There are many debates on whether Instagram hashtags improve reach and engagement rates.
And while some people get a lot of engagement from their hashtags, some claim hashtags are useless.
But is this really true?
You can think whatever you like about the above, but one thing is true – Instagram hashtags are the best way to label and categorize your content.
Their main task is to push content on the explore page and suggest the topic of your post to the Instagram algorithm.
This is why you still need to include Instagram hashtags at the end of each post.
Here is more on where to find Instagram hashtags and how to use them.
Where to Find Instagram Hashtags
- Hashtag generators. All-Hashtag, Inflact, and SISTRIX are among the software you can use to get new hashtag ideas. You can enter the keyword, and hashtag generators will automatically list all hashtags around that topic. You can also get the number of posts with that hashtag and the most popular hashtags from that niche.
- One of the most common ways to find Instagram hashtags is by looking at the platform itself. If you didn’t know, you can search hashtags on Instagram by keyword. This makes it easy to find new hashtags and see the number of posts for each. You can also see who ranks for those hashtags, which is a terrific way to check what your competition is doing.
- Check your competition. Because you have the same or similar target groups, the Instagram profiles of your competition can be a terrific source for new hashtag ideas. They are probably using hashtags related to your niche, and even better – hashtags your ideal customer is using.
How to Use Instagram Hashtags
- The best hashtags to use are the ones with less than 500,000 posts unless your following is enormous.
- It is also better to be as specific as possible because that will make your post visible. In other words, you want to use long-tailed words for hashtags and avoid general hashtags because they are probably included in too many posts.
- Even though you can use up to 30 hashtags per post, there is no right or wrong number of hashtags you should use. The best way is to test and find what works for your audience. Also, what would matter here is the hashtag quality and not the quantity. The better the hashtags, the higher the chances of getting to the explore page.
- Avoid using banned hashtags. You will be surprised to see what hashtags are banned. To check whether a hashtag is banned type it in the search bar. If a hashtag is banned, it will have a note on the top of the results page indicating that the posts with that hashtag are forbidden.
- Lastly, when it comes to where you should add your hashtags, it all depends on testing. You can put your hashtags inside your captions or separately under them. Also, some people decide to put the hashtags in a separate comment. There is no right recipe – test and see what will work for your brand.
Wrapping up
When it comes to the hashtag strategy, there is no right or wrong. You should test different approaches to see what works best.
When it comes to where to find Instagram hashtags, try the following:
- Hashtags generator
- Research your competition
Search the Instagram suggestions