to find and use the right hashtags //

In August 2007, as you sang along to “Umbrella”, (ella…ella), on the radio, Chris Messina, a designer of products and services at Twitter, proposed the idea of using “#(pound)” for groups.

Twitter’s response? It was too geeky and wouldn’t catch on.

Instagram, TikTok and Twitt..erm…X are all social media platforms that use hashtags.

Learn how to use Instagram hashtags for brand building, engagement, and growth.

Table of Contents


IG hashtags 102


Best hashtags


More hashtags


Instagram hashtag Best Practices

What is a #?

A hashtag is any word, phrase or acronym that has the pound sign (#) before it. If you click or tap on a hashtag on social media platforms such as Instagram, you will be shown the posts that contain that hashtag.

It is easy to search for specific content within the sea of social media posts and categorize it.

Hashtags are available on all the popular social media platforms including:

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Why Use Instagram Hashtags?

Instagram hashtags are important on Instagram, but they’re also available on other platforms. These are just a few of the benefits that you can get from using Instagram hashtags.



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Types of Instagram hashtags

Instagram offers a huge variety of hashtags. You can categorize most of them into these categories.

Location hashtags

They are important for social media marketing, and they can help you to attract customers nearby. It is important to note that adding a hashtag for a specific location is different from adding the location on Instagram.

Popular hashtags

They are not likely to attract the most relevant engagement but can still help you gain exposure.

Trending hashtags

These hashtags are a result of current events. They can be one-time events or events that occur regularly.

Branded hashtags

Businesses create hashtags that are unique to them or to a particular campaign in order to promote engagement and user-generated material.

Daily hashtags

Instagram has many hashtags that are popular for each day of the week.

Holiday hashtags

Instagram marketing is the perfect combination of holidays and hashtags.

Community hashtags

Community hashtags bring the social network to life by allowing people to find others who share the same interests.

How to add hashtags to Instagram

It’s as simple as adding the pound sign in front of any word or phrase on Instagram!

You’ll often see hashtags in Instagram captions placed like this:

They can be used elsewhere, such as your bio. We’ll show you a few ways to sneakily hide hashtags within your Instagram posts.

Consider these other factors when using Instagram hashtags.

Top Instagram hashtags

You won’t stand out if you use popular hashtags, but you can get more exposure if you combine them with niche tags. They’re also a great “seed” tag that you can tweak for relevance.

According to Top-Hashtags.com these are the top 20 hashtags, along with how many times each one has been used:

  1. #love (2.1B)
  2. #Instagood (1.7B)
  3. #Instagram (1.1B)
  4. #fashion (1.1B)
  5. Photooftheday (1.0B)
  6. #art (1.0B)
  7. #photography (1.0B)
  8. #beautiful (829M)
  9. #nature (791M)
  10. #picoftheday (723M)
  11. #travel (708M)
  12. #happy (702M)
  13. #follow (699M)
  14. #cute (668M)
  15. #style (646M)
  16. #instadaily (645M)
  17. #tbt (584M)
  18. #repost (559M)
  19. #summer (555M)
  20. #beauty (532M)

Daily Instagram hashtags

Here’s the super-distilled version of our post about hashtags to get you going.

Monday: #mindfulmonday, #mondaymood, #mondayquotes

#thursdaythoughts

Instagram hashtags to grow your business

You can modify them to include your location or even a href=”https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2022/02/23/how-to-come up with a business name”>business name/a>. Then you can modify them by adding your location, or company name. You can use over 300 industry-specific hashtags in your posts. Here’s just a small sample:

#carmechaniclife

Instagram hashtags for small businesses

Instagram Marketing can be a huge deal for marketing small businesses. These hashtags can help mom and pop shops be found on Instagram.

#shoplocal, #buylocal, #supportsmallbiz, #familyowned, #smallbusinesssaturday, #smallbusinessweek, #smallbusinesslove, #smallbusinesstips, #smallbusinessowner, #handmade, #handcrafted, #etsyshop

#smallbiz

Motivational hashtags

Every now and then, we could all benefit from a little boost. Use these hashtags to make your Instagram followers feel appreciated.

#hustle, #motivationonoftheday, #ifnotyouwho, #justdoit, #alwaysbekind, #workhard, #bebolder, #nevergiveup, #walkyourtruepath, #starttoday, #carpediem, #ifnotnowwhen, #accountability, #bethechange


#bethechangeyouwanttosee

Hashtags for Instagram Reels

Instagram reels are short-form videos similar to TikTok. Include a Reels hashtag in your video to help people find it on Instagram.

#reels, #funnyreels, #reelsvideo, #reelsinstagram, #reelsviral, #reelsexplore, #trendingreels, #reelstrending, #reelsdance, #instagramreels, #instareels, #reelsofinstagram, #reelsdaily, #reelschallenge, #reelsfashion


#viralreels

Holiday hashtags on Instagram

You can come up with a hashtag for every conceivable holiday (#NationalCreamsicleDay FTW!). We’ve collected over 140 end-of-year holidays hashtags that you can copy and paste. Here are some holiday hashtags that you can use from around the world.

#christmasspirit, #naughtylist, #NYE, #lightthemenorah, #halloweenvibes, #Tdayfeast, #memorialdayweekend, #thankyouvets, #thefourth, #happyfourthofjuly, #shamrock, #stpattysday, #Valintinesdaylove, #bemine


#worlddreamday

You can find a variety of hashtags in these posts:

Instagram hashtags to like

They’re not just saying they like your post when they tap the heart. The algorithm is notified that the post should be seen by more people. They’re searched by people looking for likes and followers, so they will be willing to exchange #like4like.

#likes, #likeforlike, #instacool, #like4follow, #follow4followback, #instalove, #shoutout, #follow, #f4f, #followback, #liker, #instafollow, #pleasefollow, #likeforlikeback


#followtrain

Mental Health Hashtags

It’s not surprising to see mental health hashtags on Instagram.

#stigmafree, #mentalhealthadvocate, #mentalhealthawareness, #anxietyisreal, #endthestigma, #selfcare, #acceptyourself, #gowithin, #mindsetshift, #selfacceptance, #youareworthy, #healthyboundaries, #itsokaytonotbeokay

#itsokaytonotbeokay

Diversity and inclusion hashtags

Recent events have prompted a boom in hashtags in this category. Here are some of most popular hashtags for diversity and inclusion.

#empowerment, #inclusion, #socialimpact, #community, #loveislove, #accessible, #disabilityawareness, #diversityequityinclusion, #pride, #blacklivesmatter, #allmeansall, #bettertogether, #unityindiversity, #loveforall, #minorityowned, #veteranowned, #womanowned, #blackowned


#prideispermanent

Find trending hashtags in Instagram

You need to research how you can effectively use hashtags within your Instagram posts. Where do you begin? Here are some ideas…

Use a hashtag Generator

Hashtag generators can be used to create hashtags that are both general and specific. The majority of them work by converting a word that you type into a list with hashtags. Most also display the popularity of each hashtag.

Here’s a list with several popular hashtag generators.

AI isn’t just for hashtag generators. This guide on Artificial Intelligence in Marketing will help you learn why artificial intelligence is a smart choice for your business.

Search Instagram

Enter hashtags into the Instagram search box and watch what appears. Easy as pie.

Check out your competitors

Look at your competitors’ and influencers in the industry. You can find out what tags are worth using by looking at what other people have done successfully. This will help you to develop your own strategy.

How to hide hashtags from Instagram

There are several ways to hide hashtags in your caption if your post deserves 20-30.



Image source

How many hashtags should I use on Instagram?

Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags. However, the number of hashtags you use will depend on the person who makes the suggestion.

In 2017, a report found that a total of 10 hashtags was the ideal amount to reach the largest audience.

Instagram announced publicly (on Instagram) in 2021 that you should use only 3 to 5 hashtags for each post.

Later also revealed the same year that using 20-30 hashtags for Feed posts is the best way to go.

What they say:



Image Source

What does this all mean to you? Use no more than 3 hashtags per caption. You can hide some in an image, if you wish, and then add the remaining 30 in a caption. Make sure that they are relevant to your post.

Use hashtags on Instagram

Hashtags can be used to market your Instagram account for free. These are some of the ways you can use hashtags on Instagram.

Mix hashtags types

Hashtags are Instagram’s SEO keywords. Use a combination of hashtags with high volume to gain exposure and hashtags with lower volume but greater intent to attract followers and customers.

As an example:

Save a default list

You shouldn’t use the same hashtag in multiple posts, but you can and should. You can copy and paste the hashtags into your posts by keeping a list handy.

Remember: Relevance is key. If it’s not relevant, remove hashtags. When someone searches for a hashtag, your post will appear. This makes your brand seem unreliable, untrustworthy and/or desperate.

Make your own hashtag campaigns

Hashtags are used in some of the most successful Instagram marketing campaigns. Take the #IceBucketChallenge. This hashtag campaign was able not only to raise awareness for the ALS Association, but also raised a significant amount of money (115 million in fact! ).

Consider how you could do the same thing by encouraging your followers to use your hashtag. This will spread brand recognition for your business among other Instagrammers.

Hashtag campaigns do not have to be limited-time contests or trends. In fact, some of the most successful branded hashtags are the timeless ones, like Chewy’s #petsbringustogether.

Create a brand hashtag that will never go out of style for user-generated content

Take for example the hashtag created by Allbirds, a sneaker company. Instead of using generic hashtags for every post, Allbirds uses #weareallbirds. Happy customers also use it to share their new kicks.

How to create a hashtag for your brand on Instagram

Use hashtags to promote giveaways

You can run an Instagram Giveaway by asking participants to upload a photo, tag you and your business, as well as use a hashtag. It’s a great way to not only track your entries but also help populate the hashtag you use with amazing content.

Create a hashtag challenge

Hashtag challenges help you connect with your fans and create a community centered around your brand.

Here’s a great example of a partnership between Lululemon UK, Stava and a group of runners who ran 40-80K and tagged their Instagram posts with #4080challenge.

As I said, you should always check the hashtag. You’ll find more cars than runners if you search for #4080challenge.


#4080challenge…a Lululemon Campaign and a Car

Tag other brands

Use their hashtags in addition to tagging brands. You can help other businesses with their marketing strategies by using their hashtags. And you never know, they might even feature you or use the hashtag you created to repay the favor.

Follow hashtags

You should use a few Instagram hashtags.

Search for the hashtag you want to follow and click on “follow” in the search results.

Instagram hashtag analytics

Reporting is time for discussion. Without numbers, you can’t tell if hashtags improve your social media marketing. You have a lot of tools available to you. Here are three.

1. Instagram Insights

The first is Instagram analytics. If you have an Instagram Business account, you can access the analytics on your mobile device. Tap “View insights” to view the hashtag performance of a specific post.

2. Sprout Social

It might be worth investing into another reporting tool, such as Sprout Social, if you want to dig deeper into hashtag performance. This powerful social reporting tool allows you to create Instagram hashtag performance reports for a number of purposes, including:

3. Iconosquare

While the price of Iconosquare is higher, you get a lot more features, including scheduling social media posts, responding to comments and tracking them, all in one place.

This tool offers a sophisticated analysis of hashtag engagement, and whether certain hashtags contribute to the growth of a brand or campaign.

FAQs about Instagram hashtags

We’ve covered quite a bit of ground but we’ll highlight some questions that are often asked about Instagram hashtags.

What are the best Instagram hashtags?

Your audience is likely to search for hashtags that are relevant to your message. They should also be relevant to what you are doing and your message. You should also know how many times they are searched so that you can be sure.

How do hashtags spread on Instagram?

Some hashtags get a lot attention from the start. The #icebucketchallenge provides a good illustration. The tag may have been shared by a celebrity or coincide with a popular event. Virality is a vague concept that’s hard to define as a goal. Focus on creating great content for Instagram, and matching hashtags with it.

How many hashtags do I need to use on Instagram?

Use up to 30 hashtags in a single post. In the caption, limit hashtags to five. The rest can be placed in the first comment.

What are the best hashtags to use for Instagram Reels?

Hashtags for Reels are similar to those used for posts in your feed. Choose hashtags with volume and that are relevant to your content. Include #Reels or a variation to help people searching for short videos find yours.

Use hashtags to find your Instagram photos

Who knew one symbol can help you expand your reach, gain more followers and grow your business.

These tips will help you to make the most of Instagram hashtags.

The post How to find and use the right Instagram hashtags first appeared on WordStream.

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