Instagram hashtags for beginners: When to use hashtags and how to use them effectively. Understanding Instagram hashtags may seem tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, they are one of the best ways to get seen by new people. If you want more followers and likes or just want others to see and enjoy your pictures, hashtags help your posts get put into the right places.
Inside this quick guide to Instagram hashtags, you will learn what hashtags do, how to find good hashtags, and some simple tips for adding hashtags to your Instagram posts. You will be able to select hashtags that do something meaningful, and whether you are starting from zero or you are cleaning up your strategy, you will find easy answers here.
The Key Features Of Instagram
Whether you’re on Instagram for fun, networking, or marketing, knowing the key features helps you use it more effectively, especially in terms of hashtags.
Main Instagram features:
1. Feed Posts
These are the standard photo or video posts that show up in the main grid of your profile. You can add filters to your posts, write captions, and use hashtags to reach more users and get more likes. Viewers can also like, comment, and save your posts.
2. Instagram Stories
Stories are temporary (24-hour) photos or videos that appear at the top of your followers’ screens. You can add stickers, polls, hashtags, and music to stories, and they’re ideal for sharing quick updates and behind-the-scenes content.
3. Instagram Reels.
Reels are Instagram’s platform for short-form video content, and they’re one of the best ways to organically grow an audience on the app. These videos are quick, fun, and full of personality—and because Reels get their own feed, and show up on Explore and on your main profile as well, there are a few ways for new people to find your content.
Using hashtags on Reels is a smart way to help Instagram’s algorithm understand the content of your video so it can show it to users who will probably enjoy and engage with it. This is important for garnering likes on Reels.
When Instagram’s algorithm sees that your Reels get likes early on from people watching it, for example, this tells the algorithm that your content is engaging, and it’ll push it out wider. This is why using relevant hashtags on Reels is important, because it helps surface your Reels to more people who care about the subject.
4. Instagram Explore Page
Explore is a personalized feed, similar to the home feed, with recommended content. Posts that are tagged with relevant hashtags and are getting lots of engagement have a better chance of showing up here and reaching users who don’t follow you.
5. Instagram Live
You can broadcast a live video, engage with your followers in real-time, and they can comment as you’re broadcasting. You can also save the Live session to your profile afterward!
6. Instagram Direct Messages (DMs)
You can connect with users privately in one-to-one messages! You can include text, images, links, and disappearing content!
7. Hashtags And Location Tags
These are crucial tools for discovery. When you add hashtags or location tags to your posts or Stories, you give them the opportunity to appear in search results or hashtag pages—therefore reaching more users.
What Are Instagram Hashtags and How Do They Work?
Hashtags might seem like a random word or phrase following a pound sign (#), and the hashtag is a key part of using Instagram effectively. Hashtags should be thought of as labels that help people find, group, and follow posts related to specific topics or interests. Maybe you want your beach photos seen by like-minded travel lovers, or you have a business that wants to find the right audience. Hashtags allow your posts to be put in front of new eyes.
What Is a Hashtag?
A hashtag is a word or group of words, written without spaces after the # sign. A hashtag converts anything you write into something that can basic examples:
- #cats
- #travel
- #coffeeaddict
Each hashtag functions as a clickable link. When people click a hashtag, Instagram lets them see all the posts on Instagram containing that hashtag. This presents the opportunity for hashtags to simply connect your post to people searching for something specific.
How Instagram Uses Hashtags
Instagram uses hashtags to sort and organize content. If you have a photo with #mountainview, anyone who searches that hashtag can find your photo, whether or not they follow you. This essentially allows your content to be shared well beyond your normal reach.
This is how hashtags work behind the scenes:
- Search and discover: When people search for a hashtag, it creates a feed for viewing all posts attached to that hashtag. This is sometimes referred to as a hashtag gallery.
- Trending and popular places: Some hashtags are used by millions or thousands of people. Generic popular hashtags (like #love or #happy) can potentially provide a broader reach, but can also be highly competitive. Niche-focused hashtags (like #knitonepurlone for knitters) reach only the intended audience or groups.
- Immediate community: Using the same hashtag as other users creates a connection among the same audience or community, even if you’ve never met.
You can use hashtags in the following places:
- Feed posts (photos and videos)
- Stories
- Reels
- Comment sections (to get views on older posts)
1. Feed Posts (Photos and Videos)
Hashtags are mostly used for feed posts to help spread posts to people who are not followers. It’s important to put trending and relevant hashtags in the caption for your photo or video so that your post appears in search results and on hashtag pages. Utilizing effective hashtags is a great way to reach people who are into your niche but have not found you yet! Only use a combination of trendy, niche, and branded hashtags.
2. Instagram Stories
Hashtags work on Stories, too! When you use hashtags in your Stories using either a hashtag sticker or just by typing them out, your Story post is discoverable on the Stories page of that corresponding hashtag. This can create new views from users who are watching that hashtag as they follow or search. Your Story could show up to one or two people who might not normally see your account if it appears in front of those following that content.
3. Reels
Hashtags are very effective in helping your Instagram Reels get more likes and engagement. By using the right hashtags, your Reels are more discoverable on both the Explore page and the Reels feed. Increased discoverability may lead to more people watching, engaging with, and giving your Reels likes.
When Instagram’s algorithm sees that your Reels are being engaged with well, early, the algorithm will help boost your reels likes matter for this to happen. Hashtags help categorize your posts so they are seen by users who are most likely to want what you are posting. You could be jumping into a trending challenge or simply sharing tips, and by using the most relevant hashtags, you give your Reels a better chance of being seen and engaged with.
The more users see your Reels, the more likely they are to like your Reels, visit your profile, and then follow you. If you want your Reels to perform well, focus on using smart hashtags that will help you reach your desired audience to engage with your content and join in the likes!
Real-World Examples
Let’s say you own a small plant shop, and you post a photo of a new succulent. If you use hashtags like #succulentlove, #indoorplants, or #plantshop, then someone looking for those hashtags could find your photo. Local hashtags, like #LondonPlants, are connecting you to people nearby who also presumably care about those same subjects.
Or maybe you share a photo of your morning coffee. If you tag #coffeebreak, #latteart, or #caffeinefix, then you have connected your post with others who enjoy the same.
Why Hashtags Work
Hashtags expose your posts to anyone with an interest in a subject, not just your followers. It’s like you’re putting your photo on a huge online bulletin board for any person who cares about that subject. If you use hashtags wisely, you may help others to see your content, leave with more followers, and connect with those with similar passions.
Great hashtags will help your content be discoverable by anyone, anywhere.
Finding and Choosing the Right Hashtags for Your Posts
Getting hashtags right isn’t just about quickly picking the first words that pop into your mind—it’s a bit like picking the right shoes to go with a favorite outfit. You want every hashtag to work to make it easier for the people you most care about to see it. The right proportions can help you grow on Instagram, connect with like-minded people, and prevent your photos from being overwhelmed by similar photos. Here are some ideas on how you can begin sorting through the many hashtag options and discover what works for you.
The Difference Between Popular, Niche, and Branded Hashtags:
Not every hashtag is created equal. To increase the visibility of your posts, you need to know the role of each type of hashtag.
- Popular hashtags: These are the hashtags that are very popular (#love or #instagood), which will only give you a million posts or so before your post gets lost in the millions. Use them many, but make sure you are not relying on only popular tags.
- Niche hashtags: These are hashtags about a specific community or niche (e.g., #plantstyling or #bassfishinglife). Simply put, a hashtag that is 100 uses from being popular can still produce posts longer to be visible and consequently could attract your audience as a follower.
- Branded hashtags: Hashtags that are specific to a brand, campaign, or your own business (e.g., #JoeCoffeeNYC or #YourBrandStory). Participants of branded hashtags (fans or customers) like to annotate their experience, which allows you to curate everything people post about you (good or bad).
Using a variety of these types of hashtags gives you the odds in your favor. A popular tag has a large reach, but the niche tag reaches your audience, and the branded tags help build a community.
Tools and Tips for Hashtag Research
Finding the best hashtags does not have to be a guess. There are built-in features on Instagram, as well as a few handy apps that you can use to find what is trending and what works for your niche. Here are a few simple tools and tricks to help you get started:
Instagram search:
The first place to search is to plug in keywords into the search bar. Instagram will provide hashtags that go with your word and the number of posts that have been made on each hashtag, as well as even more ideas for you to add to your list.
Autocomplete
If you start typing # and part of a word either on your post or in the search box, Instagram will suggest related tags, which often is a mix of both broad and specific tags. This is a good way to discover the niche tags that are out there.
Explore Page
You can see what hashtags your favorite accounts use or what hashtags are appearing on the Explore page for the topics you care about.
Investigate the competition
Choose a few accounts in your space that are top-tier. Check out what hashtags they are using, along with which ones and how often they seem to pop up. This can provide some inspiration for tags you hadn’t thought of.
Hashtag research tools
Make use of free and paid apps such as Display Purposes, Hashtagify, or Flick to track trending hashtags, provide stats on how they are performing, and identify hashtags that could be trending but less crowded to consider using in your posts.
Before using any hashtag, tap on it on Instagram and look at the feed! You want to ensure that the posts align with your message and your content is appropriate. Using hashtags that are a bit of a stretch can confuse the algorithm and place your post on the sidelines.
Finally, do not forget to stay on top of trends. Trends can change every week. Tags that are popular at the beginning of the month can quickly go stale. Spend a few minutes each week updating your list, replacing tags that track poorly.
Mix what you find
You will want to add a mixture of high-use tags, some very specific, and any unique to your brand or style. This way, you can increase your chance of being seen by actual interested users instead of lumping yourself in with everyone else.
How Many Hashtags Should You Use?
It can be tricky to determine the right number of hashtags to use for each Instagram post. If you use too few hashtags, you run the risk of not reaching as many people as possible. If you use too many hashtags, you risk calling the post spammy and slowing your post’s performance. Here are a few things you need to know about using the right amount of hashtags to get better results with Instagram.
Instagram’s Hashtag Limit and Best Practice
Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags on each regular post AND 10 hashtags on Stories. However, just because you can use that many hashtags DOES NOT mean you should in all cases. Most experts agree that more does not always mean better, especially on Instagram.
Using too many hashtags can come across as messy or look like you’re trying too hard to get noticed. It can send mixed signals to your audience regarding the main focus of your post; you don’t want to even let them know what your post is centered around.
Most of the time, the sweet spot is anywhere between 5-10 hashtags on each post. This gives you flexibility and reach while not risking cluttering your captions. Focus on quality, not quantity: make sure you use hashtags that truly represent your image and your audience- don’t just wishy-washy, sudden pile of random hashtags.
Why Less Can Be More
Instagram’s algorithm reads your use of hashtags. If you use every hashtag you can come up with in every post, the app can start treating your content as spammy content. If your posts are labeled as spam, that also means that they won’t show as often in hashtag search results or possibly not show at all. Stay focused on hashtags that are truly relevant to the content. Here’s why it’s a better approach.
Relevant hashtags will draw real people interested in your content. More real people will lead to more likes and real comments, and hopefully, some will even follow you when they see your other content.
If you use way too many hashtags or hashtags that are trending right now but have no relevance to your content, your post may disappear from people’s feeds even faster.
Be sure to change up your hashtags from post to post. Instagram may push your posts down on follower feeds if they see the same set of hashtags over and over again.
How to Pick Your Number
Instead of thinking that you need to go all-in with 30 hashtags, you may want to use 5 to 10 that are relevant to your photo, brand, and audience. Here’s a possible mix:
- 3 to 5 broad but relevant hashtags
- 3 to 5 specific or niche hashtags
- 1 to 2 branded or unique hashtags if you use them
This mix helps your post get discovered in trending options, targeted communities, and probably in your audience (followers’) feeds without appearing in a lot of clutter.
If you want to try out what works for your account, try this:
- Post your next few posts (with a clear aim to get some impact) using six to eight hashtags.
- Observe the number of likes, comments, or follows for the posts that had more hashtags.
- Then, use this experience to decide whether you want to increase or decrease your hashtags.
Signs You’re Using Too Many Hashtags
When you use way too many hashtags, you may experience these problems:
Lower reach from your post than you normally get, especially on posts that normally get greater attention (likes, etc).
- Comments and/or likes from bots and/or fake accounts.
- Your posts show up less or not at all in hashtag searches.
- If you’ve experienced some or all of these things, dial your hashtag use back down and utilize fewer and more targeted hashtags. You can usually immediately tell a difference in results, too! Quick Hashtag Usage Tips
To Help You Never Overdo It, Keep These Rules In Your Back Pocket:
- Your posts should stay within 5–10 strong, focused tags.
- Mix it up and always use different hashtags every time. Don’t copy and paste the same ones.
- Use hashtags in your caption, in the first comment, or both—Instagram will count either way.
- When you focus on getting the right number of the right types of tags, you help new people discover your posts and show Instagram that your content is worthy of being seen.
Best Practices For Using Hashtags On Instagram
Getting the hashtags right isn’t simply about how many you use or the “trendiest” words. The quantity and locations of your hashtags, how often you change them, and your way of tracking your effective ones all matter. The good news is that with a few easy habits, you can use hashtags in a way that works for you instead of worrying about them.
Where To Place Your Hashtags: Caption Or First Comment?
Instagram allows you to place hashtags in your caption or the first comment under your post. You may be wondering what is better… both options work, but here are some recommendations that might help you figure it out.
Hashtags In The Caption:
This is the traditional method of using hashtags— they appear immediately when you post and are visible for all to see while scrolling an Instagram feed. If you want your hashtags seen instantly, place them in the caption. Hashtags in the first comment:
This keeps your caption clean and easy to read. When a viewer opens your post, there will be space at the top that is not cluttered with hashtags. You still keep the search benefit of the hashtags, but your audience simply sees your caption without a bunch of clutter. Some creators like the tidiness of a comment, and some like having everything together in the caption. Instagram treats both forms the same for discovery and search.
Here’s A Quick Recap To Consider:
- Want your hashtags visible up front? Use your caption.
- Want a clean, simple post? Put hashtags in the first comment.
- Either way, hashtags work for search, so it is a style choice.
- Keeping your Hashtag Strategy Fresh
- Using the same hashtags every time gets boring. In addition to slowing your growth, it might also hide your posts from followers who are new to your content if Instagram thinks you’re spamming.
Keeping Your Hashtag Strategy Fresh
Get in the Habit of Updating Your Lists
Trends change quickly. Hashtags that worked three months ago will not necessarily have the same results if you try them again. You should get in the habit of updating your hashtag lists about every few weeks to source new terms that could fit the current content you produce.
Be Careful Of Banned Hashtags Or Broken Hashtags
Some hashtags might end up getting blocked or “shadowbanned” by Instagram. Posts with these tags will not show up in search. If you notice a tag isn’t performing either, then ensure that it’s not banned by tapping on it. If you see a warning or if the gallery apparently looks empty, ditch it.
Use Analytics To Find What Works
To keep track, check Instagram Insights to see which hashtags are helping you reach more people.
Here are some tips for tracking:
- Note the hashtags on your posts that received the additional likes or comments.
- Experiment with small changes: replace some of your existing tags with some new ones and compare the results over time.
- Utilize free or low-cost tools like Flick or Hashtagify. Which let you see trending tags as well as how your hashtags perform.
Mix Up Your Hashtags
Be sure you are not copying and pasting the same set each time. Create a few different sets of tags and rotate them to engage new groups and not look repetitive.
Summary of Good Hashtag Practices:
- Select a placement (caption or comment) that fits your style.
- Use hashtags that are relevant and current.
- Discard any hashtag that is banned or doesn’t fit your account.
- Assess what is working at least monthly.
- Experiment with new combinations to work up to better results.
Getting these back-to-basics practices right will put you ahead of many Instagram users and avoid hyper-analyzing each post you make. Be fluid, recognize trends, and use hashtags as a medium every day to grow.
Conclusion
You should have everything you need to start using Instagram hashtags with an increased sense of security. By choosing good hashtags, mixing up your hashtags, and keeping your list fresh, you can accomplish the goal of helping the right people discover your posts. Trust your instincts, self-explore, and if you want to take this practice further, do not be afraid to test a new tag or two on each post.
Continue to learn from what receives genuine likes and comments on your account. The best results usually take the form of small changes over time. Thanks for reading, and if you found some of these helpful. Please feel free to share your hashtag victories in the comments or pass this guide along to a friend who is just starting.
Author bio
Alisha Gibson is a social media content writer at royalfollowers.com. On numerous websites, she writes about all aspects of business, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Her enthusiasm includes exploring every corner of the globe.
