What should a small business put in its Instagram bio?
When someone lands on your profile, from a tagged photo, a friend’s share or a local hashtag, they glance at three things: your profile picture, your bio and your latest posts. The bio answers their unspoken question: “Is this for me, and how do I get there?”
Weak bios are either empty, vague (“Passion, people and good vibes”) or a row of emojis with no information. A strong bio is practical. Someone in a hurry should understand who you are, where you are and what to do next, without tapping anywhere else.
This guide is about the bio and profile link only. For what to post afterwards, see our post ideas for hair salons, beauty and nail salons, bakeries and restaurants.
How do you structure a 150-character bio?
Instagram’s Help Centre says a bio can be up to 150 characters and that anyone can see it. That is roughly twenty words. The structure that works for almost every local business has four parts:
| Part | Question it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What you do | What is this place? | “Neighbourhood bistro, seasonal menu” |
| Where | Is it near me? | “Stoneybatter, Dublin 7” |
| Difference | Why you rather than the place next door? | “Menu changes every week” |
| Action | What do I do now? | “Book via the link” |
Everything else (full opening hours, phone number, full address) can go in the contact options of a professional account or on the page your link points to. If space is tight, keep the action: it is what turns a browser into a customer.
- Your trade is clear from the first line
- Your town or neighbourhood is spelled out
- Only one action is requested
- The link opens a page that works well on a phone
- Two or three emojis at most, used as bullet points
Free tool, no sign-up
Small business marketing calendar
Spot the key dates of the year so you can update the last line of your bio and plan your posts ahead.
Display name, category and link: what to set up around the bio
The bio does not work on its own. Three nearby settings matter just as much.
Display name
The “Name” field (not your @handle) is the one shown in bold. Many local businesses use it for name plus trade plus town: “Hollybrook Bakery · Sourdough, Bristol”. It helps, because someone searching Instagram for “bakery Bristol” is more likely to find an account that contains those words.
Category
A professional account can display a category (restaurant, hair salon, bakery and so on). Pick the most specific one: it saves you from writing “restaurant” in the bio and frees up characters.
Links
According to Instagram’s Help Centre you can add up to five links to your profile, visible to everyone. The first one gets the most attention, so make it the page where people take action:
| Business | Best first link |
|---|---|
| Restaurant, pub, café | Table bookings, then the menu |
| Hair salon, barber, beauty salon | Online appointment booking |
| Bakery, cake shop | Celebration cake orders or opening hours |
| Shop | New arrivals or how to find you |
| Plumber, electrician, builder, garage | Quote request form |
| B&B, guesthouse, small hotel | Direct booking page |
The simplest option is your own website, which gathers everything in one place and belongs to you rather than to a platform. If you do not have one yet, our guide to a small business website shows how to get one without technical skills.
Instagram bio examples for restaurants, pubs and cafés
The business names are made up. Replace the parts in square brackets; each bio fits within 150 characters once adapted.
Neighbourhood bistro · [Area, Town]
Seasonal menu that changes every week
Book your table ⬇
Family-run pub since [year] · [Village]
Sunday roasts, real ales, dogs welcome
Book Sunday lunch ⬇
Wood-fired pizza · [Town]
Eat in, takeaway or collection
Order here ⬇
Home-cooked [Lebanese / Thai / Indian] food
[Street], [Town] · Closed [day]
Book online ⬇
Café & weekend brunch · [Town]
Bakes made on site, flat whites, dog friendly
Menu and opening hours ⬇
Wine bar & small plates · [Area]
Tue–Sat from 5pm · Walk-ins welcome
Reserve a table ⬇
Cocktail bar · [Town]
Seasonal cocktails, great no-and-low options
Thu–Sat · Book a booth ⬇
Seafood restaurant on the harbour · [Town]
Catch of the day on our stories
Bookings recommended ⬇
Other short lines that work: “Today’s specials on our stories every morning”, “Private hire for up to [X] guests”, “Beer garden open”. If you mention a fact in your bio, such as a year or an award, it must be true: a bio is marketing like any other and is covered by the same advertising rules.
Instagram bio examples for hair salons and barbers
Hair salon · [Town, Area]
Cuts, colour, balayage · By appointment
Book online ⬇
Colourist specialising in blondes & balayage
[Salon name], [Town]
Book a consultation ⬇
Barbershop · [Town]
Skin fades, beard trims, hot towel shaves
Book your chair ⬇
Women’s, men’s & kids’ cuts · [Town]
Team of [X] stylists, Tuesday to Saturday
Appointments ⬇
Curly hair specialist · [Town]
Cuts designed around your curl pattern
Book a curl consultation ⬇
Mobile hairdresser · [Town] and surrounding areas
Cuts, colour, bridal hair
Check availability ⬇
Barber & men’s grooming · [Area]
Late opening Thursdays · Walk-ins if a chair is free
Book ahead ⬇
A salon can use its logo as a profile picture, but an independent stylist or self-employed barber often does better with a face: that is who clients are booking. Before-and-after posts do the rest; see our hair salon Instagram post ideas.
Instagram bio examples for beauty salons, nail techs and lash artists
Beauty salon · [Town]
Facials, waxing, manicures & pedicures
Book online ⬇
Nail tech · [Town]
Gel, BIAB, nail art by appointment
See availability ⬇
Qualified beauty therapist · [Area]
Tailored facials in a calm space
Gift vouchers available ⬇
Lashes & brows · [Town]
Lash lifts, brow lamination, tinting
Book your appointment ⬇
Day spa · [Town]
Massages, treatments for two, relaxation room
Book your visit ⬇
Independent salon since [year]
Waxing, facials, bridal make-up · [Town]
Appointments ⬇
Be careful with promises. In the UK the advertising rules (CAP Code, enforced by the ASA) apply to social media marketing too, and claims such as “takes ten years off” or “permanent results” need evidence. Our beauty salon post ideas cover this in more detail.
Instagram bio examples for bakeries and cake shops
Craft bakery · [Area, Town]
Sourdough, pastries, proper coffee
Open 7.30am–4pm, closed [day]
Celebration cakes · [Town]
Birthdays, weddings, custom designs
Order at least [X] days ahead ⬇
Organic bakery · flour milled in [county]
Fresh loaves from [time] · [Town]
Hours and pre-orders ⬇
The [Area] bakery since [year]
Bloomers, cinnamon buns, hot cross buns at Easter
Find us at [address]
Bakery & café · [Town]
Lunch to eat in or take away
Today’s bakes on our stories
Market stall baker · [Market name], [day]
Sourdough and seasonal bakes
Pre-order for collection ⬇
For a bakery, opening hours are often the most searched detail. If they change on Sundays or bank holidays, update your bio and your Google Business Profile at the same time. More content ideas: bakery Instagram post ideas.
Instagram bio examples for shops, tradespeople, garages and B&Bs
Shops
Independent gift shop · [Town]
Local makers, homeware, cards
New in every Friday ⬇
Florist · [Area]
Fresh bouquets, weddings, funerals
Order by phone or online ⬇
Wine shop & deli · [Town]
Small producers, friendly advice
Tastings on Saturdays ⬇
Clothing boutique · [Town]
Independent labels, free alterations
New arrivals in stories ⬇
Independent bookshop · [Town]
Staff picks, author events, book club
What’s on ⬇
Trades
Plumbing & heating · [Town] and [X] miles around
Boiler servicing, bathrooms, repairs
Request a quote ⬇
Joiner · [Town]
Bespoke kitchens, wardrobes, staircases
Recent jobs in our stories · Quotes ⬇
Electrician · [County]
Rewires, consumer units, EV chargers
Free quotes ⬇
Painter & decorator · [Town]
Interiors, exteriors, wallpapering
Before/after in stories · Contact ⬇
Garages
Independent garage · [Town]
Servicing all makes, tyres, air con
Book your car in ⬇
Bodywork & paint · [Town]
Accident repairs, courtesy car available
Get a quote ⬇
B&Bs and small hotels
B&B · [Village, County]
[X] rooms, home-cooked breakfast, walkers welcome
Book direct ⬇
Boutique hotel · [Town]
[X] minutes’ walk from [landmark]
Best rate on our website ⬇
Only write “Best rate on our website” or “Free quotes” if it is true and you can back it up. For tradespeople, list only the registrations you actually hold, and see our social media post ideas for tradespeople.
What are the most common bio mistakes?
- The bio does not say what you do: “Good food, good mood” could be a restaurant, a catering van or a lifestyle blogger.
- No town: a local account without a location looks like a national brand and is harder to find for people nearby.
- A dead link, or one pointing to the homepage of an old website: check it from a phone once a month.
- Out-of-date hours: forgotten winter hours or holiday closures lose customers and trigger annoyed reviews.
- Too many calls to action: “Book, call, follow, share, comment” leads to no action at all. Pick one.
- Claims you cannot prove: “best burger in Manchester” or “No.1 in town” without evidence. State a fact instead: “Family-run since 1998”, “Gas Safe registered”.
- A bio that contradicts your Google listing: same hours, phone and address everywhere. Our Google Business Profile guide explains why consistency matters.
When should you change your bio, and how do you test it?
Your bio is not set in stone. Update it whenever something changes:
- New service, new opening hours, outdoor seating or a second site
- Annual closure, bank holiday hours, summer and winter hours
- Key dates: Christmas menus, Mother’s Day, Easter, back to school
- New phone number, address or website
To test it, ask three people who do not know your business to read it for five seconds, then tell you what you do, where you are and what they would do next. If anyone hesitates, simplify.
A practical habit: keep the first lines and only swap the last line (the action) through the year: “Book Christmas lunch ⬇” in November, “Beer garden open, book ⬇” in May. It takes seconds and shows the account is alive. Our small business marketing calendar helps you plan those dates ahead.
The steps at a glance
The steps to write a clear, useful Instagram bio in 150 characters.
- Switch to a professional account. In Instagram settings, choose a professional account and the most specific category.
- Set your display name. Business name, trade and town, for example “Hollybrook Bakery · Sourdough, Bristol”.
- Write the bio in four parts. What you do, where, what sets you apart and one action, within 150 characters.
- Add the right link. The page where customers act: bookings, appointments, orders or quote requests.
- Test it on a phone. Read the bio on mobile, tap the link and ask three people to read it.
- Update it every season. Hours, closures and key dates: change the last line whenever your news changes.
Do it without spending your evenings on it
Voxtya Social media
The AI studio writes your Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn posts from your photos, with captions and hashtags, and you schedule them ahead. €29/month, 30-day free trial.
This guide for your trade
Go further
Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 18, 2026.