Instagram Hashtags are undoubtably one ofthe most effective ways to get more likes on Instagram. Hashtags help your posts get found by those who aren’t already following you, enabling you to expand your reach faster over time.
If you aren’t using hashtags today then you aren’t getting as much engagement on your posts as you could be. According to our data, 9% of Instagram marketers use no hashtags and 27% use less than 3 hashtags per post. It’s clear that marketers struggle to find the right hashtags, or as professional blogger and Instagram Influencer Jennifer Haber Fishkind put it –
“Hashtags are my achilles heel, my nemesis, the bain of my existence!”
If you struggle finding the right hashtags too, read on.
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Finding The Best Instagram Hashtags Just Became Easy
Hashtag Finder suggests Instagram hashtags as you craft your post in Tailwind
Simply start typing the caption of a draft post and Tailwind Hashtag Finder will suggest other related hashtags for you to choose from. With one click, you can add any of these suggested hashtag into your caption and the Instagram Hashtag Finder will immediately update your suggested hashtags accordingly, like magic.
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”So cool! @TailwindApp Instagram scheduler now suggests the best hashtags for your posts as you write them” display_tweet=”So cool! @TailwindApp Instagram scheduler now suggests the best hashtags for your posts as you write them”]
Choose Wisely
Our clever color-coding system makes it possible for Instagram marketers to make quick and informed choices between different hashtags. The colors guide you towards using the “Good” and “Best” hashtags where your post is most likely to be competitive, whilst alerting you to “Niche” hashtags that don’t get much usage, and “Competitive” tags where your post may get buried. If you want to see how often a hashtag is used on Instagram simply hover over a given hashtag and you can see that too!
In this extensive post on Instagram hashtag research we recommend that you use a variety of hashtags: one or two “Competitive” ones, some highly-targeted “Niche” ones (if they exist) and a fair number of “Good” and “Best” ones. Just make sure all the hashtags you use are relevant to your post.
Our handy hashtag counter even counts up how many hashtags are on your post so that you don’t accidentally exceed Instagram’s 30 tag limit. If you’re curious about how many hashtags you should be using per post, and how to brainstorm and deploy them, this Instagram hashtag strategy works for anyone
See just how intuitive Tailwind’s Instagram Hashtag Finder is in this short demo video.
To date Tailwind for Instagram members have been growing their Likes per Post much faster than non members. Our Smart Schedule is unique among Instagram tools, it harnesses the power of intelligent recommendations to guide you to post when your followers are most engaged. Intelligent hashtag recommendations are the next logical step. Together it’s a double-whammy that will really help our members to maximize their organic exposure.
Shuffle Hashtags for Even Fresher Tags
If you don’t like the hashtags you find, our “Hashtag Shuffle” feature gives you access to every hashtag suggestion we have and updates those suggestions as you add more hashtags or more text to your caption, so you’ll really be spoilt for choice!
Hashtag Finder on the Tailwind mobile app (make sure you have updated to the latest version to access it)
According to a study by Track Maven, accounts that use 9 hashtags per post get more than 2.5x as much engagement per post as accounts that only use only one, so get tagging!
Save Even More Time With Hashtag Lists
The fun doesn’t stop there either. Our Hashtag Lists feature is the perfect complement to Hashtag Finder. Once you’ve found the right blend of tags you can copy them into a hashtag list, save it with a distinctive name, and add those tags onto any future post with just a few clicks.
Tailwind Hashtag Lists are already saving marketers hours. Now, stale hashtag lists can be refreshed with new tags in moments. Just add an existing hashtag list to your caption and explore the recommendations automatically generated by Hashtag Finder!
With more features being added all the time, Tailwind for Instagram is fast becoming an indispensable tool for marketers who want to grow their Instagram presence.
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* As an official Instagram Partner, we focus on building a product that promotes strategies proven to impact long-term success. We comply with Instagram’s Terms of Service to keep your accounts and your personal information safe.
Do you have a problem keeping your digital assets organized to post on Instagram?
Have you wondered why similar accounts have grown and your posts seem to be lacking similar engagement?
This is why you need hashtag lists for Instagram!
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How to use hashtag lists for Instagram
Many Instagrammers use pre-selected groups of hashtags for their posts which they’ll add/remove on the fly depending on the post. These hashtags are often-times researched and saved on their iPhone Notes section, email, or Evernote on their desktop computer. We’ll call these hashtag lists.
Build out groups of hashtags for different types of content that you’ll post on Instagram. Being organized will help you use hashtags consistently and bring more people to your posts on Instagram.
You can use your branded hashtags to build your community and find their posts in the future.
The hashtags are grouped by topic/niche and are typically researched ahead of time via a couple different methods:
off the top of their head
via Google search for “best hashtags in niche
seeing what other people use in their posts (eg “big brands” in their niche or friends)
Some people vet their hashtags by looking at performance on Instagram. A few things to think about:
overall media count on Instagram – if the count is extremely high then your post will likely not get seen in the mix; if the count is low then not many people are looking at this hashtag. There is no general consensus on what counts define on different ends of that spectrum.
types of media that use that hashtag – to see if the content being posted fits their niche/what they plan to be posting.
Overall, hashtag lists are not updated very often but will be used with pretty much every post made to Instagram.
How hashtags are typically added on Instagram posts
in the post caption itself either straight up at the bottom
with some additional spacing at the bottom so it’s not visible above the “read more” fold
in the first comment after the post is live
Since Instagram is all about the aesthetic, people tend to find the giant list to be ugly which is why they try to hide it via spacing or first comment. Here’s more on how and where to add Instagram hashtags.
There is a maximum of 30 hashtags available total between the post and comments. If you try to add more than 30, Instagram won’t post your caption or comment.
Instagrammers typically have about five groups of hashtags that they use on a regular basis.
Here are some frustrations many people have with hashtags
Don’t know which ones are effective – there isn’t a widely-used/definitive resource on choosing them. Or there wasn’t until Tailwind launched its Instagram Hashtag Finder which suggests related hashtags categorized by “Good”, “Best”, “Niche” and “Competitive”.
According to a study by Simply Measured, 88% of brand posts include at least one hashtag.
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement.” display_tweet=”Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement.”]
The number of hashtags is a personal choice – if you have an account under 1,000 followers, you’ll probably want to max out your hashtags at thirty so you can grow.
91% of posts by top brands have seven or fewer hashtags but they’ve already made a considerable effort into growing an engaged Instagram following.
You might want to start by setting a robust Instagram hashtag strategy <– that post will show you how. Create several different hashtag lists for Instagram and test them to see what number of hashtags gets the most engagement on your account. Testing and experimenting to find your own sweet spot could be the key.
How to find hashtags to add to your lists:
Create your own branded hashtag that isn’t just your own brand name e.g. #welltraveled for Herschel – this allows other people to fit into the hashtag as well
Look at hashtags that your competitors or influential people in your space use
Use more niche-specific hashtags to get more targeted audience reach e.g. #vwvan vs #van
Find hashtags that have a dedicated community around them for your targeted audience
Use localized hashtags e.g. hashtags like #sanfranciscoeats or #sffoodie will draw the attention of local foodies in the area, or those looking for a new restaurant to try
Check out other posts using that hashtag to verify your content will “add to the conversation” and is relevant
Try Hashtag Finder in Tailwind for Instagram. It suggests the best hashtags for your post as you type your caption.
Find hashtags where you can get into the “Top 9 Posts” for the hashtag – these are hashtags that aren’t overly popular but still engaged with people posting on a regular basis. There’s an unknown algorithm to the Top Posts for a hashtag page and it’s a mix of likes, comments, and amount of reach for the post.
Instagram suggests, “After tagging the photo with relevant and specific tags, you may also find that people sharing photos similar to yours are using even more specialized tags that you hadn’t thought of originally. In our photo, we found that photos tagged #vw and #vwvan also use #vwbus.”
Other Caption Best Practices
Tagging at least one other person increase engagement (influential or relevant people)
Geotagging also increases engagement
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How do the pros use Instagram hashtags?
Hashtag suggestions from Jenn Herman of Jenn’s Trends: “For example, I tag my blog post notices with #socialmedia (which produces hundreds of thousands of results), #socialmediamarketing (which produces thousands of results), and #socialmediatips (which produces hundreds of results). By covering all three ranges, my post’s visibility is guaranteed to be higher than if I only used one of the tags.”
Popular Instagrammer Chalene Johnson of IGImpactOfficial says, “When you post your hashtags, post them in a comment after your initial caption. Although you can edit your caption, Instagram may be changing their algorithm soon to decrease the reach/visibility of edited posts in your followers newsfeeds. Post your hashtags in a comment after the initial post is completed.”
Location – Geotag or add locations relevant to your post or business i.e. where you are posting from or the town/city in which your business is based
Emotions – Hashtag how what you do makes you feel, how you are feeling that day or how the post topic makes you feel. i.e. #energetic #pure #natural
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”Did you know that you can use emoji hashtags on Instagram? #? You can!” display_tweet=”Did you know that you can use emoji hashtags on Instagram? #? You can!”]
A recap of hashtag best practices:
One brand hashtag (example: #Tailwind)
1-2 hashtags could be hashtags you’ve created (example: #TailwindTribe, #TailwindVibe)
2-5 should be community-centric hashtags (examples: #PinterestLover #InstagramTool)
Pick one or two popular hashtags
If your post is relevant, try to hit one of the trending hashtags like #motivationmonday or #sundayselfie
Use up to thirty hashtags but make sure they’re all relevant to your post
Be consistent to build solid brand awareness
Don’t forget to mention influential and relevant users in captions to engage new audiences. Keep in mind that you don’t want to come across as spammy.
Another way to grow your audience is to find hashtags where you can be featured on their account. Many feature accounts have these listed in their bio. Instagram hosts their own hashtag feature account project called Weekend Hashtag Project and the topic changes each week. Instagram’s instructions are “Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags. For a chance to be featured, follow Instagram and look for a post every week announcing the latest project.”
Tailwind can help with your hashtag lists for Instagram
A big update we’ve added to the Tailwind for Instagram app is hashtag list management. This will allow you to save hashtags in the app and use them right when you’re posting to Instagram. Creating them on desktop makes it easy to be accurate. Set them up once and use on all your Instagram posts for the maximum amount of impact for your content.
We’d like to give you some suggestions for hashtag lists for Instagram that you can add to your Tailwind app for maximizing your Instagram exposure and potential. Take them and customize them to match your Instagram theme and goals.
Remember to be smart with your hashtag choices and you’ll reach people who will be interested in your posts.
How much time do you spend searching for the right hashtags for your Instagram posts and tapping them, one-by-one, into your phone screen?
Smart Instagram marketers already save time by copying and pasting lists of their most used hashtags from notes on their phone.
With Tailwind for Instagram you can now save as many hashtag lists as you’d like right in our app and add them to your Instagram posts with one quick click, either from desktop or your phone. What a time saver!
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No more looking through phone notes or going into a different app to find your hashtags. Tailwind for Instagram is built to work the way you do for Instagram posting right on your phone.
Adding hashtags to Instagram posts has proven to be effective for growing your Instagram account and gaining more followers.
In time trials, Tailwind for Instagram was 60% faster than the scheduling process that many marketers use today, involving emailing images to themselves and downloading them on their phone. For the average Instagram marketer, this will result in 12 hours of time saved each year. Streamlining your hashtag process will shave off more time. And who doesn’t need more time?
After you tag your post with a hashtag, you’ll be able to tap the hashtag to see a page that shows all photos and videos people have uploaded with that hashtag. Is this the right fit for your hashtag strategy? Check in from time to time to make sure you’re targeting the right people with your hashtags.
When people with private profiles tag posts, they won’t appear publicly on hashtag pages.
Numbers are allowed in hashtags. However, spaces and special characters, like $ or %, won’t work.
You can only tag your own posts. You can’t tag other people’s photos/videos.
You can use up to 30 tags on a post. If you include more than 30 tags on a single photo/video, your comment won’t post.
How to Find the Best Hashtags Fast
If you’ve ever wondered how people find a whole bunch of awesome hashtags for their posts, here’s the best shortcut I know. Type a few hashtags into your caption on Tailwind and Hashtag Finder suggests the best hashtags for your post. There’s nothing else like it. You can find spot-on hashtags and add them in moments, plus it color codes the recommendations so you can see at a glance which ones are more likely to get you engagement.
The Tailwind App features Hashtag Finder which recommends the best hashtags to use with your post
Here’s an example of the kind of hashtag list you can generate with Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder. A hashtag list for social media or blog posts:
You can use this hashtag list to test adding hashtags to your Tailwind app.
Step one: add hashtag lists to your Tailwind account
Once you’re logged in, create a draft of a post and tap the # button.
Step two: add your hashtag list
Once you’ve created your draft, click the # and then the + to add a new hashtag list. You can add up to thirty hashtags per list which is the limit of hashtags per posts on Instagram.
Make sure to hit the “save” button on your Hashtag list when you’re happy with it.
Step three: Add your post on your schedule
Step four: Get a notification from Tailwind to post
Step five: Post to Instagram adding your hashtag list
Here’s what it looks like from your phone:
This is a view of a scheduled Instagram post on the calendar in your Tailwind for iOS app. I added the image and text for the caption on desktop and now I want to add hashtags in the app.
Hit the green # button to access your hashtag lists.
You’ll see all the hashtag lists that you’ve created populate below your caption. We show your most recent hashtag lists or you can select “all” to see your complete catalog of hashtag lists.
Select your hashtag list and it populates in your caption. Once you’re happy with your caption, hit the “done” button to publish to Instagram.
If you want to put your hashtags in the first comment, cut them from the caption, hit the “done” button, and then paste them into the first comment.
Voila! That’s all it takes to use your hashtag lists in Tailwind. Once you set them up, you’ll be able to use them for all your Instagram posts.
The quickest way to research hashtags
We have heard from a lot of marketers that hashtag research was taking up too much of their time and they weren’t necessarily finding the best tags for their posts. We solved this problem with Tailwind’s Instagram Hashtag Finder tool which suggests the best hashtags for your post based on the hashtags you’re already using. The intuitive color-coding makes choosing between different hashtags easier than ever before. It’s simple from there to save great hashtags into powerful Instagram hashtag lists.
If you’re already a Tailwind for Instagram member (and we hope you are!), you can access your saved hashtag lists on any draft Instagram post in Tailwind – just find the “#” button. From there, click on the “+” button to create a new saved hashtag list, or click on any existing saved hashtag list to append it right to your post’s caption! Try it here!
Give it a try and let us know if you have any questions.
Hashtags on Instagram? Use them or bag it? That’s the question that Instagrammers face each time they post a photo on Instagram. Maybe you want to use hashtags on Instagram but you’re not sure why or how to use them? This article will help with those questions and give you a solid plan to move forward using hashtags on Instagram.
What’s the deal with hashtags on Instagram?
Hashtags are simple and complicated at the same time. In their simplest expression, a hashtag is a word preceded by the # sign with no spaces like this #hashtag. Using a hashtags ties your Instagram post with hundreds, thousands, or millions of other Instagram posts in the same hashtag group.
When you click on a hashtag on Instagram, it takes you to all the results for that hashtag sometimes called a hashtag page or hub. Instagram also calls them simply tags in the app.
There’s a lot of rich information on the Instagram hashtag results. This example is for #instastat.
In this example two Tailwind Instagram posts with Instagram stats are in the results. One in the Top Posts and one in the recent posts. There are 7,235 posts total in this hashtag at the time of this article which shows that it’s used but not overly popular so it’s perfect for a post that you want to stand out and maybe get some new attention.
Instagram Hashtags Need to Know
Thirty is the maximum amount of hashtags you can use per post. Instagram counts all the hashtags in your caption and your comments from you and allows thirty.
Related hashtags – provides you with closely related hashtags that you can click on to see what’s posted and find new people to follow. This related hashtag information disappears if you click on anything else.
Top Posts – Check out how these posts are created and see how they’re using hashtags since they’ve made it to this Top Posts or Top Nine for the feed. They’re doing something right!
Most recent – Is this a currently used hashtag and how often people are posting.
Number of times the hashtag has been used – This lets you know how big the pool of competition is for your posts.
In this post from #instagramdog, you can see that Instagram is suggesting some related tags to use or find new posts. This lists scrolls to the right in the app.
Instagram says, “At the top of some hashtag pages you may see a section called Top Posts. Top posts appear on trending hashtags to show you some of the popular posts tagged with that hashtag.
In the Most Recent section, photos and videos appear in the order that they were posted. Keep in mind that if you add a hashtag to a photo after it was posted, the photo will still appear on the hashtag page according to the time it was originally posted, not the time the hashtag was added.”
Very popular Instagram hashtag pages have millions of results and your posts can become buried quickly. A good Instagram hashtag strategy is to use a variety of hashtags: one or two very popular (with millions of results), a group of targeted hashtags that are popular with 100,000 or more search results, and some that aren’t as popular. You’ll want to stay on brand for your content with all your hashtags and don’t use unrelated hashtags as this is spammy and won’t help your growth.
We condensed 12 months of research into an Instagram Marketing 101 Webinar. If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love it.
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How to Find Instagram Hashtags
So you know you need to do some hashtag research, what’s the most effective way? As we’ve already demonstrated, Instagram itself suggests related hashtags as you type hashtags into the search bar. That’s how most marketers go about finding hashtags.
Another option is Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder which suggests the best hashtags for your post as you type your caption. Start with one hashtag and Tailwind will recommend more. With one click you can add the suggested hashtags to your post and more recommendations will appear! Recommendations are even color-coded to help guide you towards using a balance of “Competitive”, “Niche”, “Good” and “Best” hashtags.
Tailwind Hashtag Finder suggests the best hashtags for your posts
TRY HASHTAG FINDER FREE
Where should you add hashtags
There’s some debate on whether adding hashtags in the description of the post or in the first comment are best. There’s no definitive answer from Instagram but I did ask my contact at Instagram if it mattered whether you posted in the first comment or the description and I was told that it didn’t matter which you did.
If you want to add a hashtag to a post you’ve already uploaded, edit the caption or include your hashtag in a comment on your photo. You can only add hashtags to your own posts, not to other people’s posts in the comments.
Here’s the logic behind the two choices:
#1 It’s better to add comments in the description of the post so they’re added to the recent posts and could be included in the Top posts.
#2 It’s better to put hashtags in the comments right after you post. This way the hashtags don’t clutter up the caption or look spammy.
Some people add hashtags with a dots before them so that they are hidden in the comments or not shown in the Instagram feed. You can do this in the captions or in the first comment. Instagram is very much about the aesthetic but it’s a personal choice for you to make.
I recommend testing to see which works best for you on your posts and see what you like best. There’s many ways to add hashtags and no wrong or right way. I like to add one or two in the caption and a larger group in the first comment. In this example, I added five hashtags in the caption and then a group with dots to space the hashtags down with a large group below. You can’t see this hashtag comment when you look at the post on the left.
Use Hashtags to search
Hashtags on Instagram can be your equivalent of a Google search. As of December 2016, Instagram has over a 600 million users. With an average of 55 million images a day, you can be sure to find a any subject matter on Instagram.
As a business, you can also use this option to scope out your competitors or research new ideas in your area of expertise. To build a community, you can follow people in the hashtags that relate to your topic.
Do you have any questions about hashtags on Instagram that you’d like answered? We want this blog to be an amazing resource for you full of answers, technics, tips, and how-to’s. Let us know how we can help you be better on Instagram!
Look for upcoming articles on using Instagram hashtags from our blog.
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Anyone who is a pop culture enthusiast or an avid fan of scrolling through YouTube videos has probably seen Justin Timberlake’s sketch on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show satirizing the overuse of hashtags.
Yes. Hashtags, when used frivolously can be a major annoyance. Exhibit A: Raise your hand if any of you have ever come across an Instagram post that included the following:
The truth is, when used the way they are intended, hashtags are an incredibly helpful tool to navigate your way through the ever changing, ever evolving world of social media–especially with your business. According to Twitter, hashtags are “…used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.”
Since then, hashtags have been implemented in other forms of social media and started a burgeoning trend all on its own, being used by many both in their personal and professional lives. Here are a few tips we’ve come up with on how to use them to your advantage:
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#TipOne: Customize it!
On Instagram, hashtags can be used to organize your images, much like a photo album. With this tool, you can then upload consecutive photos on Instagram and include a clear, distinguishable hashtag to categorize all your photos to a corresponding event. For example, post pictures of a recent office party on your official company Instagram by using the hashtag #tailwindofficeparty. All pictures from the event will be organized in a neat “album” and ready for your viewing with an easy search. Helpful tip: make sure the hashtag you create hasn’t already been used. You can search it on the hashtag search bar to see if it brings up any result. If not, your hashtag is unique and ready for use.
#TipTwo: Search it!
Hashtags can be your equivalent of a Google Image search on Instagram. As of December 2013, Instagram has over a 150 million users. With an average of 55 million images a day, you can be sure to find a any subject matter on Instagram. Example? Ladies, if you are feeling particularly randy and absolutely need a reminder of the sheer awesome-ness of Ryan Gosling’s abs, you can search #ryangosling on the Instagram hashtag search bar and bask in all his perfectly chiseled physique. Guys, looking for Kate Upton’s Sports Illustrated cover? Easy. You can find images of #kateupton’s cover in a myriad of filters using the hashtag search bar. As a business, you can also use this option to scope out your competitors or research new ideas in your area of expertise.
#TipThree: Make it topical!
Want to start a topical conversation or read up on someone else’s views on a particular subject? Twitter and even Facebook can connect all posts/discussions/debates using hashtag. Search #politics on Twitter to see what is trending in the world of government affairs. Type #fashion to view the latest fads. Most users know by now that Facebook recently included hashtags to “…turn topics and phrases into clickable links in your posts on your personal Timeline or Page.” This allow users to search posts about topics they’re interested in.
This function is also helpful to businesses, as professionals often use Twitter as a forum to discuss market trends with others in their industry. By encouraging dialogue with other business users, you not only increase your networking opportunities, you also get to build your brand in the process.
#TipFour: Instant reviews!
The same way users find topical conversations through hashtags, you can also use them to get reviews on restaurants and services, as well as movie or even music reviews. Disgruntled customers often take to Twitter or even Facebook, warning others about their bad experience in a tweet or a status update. Additionally, users will more than likely tweet about how one-dimensional and repetitive the new Jason Statham movie is or gab on and on about how they can’t get the new Miley track out of their heads.
From a business point of view, this function is a great way to receive instant feedback from customers about your services. By doing so, you get a candid, no-holds-barred review of what went well, things that need to be improved and tips to change your approach for your clientele. It is important to note that when responding to dissatisfied customers on any form of social media using a company account, it is very important to respond in a calm manner to avoid coming across indignant or offended. The way you handle your interaction with your critics will heavily influence the way customers respond to your business or brand, so avoid being snippy because you will lose them.
#TipFive: Get Social!
If all else fails, hashtags are also a great way to connect with people! It is widely known that the best way to get more Twitter followers is by following others. What better way to get connected with someone with the same interests as you than to follow someone who tweets about the things you like? By reading the trending topics, you are opening yourself to millions of people from all over the world, all bound together in a global network of cultural exchanges. This certainly brings the world a lot closer!
So readers, can you offer any other suggestions on how to use hashtags? We’d love to hear your opinion!
The quickest way to research hashtags
We have heard from a lot of marketers that hashtag research was taking up too much of their time and they weren’t necessarily finding the best tags for their posts. We solved this problem with Tailwind for Instagram’s Hashtag Finder and Hashtag Lists tools which suggest the best hashtags for your post based on the hashtags you’re already using. The intuitive color-coding makes choosing between different hashtags easier than ever before. Once you’ve created a list of hashtags you like you can save it as a hashtag list for future use.