Why You Need A Stellar Instagram Bio as an Artist in 2024

When was the last time you updated your Instagram bio? And not just updating your link, but actually sat down and made some real, impactful edits?

Quick storytime- We at The Studio Source hadn’t made any big changes to our bio in 3+ years.😳 (BTW we don't recommend going this long between edits.) We could tell it just wasn't resonating with our target audience anymore and it felt a little stale. So just a few weeks ago we overhauled the whole thing- we added new a few new keywords in the bio and our account name, included some emojis, etc.

Then just a few days later, a Reel we posted over a week prior started going viral and our follower count started growing!

These were our Instagram analytics on February 16, 2024 - 1 day after we updated our bio.  

These were our Instagram analytics on February 27, 2024 - after our Reel went viral with close to 200k views. 

Now, we’re not saying the reason the post went viral and we gained new followers was specifically due to the changes we made to our bio- but it was definitely part of it.

Because the truth is your bio is one of, if not the most, important aspect of your Instagram profile. It’s often the first thing people look at when they find your account, and it helps them decide if your account is relevant for them and if they’ll follow. It's extra important as an artist because your art is so personal and meaningful, and the way you describe it matters to a potential collector.

That's a big ask for such a small part of your Instagram account - we know. But if it's done right, your well-constructed bio will not only lead to more followers, but to those followers converting to art buyers!

If now you're wondering how you can use the same techniques we used to update your bio, this is our advice: think hard about who your ideal collectors are and what kinds of words or phrases they use that could also be used to describe your art. Then take those words or phrases (known as keywords) and incorporate them into your bio.

Not only does this make your account more discoverable on Instagram, it also speaks directly to a potential follower using the same language they do. It's specific, and it tells them exactly what to expect when they follow you!

If you want to explore even further all of the elements that make up a good, sales-ready Instagram account, we detailed them all out in our Instagram Evaluation checklist. This Eval is a complete DIY tool (made specifically for you, an artist!) to quickly assess and improve your Instagram. We've broken it down into 4-key categories, with Action Items and a 30-day timeline to make implementing our suggestions simple and straightforward!