There’s no way to get a second chance at making a first impression. This rings true in person and on the Internet. Don’t believe me?
When a browser finds you online, they form an opinion about your online presence in less than half of a second (and judge your social media bio!). That means within one teeny, tiny little tap, someone has taken in your profile and determined if you add value to their social experience or not. And in the eight years since that study, attention spans have only gotten shorter.
Whether you’re trying to strike the perfect balance of clever and cute or you want your potential new followers to drool over your jet-setting lifestyle, here’s how to optimize your social media bio to increase your followers and make your time on social media count.
How to Write a Social Media Bio: Instagram
First things first, your name and username need to reflect your business or the field or industry you work in. Instagram’s search function only processes the information found in a profile’s username and name. This means if you search the term “marketing,” Instagram only delivers results of profiles that have “marketing” in their name or username.
In the handful of results that pop up in our quick search for “marketing” in the app, you see in top results accounts that have either “marketing” in their usernames or in their profile name.
After you optimize your name, then you can show off your brand personality. For our social media bio, we use emojis and messaging that match our website and promote our skills.
Instagram bios support tagging other users and hashtags, so you can tag your founder or your team, remind followers of your email address, or promote your branded hashtag. But remember: even though these turn into convenient tappable links, they do not show up in an organic search on the platform.
Finally, pick a photo that matches your brand aesthetic. If your feed is going to be full of bright, bold photos, your profile photo should also be bright and inviting. If your goal is growing brand awareness, consider choosing a well-defined and properly cropped logo as your profile photo.
How to Write a Social Media Bio: Twitter
Where Instagram is all about the visuals, Twitter is about the conversation. And with close to 340 million users, there are a lot of people to talk to. They just need to find your account.
Curating your social media bio on Twitter sets the tone for your future conversations and lets users know how you’re going to use your account. Like Instagram, there are key components that appear in search queries, so craft your profile carefully. In 160 words (or less!), pack your profile with keywords and hashtags that are relevant to your business or niche, including your branded hashtag so users can learn more about you.
Next, consider what message your cover image and profile photo send. This is prime real estate to show off your work or products or jump on a season or trend.
Hulu does a great job using its Twitter profile to show off what movies and tv shows are on its streaming platform that users can’t get anywhere else. Plus, if you’re a Hulu user, you know the Palm Springs location is a clever hat tip to a Hulu original film released this summer.
How to Write a Social Media Bio: Facebook
Facebook may have lost its competitive edge as soon as your grandmother created an account, but there’s no denying people are still active on the platform. According to Domo, Inc., users post 147,000 photos and send 150,000 messages on Facebook every minute. That’s a whole lot of opportunity to share your brand or business.
Facebook requires a blend of your Instagram strategy and Twitter profile. You need to make sure your name is right, but you also have extra real estate with a cover image you can easily rotate through the months or seasons. You can also hand-select a few images to show users what you care about right on the front of your page.
Make sure you use the correct name in your profile, as Google crawls Facebook pages in its search process. And, take advantage of Facebook’s vanity URL and customize it with your brand or business name. This makes it easy to ask people to find you on Facebook in person and on your print materials.
Since you have characters and fields to work with on Facebook, include your phone number, email address, and business address to your profile. And pick the built-in call-to-action button that matches best with what action you want your followers to take from your profile. The current options are: Sign Up, Book Now, Contact Us, Use App, Play Game, Shop Now, and Watch Video.
Mark off these highlights on your profile, and you will be well on your way to capturing the audience who needs to meet you.
Nutella does a great job of blending imagery and warmth in its profile that makes the user’s experience with its social content almost as enjoyable as its hazelnut spread.
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Putting your best foot forward on social media starts with your bio, but you can see incredible growth and sales by producing reliable, relevant, and drool-worthy content on your feeds and engaging with your followers in an authentic way. It’s a full-time job on its own. If it’s too much for you to take on at the moment, slide into our inbox and find out how our SizzleForce Social Team can create and manage your profiles for you.