Back in August 2007, when you were singing along to Umbrella (ella...ella) on the radio, Chris Messina, a product designer, suggested on Twitter that "using #(pound) for groups" could be a good idea.
The reaction on Twitter? It would never be popular because it was too geeky.
Well, 15 years later, hashtags are still widely used on social networking sites, particularly Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, which is the topic of today's discussion.
Continue reading to discover how to use Instagram hashtags to increase your following, engage your audience, and establish your brand.
What do hashtags mean?
A word, phrase, or acronym with the pound sign (#) in front of it is referred to as a hashtag. When you tap or click on a hashtag on a social media network, all of the postings on that platform that contain that hashtag are shown. Users now find it simple to categorize their material and locate certain information in the large sea of social media messages. On the most widely used social media networks, hashtags may be found, including:
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
TikTok
Twitter
Why use hashtags on Instagram?
Even if other social media sites allow for the use of hashtags, Twitter and Instagram are the ones where it matters the most. Here are just a few of the numerous advantages of utilizing hashtags on Instagram.
Extend your horizons. Hashtags give you several opportunities for exposure to a bigger audience by enabling users to find your Instagram posts, Reels, and Stories while they are browsing the app normally.
Boost involvement. Instagram posts with hashtags saw an increase in engagement of 12.6% compared to ones without. Another source claims 29%.
Develop a following. Hashtags help you gain more Instagram followers—high-quality followers with the potential to convert to customers—by allowing you to be found by specialized audiences.
Boost your brand's power. Hashtags play a part in conveying your brand voice and even developing trust, from branded hashtags that promote user-generated content to just hilarious hashtags that serve purely aesthetic objectives.
How to use Instagram hashtags
It's just as simple as adding the pound sign in front of a word or phrase to add a hashtag on Instagram! You may add hashtags to YouTube videos in the same way. Here are a few ancillary points
Lack of punctuation In your hashtag. Exclude punctuation and spaces. It won't work to use hashtags like #don't-hate or #do-not-hate. Do that you will.
Make it obvious. For easy comprehension, it might be helpful to capitalize the initial letter of each word in hash tagged sentences (for instance, #findyourpassion vs. #FindYourPassion). Keep in mind that the hashtag's link does not alter based on capitalization.
Do a second check. Always perform a search on the hashtag to be sure it isn't connected to anything unlawful. Without gaps, words can occasionally combine to form new words that you hadn't intended.
Avoid reusing hashtags. A post's chances of being found or ranking better in searches aren't increased by repeating a hashtag.
Instagram hashtag categories
On Instagram, you may use a variety of hashtags, including:
Location hashtags. Crucial for local social media marketing and can aid in bringing in close-by clients. You should be aware that posting a location hashtag is different from adding a location on Instagram
Popular hashtags. Because they are frequently quite wide, they are unlikely to generate the most relevant activity, but they might still help you gain awareness
Trending hashtags. These hashtags are generated by news stories of various intensities.
Personalized hashtags. To promote interaction and user-generated content, businesses frequently develop hashtags tailored to their brand or a particular campaign.
@goldieblox's #goldiesquad
@dsw's #myDSW
How many Instagram hashtags are there?
While previously we've been recommended to use roughly 10 hashtags on Instagram, new research from Later suggests that 20-30 hashtags is actually the way to go (for Feed posts). They advise the following:
The ideal hashtag count is 20.
To achieve the best engagement rate, use 30 hashtags.
However, don't push it. Don't go looking for hashtags if your content doesn't require 30 of them. Keep in mind that being in the correct searches is more important than appearing in every search.
How to conceal hashtags on Instagram
There are a few techniques to hide hashtags if your article is actually deserving of 20–30 of them so they don't overcrowd your content.
Post them as comments. Just a handful of these should be in your Instagram description; the rest should go in a remark on your photo.
Downsize them. Create additional lines with only a period after writing your caption. Put your hashtags in once there is enough room after your caption.
·Wrap them up. You have the option of covering the hashtag text with a sticker or making it the same color as your backdrop on Instagram Stories.
How to use Instagram hashtags
Hashtags are an effective method for free Instagram account promotion. Here are a few Instagram hashtag usage examples.
1. Consider them as keywords
The Instagram SEO keywords are hashtags. Use a combination of high-volume and lower-volume but higher-intent hashtags to increase your visibility online and draw in new followers and consumers. This can be aided by hashtag research tools (which we'll discuss later), but it's also simple to use. For instance:
Broad, unfocused: #backyard, #landscape
Less wide, medium intent: #residentiallandscape, #landscapinghouston
High-intent hashtag: #landscapingserviceshouston
2. Store an initial list.
You may (and should) repeat hashtags that work in separate posts even though you shouldn't do so in the same one. To make it simple to copy and paste them into your postings, keep a note nearby.
3. Launch personal hashtag campaigns
Hashtag-based Instagram marketing efforts might be among the finest. Consider the iconic #IceBucketChallenge. With the help of this hashtag campaign, the ALS Association's marketing team was able to increase awareness while also raising a significant sum of money—$115 million, to be exact. Consider how you may achieve a similar result by making your followers WANT to use your hashtag, which will aid in promoting your brand among other Instagram users.
Campaigns using hashtags don't necessarily have to be transient events or fads. In fact, classic hashtags like Chewy's #petsbringustogether are some of the most popular branded hashtags.
But keep in mind. Relevance is important. If a hashtag doesn't apply, take it off your list. If someone is looking up a hashtag and your post appears, it will make your brand appear unreliable, unreliable, and/or desperate.
4. Develop a UGC hashtag that will always be relevant.
Consider the hashtag that Allbirds, a footwear business, established. They utilize #weareallbirds instead of generic hashtags on all of their posts, and delighted customers also use it to share their new kicks!
5. Make use of hashtags for contests
Run an Instagram contest where participants must upload a photo, tag your company, and use a certain hashtag. You may use it to fill your branded hashtag with excellent content as well as making it simpler for you to track entries.
6. Construct a hashtag competition
Building a community around your business through hashtag challenges will connect your fans. Here's a fantastic example from Lululemon UK and Stava, who worked together to conduct a fun challenge that urged fans to finish a 40-80K run and tag their Instagram images with #4080challenge.
However, as I've already stated, always check the hashtag. On Instagram, the #4080challenge search returns more automobile results than runners.
7. Tag additional brands.
Use their branded hashtags in addition to mentioning other brands in your Instagram posts. It's a terrific method to aid other companies' Instagram marketing campaigns, and you never know, they could even highlight you or make use of your hashtag in return.\
8. Use hashtags.
You should follow a few hashtags on Instagram.
Your own custom hashtags. To keep track of interactions and manage your reputation. It's possible that users won't always mention your company in the same post when they utilize your hashtag.
Hashtags used by your rivals. In order to monitor them.
Industry hashtags. To keep up with news and trends in your area of expertise.
Simply enter the hashtag in a search engine and click the "follow" button to start following accounts.
How to search for Instagram hashtags
You must do your homework if you want to utilize hashtags in your Instagram post in a meaningful and productive way. So where should we begin? Here are some suggestions:
Tools for hashtag research
There are many Instagram hashtag generators available, like All Hashtag and Sistrix, which will produce pertinent hashtags and provide you with information on which hashtags are trending.
Search for Instagram
Try entering hashtag suggestions into the Instagram search field to see what comes up. Easy as pie.
Look at your rivals
Keep an eye on your rivals and the key players in the sector. If you're unsure on which tags to use, simply look at what others in your field are doing well. This will provide you a solid foundation on which to build your own approach.
Statistics for Instagram hashtags
Time to discuss reporting. Without the stats, you can't tell if your hashtags are bettering your social media marketing. Fortunately, you have a ton of resources available to you. These are the precise three.
1. Instagram Insights
Instagram's stats come first. If you have an Instagram business account, you may access this on a mobile device. By selecting "View insights" next to a post, you can also see the hashtag performance for that specific post.
2. Sprout Social
It can be worthwhile to spend money on another reporting platform that gets into the specifics, like Sprout Social, if you want to learn a little bit more about the success of each hashtag individually. You may use this powerful social reporting tool to produce Instagram hashtag performance statistics for a number of purposes, such as:
Compare the hashtags that receive the greatest engagement on Instagram to your most popular hashtags.
Observe how branded hashtags do against more generic ones.
Build campaign-specific hashtag reports using their tagging function
3. Iconosquare
Even though Iconosquare cost is a little pricier, there are many things you can do with it, like scheduling social media posts, monitoring and answering comments, and obtaining comprehensive data all in one location.
This tool offers very advanced analytical data on hashtag interaction and whether or not specific hashtags are assisting in the growth of a brand or a campaign when it comes to hashtag tracking.
The all-time most well-liked Instagram hashtags
Although they won't make you stand out, popular hashtags might nevertheless help you gain some attention. They also make an excellent "seed" hashtag that you may change to make it more pertinent.
Here are the 20 most popular Instagram hashtags, according Hootsuite:
#love (1.835B)
#instagood (1.150B)
#fashion (812.7M)
#photooftheday (797.3M)
#beautiful (661.0M)
#art (649.9M)
#photography (583.1M)
#happy (578.8M)
#picoftheday (570.8M)
#cute (569.1M
#follow (560.9M)
#tbt (536.4M)
#followme (528.5M)
#nature525.7M
#like4like (515.6M)
#travel (497.3M)
#instagram (482.6M)
#style (472.3M)
#repost (471.4M)
#summer (454.2M)
Remember, the best way to use these hashtags is for inspiration—not for hashtag stuffing.
Daily hashtags for Instagram
Although we have a whole page on hashtags for each day of the week, here is a very condensed version:
Monday: #mindfulmonday, #mondaymood, #mondayquotes
Tuesday: #tuesdaytrivia, #tuesdaytravel, #tuesdaytooltip
Wednesday: #wayback, #wednesday, #wellnesswednesday, #woodworkingwednesday
Thursday: #throwbackthursday, #thanksgivingthursday, and #thursdaythought
Friday: #featurefriday, #flashbackfriday, and #fearlessfriday are all on Friday.
Saturday: #saturdaysweat, #saturdayselfie, #saturdaysale
Sunday: #spotlightsunday, #sundayfunday #sundaysweets
Hashtags for growth on Instagram
The hashtags that are particular to your industry are the ideal ones to utilize on Instagram for development. Then you may change them to incorporate your address or even your company name. Here's a sample of the more than 300 more industry-specific hashtags Steph has provided for you to utilize in your posts:
Real estate: #openhouse, #mortgagetips, #townhouse, #newlisting
Education: #alumni, #virtuallearning, #highereducation, #go[schoolname]
Automotive: #collisionrepair, #cardealership, #tirerotation
Health: #telehealth, #cancerawareness, #hearthealth, #getyourcheckup
Mental Health Hashtags
#stigmafree, #mentalhealthadvocate, #mentalhealthawareness, #anxietyisreal, #endthestigma, #selfcare, #acceptyourself, #gowithin, #mindsetshift, #selfacceptance, #youareworthy, #healthyboundaries, #itsokaytonotbeokay
Hashtags for Inclusion and Diversity
#empowerment, #inclusion, #socialimpact, #community, #loveislove, #accessible, #disabilityawareness, #diversityequityinclusion, #pride, #blacklivesmatter, #allmeansall, #bettertogether, #unityindiversity, #loveforall, #minorityowned, #veteranowned, #womanowned, #blackowned
Instagram hashtags for Small Businesses
#shoplocal, #buylocal, #supportsmallbiz, #familyowned, #smallbusinesssaturday, #smallbusinessweek, #smallbusinesslove, #smallbusinesstips, #smallbusinessowner, #handmade, #handcrafted, #etsyshop
Inspiring Hashtags
#hustle, #motivationonoftheday, #ifnotyouwho, #justdoit, #alwaysbekind, #workhard, #bebolder, #nevergiveup, #walkyourtruepath, #starttoday, #carpediem, #ifnotnowwhen, #accountability, #bethechange
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