Never ignore an Instagram hashtag because they’re there to get you noticed and if you’re not using them, you are missing out on growing your Instagram followers.  You’re also missing out on greater engagement as well as building your brand awareness.  However, if you’re not sure what Instagram hashtags are for, and you don’t know how to use them then you’ll find this an interesting guide.  There’s simply no point in loading up your Instagram posts with a bunch of useless hashtags.  They do need to be targeted and, in many cases, they just need to be simple and relatable.

Perhaps you find it hard to select the right hashtags for your Instagram account?  Rather than just playing a guessing game, there’s a lot you can do to get to grips with Instagram hashtags and once you know how, you’ll make a huge difference to your Instagram reach.  You’ll gain new followers, get Instagram likes and definitely improve your number of Instagram views.  It’s not rocket science either.  There is some technical science attached to hashtags – but you don’t have to have a bachelor’s degree in tech to understand them!  Let’s get started.

What is an Instagram Hashtag?

Put in very simple terms, the hashtag (#) is a word or short phrase of usually no more than two or three words and starts with the tag.  These hashtags are used on lots of social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  They put each post into a category, but posts can go into lots of different categories, so don’t worry.

Why Are Hashtags So Important?

Look at it this way.  There are almost 100 million photographs uploaded to Instagram every day.  The hashtag helps Instagram to sort them into categories in order to deliver the right content to the right users.  Hashtags help you get your post in front of the audience you need.  So, they’re really important, and if you’re a business or brand wishing to grow your Instagram followers, you must use them or you lose out!  As well as helping you to get your posts in front of the right audience, they help users find your content, because people search words or phrases in the # search box.  Most marketers use them, and we know that over 80% of marketers say they’re effective for Instagram. 

How Many Hashtags Should You Use Per Post?

There IS a rule, but it doesn’t mean you have to stick to it!  Instagram allows no more than 30 hashtags per post.  This doesn’t mean you have to use 30 different hashtags for your Instagram post, but you can’t use more than 30 hashtags.  You could just use one (but why stop at one?).  When you ask marketers what their optimum hashtag use is per post, you’ll get a varied response but most use between 6 and 9 hashtags per post.  Any more and actually, in our opinion, it just makes your post look cluttered.

Use Popular Instagram Hashtags

You should also use popular hashtags – and these are usually the most basic!  We’ll give you an example (so many more below).  Let’s say you’re a chef, you’ll use the hashtag #chef.  You might also use the hashtags #recipe #newrecipe #kitchenfood #foodie #recipesforkids #recipesforfamilies #delicious #deliciousfood #homemadefood.  So users might search for new recipes or homemade food or recipes for kids.  If you’ve put that hashtag on your post, you’re more likely to be discovered.

Where to Place Instagram Hashtags

What about the best place to put hashtags?  Well, most definitely in your feed posts, also your Instagram Stories and on your Live Videos too.  You can also put hashtags in the caption and comments section of Instagram Reel Videos.  Additionally, you can place some hashtags in the comments of a post and some in the caption.  Plus, if you’re that chef we mentioned, you’ll definitely need to put a couple in your bio because then your profile will get picked up when people search for chefs…  It’s not difficult when you know how and when you do, you’ll draw like-minded users to your Instagram profile.

Instagram Hashtag Ideas for Businesses

To help start you off on your Instagram hashtag journey, we’ll give you some ideas for hashtags for business.  Remember, you should use product hashtags, campaign hashtags, industry specific hashtags, brand hashtags and others.  Let’s go:

·         Product hashtags:  #cardigan, #skirt #underwear, #kitchenknives, #fastcar, #homewares

·         Service hashtags: #plumber, #doctor, #dentist, #builder, #decorator, #interiordesigner and then of course, you could narrow it down, #doctorforkids #paediatrician, #backdoctor, #eyespecialist etc.

·         Perhaps you have a clothing store online and you sell brands?  Don’t forget to tag these brands, #Nike, #Gucci, #Guess, #Converse etc.

·         If you’re running your own online campaign, give it a hashtag of its own, it might not be a recognizable hashtag but by using it across all of your campaign activity, you’ll soon make it more recognizable to your audience.

·         Community hashtags are great, let’s say you’re a pet shop or you sell pet supplies, try #petsofinstagram or #dogsofinstagram, narrow it down to #cutedogsofinstagram etc.

·         Running an event?  Give it a hashtag!  Doing something exciting at the Olympics?  Remember to hashtag it #Olympics2022.

·         Part of a movement like Black Lives Matter or Pride?  Remember to add the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter or if you’re part of LGBTQ+ put a hashtag in front, remember the #metoo campaign?  Or #bekind for mental health? Now you understand!

·         You can also hashtag locations, if you’re a bakery in London, put #Londonbakery or be more specific and add your town or village.

There’s just so much opportunity, once you understand the basics, you can create different hashtags but always put the big, basic hashtags first before you get creative, or you could lose out on gaining followers on Instagram.

Hashtags for Individuals

The above Instagram hashtags aren’t just for businesses, you can apply some of the above to an individual Instagram account as well.  However, hashtags for individuals also have their own “science”.  You might have a daily affirmation, so you could add a #affirmation or #dailyaffirmation to your post.  Or maybe you have a daily activity, like a Wednesday run; add #Wednesdayrun to your post.  Or keep it really personal and talk about yourself, why not say #lovemylife or when you add a selfie, just put #selfie, #loveme?  What about when you celebrate a holiday like Christmas or Valentine’s Day? Add the hashtag before so you get #Christmas, #Valentine’sDay etc.  You can also add cultural movement hashtags, event hashtags if you’re attending and location hashtags – like #maldives, #beachmaldives, #instavacationmaldives.  As we said, there are just so many hashtags to use!

Best Simple Instagram Hashtags

We’ve rounded up the top ten basic Instagram hashtags that you should use if they apply to your posts.  There are hundreds of thousands more.  Have a search on Instagram to see what comes up if an idea pops into your head.

1                    #love

2                    #instagood

3                    #fashion

4                    #photooftheday

5                    #art

6                    #photography

7                    #Instagram

8                    #beautiful

9                    #selfie

10                #picoftheday

Emerging Instagram Hashtags

As with anything to do with social media, there’s always something new.  People create hashtags every day (you’re about to do it too) and often, these hashtags start a new trend.  The latest hashtags that are starting to become standalone, important hashtags are as follows (top ten):

1                    #brandpartnerships

2                    #TikTokcreator

3                    #2022trends

4                    #2022predictions

5                    #igreelstips

6                    #viraltrends

7                    #2022goals

8                    #2022socialgoals

9                    #thatgirl

10                #trendingsound

Try and use some in your next posts and see what the engagement is.

Instagram Hashtag Best Practices

Now you know about hashtags, how to create them, what they’re for and the top hashtags, let’s talk about best practices so you know you’re applying your hashtags correctly.

·         You should try to add Instagram hashtags to every single Instagram post, the fewer you have, the less chance your post will be seen by others but don’t over post hashtags, it’s best to stick with around 6 to 9 hashtags. 

·         Don’t use the same hashtags every time you post because the algorithm on Instagram might penalize you, so your post won’t appear in feeds as much as you’d like.  Try and mix them up as much as possible. If you keep using the same hashtags again and again you could even end up with your account banned as it may be viewed as spam.

·         You can also add your hashtags to comments and in your captions.

Searching Instagram Hashtags

Searching for Instagram hashtags can help you buy Instagram video views, when you note the most popular hashtags. To search Instagram hashtags, hop onto your Instagram account and click on the magnifying glass icon situated at the bottom of your screen.  Next, click on the search bar at the top and choose the tag option.  You can search hashtags here.  Top tip, you don’t need to type in #, just type in the word or phrase you want to search and see what results appear.  Browse through the hashtags and note the most popular based on post count.

Now you know all about Instagram hashtags and how to use the effectively to get likes on the Instagram app.  Play around to see which work best for you, by constantly practicing, you’ll soon achieve Instagram hashtag perfection and watch your Instagram followers increase.