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How to put hashtags on instagram post


How to Use Hashtags on Instagram for Amazing Growth in 2023

Wondering how to use hashtags on Instagram?

Trying to make sense of conflicting information?

Here’s all you need to know about:

  • What are Instagram hashtags?
  • How many hashtags to use on Instagram.
  • Using Instagram hashtags in comments, caption, and after posting.
  • The most popular Instagram hashtags.
  • The best Instagram hashtags for likes.
  • Banned Instagram hashtags.
  • And exactly how to post Instagram hashtags.

Plus so much more, for #InstaSuccess!

What Are Instagram Hashtags?

You know that pound (#) sign on your keyboard? Just add it before a word and voila, you have a hashtag!

Like #HashtagTips 😉

A hashtag is a word or a group of words preceded by a pound (#) sign, which is used to categorize and find conversations around a particular topic or trend.

On Instagram as well as Twitter (where hashtags started), Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks, hashtags become a link to a collection of other content marked with the same hashtag. So it’s an easy way for people to find the kind of content they’re interested in.

Hashtags serve an additional purpose on Instagram – users can actually “follow” hashtags to see some of that content show up in their feed.

Hashtags also help Instagram understand what your content is about, so they can recommend it to users who’d be interested in it.

These 3 features are why you should use relevant hashtags – you want your content in front of people who will care about it, give it a like, and maybe even follow your account.

How Do I Add Hashtags on Instagram?

When you write an Instagram caption, type a hash mark # followed by your keyword or words.

As you type, Instagram will fill in some popular suggested hashtags, showing the number of posts already using them.

If you see one you’d like to add, simply tap and it’ll be added to your post.

You can also add working hashtags to comments, but only on your own posts. More about this later.

Note that typing a space or punctuation mark will end the hashtag right there. For instance if I type #don’tdothis, the hashtag is going to be #don! Or if I type #instagram marketing, it’ll be #instagram. And you don’t want that!

How Many Instagram Hashtags Can I Use?

Instagram lets you add up to 30 hashtags – but that doesn’t mean you should.

Or should you?

Truth is, there’s no verified answer. You can find a study that backs every idea from using 1-3, through to all 30.

Perhaps because the research results have been inconclusive and unhelpful, no new studies have been done for 3 years. That’s historical in the world of social media.

But in March 2022, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, explained that hashtags will help Instagram figure out what your content is about. That could increase the likelihood of your content appearing on a hashtag page.

Later he added,

…they’re not going to meaningfully change the amount of reach you get when you post. So if you expect a night-and-day difference, you’re going to be disappointed.

The bottom line, per Instagram, is that more hashtags won’t “meaningfully” increase your reach. You can’t expect twice as many eyeballs on your posts from using twice as many hashtags.

Yet research and users have found that more hashtags = more engagement.

Test it and see

Confused? No surprise there, it’s clear that even Instagram doesn’t know where the sweet spot is.

Many bloggers who specialize in Instagram just go for the full 30 hashtags. It’s never been shown to reduce results.

Want the latest? READ How Many Hashtags on Instagram 2023.

I cover the latest conflicting announcements from IG and how to test the best number for your own account.

Is There a Maximum of Hashtags on Instagram?

The maximum allowed Instagram hashtags is 30. I recommend you use them all – unless you’re happy with your follower number and engagement.

Want to grow? Use 30 hashtags!

What’s the hack to use 60 hashtags on Instagram?

There used to be a trick where you could first post 30 hashtags in a comment, then go back and edit the photo caption to add 30 more hashtags.

Instagram didn’t notice the hashtags in the caption edit, so you could effectively post a total of 60.

They caught on in 2018, though. So the maximum is 30 Instagram hashtags in 2023. And it’s plenty!

Should I Post Instagram Hashtags in Comments or Caption?

Instagram hashtags may be placed in the photo or video caption at the time you post.

Or, hashtags may be added in a comment (or several comments) after posting.

There’s no difference to their functionality, so it’s your choice.

I prefer adding hashtags in comments, as these are quickly buried once you get a few user comments.

Starting in 2018, the caption is cut off after 2 short lines of text, so caption hashtags don’t show at first glance either.

However, IGers clicking either the “More” tag or the comment icon will see the full caption – including all the hashtags you placed there.

If you write an engaging caption with a call-to-action or question (please do!), people may get distracted by a raft of hashtags and forget to complete your desired action.

This is why I recommend Instagram hashtags in comments rather than captions.

LEARN MORE: Instagram Hashtags in Comments or Caption?

How to Hide Hashtags on Instagram

Want your hashtags in the caption? You can hide them, so they can’t look spammy!

Make them invisible by preceding them with five dashes or periods, each one on a line by itself.

NO space after the period or it won’t work. If you post this in your first comment, IGers will just see […] after your name in the photo stream.

Note: The hashtags are only invisible in the photo stream! If someone clicks to read comments, they will see the hashtags.

It’s easiest to create your hashtag text file in your phone’s Notes app (see image below), and paste it into Instagram. Even though there are now ways to add line breaks on Instagram, it’s a bit clunky to use.

NOTE: If you’re having problems with this trick, it’s almost always because you have a space at the end of your line.  It’s a bizarre and annoying quirk, but Instagram will take out the return if there’s a space at the end of the preceding line.

If you’re confused on whether to hide hashtags in a comment or caption, and which actually works better, do a split test! You can do this manually, or for easier comparing, use Tailwind.

Tailwind makes setting up either way easy. Schedule your posts, then automatically publish them to your business account.

Try a week each way, then check Tailwind’s fabulous analytics to see which worked better for you.

Try out Tailwind’s Free Forever plan! No credit card required.

• • • Try TailWind for Instagram FREE now • • •

Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may earn a referral fee if you sign up.

Can I add hashtags to someone else’s Instagram post?

No. You can’t add working hashtags by commenting on any other account than the one you’re signed into.

Anyone can comment on someone else’s post with hashtags, but the other IGer’s post won’t appear in that hashtag feed.

If you see people leaving hashtag comments on others’ posts, they may be suggesting that the original poster add that hashtag.

A little helpful advice, perhaps.

Or, they may not know. But generally I see these hashtag comments between groups of IG friends who are helping each other get featured on Instagram hub accounts.

What Are the Most Popular Hashtags on Instagram for 2023?

With Instagram stressing the importance of relevant hashtags as they pivot towards semantic keyword search, I don’t recommend using the most popular hashtags. They’re just not helpful.

Popular tags are definitely not the best way to reach your target audience. In fact, they virtually guarantee fake “bot” likes.

But you want to know what’s trending! So here goes.

The most popular hashtags of all time (according to Later’s data) are:

  1. #love
  2. #instagood
  3. #photooftheday
  4. #fashion
  5. #beautiful
  6. #like4like
  7. #picoftheday
  8. #art
  9. #happy
  10. #photography
  11. #instagram
  12. #followme
  13. #style
  14. #follow
  15. #instadaily
  16. #travel
  17. #life
  18. #cute
  19. #fitness
  20. #nature

But the top 50 hashtags for 2023 are a bit different. This list is based on usage within the Later app and updated June 2022.

  1. #love
  2. #interiordesign
  3. #design
  4. #fashion
  5. #instagood
  6. #style
  7. #inspiration
  8. #art
  9. #travel
  10. #summer
  11. #realestate
  12. #foodie
  13. #homedecor
  14. #smallbusiness
  15. #shoplocal
  16. #motivation
  17. #wellness
  18. #health
  19. #lifestyle
  20. #beauty
  21. #food
  22. #home
  23. #selfcare
  24. #photography
  25. #fitness
  26. #nature
  27. #handmade
  28. #ootd
  29. #photooftheday
  30. #skincare
  31. #architecture
  32. #selflove
  33. #shopsmall
  34. #luxury
  35. #supportlocal
  36. #instafood
  37. #beautiful
  38. #mentalhealth
  39. #mindset
  40. #business
  41. #vegan
  42. #linkinbio
  43. #healthy
  44. #family
  45. #interior
  46. #entrepreneur
  47. #interiors
  48. #delicious
  49. #explore
  50. #realtor

Here are the 10 best Instagram hashtags for likes, according to All Hashtag, an Instagram analytics tool:

  1. #like4like
  2. #liking
  3. #likeall
  4. #likeforlike
  5. #likes4likes
  6. #love
  7. #instagood
  8. #tagblender
  9. #likesforlikes
  10. #ilikeback

Really want more? Here are the 100 top hashtags from 2021:

#followforfollow#instagood#likeforlike#instamood#work#photooftheday#fashion#f4f#music#instapic

#inspiration#black#gym#sunset#bestoftheday#like4like#cute#landscape#night#pretty

#hot#photo#awesome#fitfam#sun#swag#follow4follow#workout#happiness#Repost

#like#beauty#summer#Beautiful#nyc#blogger#photography#lifestyle#instalike#Halloween

#fall#fit#motivation#travel#blue#followme#TagsForLikes#nofilter#vscocam#TBT

#healthy#smile#instagram#girls#artist#fitness#lol#model#design#art

#instadaily#hair#beach#funny#cool#follow#l4l#vsco#london#party

#picoftheday#style#goals#foodporn#love#newyork#luxury#ootd#Home#pink

#me#Selfie#life#friends#makeup#nature#health#autumn#sky#fun

#Family#igers#blackandwhite#photographer#food#amazing#girl#happy#fashionblogger

However – just because these work for the “average” account doesn’t mean they’ll work for yours. And as I said before, they’re not a great way to reach the right people.

I suggest you get a little more creative with your hashtags. Read on…

Should I use popular Instagram hashtags?

If you’re using 30 hashtags, okay, go ahead and make 1 or 2 of those popular ones.

This will get you some quick likes. However, most of those will be fake, bot likes.

Yes, automated “bot” activity is still a problem on Instagram in 2023.

Use popular tags, and you’ll likely also be the target of annoying follow-unfollow activity.

This is where those rule-breaking IGers use automation to follow accounts they think might follow them back. If you don’t follow back, and sometimes even if you do, they’ll unfollow you later.

Don’t take it personally, as it’s all automated. No one is making any judgement of your account.

Please don’t ever do automated follow-unfollow on Instagram. You risk your account being shadowbanned or even closed.

But back to those top tags, they may work for likes in the first second after you post. Your post will be quickly buried in the hashtag feed.

In addition, they’re often used by spammers and quickly get banned!

Using banned hashtags may put you in league with spammers and arouse Instagram’s suspicions about your account.

Banned Instagram Hashtags 2023

So now you want to know: which hashtags are banned by Instagram?

Unfortunately this is an ever-moving target. According to Markitors.com:

… the hashtag #happythanksgiving was completely overrun with spam, so they banned it. From here on out, if you use the hashtag #happythanksgiving, not only will your content most likely not show up for that hashtag, you might also be flagged for spam. The repetitive use of banned hashtags, leading to multiple flags to your account, could even result in shadow banning or account removal.

Of course, in order to avoid these forbidden hashtags, you have to know which tags are banned. How is anyone supposed to know that #happythanksgiving is considered “spam”?

There are 3 ways to avoid using banned hashtags:

  1. Don’t use any of the most popular Instagram hashtags.
  2. Research any hashtag before using it.
  3. Use Tailwind Hashtag Finder. NO banned hashtags are ever included.

To research currently banned tags, search for a specific hashtag in the search bar.

Click on the hashtag and scroll through the pictures.

If you reach an end where a message says the posts are “currently hidden,” it’s a banned hashtag.

Want to save the hassle of researching banned tags, and find the best assortment of hashtags for your audience?

Click to learn more about Tailwind Hashtag Finder for Instagram.

Or jump in and try it out!

• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •

Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may make a referral fee if you sign up.

What Are the

Best Instagram Hashtags?

I don’t recommend popular tags, for the reasons stated above.

Here’s what I do recommend:

Use hashtags that are relevant to your niche.

Using specific and relevant hashtags helps you connect with people who are looking for exactly what you’re posting.

You can find relevant tags by searching your keywords in Instagram, or using a site like Hashtagify.me.

Watch what others in your niche are using.

See what your peers and influencers are posting on their photos.

Check out the related tags Instagram suggests when you tap a tag that’s relevant to your content. Try them if they seem useful!

Be sure your hashtags are active.

Check the hashtag feed to see that the tags you’re using are currently being used by others.

Hint: If you scroll down 20 rows and are still finding content posted in the last few seconds, that tag is too active!

Stop using the most popular hashtags like pretty, beautiful, love and similar ones.

Your post will be buried in that feed within milliseconds. In researching this, I also discovered a lot of posts in those tags that I don’t even want to be seen with (some I even felt obligated to report).

If you insist, sprinkle in a few of them, when relevant to your post.

Not necessarily the ones with 100M’s of posts, but one or two over 1M might give you some quick likes.

Note: Your content really needs to be awesome to stand out in a lighting-fast moving tag feed!

Create a branded hashtag for your company or a campaign.

Check that these tags aren’t already being used, particularly in a way you wouldn’t approve of!

Prompt fans and followers to use your tag, and you’ll soon learn just who your superfans are. Support, encourage, and regram them!

Easily find the best hashtags for Instagram!

Try out Tailwind! No credit card required.

• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •

Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may earn a referral fee if you purchase a plan.

Can I Add Hashtags to Instagram after Posting?

Once upon a time, using hashtags was easy:

  • You posted a bunch with your photo.
  • You came back later, deleted those tags, and added a bunch more.
  • Magically, your post was bumped to the top of those hashtag feeds, regardless of how long it had been since the original post.
  • Your engagement spiked once again.

But Instagram changed all that for us in March 2015.

No matter when you add a hashtag to your photo or video, it will appear in that hashtag feed with other photos and videos posted at its original posting time.

Or as Instagram says:

Keep in mind that if you add a hashtag to a photo after it was posted, the photo will still appear on the hashtag page according to the time it was originally posted, not the time the hashtag was added.

The short answer is yes, you can add hashtags to your own posts after posting.

Popular hashtags must be added immediately, or your post will never surface in those feeds.

If you like, you can delete those later and add niche hashtags in their place.

Personally, I think your time is better spent on creating new Instagram posts.

Why Are my Instagram Hashtags Not Working?

You may be the victim of a shadowban.

A shadowban hides your Instagram posts from users who don’t follow you, which can be detrimental to growing your account and getting more followers.

If you get shadowbanned on Instagram, only you and your current followers will see your post when they search for the hashtags you used. If someone who doesn’t follow your account searches for one of those hashtags, they won’t see your post!

This defeats the purpose of using strategic hashtags to grow your Instagram community.

I’ve even had readers say they can’t find their own posts in the hashtag feeds! This could also be due to shadowban. Or, as IG calls it, “issues with hashtag search. ”

Instagram doesn’t admit there is such a thing, by the way, so don’t expect to get help from them.

You can use the “Report a Problem” feature in your account settings under “Support.” I no longer get a reply when I do this, but it can’t hurt.

I would suggest saying “my post isn’t showing in the hashtag feeds” and not use the word “shadowban.”

How Can I Avoid Being Shadowbanned?

Instagram shadowbanning is sometimes a result of spammy behavior.

However, some normal behavior is also getting users shadowbanned:

  • Repeated use of the same hashtag group within 24 hours.
  • Using “broken” or banned hashtags.

Sometimes a normal, everyday hashtag can be banned.

Popular tags are often used on content that violates IG community guidelines. Then Instagram might block the hashtag outright, meaning you can’t even search for it on IG, or they’ll limit the posts shown in that hashtag feed.

With the shadowban, it appears that even if you use a single banned hashtag in your post, Instagram will prevent your post from appearing on any of the hashtags you used!

So, you could search each hashtag feed individually for evidence that a tag is broken or banned. Don’t use those!

OR, just make your life easier by using Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder!

It will give you fresh, related choices so you’re not repeating the same hashtag group, and it will only suggest tags that are Instagram-approved!

To try Tailwind Hashtag Finder, click here.

• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •

Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase a plan.

How to Post Instagram Hashtags for Best Results

If you insist on using uber-popular hashtags, you MUST post them in your post caption.

If you wait even a second to post them in a comment, they’re pretty much worthless, as your post will be buried in that hashtag feed the instant you add it.

If you post hashtags in several comments, post the more popular ones first. 

Post hashtag comments in the order of how fast the hashtag feeds move!

Niche hashtags CAN still be added at a later date!

DON’T bother adding hashtags where the original date of your post would have it buried deeply in the feed – BUT there are some cool super-niche hashtags that have only several hundred to a few thousand posts in them. Many of these even have avid fans!

For easiest hashtagging, keep groups of 30 hashtags in your phone’s Notes app.

Create and save a set of 30 tags for each type of post you make (or less than 30 if you insist 😉 ).

Copy your hashtag group before you make your IG post!

Then you have them ready on your clipboard to add in a comment immediately. No fumbling, no wasting valuable seconds. Or, set up a text shortcut!

Conclusion: Do

This for Instagram Hashtag Success!

Make your Instagramming easy!

Sign up for Tailwind and see how simple posting can be.

• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •

Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may make a referral fee if you sign up.

Use 11 to 30 hashtags to grow your account.

Hide your hashtags in a comment with . and return, 5 times.

Use more hashtags relevant to your niche.

  • What are your keywords?
  • What are peers/competitors/influencers using?
  • What does Instagram suggest as related?

Use fewer (or none) of the most popular hashtags.

Choose hashtags that are actively used (but not too active!).

Create a custom tag for your brand or campaign.

  • Be sure to check first to see if it’s already being used.
  • Promote your tag’s use by followers.
  • Engage / shout out your fans who use it!

Keep hashtag groups in your phone’s Notes app.

  • One group for each type of content you post.
  • Copy them to your clipboard before you post content.
  • Follow up immediately with hashtags in a comment.

Bonus tip: Your hashtags will magically work much better if you’re posting awesome visuals! People are scanning those hashtag feeds, and you need to stand out.

Well done! Learning how to use hashtags on Instagram will help your account grow.

Want more?

Learn how to grow your Instagram followers 10 more ways!

Instagram Hashtags: Everything You Need To Know in 2023

Instagram Tips & Resources

By Amanda Demeku

•

Updated on April 5, 2023

•

9 minute read

Hashtags = growth 🚀

Published April 5, 2023

​​Instagram hashtags are still one of the most effective ways to get more eyes (and engagement!) on your Instagram posts.

But how many hashtags should you use? What are the different types of hashtags? Which ones are trending right now? Should they go in your caption or in the comments?

We’re answering all these questions, and more, in our ultimate guide to Instagram hashtags — including the best hashtag tool to optimize your posts in 2023.

Table of Contents

  • How Do Hashtags Work on Instagram?
  • What Are the Benefits of Using Hashtags on Instagram?
  • The Top 50 Most Popular Hashtags in 2023
  • How Many Hashtags Should You Use on Instagram?
  • What Are the Different Types of Instagram Hashtags?
  • How to Find the Best Hashtags for Your Content Strategy
  • Should You Use Hashtags in the Instagram Caption or Comment Section?
  • How Hashtags Can Be Used to Increase Likes On Instagram
  • How to Save Time With Your Instagram Hashtag Strategy
  • How to Build an Effective Hashtag Strategy With Analytics

How Do Instagram Hashtags Work?

Instagram hashtags are fundamentally a way to label and categorize your content. They then help Instagram serve your posts to relevant users.

In their most simple function, the hashtags you use fuel the search results on the Instagram Explore page:

But it doesn’t end there.

Hashtags are also used as a reference for Instagram's algorithm, so it can categorize your content and suggest it to users it thinks will have a high interest.

Do Hashtags Still Work on Instagram in 2023?

Yes.

Hashtags have always been the heart of much debate, especially following Instagram’s recommendation to only use between 3-5 hashtags (more on that later). 

However, using relevant, targeted hashtags (and keywords) on posts and Reels is still one of the best ways to get discovered by new audiences on Instagram. 

That’s why it’s important to have a clear and well-crafted hashtag strategy — without one, you could be missing out on opportunities to optimize your content, drive more engagement, and get followers.

FYI: Later's Hashtag Tools are trusted by millions of social media managers, brands, and creators to find relevant hashtags, analyze their performance, and more.

What Are the Benefits of Using Hashtags on Instagram?

Using the “right” hashtags can put you in front of your target audience, even if they haven’t connected with you before.

This can translate into more engagement, more followers, and more customers for your brand or business.

Hashtags also have plenty of other uses beyond improving your discoverability.

You can use them for community-building, sourcing user-generated content (UGC), running campaigns, and more.

For example, check out Later’s Instagram post announcing our latest Creator Rates Report:

We use hyper-relevant hashtags like #CreatorRates, #InstagramCreators, and #InfluencerRates in the caption so that users can easily discover our content if they’re on the lookout for a creator rates resource.

Tl;dr: Hashtags help people find your content — increasing the likelihood of likes, comments, shares, and saves.

The Top 50 Most Popular Instagram Hashtags in 2023

Using ultra-popular hashtags isn’t always the best strategy for getting more reach and engagement, as they’re less likely to be seen.  

That said, it’s helpful to know what’s trending on the app, so here’s an up-to-date list of the top 50 hashtags on Instagram based on usage over the last month:

  1. #interiordesign

  2. #love

  3. #design

  4. #fashion

  5. #instagood

  6. #inspiration

  7. #art

  8. #style

  9. #realestate

  10. #homedecor

  11. #travel

  12. #smallbusiness

  13. #foodie

  14. #wellness

  15. #shoplocal

  16. #selfcare

  17. #photography

  18. #health

  19. #food

  20. #home

  21. #motivation

  22. #beauty

  23. #lifestyle

  24. #architecture

  25. #linkinbio

  26. #fitness

  27. #luxury

  28. #nature

  29. #selflove

  30. #mentalhealth

  31. #handmade

  32. #shopsmall

  33. #ootd

  34. #photooftheday

  35. #skincare

  36. #business

  37. #interior

  38. #mindset

  39. #supportlocal

  40. #beautiful

  41. #valentinesday

  42. #homedesign

  43. #instafood

  44. #entrepreneur

  45. #interiors

  46. #wedding

  47. #realtor

  48. #weddinginspiration

  49. #delicious

  50. #community

*Updated April 2023. Data based on usage within the Later app.

In need of some hashtag inspiration? Use Later’s Hashtag Suggestion feature and discover the best hashtags for your account in seconds!

How Many Instagram Hashtags Should You Use On Your Posts?

As we’ve mentioned, Instagram advised creators to use between 3-5 hashtags on their posts, despite allowing up to 30.

As the platform continues to expand their discoverability and SEO tools, they need to be able to accurately categorize content for the Explore Page and Instagram Reels tab (while also streamlining spammy or irrelevant hashtag use).

The theory? Fewer hashtags = more reliable self-categorization.      

To test this, Later analyzed 18M+ Instagram feed posts to see how the number of hashtags impacts reach:

The result? We found that using more hashtags typically yields the best results — with 20 hashtags receiving the highest average reach rate.

So, how many hashtags should you use on Instagram? For now, using more hashtags is still the best strategy for increasing your reach on feed posts.

However, it's still important to focus on quality, hyper-relevant hashtags — even using 5 or 10 hashtags is better than zero.

#TalkDataToMe: Read Later’s full data report now to discover the optimal number of hashtags for reach and engagement.

What Are the Different Types of Instagram Hashtags?

Before selecting hashtags for your posts, it’s a good idea to consider the different types of hashtags you can include.  

This will help make sure you’re covering all the bases with your hashtag strategy.

There are five main types of hashtags to consider: 

  • Location-based hashtags: Like #BryantPark or #LowerEastSide

  • Branded hashtags: For campaigns or events, like #LaterCon 

  • Industry hashtags: That describes your niche, like #SocialMediaManagers or #WeddingPlanners

  • Community-focused hashtags: To bring your community together, like #VanLifeLiving or #IAmASweatyBetty

  • Descriptive hashtags: Which describe the content of your actual post, like #WoodwickCandles or #SheaButterProducts 

There’s no secret formula for how many of each category you should include, but keeping them in mind can provide hashtag inspiration and help guide your strategy.

How to Find Trending Instagram Hashtags for Your Content Strategy

Later’s hashtag report shows that adding 20-30 hashtags to your Instagram posts is the best way to increase your reach and engagement rates. 

But how do you find relevant hashtags for every post? Here are three tactics you can use:

Tactic #1: Use a Hashtag Suggestion Tool like Later

With Later’s Instagram Hashtag Suggestions tool, you can find hashtags based on the content of your post and similar hashtags in your industry.

To use it, tap "Hashtag Suggestions," from there you'll have two options to populate hashtags.

Via "Auto" (get automatic hashtag suggestions based on your caption) or by "Search" (enter a hashtag and it’ll suggest relevant ones):

Sign up for a Later account to find the perfect hashtags for your Instagram strategy — in just a few seconds! 

Tactic #2: Conduct Research on the Instagram Explore Page

The Instagram Explore page is a great source of inspiration for your Instagram hashtag strategy.  

For the best results, search for keywords that are relevant to your brand or content and check out the “Top” results: 

These posts clearly perform well with Instagram's algorithm, so take note of the different hashtags being used and whether they could work for your content.

Tactic #3: Check Instagram Hashtag Volume Using Instagram’s Tag Search Tool

When it comes to finding the best hashtags, post volume is a really important metric.

If a hashtag has already been used on millions of posts, chances are your post will be drowned out by the masses.

On the other hand, if a hashtag only has a few hundred posts, it's likely that no one is searching for it on the Instagram Explore page.

For a safe middle-ground, aim for hashtags with between 10K-200K posts. 

To check a hashtag's post volume, head to Instagram's tag search tool on the Explore Page:

This is a great way to vet your hashtags, and can also provide valuable inspiration.

For example, you might discover a more niche hashtag that starts with the same keyword, but has a much healthier volume of posts.

Should You Use Hashtags on Instagram in the Caption or Comment Section?

Instagram has confirmed that hashtags are effective in both your post caption and the comments section — so it’s up to you where you want to share them. 

It is worth considering timeliness though. If you’re manually posting hashtags in the comments section, you’ll want to do this as soon as your post is published. 

TIP: If you use Later’s Instagram Scheduler, you can schedule a First Comment to go live at the same time as your post.

This is a great way to keep your caption aesthetic clean, while still benefiting from all the added exposure perks of a good hashtag strategy.

Later’s First Comment tool lets you schedule a comment to go live at exactly the same time as your post — available on all paid plans.  

How Hashtags Can Be Used to Increase Likes On Instagram

With the right Instagram hashtag strategy you won’t just reach more people — but the right people for your brand or business.

Read: people who are likely to engage with your content.

Using relevant hashtags will help your posts show up in more search results on the app, increasing the likelihood of likes and comments.

Take Sweaty Betty, a workout brand whose target market includes women with a passion for fitness. 

The account uses the search-led hashtag, #GlobalRunningDay to generate likes and a branded hashtag, #iamasweatybetty to champion a sense of community and togetherness: 

Boasting over 2.5K likes (and a pretty chatty comments section!), these niche hashtags are perfect for growing a community of like-minded runner aficionados and encouraging users to tap that heart.

Being intentional and using hashtags that your target audience is actively searching for will increase your exposure and like count.

It’s a win-win.

How to Save Time With Your Instagram Hashtag Strategy 

Finding 20-30 hashtags for every post you share is extremely time-consuming — but there are ways to make the process more efficient.

One way is to curate lists of hashtags that align with your main content pillars, which you can quickly adjust and add to each post.

With Later’s Instagram Scheduler, you can create multiple “Saved Captions” that contain your curated lists of hashtags:  

You can quickly add them to a post caption (and edit them) in two taps!

How to Build an Effective Instagram Hashtag Strategy With Analytics

The best way to build your hashtag strategy?

Having a solid foundation first.

Once you've found the hashtags you want to use, it's important to start testing them and digging into your analytics.

Analyzing the performance of your hashtags is a great way to monitor the success of your experiments, and will let you fine-tune your strategy over time.   

With Later's Hashtag Analytics tools, you can track key insights about your hashtags — including a breakdown of which are driving the most likes, comments, saves, and reach on your Instagram posts:

Hashtags are a powerful way to reach new audiences and grow your account, but it takes time and effort to see big results. 

Whether you use 10 or 30, a consistent hashtag strategy is still one of the most effective routes for growth on Instagram in 2023.

#LetsGrow!

Ready to take your hashtag strategy to the next level? Check out Later’s Instagram hashtag tool, Hashtag Suggestions, to help streamline your workflow now! 

About the Author

Amanda Demeku

Content Marketing Specialist

Amanda is a Content Marketer at Later based in Toronto. When she’s not busy writing you can catch her playing tennis or sipping all the pop-culture tea. Say hi on Instagram — @amandademeku

Plan, schedule, and automatically publish your social media posts with Later.

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6 Ways to Optimize Your Hashtags on Instagram

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© 2023 Later. All Rights Reserved.

How to put hashtags on Instagram, Odnoklassniki, TikTok and other social networks

Using hashtags, you can emphasize the meaning of the post, help users find publications on the social network, promote and distinguish your account from others. The tool is good. You just need to know which hashtags to use and be able to use them in modern social networks.

How to correctly put hashtags on Twitter, Facebook*, Instagram* and other social networks - in the article.

What is hashtag

This is the key to the content you are interested in. This is a label in the form of a word or a short phrase without a space, preceded by a "#" sign. A full-fledged hashtag is a link to a general feed where you can find this or that content.

Hashtags are useful in that they sort information by queries, combining it into groups. This helps set up navigation and makes searching much easier.

Do not confuse "tag" and "hashtag". A tag is a tag associated with a user, and a hashtag is a tag associated with a topic. There is also a geotag - a label tied to a geolocation, a specific place or address.

We wrote more about hashtags in the blog:

  • “How to write hashtags on Instagram*: guide”;
  • "How to correctly put hashtags on VKontakte: instructions";
  • "How to choose hashtags for social networks - a guide. "

In the materials we tell you how to use hashtags in specific social networks, how to select them so that they work.

Here we will talk about how to arrange them correctly.

How to use hashtags

What could be easier than writing hashtags? :–)

We put a hash mark in the search bar, and after that - the necessary word or phrase without a space, and it automatically turns into a link to the general search feed on this topic. Just add the "#" sign, and you can now click on the word and see other similar publications. Hashtags can be entered in the body of a post or material, indicated at the beginning or at the very end.

There are some rules for using hashtags:

  • Language . Hashtags can be written in any language, even Arabic script. Many users believe that they can only write in Latin and Cyrillic, but this is not so. There are really many available languages, enough for any audience.
Arabic script hashtags look exotic
  • Spaces . The "#" sign and the search words or phrases are written without spaces. If there is a space in the hashtag, then the part after the space will be read separately. If you really need to separate words and make them understandable, use underscores.
  • Quantity . Use several hashtags - separate them with spaces, commas will not help here.
  • Digits . If you want to diversify hashtags and stand out, use numbers.
  • Symbols . Hashtags do not use characters other than underscores. You definitely won't be able to use "?," "!" and similar marks.
  • Length . Do not use long phrases, complex queries are not interesting to users, they are hard to read and even harder to write. These hashtags simply won't find you.
  • Publicity . If you want the publication to be visible to all users, do not close the profile. Hashtags in a private profile will remain only on your page.
The cat clearly does not understand what is written here, but it is beautiful

How to write 2 or more hashtags

To write more than 2 hashtags, use a hashtag before each word or phrase, and separate the hashtags with spaces. Remember, the main thing is not the number of tags, but their relevance. Hashtags must match the topic of the post.

Hashtags in different social networks

Regardless of the social network, hashtags work in much the same way - they attract users to the published content and help them find the information they need. They help you customize your profile navigation and categorize your posts by topic. Below we will talk about the features of each network separately.

This only works on TikTok, don't trust sites that advise you to use forbidden characters

Hashtags on Twitter

Twitter is the first social network where hashtags appeared and gained popularity. But there are some nuances here:0003

  • Do not use spaces or other characters in the hashtag.
  • Tweet hashtags from public profiles are available to everyone. Of the closed - only to the owners.
  • The number of hashtags in a tweet is unlimited. But due to the short length of the tweet, it is recommended to use no more than 2 hashtags per post.
  • To search for content and accounts that interest you by keyword, enter the relevant hashtag in the search field.

Twitter hashtags are not used as much now as they were when they first appeared.

How to publish posts with hashtags on Twitter:

  • Open the main Twitter page. We are looking for a box at the top of the main page with the phrase “What’s happening?” or "What's new with you?"
  • Tweeting about what we care about. Be mindful of character limits.
  • Add hashtags as usual - put "#" and enter the keyword. If there is already such a hashtag, the system will highlight it in blue or offer to choose one of the popular ones in the search results.
  • Optionally, we season the tweet with a picture, gif, emoticons or files.
  • Posting a tweet for everyone to see.
Twitter, like a good T9, offers hashtag options

You can choose privacy settings on Twitter:

  • visible to everyone;
  • is only visible to friends;
  • is only visible to selected users.
Privacy settings allow you to choose who will see the post, including in the search

Remember - if the post is published only for selected users or only for friends, it will no longer be included in the general hashtag search.

Facebook hashtags*

Facebook* posts with hashtags differ in that you can set privacy before posting.

There are several settings:

  • Available to all . A post with a hashtag will be visible to everyone who searches for it.
  • Available to all friends . All your subscribers will see. For those who are not subscribed, the hashtag post will not be available.
  • Visible to all friends, except. .. Visible to all friends, except those to whom you do not want to show the post. For those who are tagged, the post will not be available both on the page and in the general hashtag search.
  • Only available to certain friends . Only those with whom you want to share will see. No one else will be able to see the post.
  • Only me . The post will only be visible to you. No one except the owner will see this post, even if there are 100500 hashtags.
I'll show this one, I'll show this one, but I won't show this one

But it's better not to put more than 2-3 hashtags in a post, Facebook doesn't like it*. Although officially it is not prohibited.

Facebook News Feed* can be customized. How - we tell in the article "How to set up a news feed on Facebook * - instructions."

How to use hashtags on Facebook*:

  1. Opening the Facebook page*.
  2. Writing a post about what worries you. We insert photos, audio recordings, videos and everything you need.
  3. Add a hashtag as usual - put "#" and write a keyword or phrase that will help people find the post.
  4. We publish the post, choosing the desired privacy settings.
Each hashtag that the system has accepted will be highlighted in blue

If you are planning to create or promote a Facebook business page*, read our article “Facebook business page guide*: how to create, set up and connect a store” .

VKontakte hashtags

VK hashtags are not as popular as they are on Instagram* or TikTok. But you can also find information on them. The hashtag is put in the same way as everywhere else. In the search bar, at the beginning we put a hash mark, and then the word to be found.

How to add hashtags in VKontakte:

  1. Open the page in VK.
  2. On the left, select "My Page".
  3. In the "What's new with you?" tab share something new, optionally attach a picture, photo or video.
  4. We put "#" and a keyword by which people can find the publication.
The search will also find a whole bunch of posts with similar hashtags

You can also choose the time of publication (delayed posting), privacy and subject of the post.

For delayed publication, you can use not only native tools in VKontakte. SMMplanner delayed posting service is much more convenient and functional. In it, you can prepare publications immediately for a day, a week or even a month and do more important things. Postponed publications can just as well be prepared for Instagram* and Facebook*, and not just for VKontakte. Follow the link - free access to all functionality for 2 weeks. Try :–)

In SMMplanner, you can do more than just prepare publications and post them. It's very easy to create templates so you don't have to write a call to buy, company name or hashtags every time. We set it up once, then just paste it into the publication - and you're done!

Hashtags in Odnoklassniki

Not working correctly. When searching for a hashtag, the system selects not only them, but also words with the same content. In the issue, you can see the words in any text, titles and signatures.

Sometimes instead of hashtags there are posts where these words simply exist

How to publish a post with a hashtag in Odnoklassniki:

  • Open your page in Odnoklassniki. We are looking for a field for a new entry in the center.
  • We write a post about what worries you or what you want to share.
There is nothing complicated in creating a post, everything is the same as everywhere else
  • Add the necessary media: audio, photo, video or other files.
  • Enter the hashtag. We start with "#" and enter a keyword or phrase that people can use to find the post.
  • Publish the post by choosing who can see it.
Hashtags in Odnoklassniki are highlighted in yellow, and the system helpfully suggests hashtag options. Since the social network searches not only for hashtags, but also simply for words, you will already end up with a post in the general issue.

If you plan to develop a community in Odnoklassniki, read a useful article about its development - "Guidelines for maintaining a commercial community in Odnoklassniki".

Instagram hashtags*

The most hashtag-bearing social network. Almost every publication is generously seasoned with hashtags, even not always suitable ones.

Hashtags play a big role in this social network, with their help you can not only find the necessary content sorted by topic, but also promote your account. If, of course, they are used correctly.

If you have absolutely no idea what hashtags to put under the posts, you can use the mind of our bot "Gennady". He only needs a photo of the future post, he will offer several hashtag options for publication at once. Ideally, when your head doesn’t want to cook, and competitors haven’t come up with new hashtags for your niche.

More details about the bot itself and its implementation can be found in the article “This week: selecting hashtags from photos and pinning them in OK”.

We also recommend the Followers Hashtags tool in Pepper.Ninja - it collects hashtags that are followed by the audience of any open account, yours or competitors. To do this, you just need to specify a link to your Instagram* account, set the name of the upload and wait for the service to collect a table with popular hashtags.

How to publish a post with a hashtag on Instagram*:

  • Fly into the Instagram application*. In the upper right corner, click on the plus sign.
  • From the files you saved earlier, select those that we want to publish.
Open a new post - and go ahead, for likes
  • Set up the order in which your photos or videos will be displayed.
  • Optionally set up filters, add text or stickers.
  • Hashtags can also be added to the text. This is done using a lattice, through a space if there are more than one.
Collecting a post on Instagram*
  • In the upper right corner, click on the checkmark.
  • We publish and collect reactions.
Prescribe suitable hashtags for the post

Read more about hashtags on Instagram* and their benefits in our article “How to search for posts and people by hashtags on Instagram*: instructions”. There we figure out how to find anyone and anything.

Let's say you have placed all the necessary hashtags, planned posts and published them for more than a week, but there is no result. You can go to DataFan and check all the post statistics. Analyze why the theme or promotion does not work, and find a solution for each such problem.

Hashtags on TikTok

Hashtags are very popular on TikTok and work even with characters that are not clickable on other social networks. Posts are sorted by views.

What's unusual is that on TikTok you can put a variety of hashtags, not only those that are allowed for other social networks. In addition, there are trends - the most popular videos, video topics, hashtags, melodies and people. If a hashtag is trending, it is shown more often than other videos of the same author.

Have you tried searching Instagram* for dollar signs? And in TikTok you can

How to put hashtags on TikTok:

  • Open the application. Click on the plus at the bottom of the screen in the center.
  • Creating a publication. Add a video from the gallery or shoot a new one. We press "Next".
Posting on TikTok is no more difficult than on Instagram*
  • There is a Hashtags button under the video description frame, click on it. A hash bar appears in the description itself, after which you can enter a keyword. Each time you press this button, a hash bar and the most recently used queries appear.
  • Don't forget to separate hashtags with spaces. Customize privacy and other settings as desired.
  • Click "Publish".
When you click on the hashtag button, spelling options appear

If you need to repost videos from TikTok to Instagram *, welcome to the article "How to repost videos from TikTok to Instagram * - guide". Everything is explained and detailed there.

Youtube hashtags

Youtube hashtags can be used in the same way as in social networks. With their help, you can find videos on topics.

How long has it been since you last searched for a video using hashtags?

How to use hashtags on YouTube:

  • Open your page on YouTube.
  • Adding a new video for publication. It is desirable that it be copyrighted. YouTube punishes for other people's videos in accounts.
  • Add a description and hashtags to find the video. This is a very important part of the publication - it determines whether people will watch the video or not.
  • We publish the finished video.

Do you plan to broadcast simultaneously on Instagram* and YouTube? We also have such an article - “How to broadcast on Instagram * and on YouTube at the same time?” Just looking for popular hashtags in 2021, you are here - "Top 50 hashtags on Instagram * in 2021 and how to use them. "

In conclusion

We figured out how to put one or more hashtags on social networks manually or through SMMplanner. In the service, you can pre-plan posts for several days or weeks along with hashtags. We found out where the tags are relevant, and where there is almost no point in using them. For example, on Instagram* they have taken root and become the main way to search for content. And in Odnoklassniki they do not always work correctly, and you should not rely on them. More about hashtags, promotion and social networks in our blog.

how to get to the TOP + Wow-chips

The classic idea of ​​site promotion looks like this: “This is when you drive in the phrase “buy Syzran wallpaper” and my site is at the very top.”

Experienced specialists understand that now the conversation has turned to SEO promotion. And you won’t believe it, but Instagram also has a kind of SEO, using which you can attract subscribers to your account. And that's... Instagram hashtags.

What is it and why

If you are an active Instagram user, you have seen a large list of blue words written through the bars (written as #) at the end of user posts.

Clicking on any of them will take you to a page dedicated to this word with a list of publications in which it is mentioned. Those are the hashtags.

By the way, I highly recommend our article. There we told everything in detail what we needed and how we appeared.

But let's get back specifically to how hashtags work on Instagram. So let's go.

Hashtags

In short, hashtags on Instagram are a special thematic tag that groups the content of different users into one group. That is, in fact - keywords, thanks to which you can find publications on Instagram that suit you.

Important. Next, you will learn a super-method for selecting the most popular hashtags on Instagram, but first we will learn the basics so that logical relationships form in our heads.

Why do we need

The correct use of hashtags will help attract people who are interested in this topic to your page, that is, in fact, your future customers. All that remains is to sell them your product / service correctly. But this is a topic for another article.

1. Rules for adding hashtags

It seems like you don't need a lot of brains to write hashtags on Instagram. You take the words that fit the meaning and write in a row. But if you want to get the maximum, then you should still know the basic rules of how to put hashtags on Instagram correctly.

  1. Write hashtags in Cyrillic and Latin. But remember, when using English words, you begin to compete with the whole world, and not just in Russia;
  2. A hashtag does not necessarily represent a word. It can also be a phrase. For example, the phrase “favorite Instagram” can be written as #favoriteinstagram or #favorite_instagram. From this follows the third rule...
  3. Spaces or special characters cannot be used. Hashtags can only be separated by an underscore (_). And in rare cases, using numbers and emoji;
  4. Write a series of hashtags separated by spaces. This looks more aesthetically pleasing and is perceived by Instagram not as spam;
  5. The maximum number of hashtags in one post is 30. If you write a lot of hashtags, the trick will fail and Instagram will either cut them or simply post posts without text at all.

Chip. Where to put them? You can write hashtags in Instagram comments, more precisely, in the first comment, and not just in the post.

They will also be ranked. The quantity is the same - no more than 30 pieces. Below I will tell you how you can use it for your own purposes.

2. Types of hashtags

Remember I wrote that hashtags are keywords? The most interesting thing is that they, like keywords in contextual advertising and SEO, are distributed by frequency.

True, Instagram does not have the ability to view the frequency of a particular hashtag. But it is possible to see how many publications are issued by hashtag separately. This is how they are divided:

  1. High-frequency - from 100 thousand publications;
  2. Medium frequency - from 10 to 100 thousand publications;
  3. Low-frequency - from 500 to 10 thousand publications;
  4. Rare - up to 500 publications.

To make it more clear: here is an example of a high-frequency, that is, very popular (read hackneyed) hashtag:

High-frequency hashtags
3. Types of hashtags

And to complete the lecture part, I will also tell you that hashtags are divided not only into types according to the frequency of their mention, but also into the types of their use:

  1. Spam hashtags (e.g. followme) . Used to collect likes or followers. They give little effect. Use them sparingly and carefully;
  2. Geo-hashtags. Hashtags mentioning the city/region/country. If you have a local business, be sure to use them;
  3. Content hashtags. They are relevant to the content of the post. Mandatory to use, as they will bring targeted visitors;
  4. Trendy. Used to increase account activity. However, you need to use trends close to the business;
  5. Branded. Mandatory hashtags by which your buyers can recognize your posts. In fact, this is your signature on Instagram;
  6. Rubricators. Used to navigate within your account. And also for promotions, contests, sweepstakes and more.

Important. Do not use ready-made lists of the best hashtags. They tacitly refer to the type of “Spam hashtags”, since there are almost no living or adequate people according to them.

Which hashtags to choose

Ideally, your key task, if we are talking about the right approach to doing business on Instagram, is to assemble the semantic core of your future business profile along with the content plan for Instagram. Optimally, it should be 100-150 hashtags, close to what you do and what you will advertise on Instagram.

As advertising

And right away. If you want to collect only popular hashtags in the hope of always being on top, then I can upset you. This will not give the desired effect, since either bots or people who themselves want to sell something “scam” them.

Therefore, when forming the semantic core, be smarter and collect an equal number of high-frequency, mid-frequency and other types of hashtags.

This way you will increase your chances of attracting customers, not fake pages.

SEARCH SERVICE

How to choose hashtags? This can be done in three popular ways (bypassing spam lists of the best hashtags): manually, by “withdrawing” them from competitors, using special programs and services. I still recommend using a service where everything is already thought out and there is analytics - Instatag.

Its beauty is that the hashtags are sorted by direction and there are even special classifiers like “hashtags for likes”. All you need is to go to the service and select the hashtags that you need.

Instatag

Don't forget to read our article carefully. There we have collected the best services to promote your Instagram account!

COMMON ERRORS

Instagram is one of the few social networks where hashtags play a significant role.

And that is why experienced marketers, advertisers, and people of related professions are so actively using them and teaching how to make hashtags on Instagram correctly.

But either they themselves do not fully understand Instagram algorithms, or people do not attach any importance to this, when using hashtags they make a lot of mistakes. Which negatively affect the promotion of their pages:

  1. Many hashtags. Often, business accounts post a lot of hashtags in the hope that it will attract traffic. But unfortunately, the more hashtags, the more you turn the system against yourself, signaling that you are a spammer;
  2. Lots of popular hashtags. Another error. It is better to post hashtags like #stretch ceilings_vologda than just #stretch ceilings. The number of likes will be less, but there will be more customers;
  3. The same hashtags. This is a powerful signal to Instagram that you are a spammer. The punishment can be very severe. In each post, change your hashtags, and release some without them at all;
  4. Closed page. Very often people try to write hashtags on a closed page. This is a completely useless exercise, since hashtags on closed pages are not ranked by Instagram.

By the way, there can be 2 types of punishment for incorrect use of hashtags: complete deletion of the account (the worst) and “shadow ban”, this is when you see your publication, but the subscribers do not.

In general, punishment is an extremely rare phenomenon, but I was obliged to warn.

Different approaches

If we are talking about the classic hashtag scheme that most users use, then it's just to write a list of all the words that come to mind and are more or less relevant to the posted publication.

This certainly has an effect, and little by little traffic will be attracted. But there are smarter approaches to put them more efficiently that I recommend using.

Life hack. Optimize your customer interactions on Instagram with MyBotan. The chatbot will automatically respond to messages, save data about the client and his requests. And you can not only choose a ready-made answer template, but also create your own. Agree this will facilitate the work in the social network? Click and test 3 days for free -> MyBotan

1. Improved version

Beforehand, you prepare hashtags for each post in the amount of no more than 20. The ideal number is about 10. And at the end of the post, highlight them in a separate block from the text. Readers will perceive this more loyally for the perception of the main text.

Improved version

2. Native version

In the text of the post itself, you need to place several hashtags (preferably 2-4), scattering them along the entire length.

The remaining 7-10 hashtags, you post in the first comment. This is how we kill 2 birds with one stone: it all looks beautiful and users go inside the post to look at the comment.

Native variant

3. Bomb variant

The main task of hashtags is to attract traffic to the site and help the publication to reach the TOP or up the user feeds.

Therefore, you can use the following trick, which is called the "like bomb". In the post itself, you publish 30 hashtags, in the first comment 30 more.

At the start, this will give a small but increase in likes. In addition, do not forget that you need to “give impetus”, that is, boost likes and comments with the help of special services, for example, TmSmm, Instaplus.pro.

Two moments. After a couple of days, don't forget to remove most of these hashtags, leaving only low frequency ones. Otherwise, Instagram will impose restrictions on you as a spammer. The second point - do not repeat such a thing often. Otherwise... you know the punishment.

Bomb version

Briefly about the main thing

That's all. To be honest, I gave away almost everything I knew.

Hashtags are a good way to attract customers, if used correctly, and not mindlessly stamped, attracting people who work through mass liking.

All that is required of you now is to apply all the knowledge gained in your Instagram account. And then, do not stop and constantly work on updating them, because today you are doing well, and tomorrow your competitor is also doing well, and the overall effect is not the same.

Learn more