highlights. Featuring a link to her best work and providing an email address can help potential clients sample her work and easily get in touch.
If you want to optimize your social media presence as a freelance writer, start by applying some of these Instagram bio ideas to help you put your best (digital) foot forward and attract your ideal clients.
