The Marketer’s Guide To Medium

Are you searching for new audiences to tap into to grow your base?

If you answered yes—and, let’s face it, all marketers are looking for new audiences—then you’ve come to the right place. 

The platform offers marketers a unique opportunity to further brand recognition and grow their follower base in a somewhat unconventional form.

Part blog-host, part social platform, Medium provides writers with a unique mode of connection with their audiences.

The platform has over 400,000 paying subscribers ($4.99 per month or $50 per year), which should make Medium attractive to marketers from size alone. 

Read on to learn how marketers can take advantage of the unique capabilities of this platform and why you should consider giving this content platform a whirl. 

What Is Medium?

Self-identifying as the “YouTube of writing,” Medium offers writers of all kinds (poets, journalists, comic artists, etc.) space to share their work with a vast audience and get paid in the process.

The platform averages over 200 million views a month, making it a hot destination for the web’s readers. With over 100,000 writers actively using the platform, it could be an excellent destination no matter what kind of content you create.

Wondering how these writers get paid? While there is the option to write just for the sake of sharing ideas with no payment, they can also join the Medium Partner Program (MPP) and just get going! 

Unlike other writing opportunities, which typically pay by the word or the hour, MPP members are paid based on the amount of time paying subscribers readers spend reading their articles. They also get a small commission if a non-paying member subscribes within 30 days of reading their articles.

And while this is all well and good for writers, your marketer brain may have snagged on that 200 million monthly views.

How can marketers take advantage of this unique audience willing to pay to gain access to the platform?

The answer is simple: advertise on Medium. 

Types of Ads of Medium

“Advertising” on the site is, in a word, unusual.

While the term “advertise” may conjure images of paid search and skyscraper banners, Medium doesn’t allow conventional advertising. While companies can’t promote products, they can harness the unique platform to grow brand following and exposure.

Understandably, and especially since making money isn’t guaranteed, this may sound like the soundly disliked idea of “creating for exposure, not payment.” I suggest switching your way of thinking on this one: Rather than this being an opportunity to sell your stuff, you’re selling your brand and building trust.

Selling brand vs products, easy on Medium

People are, frankly, tired of constantly having ads thrown in their faces. Reading an article that may hint at your brand’s goals (perhaps by using subtle embedded links) but focuses on helping or even entertaining them in other ways may draw attention to your brand in a less pushy way.

The platform rewards content visibility purely on the strength of writing, using a unique algorithm that considers post reach, likes, and comments. Plus, everything posted gets indexed by Google, which is a boon to your search engine optimization (SEO). 

While we’ve briefly discussed the rationale of sharing content on Medium to share your reach and grow your audience base, there are several other benefits for harnessing the platform’s power:

  • Build brand awareness without overwhelming readers with sales-focused materials.
  • Increase visibility by inviting industry influencers to collaborate on your publication.
  • Diversify channel content promotion since Google indexes all Medium content.
  • Drive more clicks to your website through embedding links inside your content.
  • Create an audience by encouraging readers to subscribe to your publication.
  • Increase backlinks to your website to bolster your link-building strategy and SEO.

In short, starting a content stream on the site could improve your audience size, strengthen your SEO strategy, and drive more clicks to your website. 

Rules and Guidelines for Medium Content and Ads 

Medium intends to make people engage their minds, not their wallets, so there are rules about what you can and can’t publish on the site.

In addition to pretty standard rules against harassment, hate speech, and doxing, the platform includes some additional rules that posters must adhere to.

Ads, Promotion, and Marketing

  • Don’t post third-party sponsorships.
  • Avoid affiliate marketing.
  • Disclose all affiliate links.
  • Post nothing that remotely resembles spam or exists primarily to drive traffic or sales.

Deceptive Content

  • Don’t impersonate a brand or individual.
  • Avoid deception to generate traffic.
  • Disclose all gratis goods and services received.
  • Don’t use deceptive metadata.

Duplicate Content

The site has recently taken a firm stance against duplicate content, prohibiting: 

  • unlisting and republishing an old post
  • deleting and republishing a post without large-scale changes
  • posting the same story in different publications

Much like any other content platform, there are best practices content creators should keep in mind.

Medium Best Practices

  • Craft a strong, clear headline.
  • Share original work that isn’t simply a review of industry topics.
  • Avoid calls to action (CTAs) and salesy language. This may go against every marketing instinct, but Medium isn’t about sales—it’s about sharing ideas. 
  • Employ images on the cover of your story, as they improve the user experience (UX).

As you begin building your Medium content strategy, be sure to follow these best practices and be mindful of the rules to help ensure content success. 

How to Create Ads on Medium

Now that we’ve covered the benefits of creating content on the platform, let’s discuss how to start a publication on the site.

1. Navigate to the Publications Option

Select your picture in the top right-hand corner of the screen, then navigate to and select “Publications.”

How to Create Ads on Medium - Navigate to the Publications Options

2. Select “New Publication”

Look near the top right of your screen and click the “New Publication” button.

How to Create Ads on Medium - Select New Publication

3. Identify Your Publication

Fill out all information the site and readers need to know about your publication. 

When adding your publication’s name, think beyond your business’ name and consider options that may resonate in your industry. A publication avatar is required, and it shows up in all previews of your content. So, choose wisely.

How to Create Ads on Medium - Identify Your Publication

4. Add Your Social Profiles

In addition to adding your email address and social profiles, you can (and should) select up to five relevant tags, allowing your work to be discovered by interested parties.

5. Include Editors and Writers

In this infinitely editable space, include people with posting power on your publication.

6. Customize Your Medium Homepage

Your homepage is infinitely customizable, allowing you to change colors, header layout, background images, and much more

How to Create Ads on Medium - Customize Homepage

Analytics for Medium Content

While there are other strategies for tracking your analytics on Medium, the platform offers metrics to help you track your content’s performance.

You can view your metrics by clicking your profile picture and then “Stats.”

From there, you can access a ton of metrics that could provide insight into your content. These include:

  • views
  • reads
  • fans
  • views by traffic source
  • reader interests
  • internal vs. external views

By assessing these metrics, you can track individual pieces’ performance and gain a better understanding of your audience. You can then tailor your content to appeal to that audience or adjust your content strategy to appeal to a different group of individuals.

How to Publish Content on Medium

Sharing your first piece of content is just a few steps away. Here’s how to post and optimize Medium content:

  1. Add your story

    To begin, select your profile picture from the top right-hand corner and choose “Write Story.”

  2. Add Photos

    Select the + button from the left side of the post and then click the “Camera” button to upload a pre-saved image.

  3. Embed Third-Party Media

    Navigate to a new line of your story and paste the URL of the content you want to embed, then press “Enter.”

  4. Schedule and optimize your post

    Select the “Publish” button in the top right-hand corner. From this menu, schedule your post, add tags, or adjust your title and subtitle.

  5. Publish!

    After you’ve made the necessary changes, choose “Publish now” to make your story available.

Medium FAQs

How Much Does It Cost to Advertise on Medium?

Not a dime! Starting your publication on Medium is free.

Is the Paid Version of Medium Worth It? 

Yes, though remember: This is to subscribe, not write. Although you needn’t subscribe to write, subscribing allows you to read work from a diverse population of writers and may provide a unique perspective into popular industry topics and competitors’ work.

What Is Medium’s Partner Program?

Medium’s Partner Program was created to pay writers and ensure wider post-distribution across the platform. Writers are compensated by how engrossed members are by their work: The more members read, the more writers learn. In addition, the site distributes a portion of every subscription fee to the writers their individual subscribers read most frequently each month.

What Analytics Does Medium Provide?

Medium offers publishers a robust metrics view, including:

-views
-reads
-fans
-views by traffic source
-reader interests
-internal vs. external views

Guide to Medium Conclusion

As with all content platforms, be sure to follow Medium-specific best practices, with a particular eye towards ensuring your content doesn’t sound too promotional. 

As you begin to familiarize yourself with the tools offered, you’ll likely become more adept at targeting audiences that may be interested in your content through the tagging tools and other strategies. 

Using the platform’s offerings in conjunction with your existing content marketing strategy, you can significantly expand your reach, grow your audience, and reach new markets.

What’s the best piece of content you’ve seen on Medium?

You Can Boost Credit Score Fast

Did You Know You Can Boost Credit Score Fast?

Yes, you really can boost credit score fast for your business.

But let’s start with some definitions and background on business credit.

Business Credit

This is credit in a business’s name. It is not tied to the owner’s creditworthiness. Instead, business credit scores depend on how well a company can pay its bills. Hence consumer and business credit scores can vary dramatically.

Business Credit Benefits

There are no demands for a personal guarantee. You can quickly get business credit regardless of personal credit quality. And there is no personal credit reporting of business accounts. Business credit utilization won’t affect your consumer FICO score. Plus the business owner isn’t personally liable for the debt the business incurs. And yes, you can boost credit score fast.

Business Credit Details

Being accepted for business credit is not automatic. Building business credit requires some work. Some of the steps are intuitive, and some of them are not.

Fundability

Fundability is the current ability of our business to get funding. Some factors are within your control. Others (like your time in business) aren’t. Your online presence and data are one area which is at or close to 100% with your control.

Boost Credit Score Fast: Understand Fundability, and Business Funding Applications

The better your business credit and fundability are, the more likely you will get approval for business financing. Today, let’s concentrate on your online presence, that is, your email address and your website. It’s a great way to work to boost credit score fast.

Lenders Use Data to Decide on Your Application

They check information from a variety of sources, and they don’t tell you about any of them. Knowing what these secret sources measure can only help you. Understanding what matters the most makes getting a loan A LOT easier, because you know what to improve first. This information is the difference between getting an approval and getting a denial.

Lenders Use LexisNexis Information

LexisNexis is one source where many of the lenders reviewing loan applications get their information from. They offer information regarding likelihood to pay, or not. Lenders compare LexisNexis information to what you put on your loan application. If the application and LexisNexis don’t match, then, the loan providers will deny you a loan. They will see the inconsistency as fraud.

LexisNexis connects all of the data that pertains to you, both positive and negative. They have access to

  • criminal records
  • every email address you’ve ever used (these are your professional and personal email addresses)
  • your speeding tickets
  • any mortgage you have ever held

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Lenders Use Online Information Including Your Business Email and Website

One place where lenders and vendors will be looking for your business is online. Even if they’re not specifically checking out your online presence, they may still need to know how to order your product or service, or where to send praise or complaints. Your online presence is where they will find that information, or not.

Boost Credit Score Fast and Work on Your Website

What happens if your family member or a friend built your website? Maybe that person is talented, but business websites differ from personal ones. A business website needs to be easy to navigate. It needs to answer customers’ questions.

Styles differ. Wedding photographers and construction companies differ. They have dissimilar sites and design sensibilities, but they both have Contact and About pages, and information about what they do.

Make sure you own your domain, and not just your domain at Wix or WordPress or the like. You can do this by buying hosting. This is through hosting companies like GoDaddy or HostGator.

Your Email Address

Given that so much more of lending decisions is going on online these days, then your email address is an opportunity for your business to puts its best foot forward. Don’t squander this easy and free opportunity! General email addresses like admin@yoursite.com tend to be best.

With a general email address, if someone leaves your employ, another employee can seamlessly take over that email address. A username like admin, webmaster, or even hello is far, far better than cutiepie or the like, even if you’re in a playful industry that caters to kids. After all, your bank and banker aren’t.

Records Congruency

Keep your records consistent! This includes your online records. LexisNexis and the SBFE (Small Business Financial Exchange) are looking at everything, so it had better match.

Inconsistent records will lead to a denial due to fraud because that’s how lenders interpret inconsistencies. This is a cause of denials which is in the business owner’s hands. You have the ability to change and correct this.

This means your business name, address, phone number – everything! – must look the same in these places and more:

  • Every place your business has an online presence (your website, Yelp, SoTellUs, etc.)
  • IRS records
  • Your business’s records with Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax
  • All licenses needed to run your business
  • Incorporation documents

Copy/paste this information; don’t chance it with retyping.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Boost Credit Score Fast with Fundable Business Credit Applications – Avoid Denials

Keep your business looking fundable (legit) with:

  • A professional website and email address
  • A toll-free phone number
  • List your phone number with 411
  • A business address (not a PO box or a UPS box)
  • Get all necessary licenses for running your business

Online Fundability

There are some aspects of fundability where you should pay particular attention to what’s going on online. They include:

  • Business owners listed and listed ownership uniform
  • Business name and address uniform
  • Industry aligned
  • Company domain
  • Information uniform on all records

Business Ownership Listings

Records consistency matters here, too. Your website should show who owns your business. And that information needs to be consistent. So if the owner is named Susan Johnson on your website’s About page, then she can’t be listed as Sue Johnson on your Contact page. If your business ownership changes, you need to show that here.

Business Name and Address Uniformity

Abbreviations can be your downfall here, as can punctuation like hyphens, commas, and colons. If your Contact page says your main office is on Main Street, then your About page can’t say it’s on Main St.

If your business moves, or you add subsidiaries and other locations, then you need to update that information everywhere. This even means whether you use your 5-digit ZIP code, or a ZIP plus 4 code (9 digits).

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Industry Alignment

If your business is over the road trucking, then it needs to be listed that way. Pro tip: when your industry can be called several different names, like long distance trucking, mention those other phrases on your website.

Your Company Domain

When your company domain matches your business name, it helps with fundability. Pro tip: try to match what people will be searching for online, so if (for example) the word ‘brothers’ is in your company name, then determine if ‘brothers’ or ‘bros’ will be used by people searching for your company and its goods and services online.

Boost Credit Score Fast: Takeaways

More fundable businesses can get more money, and they tend to get more prospects who decide to become customers. One area of fundability you have total or near total control over is your business’s online presence. Keep it professional, uniform. and appealing, and easy to use. We can help you with even more aspects of fundability and you can boost credit score fast!

The post You Can Boost Credit Score Fast appeared first on Credit Suite.

Credit Card for Bad Credit Score

Are You Looking for a Credit Card for Bad Credit Score?

Did you know that it’s possible to get a credit card for bad credit score? Yes, really!

We researched lots of company credit cards for you. So, here are our choices.

Per the SBA, business credit card limits are a whopping 10 – 100 times that of personal credit cards!

This shows you can get a lot more money with company credit cards.

And you will not need collateral, cash flow, or financials to get small business credit.

Credit Card for Bad Credit Score: Business Credit Card Benefits

Benefits can vary. So, make sure to pick the benefit you would prefer from this selection of alternatives.

And always check rates on the appropriate website.

Credit Card for Bad Credit Score, Not Calling for a Personal Guarantee

Brex Card for Startups

Look into the Brex Card for Startups. It has no yearly fee.

You will not need to provide your Social Security number to apply. And you will not need to supply a personal guarantee. They will take your EIN.

Nevertheless, they do not accept every industry.

Likewise, there are some industries they will not work with, as well as others where they want more paperwork. For a list, go here: https://brex.com/legal/prohibited_activities/.

To determine creditworthiness, Brex checks a company’s cash balance, spending patterns, and investors.

You can get 7x points on rideshare. Get 4x on travel. Likewise, get triple points on restaurants. And get double points on recurring software payments. Get 1x points on everything else.

You can have bad credit (even a 300 FICO) to qualify.

Find it here: https://brex.com/lp/startups-higher-limits/

Credit Card for Bad Credit Score: for Fair Credit

Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business

Have a look at the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business. It has no annual fee. There is no introductory APR offer. The regular APR is a variable 26.99%. You can earn unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase for your company, without any minimum to redeem.

While this card is within reach if you have average credit scores, beware of the APR. However if you can pay on schedule, and completely, then it’s a bargain.

Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-classic/

Score the best business credit cards for your business.  Check out our professional research.

Credit Card for Bad Credit Score for Extravagant Travel Points

Flat-rate Travel Rewards

Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business

Check out the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business. It has an introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, which after that rises to $95. The regular APR is 20.99%, variable due to the prime rate. There is no introductory annual percentage rate. Pay no transfer fees. Late fees go up to $39.

This card is great for travel if your expenses do not fall into standard bonus categories. You can get unlimited double miles on all purchases, with no limits. Earn 5x miles on rental cars and hotels if you book via Capital One Travel.

Get an introductory bonus of 50,000 miles. That’s the same as $500 in travel. But you only get it if you spend $4,500 in the initial 3 months from account opening. There is no foreign transaction fee. You will need a good to excellent FICO score to qualify.

Earn 50,000 bonus miles if you spend at least $4,500 within 3 months of your rewards membership enrollment date

Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-miles/

Score the best business credit cards for your business.  Check out our professional research.

Hotel Credit Card

Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card

Take a look at the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ Card from American Express. It has a yearly fee of $125. There is no introductory APR offer. The regular APR is a variable 15.74 – 24.74%. You will need good to superb credit to get this card.

Points

You can earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after using your card to make purchases of $5,000 in the initial 3 months. Get 6x the points for qualified purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You can get 4x the points at United States restaurants and filling stations. And you can get 4x the points on wireless telephone services purchased directly from American service providers and on American purchases for shipping.

Get double points on all other eligible purchases.

Rewards

Also, you get a free night every year after your card anniversary. And you can earn one more free night after you spend $60,000 on your card in a calendar year.

You get free Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status with your Card. Also, spend $35,000 on qualified purchases in a calendar year and get an upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status through the end of the following calendar year.

Find it here: https://creditcard.americanexpress.com/d/bonvoy-business/

Not Qualifying for a Credit Card for Bad Credit Score? Then Try Working with a Credit Partner

Our Credit Line Hybrid could be within reach. But the trick is to work with a credit partner.

If your credit partner has good personal credit, then a hybrid credit line could be the perfect solution.

How Much You Can Get

You can get up to $150,000, even if your business is a startup.

Qualifying for Our Credit Line Hybrid

To qualify, your credit partner’s personal credit score should be at least 685. And they can’t have any liens, judgments, bankruptcies, or late payments. Plus, in the past 6 months they should have fewer than 5 credit inquiries. And they should have less than a 45% balance on all business and personal credit cards.

It’s better if you or they have established business credit as well as personal credit. See creditsuite.com/business-loans.

Score the best business credit cards for your business.  Check out our professional research.

You Won’t Need a Credit Card for Bad Credit Score if You Improve Your Personal Credit – Here’s How

Your personal credit score comes from a few basic measurements.

One is the mix of credit you’ve got. Hence, if you only have a credit card, getting an auto loan can enhance your credit mix.

Another is the number of recent inquiries. This is about the best argument against credit shopping. And inquiries stay on your personal credit report for years! So try to curb any tendencies you might have to shop around for credit.

More Ways to Improve Your Personal Credit Score

The average age of your accounts also comes into play. Therefore, if you aren’t using a card anymore – do not cancel it! But recognize that, eventually, the credit issuer will close it. As a result of this situation, if you won’t be tempted to overspend – try to use a less often used card maybe once every couple of years.

Yet another factor is your utilization percentage. That’s a simple math formula – it’s just used credit divided by total available credit. And this is for both individual cards and all of your credit. Try to keep this percentage under 30% if you can.

The Biggest Way to Improve Your Personal Credit Score

We saved the best for last! Your best way to improve your personal credit score is to just pay your bills on time, and in full. Just paying the minimum amount every month will never get you out from under debt. It’s essentially designed to keep you in debt, indefinitely.

Responsible financial stewardship will never steer you wrong – and then you’ll have a lot more credit card choices.

The Very Best Credit Card for Bad Credit Score for You

Your straight-out ideal company credit cards depend upon your credit history and scores.

Just you can choose which features you want and need. So, to do your research. What is outstanding for you could be disastrous for another person.

And, as always, make sure to develop credit in the recommended order for the best, speediest benefits.

The post Credit Card for Bad Credit Score appeared first on Credit Suite.

10 E-Commerce Examples of the Best Instagram Bios

If you run an e-Commerce brand, there’s a good chance you have an Instagram account. How much time do you spend on your Instagram bio, though? You probably spend far more time crafting great-looking posts and engaging stories. 

How long should E-commcerce companies spend writing their best Instagram bios? 

It’s important to have an excellent bio since it’s one of the first things a user sees when they visit your Instagram profile. Often, however, it’s often an afterthought for brands that care more about their posts than their profile as a whole. 

That’s a mistake. Bios aren’t user’s first impressions of your brand and set the tone of the whole account. Your brand’s bio needs to grab the user’s attention and get your core USPs across as quickly as possible. 

Doing so is far from easy, however. That’s why I’ve drawn up a list of 10 of the best Instagram bios so you can see how it’s done. 

10 Best Instagram Bios for E-commerce Businesses

When in doubt, I find it best to look at what’s working for the top brands in the industry. As they say, good artists copy, great artists steal. 

Below, I’ve compiled some of the best ecommerce Instagram bios out there right now and highlighted what makes them so effective.

1. BarkBox

Instagram bios- barkbox example

BarkBox is a monthly subscription box of dog treats and toys serving over one million dogs across the country. You knew that already, though, from their very descriptive Instagram bio. 

That’s one of the reasons this bio is so good. Even if you’ve never heard of BarkBox before, you know exactly what they sell as soon as you read the first line. 

That’s not the only reason I love it. BarkBox also does a great job of pointing consumers to other profiles they might like. Parent company Bark gets a shoutout, as does Super Chewer, the company’s extra tough toys. It’s topped off by a hashtag that shows users how they can get involved by posting their own content. 

2. MVMT

Best Instagram Bios for E- commerce Businesses - MVMT

MVMT sells premium yet affordable, American watches, sunglasses, and other accessories. They have a big Instagram following, and for a good reason. Not only do the brand’s posts look cool, but almost all of them are shoppable with the click of a button. 

MVMT begins its bio with an emotive call to action that sums up what the brand stands for. Like BarkBox, MVMT uses hashtags to encourage audience engagement and point users to a sister brand. Most important of all is the call to action at the end of the bio, which tells users about their brand new watch range. 

3. Pela Case

Best Instagram Bios for Ecommerce Businesses - Supply

Pela Case makes the world’s first compostable phone case, along with several other accessories like sunglasses, watch straps, and AirPod cases. 

Sustainability is key for this brand, and they use the globe and seedling emojis to make that point very clear. They also use emojis to highlight their CTA link as well as bullet points to give the bio a clear layout. 

The succinct way that Pela sum up their USPs also makes this bio stand out. The most important facts about the brand are made clear in the first two lines. If that weren’t enough, they also update the bio regularly. In the screenshot above, for instance, they’ve got an International Women’s Day-related CTA. 

4. Supply

Best Instagram Bios for E-commerce Businesses - Supply

Supply is a razor and grooming company that was featured on Shark Tank. Humor is the order of the day for Supply. Their bio lists a series of real-life reviews by well-known organizations and ends with a self-deprecating one-liner that shows the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. 

Supply doesn’t stop there, however. Their CTA also uses humor and intrigue to increase the likelihood that users click on their URL significantly. This brand knows their target audience loves this kind of humor, and they execute it perfectly. 

5. Who Gives a Crap

Best Instagram Bios for Ecommerce Businesses - Who Gives a Crap

Who Gives a Crap sells bamboo and recycled toilet paper. It also donates 50 percent of its profits to improve sanitation in the developing world. 

Who Gives a Crap is another brand that uses emojis to grab user’s attention and structure their bio. In doing so, they’re able to get across a huge amount of information in a small space. You know what they do, why they do it, and the product’s USPs. You even know where they ship, too. It’s not even a struggle to read it!

6. Brooklinen

Best Instagram Bios for Ecommerce Businesses - Brooklinen

Brooklinen is a DTC brand selling luxury bedding. They put comfort and quality before everything else and that shines through in their stylish bio and account. 

At first glance, Brooklinen’s bio may not look particularly special. There are no emojis, for instance, but that’s because they aren’t on brand. Instead, there is a very specific call to action, which is to visit their store in person. 

This is what makes Brooklinen’s Instagram bio so good, in my opinion. While other brands focus on driving you to their online store, they show they aren’t just an ecommerce store—you can see their products in person, too. 

7. Haus Laboratories

Best Instagram Bios for E-commerce Businesses - Haus Laboratories

Haus Laboratories is the beauty brand from Lady Gaga and that’s not something they hide in their Instagram bio. That’s a good thing since it’s probably the brand’s biggest selling point. 

Next, the brand sends a powerful and emotive message to readers, showing they aren’t just a faceless make-up brand. Finally, they use emoji to capture Lady Gaga’s tone of voice and point users in the direction of their CTA. A Gaga-reat job all around.

8. MeUndies

Best Instagram Bios for Ecommerce Businesses - MeUndies

MeUndies sells what they claim to be the most comfortable underwear in the world. Their branding is fun, bold, and colorful, and they make a point of getting that across in their Instagram bio. 

A clever pun in the first line gets the bio off to a great start and is quickly followed up by a cheeky peach emoji. The heart emoji is in an on-brand color and highlights the fact that a new design is on sale (a common feature of MeUndies). If that weren’t enough, another emoji points users in the direction of the CTA link where users can shop. Peachy. 

9. The Sill

Best Instagram Bios for Ecommerce Businesses - The Sill

The Sill sends indoor potted plants directly to your door. Their offering is all about making your home look great and their branding reflects the elegance plants can add to your home. 

Their Instagram bio drives that brand promise home in the first line. Selling “the best looking plants on the internet” is a bold claim, but it’s the kind of claim that will make users spend time browsing their posts to find out. That’s a win right there.

The Sill also uses a hashtag to let consumers browse user-generated content for added social proof and uses an emoji to break up the copy. A beautiful job all around. 

10. American Giant

Best Instagram Bios for Ecommerce Businesses - MeUndies

American Giant is an American clothing brand that aims to make better clothes right here in the U.S.A. This belief in making better quality products, with better materials, and better techniques is one of its core USPs.

No wonder their tagline is mentioned in the very first line of the bio. They reinforce that tagline with a crystal clear message about making high-quality clothing in the U.S. and back that up with an American flag emoji, in case there was any doubt. 

The bio is topped off with call-to-action encouraging users to create their own content with the brand’s hashtag and a link to their store. 

How to Create the Best Instagram Bio for Your Ecommerce Business

You’ve seen how the biggest brands in the industry do it; now it’s time to create your own. Here are a few tips to help you get it right. 

1. Include a Call to Action

Is it a piece of marketing material if it doesn’t have a call to action? I don’t think so, and your Instagram bio definitely is one. 

Instagram followers shouldn’t land on your profile and ask “now what?” Instead, give them a clear and obvious action to take. It’s even more important on Instagram because your bio is the only place in your profile where you can place an outbound link. Don’t waste it!

Calls to action for E-ommerce brands could be to visit your store, shop your profile or sign up for your email list. You don’t have to stop at one CTA, either. You could recommend users follow your sister brand’s account (like BarkBox), visit your store (Brooklinen), or get in touch with support (The Sill). 

2. Incorporate a Brand Hashtag

Hashtags are a great way to encourage user-generated content (UGC).  Encouraging UGC should be one of your top goals on Instagram. User posts featuring your products are great at generating buzz and providing much-needed social proof

Adding a hashtag also gives consumers a way to quickly search your own and other users’ posts about your brand, which is great for users who aren’t familiar with who you are and what you sell. 

2. Be Creative

Trust me, when you look at dozens of Instagram profiles a day, the creative ones really shine through. The more your bio stands out from the crowd, the more likely users are to stick around, view your posts, and maybe even hit follow. 

It could be how you layout your profile, what you say, how you say it, or the emojis you use. While you should definitely learn lessons from the brands above, please don’t copy them completely. Forge your own path. 3.

3. Show Your Brand’s Personality

One of the best ways to be creative is to let your brand’s personality shine through in your bio. You’ve worked hard to develop your brand’s unique tone of voice, so make sure you use it when crafting your copy. 

It won’t just give new users insight into the kind of brand you are, it will make regular customers feel at home. 

4. Be Concise

You only have 150 characters to work within an Instagram bio, so brevity is essential. Don’t waste time explaining who you are. That’s what your name and profile image are for. The focus should be on the what and the why. 

You need to explain what sets you apart from competitors and what your brand stands for if you want users to hit follow. If it’s not obvious to users, they won’t waste time trying to work you out. 

6. Make It Readable

While you may not have many characters to use in your Instagram bio, you do have plenty of space to play with. Make sure you use it. 

Rather than write two or three sentences in a row (however witty or concise they are), try adding line breaks or emojis into your bio to make it as easy to read as possible.

A bullet point list of short, punchy sentences is much easier to read. Don’t forget to prioritize your layout for mobile devices, either. Very few people, if any, will be looking at your Instagram page on a laptop or desktop computer. 

7. Use Emojis

Emojis are a great hack to make your bio both readable and concise. They may not say one thousand words, but they can save a few dozen characters when used well. 

They are also a great way to break up your copy and help users see what your brand is about. 

Emojis don’t work for every brand, however, especially if you sell serious or business-orientated products. Even brands that don’t rely on humor (like American Giant) can use specific emojis in a subtle way. 

8. Add Keywords

I can feel you raising your eyebrows about using keywords on Instagram, but hear me out. While your profile name and handle help people to find you, Instagram will also use what you write in your bio to determine what your page is about. 

That makes it essential to have your most important keywords in there somewhere. Look at BarkBox, as an example. They have “toys, treats, and chews” in their bio for that reason. Pela Case has “compostable phone case” too.  

The good news is if you create a succinct and concise bio, you’ve probably included keywords already. If not, pick the one or two that are most important and include them in your first line. 

Conclusion

Instagram is probably the most valuable social media platform for E-commerce brands, but bios are regularly left as an afterthought.

Not your brand, though.  

You’ve seen some of the best Instagram bios and understand what features make their bios stand apart from the rest. Now it’s time to craft your own powerful bio that captures users’ attention and directs them to your store. 

Be concise, show your brand’s personality, and don’t forget to include a clear call to action. 

If you need help for developing your social media strategy (and content marketing and SEO), reach out. We can help you!

What steps are you going to take to improve your Instagram bio?

New comment by tennismath in "Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (August 2020)"

SEEKING WORK | in transition to London | REMOTE

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Technologies: Python(numba, pandas, numpy, scipy, matplotlib, tensorflow, seaborn), SQL, MongoDB, Matlab, Bash scripting, Google Cloud, Excel, Computer Vision, Mathematical Modelling, Machine Learning, Signal processing, Medical Imaging

Resume/CV: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-butnar/ (full resume available upon request)

Email: butnar[dot]adrian[at]gmail[dot]com

I am a problem solver (formerly employed as data scientist and software developer) with a passion for mathematical modelling and sciences(natural and social sciences). I have experience in competitive mathematics & physics and a degree in computer science. I will be starting a postgraduate degree this autumn at Imperial College London. I am looking for exciting projects.

Zelos (YC W20) Is Hiring a Senior Front-End Engineer – Los Angeles / Remote

# About Zelos

Zelos is a rewards program where gamers earn points and redeem in-game prizes across multiple games. When you play your favorite game, simply finish a challenge (e.g. get 3 kills) to earn points and trade in your points for a prize (e.g. a new game or a skin).

We built Zelos because games today focus on monetizing off their most dedicated players (whales). For gamers like us who play multiple games, spending money in each game quickly becomes expensive. When we move to a new game, all the money we spent in the old game is effectively lost.

So we built Zelos for the 55% of gamers who play 2 or more games and they LOVE us. Having launched only 2 months ago, we already have 50K+ weekly active users across 30+ countries.

Zelos graduated from YC W20 and just closed a heavily oversubscribed seed round. We are only a team of 3 and you will be our first frontend/fullstack hire. As such, you can expect great responsibilities, huge opportunities to learn & grow, and of course significant equity.

Being a gaming company, we have a very laid-back and open culture where people care about having fun as much as doing great work. You would be a great fit here if you enjoy playing games and building things.

# About the Job

You will be working very closely with our backend engineers and designers to build amazing UI/UX for our users. As this is a startup with a very small team, we expect the following qualities from you:

– Initiative: you must be able to make decisions independently and be productive even without clear directions. We won’t be micro-managing you and you should thrive because of that.

– Passion: for an early startup like us, passion is what allows us to overcome inevitable setbacks and obstacles. We want someone that appreciates the magnitude of their work and works hard accordingly: if we do this right, we will change the gaming industry forever.

– Playfulness: we are gamers and we care about having fun. We work hard but we are not all about work. To work for us, it’s essential that you enjoy playing games.

# Contact Us

If you are interested, please email us directly at founders@zelos.gg and tell us more about yourself.


Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706141

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