Why you need business category on Instagram

Content Strategist and Editor
Updated 27 March, 2024
Kos Morris
Content Strategist and Editor
Reading time — 6 minutes

Your potential clients should know what you offer. Your stuff may be the best on the market. But no one will come to buy it. Unless they see a bright shop sign above your product. Instagram business categories are exactly that alluring shop sign.

Instagram Business Category — what is it?

Instagram Category is one word that describes your business. Sometimes it's two words. Either way, you should find the best category that captures the core essence of your enterprise.

You can get insanely creative with your profile. You may post a fresh IG story every day or like hundreds of hashtags. But if you fail to laconically tag your own products, all these efforts will go to waste.

A category in your Instagram business account saves the precious 150 characters in your Instagram bio. These one or two words that you add in the settings free you from saying who you are in the bio.  Thus, you can write other details about your brand and even tell its story.

It's crucial to avoid giving your IG profile a vague, fuzzy or confusing category. 

Why is it so important?

Everything you do on Instagram since you signed up your brand on Instagram is for its growth. Whether it is posting memes or consulting in DM. Choosing a category is another way to promote your Instagram account. Let's see how exactly it works.

Instagram users want to know first what to expect from your account. What kind of content, products or posts they will find there. And if your stuff matches their likes and interests — you'll hear the shop bell ringing!

Here's an example. Imagine you're digging crates at a vinyl record store. You may have an exquisite, versatile music taste. But still, some genres make your eardrums a bit more ecstatic than others. So, if you prefer retro-dance music, you will search for Funk or Disco isles.

Instagram Categories do the same trick. They attract your potential clients by evoking their personal interest. And once they are on this hook, temptation to visit your Instagram page will be unbeatable.

In return, it will bring more purchases, bookings, orders, clicks, views, and so forth.

How to add a category in your Instagram account?

You can add a category by tapping "Edit Profile" on your Instagram page. Scroll down and you will see the "Category" settings. Tap it and you will see the list of options. 

If you can't find the category settings, or face other problems, updating the Instagram app can be the solution.

How to choose the right business category?

As we've already found out, there are just two criteria for choosing the best category:

  • It must present your product in a nutshell.
  • It must be interesting to your target audience.

So how can you identify your category?

1. Take a closer look

Look at your product once again. Which part of users' life does it relate to? If you sell something like Raspberry Pi kits, then your possible categories are Education, DIY, It or Computers. If you specialize in brewing craft beer, then it's Alcohol, Food & Drinks and Beer (doubtlessly). Maybe it's facial creams and masks based on bee poison? Beauty, Makeup, Cosmetics are your call.

2. No clutter

Now you get the idea. But don't add too many categories to the list, to avoid confusion. It must be just one — the brightest, catchiest and simplest. It will be shown at the top of your page, after all.

3. Adding category

Once you know which segment your biz belongs to, let's share it with the world. You can add a category when you create your Instagram account for the first time or switch it to Business later. You can also add a category at any time if you skipped this step when setting up your Business account earlier:

If you failed to find a category that suits your profile on the list — don't fret. Type it in manually, so IG can find it for you. Besides, you can customize the category whenever you deem appropriate. Does your store sell new goods? You write on a different topic now? No problemo.

Instagram Business Categories List

Best Instagram business categories

Clothes

Plain and simple. If you have a small clothing brand, knit handmade sheep wool hats or own a thrift shop that sells the 60s style tweed costumes — go for it.

Make sure your Instagram account fits the business category you choose. You should show the clothes on your profile page, add prices and delivery terms. If you have offline shops add their addresses to your bio

Photographer

Instagram is a perfect place for photographers to find clients since the platform is all about visual content. State the photographer category in your profile and make sure it is displayed. Complete your profile with one of the 30+ photographer bio ideas to copy and paste.

The next step if you want to find clients on Instagram is creating your photographer portfolio, you should add its link to your bio. This will let people easily find you, see that you are a great photographer and book a shoot.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle is a bit broader category. It suits you If you have a travel blog on Instagram, in which you visit stunning and poorly known corners of the world. If you're an expert vegan who teaches vegetable dieting — it'll also work.

Shopping & retail

This Instagram business category is for you if you sell online. Whether you have added Amazon links to make your profile into a catalog, or other marketplace links, for example, Etsy links, or you've connected the Shopping feature, or benefit from affiliate programs, in all these cases "Shopping & retail" is your option.

Post astonishing photos on Instagram to sell more. Hire a professional photographer for a photo shoot. Let your buyers see how your goods show themselves in action. Film a short promotional movie, a tutorial or an unboxing video.

Entertainment

This category is for creators who make us laugh and cry. SimonsCatOfficial is a bright example. If you author Stranger Things memes, write a sassy blog on fashion or make pop-science videos starring Lego robots, you also belong to it.

If you create entertaining content, choose this Instagram business category. Link your social profiles and Instagram account. Then, you will gain followers on all these social networks. This means more views and likes, and if you make money on social media, it means more revenue, too.

For example, if you are a YouTube blogger, link your YouTube and Instagram accounts. And if you have a blog on a website, link this blog to your Instagram profile. Use a link in bio page, which makes sharing links and driving traffic from one social network to another as easy as possible. 

Community

For that category, you need to find some content that will touch the hearts of your followers. If you run a HomelessCatRescue page, your posts should revolve around helping kitties in need. And maybe everything feline in general. Mothers will be interested in everything child-related: kid's psychology, Top 10 Education Games for Android, diapers sales, etc.

Discuss the issues related to your community topic with the most careful and thoughtful followers. Together you can come up with great solutions. Create a group chat in DM after you choose the Community Instagram business category. Or you can invite the followers to Snapchat or another messaging app, which may be more convenient.

Musician

Music creators can benefit on social media a lot. For instance, if you are a musician or an artist, you can put music links in your bio and get more song plays. Add a relevant category in your Instagram bio and this will contribute to the success. Users will easily understand how exactly you are connected with the songs. There will be no doubts whether you are a producer, label, or a singer.

Magnetize to Monetize

As you can see, choosing the right category isn't rocket science. Just realize which one of them reflects your business, blog, or foundation the best. And don't forget: choosing the right category matters a lot. Hands down. But servicing the right product under it is as important. Stick to consistency and inner logic.

What's next?

So, you know which category to add to your business Instagram account and how to do this. Don't miss out on other ways to enhance your bio. The next step in upgrading the link in your bio with a landing page.

Read the list of 9 best link in bio tools to choose one for you and make your Instagram bio more than just a text and a link. Thus, your profile page will be a well-set selling machine.