In the fiercely competitive realm of social media today, merely posting and wishing for favorable outcomes won’t suffice. The use of Instagram hashtags can distinguish your brand from fading into obscurity or engaging with new clientele.
Hashtags on Instagram have the power to connect your posts with a defined audience, attract new followers, and elevate brand interaction.
This guide will delve into the intricacies of Instagram hashtags and assist you in maximizing their capabilities. We will also present the top Instagram hashtags for 2024, introduce leading hashtag generator tools and offer expert advice and strategies for honing your hashtag approach.
What exactly are Instagram hashtags?
Instagram hashtags serve as a method to classify your Instagram content using terms, phrases, or numbers that are prefixed by the hashtag symbol (#) in your captions. Implementing Instagram hashtags facilitates easier discovery of your content within the app or its delivery to pertinent users.
Here’s a visual example illustrating an Instagram caption featuring hashtags:
How to effectively utilize hashtags on Instagram
Employing hashtags wisely can aid in growing your account and maintaining your content’s structure. However, do not treat hashtags as a one-and-done solution. Regularly assess which hashtags are yielding the most engagement on Instagram and tailor your strategy accordingly. Here are four strategies for using hashtags on Instagram:
1. Investigate relevant and trending hashtags for your brand
Begin by identifying hashtags pertinent to your content and intended audience. This can be achieved by examining posts within your niche, assessing your competitors’ hashtags and utilizing Instagram’s search tool to uncover trending and associated hashtags.
A successful approach involves a blend of both broad and niche hashtags. While popular tags can enhance your visibility, more specific ones can help you target a more engaged audience. For instance, if you’re operating a restaurant in Chicago, think about pairing a broad tag like #restaurants with targeted options like #chicagorestaurants or #glutenfreechicago to attract a focused audience.
2. Integrate hashtags within the caption or post them in the first comment
You have the option to embed hashtags in your post’s caption or place them as the first comment. Although there’s no considerable difference in reach or engagement, some prefer to maintain a tidy caption by adding hashtags in the first comment. Obviously, experimenting with different placements is advisable to see what works best for your posts.
3. Employ an appropriate number of hashtags
Instagram permits a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, yet that doesn’t imply you should utilize all of them. In reality, overusing hashtags might reduce engagement. Aim for 3-5 relevant hashtags in each post, and remember to incorporate a mixture of general and specific hashtags (Refer to tip #1).
4. Observe the performance of your hashtags and refine your strategy
Monitor the effectiveness of your hashtags by reviewing insights and analytical data. Identify which hashtags are producing the highest reach, impressions and engagement. Leverage this data to fine-tune your hashtag strategy and enhance your posts for improved visibility and interaction. Utilizing an Instagram growth tool will aid in tracking and scaling your marketing efforts.
Bonus resource: If you seek a method to streamline your Instagram content creation process, templates could be a worthwhile starting point. Explore our template collection (including tips for adjusting colors, typography, and icons) to start broadening your content library today.
5 Advantages of hashtags on Instagram
Hashtags ought to be an integral element of your Instagram marketing strategy. They present numerous use cases alongside various benefits. Let’s examine five significant advantages that hashtags can bring to your brand.
1. Enhances visibility and discovery
Primarily, hashtags are well-known for enhancing exposure and discoverability of posts. They contribute positively to overall brand awareness. View hashtags as digital portals that link your content with a larger audience beyond your immediate followers. By using relevant and trending Instagram hashtags, users searching for content related to those topics will easily discover your posts, increasing the likelihood of gaining new followers and potentially customers.
2. Promotes audience interactions
Hashtags are an influential instrument for fostering engagement and interaction on Instagram. When users encounter your content via relevant hashtags, they tend to engage with your posts through likes, comments and shares. This boost in engagement not only amplifies your post’s visibility but also aids in cultivating a stronger connection with your audience, fostering a sense of community and loyalty.
Branded hashtags are customized tags distinctly designed for a specific brand or marketing campaign. They can serve as a focal point for both the brand and its followers. Establishing branded Instagram hashtags motivates users to share their experiences regarding your products or services and can be perceived as a type of brand advocacy.
3. Competitor analysis
What portion of digital space are your rivals occupying in your market? It’s likely that you and your competitors share some hashtags, particularly if you’re employing industry and location-based tags. Through a social media competitive analysis, you can evaluate vocal share, sentiment, and engagement levels of those posts.
Instagram hashtags can facilitate the assessment of your competitors’ content strategies. By scrutinizing the hashtags utilized by your competitors, you can glean insights into their posting frequency and engagement rates. Such revelations enable you to identify trends and effective content appealing to your target audience, and enhance your content strategy to better fulfill your audience’s needs.
4. Content research
Instagram hashtags extend beyond superficial use; they are a goldmine for performance indicators. By monitoring the reach, impressions, and interactions linked to your selected hashtags, you can garner significant insights into what resonates with your audience. Similar to SEO keyword research, hashtags can aid in discovering diverse content ideas. What appears to be effective for similar brands? Is there a specific style or caption currently trending? This data-driven strategy permits you to refine your hashtag approach, optimize your content schedule, and customize your posts to more effectively connect with your followers.
5. Bridges digital and IRL campaigns
Whether consumers shop online or in physical stores, there’s a good chance they will encounter a hashtag marketing campaign. Such campaigns adeptly reach in-store customers and present an effortless means to affiliate digital with in-real-life (IRL) initiatives. Remember to motivate your customers to discuss your brand positively online, with incentives clearly visible to them beyond Instagram.
Leading Instagram hashtags in 2024
If there’s one principle to adhere to when deploying Instagram hashtags, it’s to ensure they align with your business and the content being shared. Nevertheless, utilizing popular hashtags pertinent to your industry is perfectly acceptable—hence, we’ve compiled a list of leading Instagram hashtags for 2024 across various sectors.
To discover hashtags tailored specifically for Reels, we recommend perusing our piece on Instagram Reel hashtags.
Top 50 Instagram hashtags in 2024
- #love (2.1B)
- #instagood (1.8B)
- #instagram (1.3B)
- #fashion (1.1B)
- #photooftheday (1.1B)
- #art (1.1B)
- #photography (1.1B)
- #beautiful (849M)
- #nature (824M)
- #reels (809M)
- #travel (751M)
- #picoftheday (734M)
- #follow (734M)
- #happy (720M)
- #instadaily (710M)
- #cute (682M)
- #style (674M)
- #trending (638M)
- #tbt (588M)
- #repost (568M)
- #summer (568M)
- #followme (558M)
- #beauty (556M)
- #instalike (555M)
- #fitness (549M)
- #food (530M)
- #photo (514M)
- #like4like (481M)
- #music (476M)
- #life (462M)
- #me (460M)
- #friends (453M)
- #family (454M)
- #selfie (451M)
- #smile (445M)
- #girl (431M)
- #motivation (399M)
- #design (383M)
- #model (378M)
- #handmade (372M)
- #lifestyle (369M)
- #artist (342M)
- #sunset (337M)
- #likeforlike (326M)
- #dogsofinstagram (325M)
- #beach (304M)
- #drawing (300M)
- #cat (298M)
- #instamood (294M)
- #amazing (288M)
Top 10 Instagram hashtags for B2B
- #b2b (3.6M)
- #work (152M)
- #smallbusiness (143M)
- #business (123M)
- #entrepreneur (109M)
- #marketing (52.7M)
- #branding (47.8M)
- #digitalmarketing (39.9M)
- #sales (22.3M)
- #ecommerce (17.1M)
Top 10 Instagram hashtags for fashion and beauty
- #fashion (1.1B)
- #style (674M)
- #beauty (556M)
- #ootd (445M)
- #makeup (414M)
- #hair (253M)
- #fashionblogger (171M)
- #shopping (162M)
- #outfit (159M)
- #fashionista (140M)
Top 10 Instagram hashtags for fitness
- #fitness (549M)
- #gym (283M)
- #workout (231M)
- #fit (198M)
- #health (174M)
- #training (152M)
- #fitnessmotivation (155M)
- #bodybuilding (144M)
- #fitfam (125M)
- #gymlife (84.6M)
Top 10 Instagram hashtags for food, beverage and restaurants
- #food (530M)
- #foodporn (310M)
- #foodie (258M)
- #instafood (244M)
- #yummy (205M)
- #delicious (154M)
- #foodstagram (126M)
- #foodphotography (117M)
- #foodblogger (90.1M)
- #foodlover (83.2M)
Top 10 Instagram hashtags for technology and software
- #technology (30.2M)
- #tech (22.8M)
- #innovation (18.1M)
- #engineering (17M)
- #programming (7.7M)
- #coding (7.3M)
- #electronics (6.9M)
- #software (6.9M)
- #developer (5.9M)
- #technews (2.4M)
Top 10 Instagram hashtags for travel
- #travel (750M)
- #explore (673M)
- #travelphotography (245M)
- #travelgram (183M)
- #vacation (160M)
- #wanderlust (154M)
- #adventure (152M)
- #instatravel (131M)
- #traveling (96.1M)
- #travelblogger (90.9M)
Leading Instagram hashtag generators
If you’re looking to enhance your hashtag lists with additional ideas closely aligned with your business, utilizing a hashtag generator can be advantageous. Here are six top Instagram hashtag generators to consider for curating the ideal hashtag list for your brand.
1. Sistrix Instagram Hashtag Generator
The Sistrix hashtag generator tool is an intuitive option that provides suggestions with a single keyword input. This user-friendly tool makes it accessible for even the most novice marketers to generate Instagram hashtags that boost visibility. While Sistrix is straightforward to navigate, it is limited with a free account, allowing only 25 queries per day before requiring a premium subscription.
2. Keyword Tool
Keyword Tool is a beneficial resource for brands in identifying keywords across various platforms, including Instagram. This tool allows for geolocation-based searches to ensure you’re finding leading hashtags in your area, a valuable feature for local businesses. Moreover, you can choose which language you want the hashtags to be presented in.
While the free account results are limited to basic hashtag suggestions without usage details, upgrading to a paid account is available, with plans starting at $69/month.
3. Inflact
Inflact utilizes AI technology to analyze your photo, URL, or keyword and recommend the most pertinent hashtags. This tool is particularly advantageous for social marketers as it provides tailored suggestions that can elevate content discoverability. The AI-driven recommendations ensure not just relevance, but also timeliness, enhancing social media campaign efficacy. This tool is helpful, especially if you’re unsure where to begin.
Upon inputting your query, the tool categorizes hashtags into three tiers based on their frequency of use: Frequent (hard to rank in top posts), Average (medium chance of ranking), and Rare (easy to rank). Additionally, the tool recommends the quantity of hashtags to employ from each category.
4. All Hashtags
All Hashtag is a utility that generates hashtags based on a single keyword input. This tool incorporates various functions, including a Hashtag Generator, Hashtag Creator, and Hashtag Analytics. The generator assists users in discovering relevant hashtags that can enhance post visibility. The analytics feature is particularly useful for social marketers as it allows tracking the performance and effectiveness of specific hashtags.
5. Ahrefs Hashtag Generator
Ahrefs Hashtag Generator is designed to assist users in discovering suitable hashtags for their Instagram posts by analyzing either an image or the accompanying description. When an image is uploaded, the tool generates a selection of 5, 10, or 20 related hashtags. Results are available in either bullet format or as a single line.
This tool’s strength lies in its capacity to analyze images and offer hashtag suggestions without requiring additional input, although providing a written description is optional and can facilitate the Ahrefs AI hashtag generator’s recommendations.
6. Canva Hashtag Generator
The Canva Hashtag Generator seamlessly integrates with its design platform, offering users a convenient way to generate hashtags while creating content. By prompting the tool for suggestions based on your theme or industry, Canva provides 10 relevant hashtags aligned with the content’s essence. The generator can also produce hashtags in up to 20 languages, beneficial for international or global brands catering to diverse audiences.
Types of Instagram hashtags
Brands should be familiar with various types of hashtags, each offering its unique benefits and applications. Discover the different types of Instagram hashtags you should consider using.
Branded hashtags
Branded and product hashtags are custom hashtags you establish, specific to your company or campaign. These can incorporate your brand name, product names, or particular taglines. Branded hashtags are effective in cultivating a community around your brand and promoting user-generated content.
An example of a branded hashtag is from Grove Collaborative with their hashtag #GroveHome. Prominently displayed in their Instagram bio, they encourage their followers to engage and showcase their products.
Campaign hashtags
Campaign hashtags pertain to specific marketing initiatives. If there’s a promotion, contest or a new product launch, utilizing campaign-specific hashtags can help to monitor participation and engagement levels. Typically, these are short-lived.
For instance, the #EssenceFestxTarget hashtag was utilized to promote their collaboration, allowing both Target and Essence Festival, along with affiliated influencers, to label their campaign-related posts with this distinct hashtag.
Campaign hashtags need not always relate to products or sales. For instance, REI’s #OptOutside campaign urged individuals to enjoy the outdoors instead of shopping on Black Friday, focusing on activity rather than purchases.
Product or service hashtags
Product and service hashtags succinctly clarify your offerings, like #EnterpriseSoftware or #MarketingSolutions. They are straightforward and descriptive, contributing to your posts being searchable by users actively seeking those specific products or services.
Community hashtags
Most brand communities typically possess at least one hashtag that connects users with shared interests surrounding a particular subject. These are broader than branded hashtags and can engage a wider audience intrigued by related themes. To uncover yours, examine popular community and industry influencer posts and their used hashtags. Many of these hashtags are quite simple.
For instance, craft beer enthusiasts have several options: #CraftBeerLover, #CraftBeerLife, and #CraftBeerNotCrapBeer among others. These tags are easily created and incorporated into posts for relevant brands.
Location hashtags
Location hashtags should be quite intuitive. Most brands operate from a specific physical location, enhancing their value. Incorporating location into hashtags can assist in reaching a local audience. Whether it’s a city, neighborhood or venue, location hashtags are advantageous for businesses seeking to establish roots in particular areas.
A prime example would be #ChiEats, which exemplifies the combination of location and topic. Posts tagged with this hashtag cater to those searching for dining recommendations or users situated within the Chicago area. Explore other location hashtags, including any branded ones established by local tourism initiatives.
Holiday or daily hashtags
Engaging with pertinent social media holidays may present a delightful opportunity to engage your audience. Events like #InternationalSushiDay and #InternationalDogDay provide excellent platforms for sushi restaurants and veterinary clinics to share content. The latter is an excellent chance for showcasing team members’ pets, injecting an authentic touch to your brand.
Daily hashtags can also be easily located and are not restricted solely to Instagram. They typically feature the day of the week coinciding with a designated theme. Common examples include #MondayMotivation and #ThrowbackThursday, with participation accessible to nearly any brand and covering a multitude of niche topics.
Niche hashtags
Niche hashtags are targeted toward specific audiences on Instagram. For example, #VeganRecipes acts as a niche hashtag aimed at individuals keen on vegan cooking. Such hashtags can attract a highly engaged audience.
Event hashtags
These hashtags are intended for particular events such as conferences, festivals, or workshops. They are a great way to engage with participants and elevate visibility for event-specific posts. For example, #SDCC serves as an effective event hashtag for the San Diego Comic-Con.
Trending hashtags
This category of hashtag can be notably challenging to incorporate, as it necessitates staying updated with the latest trends and discerning how to apply them to your brand effectively. Utilizing trending hashtags can expand your post visibility to a broad audience, yet they are often very competitive.
For illustration, an example of a trending meme was a looped video of Jennifer Lawrence from an interview, expressively questioning, “What do you mean?” By searching #WhatDoYouMean, we can observe numerous brands and creators leveraging this meme in their content.
Bear in mind that memes and trends tend to be fleeting. Reacting swiftly is critical for participation and reaping the advantages of engaging with trends. You might need to enhance your trendspotting skills for social media to make timely and brand-relevant entries into these trends.
Tracking and analyzing Instagram hashtags
You’ve compiled your hashtags and are ready to implement your updated social strategy. What comes next? It’s crucial to evaluate how your selected hashtags are performing. Monitoring your hashtag analytics is vital for ensuring you’re enhancing your performance with the chosen tags. If there’s no progress, it may be necessary to seek more suitable hashtags.
As you start using recurring hashtags, you’ll notice when engagement increases or spam comments rise. To affirm you’re employing appropriate hashtags, invest in a social media tool that provides Instagram hashtag analytics.
Sprout Social’s Instagram Business Profiles Report aids in understanding your audience and their interactions with your content. Specifically, the Outbound Hashtag Performance Report evaluates all hashtags used in your posts during the reporting term compared to those delivering the most engagement. Analyzing your metrics may reveal new insights into which hashtags are generating the most engagement, allowing you to adapt your Instagram hashtag strategy.
7 Essential practices for Instagram hashtags
The era of brands haphazardly inserting popular hashtags into their Instagram captions regardless of their relevance is over. While there’s no one-size-fits-all method for hashtag usage on Instagram, there are best practices that can enhance performance. Here are several strategies to consider:
1. Experiment with the number of hashtags to use on Instagram
What’s the ideal number of hashtags? This question can be nuanced as responses may vary significantly. While Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, it’s advisable to use them judiciously. If you include them within the caption, aim for 3 to 5, as recommended by Instagram. When employing the first comment for hashtags, testing using all 30 can be appropriate. Just remember to concentrate on selecting highly relevant and effective hashtags that genuinely enhance the value of your content.
2. Identify the best hashtags for you
Ensure your hashtags are directly related to your post’s content. Avoid generic or trending hashtags if they don’t pertain to your content. Your goal should be attracting a relevant, engaged audience interested in what you’re sharing.
There are numerous ways to find the best hashtags for your brand. Research and pinpoint the most relevant and efficient hashtags for your materials. Checking the hashtags used by influencers and accounts you admire is an excellent starting point. Alternatively, brainstorm potential hashtags and enter them into the Instagram search bar.
For example, #DigitalMarketing is a highly utilized hashtag on Instagram. However, seeking out more niche options that resonate with your audience is advisable.
3. Utilize hashtags in the first comment
Overloading captions with hashtags can make them appear cluttered and underestimate valuable real estate. Keep captions clean, and if you plan to use numerous hashtags, shift them to the first comment. With Sprout’s Compose box, you are able to schedule the initial Instagram comment alongside your post creation.
4. Subscribe to relevant hashtags
Instagram allows users to follow any hashtag similarly to following an account. When you follow a hashtag, related posts appear in your feed alongside posts from your followed accounts. This strategy is beneficial for keeping tabs on industry or community hashtags, yet it shouldn’t be relied upon for branded hashtags as it doesn’t guarantee all related posts will populate your feed.
5. Motivate the use of branded hashtags
After curating your branded hashtags, begin incorporating them into every relevant post. Often, the most universal branded hashtags are featured in the Instagram bio, supplemented by a call-to-action urging followers to utilize them. Recall the #GroveHome hashtag we mentioned earlier?
6. Develop a hashtag list
Rather than repetitively copying and pasting the same hashtags for each post, categorize them into topical lists. For instance, hashtags for informational posts may differ from those used for product announcements. Rather than inventing a fresh list for each post, maintain separate lists handy for diverse content categories.
Keep these lists stored in Sprout’s Asset Library to facilitate easy attachment of relevant hashtags to each Instagram post.
7. Incorporate hashtags into Instagram Stories
While Stories vanish after 24 hours, the inclusion of hashtags remains beneficial. These will appear in search results and serve as an additional means of acquiring interested followers. If you have an abundance of hashtags for a Story? Write your text as usual and then obscure the hashtags behind a gif or sticker.
Get started with Instagram hashtags today
Employing hashtags on Instagram provides numerous benefits for brands, including expanded brand awareness, enhanced engagement, and improved competitor analysis insights. Prior to diving into hashtags, it’s wise to familiarize yourself with the various types available and some best practices to adhere to.
Ready to delve deeper into #InstagramStrategy? Explore our guide on how to devise an Instagram strategy for your brand.
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