Platform guide

One person.
Three bios.

Instagram, LinkedIn and your own website ask different questions. Here is how to change the emphasis without inventing a different version of yourself each time.

Same person. Different room.

One of the easiest bio mistakes is copying the same paragraph everywhere. It feels efficient. It also ignores context.

Think of the platforms as three rooms. Instagram is a crowded doorway. LinkedIn is a professional introduction. Your website is your own room, where you control the pace.

Do not rewrite your identity. Rewrite the emphasis.

Instagram: recognition in a few seconds.

An Instagram bio works best when it is compressed. Role, focus, perhaps location or a distinctive angle, then a useful next step.

Example: Brand designer for food & culture · Amsterdam · identities, packaging, odd little type details · ↓ selected work

This does not explain an entire career. It helps a visitor decide whether to stay.

LinkedIn: context and credibility matter more.

LinkedIn gives you more room and a different reader. Your role, expertise, sector and useful proof can come forward. You can also show the direction you are moving in, not only the job title you currently hold.

Example: I am a brand designer and creative director working with cultural organisations and growing businesses. My work combines identity, editorial design and practical brand systems that small teams can actually use.

Notice the extra context. It answers professional questions without turning into a CV dump.

Website or portfolio: this is where the person can breathe.

On your own site, a bio can become a small story. How did you arrive at this work? What do you notice that others may not? What kinds of projects make sense for you now?

This is also the place where a personal detail can do more work, because the visitor has already chosen to spend time with you.

Write one master bio, then cut three versions from it.

  1. Write 150–200 words without worrying about platform limits.
  2. Highlight role, proof, audience, method and one personal note.
  3. For LinkedIn, keep role + proof + professional direction.
  4. For Instagram, keep role + focus + memorable hook.
  5. For your site, keep the strongest material and add narrative.

This is faster than inventing three personalities from scratch.

The test: could these three bios belong to the same person?

They should not be identical, but they should agree. If Instagram says playful illustrator, LinkedIn says corporate strategy expert and the website says wellness coach, the problem is not platform adaptation. It is positioning.

Adapt the frame. Keep the core recognisable.

Want a first draft?

Use BioWriter to get something on the page, then edit it with the principles in this guide.

Open the bio writer →