It's no secret that hashtags can help you increase their Instagram post visibility and build brand awareness. But developing an effective hashtag strategy means more than loading your posts with popular hashtags and hoping for the best.

You need a strategy that identifies a variety of popular and niche hashtags that are relevant to your industry. You need to know where to put hashtags in your posts. And you need to avoid using banned hashtags that can get your Instagram account blocked.

Companies with strong Instagram hashtag strategies are in a stronger place to persuade algorithms to place their content in front of their target audience. This can help increase your following and encourages more engagement around your brand.

In this guide, we'll examine how to find the best Instagram hashtags for your business. We'll also look at common mistakes businesses make with hashtags, so you know what practices to follow (and not follow) when developing your Instagram strategy.

How do hashtags affect your Instagram content?

Hashtags are words or phrases with the "#" symbol in front of them. When you include hashtags on your Instagram posts, you link your content with other posts that use the same hashtag.

Instagram users who click on a hashtag access the hashtag's Discover feed, which showcases all related content. This signals to Instagram that they're interested in these types of content, helping it know to recommend similar content which will hopefully include your company's posts.  

How does using hashtags on Instagram benefit your business?

In today's information age, every business needs an online presence to draw in new leads and build a community of brand loyalists. 

Instagram hashtags help connect your business with your target audience by matching their interests to your products and services. When you include the right hashtags on your Instagram Reels, posts, videos, and Stories, you'll see a number of benefits. 

Become more visible to audiences interested in your brand

Using effective hashtags in your posts makes it easier for the right audience to find your content. This increases your company's visibility and builds brand awareness among target customers.

Engage better with prospective leads

Using hashtags to help users find relevant content increases the likelihood that users will like, share, and comment on your content. This encourages Instagram's algorithm to recommend your content to more users, helping you gain new followers and increase your engagement rates.

Build a community of loyal followers

Hashtags attract followers with shared interests. If they start interacting with each other around your Instagram business account, they'll begin building a community – improving your online visibility.

Let's say you want to increase brand loyalty for your line of beauty products. You can offer makeup tips in your posts and invite people to post images of their results and share their own beauty tips. 

Such interactions build enthusiasm for your online community and your products. 

Improve your position in search results

When you include relevant hashtags in your Instagram posts, you signal important keywords to the Instagram algorithm. The idea is that it'll include your content in search results for those phrases.

As such, a keyword tool could be an alternative way to find new hashtags.

Be specific to your audience's needs. If you're promoting beauty or wellness products don't just use generic hashtags. Instead, use specific phrases, like "#moisturizer", to connect with what consumers are actually looking for.

Attract attendees to business events

Using event-specific hashtags on posts about upcoming or currently running conferences, fundraisers, or other social occasions. This helps attendees and potential attendees learn about your event / your activation at a non-owned event. 

You should also use these hashtags on posts with updates so followers can keep up with new developments.

What type of Instagram hashtags can you use?

Finding the most popular hashtags on Instagram doesn't just mean identifying the ones with the most views. Besides them being generic, they'll likely be highly competitive spaces to be found in.

Your hashtags must reflect the interests of very specific communities to help them find you. To do this, include a mix of the following hashtag types in your captions and comments.  

Branded hashtags help promote your business

These hashtags often contain the name of your company, product, or service. Putting them in your captions and comments help build brand identity and a sense of community around your business. 

Community hashtags connect people with similar interests

Clothing brands, sport teams, and outdoor activities all attract a community of like-minded people who feel connected to one another. 

You can build this sense of community by including community hashtags designed to attract such enthusiasts in your customer base. For instance, the hashtag "#mygopro" highlights posts relevant to GoPro camera enthusiasts. 

Trending hashtags are hashtags that are currently very popular on Instagram. They provide high visibility but can change quickly. You can find them on the Instagram Explore page.

Location-based hashtags help you connect with different regions

Also called geotags, these provide the names of locations associated with your business. They can attract desired audiences from specific geographic locations.

Niche hashtags target very specific consumers

A niche hashtag like #vegandishes or #grouptraveltips attracts a highly targeted population that can become very engaged with your content if you provide material that connects with their interests. 

Event hashtags help generate FOMOThese Instagram hashtags categorize events like conventions or fundraisers. They can attract potential attendees and keep followers up to date on any event changes. 

Seasonal hashtags should be used at specific times in the year

Seasonal hashtags like "#christmas" or "#winterbreak" identify a specific holiday or season. They help promote seasonal offerings and can get followers in the holiday spirit. This is useful during fundraisers when a popular hashtag like #givingtuesday can attract generous donors. 

Other seasonal hashtags like "#snowstorm" can be built around seasonal weather, while hashtags like "#swimsuits" or "#pumpkinpie" can promote seasonal clothing or foods.

Descriptive hashtags clarify your posts

This Instagram hashtag describes the contents of your post. This is useful for restaurants and hotels that post photos of their dishes and amenities. 

Challenge hashtags stimulate activity

Challenge hashtags appear on posts that are part of an Instagram challenge or contest. They can encourage participants to create or share themed content, fostering great engagement if done right. 

For example, a company might offer contest entries in exchange for posts of followers using their products. Each post could contain the challenge hashtag along with the company's branded hashtag, building brand awareness and engaging users.

How to reach audiences with the Instagram algorithm in 2024

The Instagram feed recommends content based on how many likes a post received, if a user interacted with the poster recently, and if a post matches a user's interests. 

To get the algorithm to recommend your posts, Reels, and Stories, Instagram suggests you reply quickly to user comments, which can encourage responses and further interaction with your content. 

Encourage followers to add you to their Favorites feed. This informs the algorithm to show your content to more people. 

It's also helpful to engage in hashtag communities. Comment and like posts related to your industry and start conversations with your followers. This encourages additional people to follow your profile. 

To refine your hashtag strategy, read through your followers' posts and learn the hashtags they use. Use the ones that relate to your own industry to connect with more people in the community.

How can you get more likes on Instagram with your hashtag strategy?

Instagram hashtags can help connect you with new followers who will comment, like, and subscribe to your Instagram channel.

  • Find relevant hashtags that describe your post's content and your target audience's interests. These relevant hashtags should include broad and niche hashtags that reach different (but relevant) audiences. Include branded hashtags to promote your business and offer Instagram contests with challenge hashtags to draw in potential followers.
  • Analyze your performance. See if you can attract more visitors by targeting new regions with geotags. If you have some holiday-related promotions coming up, advertise them with seasonal hashtags. The more activity you generate, the more likes you will receive. You can check out how your different posts are doing with an Instagram analytics tool.

Tips for using analytics to develop an effective hashtag strategy

Once you start experimenting with hashtags on Instagram, you need to see if your tactics are producing desired results. Analytical tools can help measure your success rate and show where you need to make improvements. Use the following practices to build an effective (and adaptable) social strategy. 

Monitor your engagement metrics on a regular basis

Using Instagram Insights or a third-party social media analytics tool can offer valuable insights into how your viewers engage with your content.

Find Instagram Insights on your business account by going to the three-line icon on your profile and tapping Insights. Select the date range you want to track and go to the "Accounts Engaged" tab. 

From here, you can find the number of accounts that have liked, shared, reposted, saved, replied, or commented on your Instagram Reels, posts, Stories, videos, and live videos. 

Tip: Calculate your engagement rate by dividing the total number of interactions by your total number of followers and multiplying by 100.

You'll want to look at the kinds of Instagram hashtags your audience are sharing and where they're from to help inform your content.

A more in-depth analytics tool will let you monitor your Instagram performance against your competitors, and alongside your other social media channels. It's worth checking out the depth of insight and content inspiration tools like this can provide.

Continue monitoring your engagement metrics as you update your account. Does your engagement rate rise as you focus on creating specific content and using certain hashtags? This should influence your strategy moving forward. 

See what kinds of strategies your competitors are using

Look at the content your competitors are posting on Instagram. Are their posts receiving a lot of likes and comments? What type of hashtags are they using? How many hashtags are they using? Do they attract an audience that fits your target demographics? 

See if you can use similar relevant hashtags in your own content. This helps the algorithm recommend your material alongside your competitors' posts.  

Find gaps in your competitors' strategy. Are they not using seasonal hashtags on their holiday posts? Could they increase activity with an Instagram challenge? Test these hashtag strategies for yourself and see if they improve your reach. 

See which hashtag combinations work best for your content

Using a mix of general and specific hashtags puts your content in front of broad and niche audiences. Experiment and check your analytics to see which combinations generate more views and likes.

For example, this Instagram post from women's activewear retailer Sweaty Betty combines the event hashtag #globalrunningday with its branded hashtag #iamasweatybetty. The first hashtag draws in a wide audience, helping the post gain over 2,000 likes, while the second builds a sense of community, creating brand loyalty.

Go to the Instagram Explore page and type potential hashtags into the search bar. You'll see a list of related hashtags along with the number of posts that use them.

You can also use Instagram's hashtag autocomplete function as a hashtag suggestion tool that will identify top Instagram hashtags. Just remember not to rely on popular hashtags and combine them with highly relevant hashtags.

Keep adapting your hashtag strategy to new changes

User preferences change over time, so monitor your Instagram analytics and adjust your strategy regularly. 

Experiment with different types of posts and videos and monitor your analytics to see if they resonate with your current followers or attract new audiences. Track your competitors' activity and see if there are new ways to optimize your Instagram hashtags.  

Common hashtag mistakes that keep businesses from connecting with audiences

Instagram hashtags may help connect your business with the right audience, but using poor hashtag practices can actually limit your reach and keep others from discovering your brand. Here are some tips to keep you from making costly mistakes. 

Don't use irrelevant hashtags

Irrelevant hashtags don't relate to your post. If you're advertising a new clothing line and add terms like #love or #goodvibes, at best you're shouting into a void and at worst people will feel misled.

Using irrelevant hashtags could result in your account being flagged as sharing spam. In some cases, Instagram may temporarily limit your account (a practice called "shadowbanning") and keep your content from reaching viewers. 

Also, be mindful if using Instagram hashtag generators. An Instagram hashtag generator tool might seem like a quick and easy way for selecting hashtags, but some are not always accurate. 

Don't overload your captions with hashtags

Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags in each post caption. However, as a general rule, you're better off using only three to five per post. 

Too many hashtags clutter your content, causing viewers to ignore it. You can also confuse the algorithm and keep new followers from finding your content. Instead of using more hashtags, concentrate on finding the right ones.

Try using a content calendar as part of your content strategy to spread out your content and get a bird's eye view of the hashtags you use over the weeks and months. Using the same daily hashtags is not the best use of hashtags on Instagram. 

Eliminate banned hashtags from your list

Instagram community members regularly flag or report hashtags that go against Instagram community guidelines. These terms may be considered obscene or identified as popular with bots and spammers. They may be banned temporarily or permanently.

If you accidentally use banned hashtags, Instagram may flag your account for being in violation of its guidelines. This can result in Instagram shadowbanning your account. 

Don't keep using the same set of hashtags over and over

While it may be simple to just copy and paste the same list of Instagram hashtags for every post, this repetitive hashtag use can hurt your reach.

Repetitive hashtag use makes your content look like spam. This can get your account blocked and will also confuse the algorithm, keeping your posts from reaching the right viewers.

Instead, tailor your hashtags to each post. Use specific descriptive hashtags that highlight what your posts are offering viewers. The best hashtags work when you use the terms people are actually searching for when they need your content. 

Don't ignore the value of niche hashtags

A niche hashtag may target a relatively small community, but such groups can engage more with your content than general audiences if they find it relevant. These Instagram hashtags also don't appear on as many posts as popular or trending hashtags, making your content easier to find.

Use Brandwatch's social media management tools to improve your Instagram hashtag strategy

Knowing how your audience interacts with your Instagram posts, Reels, and Stories is crucial to developing an effective Instagram hashtag strategy.

Brandwatch can help you by providing the Instagram analytics and social media management tools you need. 

Our platform tracks key hashtags to gather powerful insights into how your content is being received and what your consumers think about your brand.

You'll be able to track your Instagram performance and use this to develop messaging that attracts followers.

Need competitor intelligence? Get access to the most recent Instagram metrics and insights to analyze your social performance against competition. With an additional layer of Instagram campaign intelligence, you'll learn from your competitors’ best performing campaigns, hashtags and topics.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to use hashtags in the Instagram caption or in the comment section?

Instagram hashtags work in both the captions and comments section. However, putting your hashtag in the first comment can create a cleaner look for your caption, which is appealing to visitors. Likewise, for sponsored posts, some prefer to keep hashtags in a separate comment to maintain that clean, professional look in your own posts.

What is a good number of hashtags to use in each Instagram post?

When adding hashtags for Instagram, the company itself advises using three to five hashtags per post. These can be location related hashtags, community-based hashtags, or unique hashtags – this will depend on your post. Make sure to use a diverse mix of specific and broad hashtags to attract wide and targeted audiences.

How can I find the best hashtags while creating an Instagram post?

Start typing in some potential hashtags on Instagram and see what hashtags the autocomplete function suggests. It will show a number of related popular hashtags and the number of posts they appear in.

Why does Instagram use hashtags?

Hashtags help organize content on Instagram by linking your content with posts that use the same terms. This lets Instagram algorithms identify specific pieces of content and recommend them to relevant users. Upping your hashtag game should be a vital part of any Instagram strategy.