

Instagram hashtags can be a bit capricious. 😒
We need them, they’re our best way to build organic engagement and reach new followers 👥, but they can be complicated.
The best hashtags seem to change all the time, some of them get banned with no warning, and if you don’t use them correctly Instagram could sink you into the oblivion of the algorithm 🌪.
And even when you’re using objectively popular hashtags, sometimes they seem to make no difference in your engagement levels or follower count! What gives?
Recently Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, shed a little light 🔦on exactly why that happens.
Instagram CEO Explains why Hashtags are not working from r/Instagram
Despite what you might think, Instagram’s Explore page isn’t a comprehensive collection of every single post that used a given trending hashtag #️⃣.
Instead, Instagram hashtag discover pages are subject to their own algorithm, with the goal of preventing spam and creating the best user experience possible.
Instagram evaluates things like what’s in the photo, the kind of engagement your photos get, and whether people are interacting with your photo to determine your place in the hashtag algorithm.
This new info is changing Instagram hashtag strategies going into 2020!
Instead of finding the most popular hashtags to add to your photos, you want to find the best and most specific hashtags for your content.
The more specific your hashtags, the more likely that you’ll reach users looking for exactly what you’re offering.
That helps bump up your posts in the Explore page!
To help you kickstart your new strategy, here are some tips and tricks on finding and using the best hashtags for Instagram.
The Importance of Using Top Instagram Hashtags
When you’re crafting your Instagram strategy, it’s important to keep track of the top Instagram hashtags – especially the ones relevant to your niche.
Not only do top Instagram hashtags inform you about current trends, but they can also inspire new content that better matches the interest of your audiences. Plus, adding these top-performing hashtags to your lists increase your chances of more reach and impressions!
Research: How to Find the Best Hashtags for Instagram
You can search lists of “most popular Instagram hashtags” all day, but to really find the hashtags that are best for you, you’ll need to engage in a little hashtag research 👩💻.
Here’s how to do it!
- Start digging into related accounts. For example, If you’re a fashion blogger, start by going to a popular blogger’s account in the same niche.
- Take a look at what hashtags they’re using
- Click through those hashtags and take notes on what the discover pages are like. For example, are they full of competition, or niche? Is the content similar to yours? Do some hashtags line up better with your aesthetic than others?
- Finally, start testing hashtags on your photos. By posting with different hashtag groupings and monitoring engagement and reach, you’ll start to get a feel for what hashtags work for you!


If you want even more tips and tricks about Instagram research, check out our best ways to research Instagram hashtags!
How to Use Popular Hashtags on Instagram: Do’s and Don’ts
Even the best hashtags are useless if they’re not used correctly. Here are our best practices for using trending hashtags on Instagram!
- DO: Use a mix of ultra-competitive, competitive, and niche hashtags for the best result.
- DO: Keep trying different popular hashtags. You have up to 30 hashtags to play with on every Instagram post. Even if you only post photos with 7-10 hashtags, that still gives you an opportunity to try one or two new hashtags whenever you post. This helps you reach new audiences and find the best hashtags for your account!
- DON’T: Use hashtags that don’t aren’t related to your photo. Posting a photo with popular hashtags that have nothing to do with your post will knock you down in the algorithm because users are unlikely to engage with your photos on the discover page (or maybe even report your post as spam! 😱
- DON’T: Post more than the maximum amount of 30 hashtags. If you try to post a caption with more than 30 hashtags, the photo will post with no caption at all, and all your work typing in a caption and curating hashtags will disappear. 🤯
60 of the Most Popular Hashtags for Instagram in 2020
Tailwind has collected some of the best and most popular hashtags on Instagram right now.
They’re broken up into subcategories like industry and subject matter to target your audience.
And did we mention you can even save your hashtag list for future posts? 😏
Best Hashtags for Likes
- #like4like
- #likeforlike
- #likes
- #likesforlikes
- #likes4likes
- #likeback
- #likeforlikes
- #like4likes
- #likeit
- #likebackteam
- #likeall
- #likealways
- #liketeam
- #likeforlikealways
- #likeforlikeback
- #likesreturned
- #like4likeback
- #likeforme
- #LikeThis
- #likebackalways
Best Hashtags for Followers
- #followme
- #follow
- #follow4follow
- #followforfollow
- #followback
- #followers
- #followtrain
- #follower
- #followforlike
- #Followus
- #followher
- #follows
- #following
- #follow4like
- #followhim
- #followmeplease
- #followalways
- #follow4followback
- #followbackteam
- #followall
Best Hashtags for Fashion
- #fashion
- #instagood
- #ootd
- #fashionblogger
- #photooftheday
- #fashionista
- #picoftheday
- #styleinspo
- #outfitoftheday
- #instastyle
- #outfitinspiration
Best Hashtags for Travel
- #instatravel
- #instagood
- #traveltip
- #travelgram
- #traveladdict
- #tourist
- #traveltheworld
- #globetrotting
- #travelingislife
- #wanderlust
- #mytravelgram
Best Hashtags for Giveaways
- #giveaway
- #instagiveaway
- #instacontest
- #competition
Banned Instagram Hashtags in 2020 Include
In Instagram’s seemingly endless war against spam and bot activity, they’ve started banning hashtags that show heavy signs of spam.
If you use these hashtags, your account could be dinged as spam, which will hurt your chances of getting a post at the top of that Discover page!
It’s easy to check if an Instagram hashtag is banned before posting, just click on the hashtag!

If it’s banned, a message from Instagram will appear at the top of the page saying that recent posts are hidden due to community reports.
Banned Instagram hashtags in 2020 include:
- #adulting
- #sopretty
- #overnight
- #mustfollow
- #dating
- #sunbathing
- #snowstorm
- #todayimwearing
This list could be updated at any time, so make sure you’re regularly checking your favored Instagram hashtags saved in your hashtag lists for any surprise bans.
The Best Hashtag Generator for Instagram
If none of the most popular hashtags on Instagram in 2020 speak to you, try Hashtag Generator Tool to hunt down your favorites!
Our caption tool will instantly match you with the most relevant hashtags for your photo as you type, giving you maximum reach with no time spent trawling Instagram in the name of hashtag research.
You can even save your hashtag lists to re-use later!
This hashtag generator is the best app to find current and popular hashtags for Instagram and streamline your posting process!
Itching to try it out? Get a free trial of Tailwind for Instagram – no credit card required! 💳
Tailwind’s Instagram Hashtag Resources
How to Hide Your Hashtags on Instagram
Maybe you’ve been wanting to use hashtags on Instagram, but you just can’t get over the way they sit at the bottom of your post, looking spammy. Ugh! 🙅🏻♀️
Good news: there are two ways to clean up your caption and hide those hashtags.
Use Line Breaks or Spacers to Hide Your Hashtags
You can use line breaks so that they’re hidden behind a “see more,” like @theazereads.


Hide Hashtags in Your First Comment
Or, you can put your hashtags in the first comment of your photo, like @michellereadsbooks.


Tailwind’s Hashtags in First Comment tool automatically posts all your hashtags in the first comment when your Instagram photo is posted, to keep everything clean and looking good. 😍
How to Find Relevant Instagram Hashtags
Find yourself struggling to find Instagram hashtags that are niche and relevant to your posts? We cover step-by-step tips on how to strategically find hashtags that are most relevant to your brand!
How to Save Hashtags for Instagram Posts in Seconds
Looking for the best Instagram hashtags? Learn an easy way to find, save and organize Instagram hashtags that matter to your business here!
Instagram Hashtag Tools
Hashtags are way too important to Instagram marketing success to be an afterthought. These hashtag tools will increase your reach AND save you time!
Start a Free Trial of Tailwind for Instagram!
- Schedule photos and videos directly to your Instagram feed with Auto Post.
- Optimize every post for more engagement with SmartSchedule and Hashtag Finder.
- Automatically hide your post’s hashtags in the first comment to keep your caption clean & clutter-free.
- Make your posts more discoverable with user tagging & location tagging.
- Analyze what's working across every post and profile with smart analytics.
No credit card required
Pin It For Later 📌:

30 Comments
[…] Hashtags can be a bit capricious. 😒 We need them, they’re our best way to build organic engagement and reach new followers 👥; but they can be complicated. The best ones seem to change all the … Continue reading The Best Hashtags for Instagram in 2020 (And Where to Find Them!) → […]
[…] Instagram Stories from your desktop or phone. Just upload your images and videos, add text, and find the best hashtags for your Story to increase […]
[…] use some relevant hashtags in your Instagram captions as they can boost engagement. You can use Tailwind’s hashtag finder to find and add these […]
[…] profile that follows a similar format to your Instagram Story Ad, you can use one or two of the relevant hashtags from […]
[…] has hinted that context matters when using a hashtag when it comes to the Explore […]
[…] At Tailwind, we’re committed to making your social life as easy and productive as possible. You told us what a pain it is to save the best hashtags on Instagram. […]
[…] to try it out? Get a free trial of Tailwind for Instagram – no credit card required! […]
[…] Instagram Stories from your desktop or phone. Just upload your images and videos, add text, and find the best hashtags for your Story to increase […]
[…] use some relevant hashtags in your Instagram captions as they can boost engagement. You can use Tailwind’s hashtag finder to find and add these […]
[…] has hinted that context matters when using a hashtag when it comes to the Explore […]
[…] At Tailwind, we’re committed to making your social life as easy and productive as possible. You told us what a pain it is to save the best hashtags on Instagram. […]
[…] The best hashtags for Instagram are relevant to your brand and relate directly to what you’re posting. You can use up to 30 hashtags at once, but the sweet spot is around 10 or so per post. […]
[…] Hashtag Finder will help you complete your hashtag research in minutes and find the best hashtags to use for Instagram. Simply begin typing a caption or enter a few hashtags to get […]
[…] profile that follows a similar format to your Instagram Story Ad, you can use one or two of the relevant hashtags from […]
[…] to mention the constant updating of the best hashtags as trends […]
[…] Just copy and paste in your caption and formatting, and then use Hashtag Finder to find the best hashtags for your Instagram […]
[…] you’ve selected the best Instagram hashtags for your post on our desktop Instagram planner, why not save it for similar posts in the […]
[…] keyword and hashtag research to find out what your audience is frequently searching and wanting to know about related to your […]
[…] + ausführliche Artikel hier sehen […]
[…] keyword and hashtag research to find out what your audience is frequently searching and wanting to know about related to your […]
[…] کنید و سپس از هشتگ یاب برای پیدا کردن آن استفاده کنید بهترین هشتگ ها برای پست اینستاگرام […]
[…] that you’ve scheduled your Instagram Story, added text, and searched for the best hashtags for your post, it’s time to send it […]
[…] app is ALSO structured for growing your engagement. You can find the best hashtags for your audience to grow your reach […]
[…] kopyalayıp yapıştırın ve ardından Hashtag Finder’ı kullan bulmak için en iyi hashtag’ler Instagram gönderiniz […]
[…] ilgili bazı kullanın Instagram başlıklarınızdaki hashtag’ler çünkü etkileşimi artırabilirler. Kullanabilirsiniz Tailwind’in hashtag bulucusu bu […]
[…] Reklamınıza benzer bir formatta bir gönderi varsa, bunlardan bir veya ikisini kullanabilirsiniz. ilgili hashtag’ler […]
[…] you simply’ve arranged your own Instagram Tale, included textual content, and also looked your best hashtags in your article, it is times to transmit it […]
[…] The best hashtags for Instagram tend to be connected to your own brand name and connect immediately to everything you’re uploading. You’ll be able to burn up to 30 hashtags simultaneously, however the wonderful area is actually about 10 otherwise which means that per article. […]
[…] incorporate some pertinent hashtags in your Instagram captions as they may be able enhance wedding. You can easily incorporate Tailwind’s hashtag finder locate […]
[…] has actually hinted that context matters when using a hashtag relating to the Check out web […]