Want to know how to use hashtags on Instagram? Maybe you are new to using Instagram to market your business or brand, or maybe you have been using Instagram for a while and want to improve your knowledge. Either way, in this post I will be breaking down how you can use hashtags on Instagram as usefully as possible.

 

 

What is a hashtag and why should I be using them?

A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#). In addition to Instagram, hashtags are used on numerous social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

 

Hashtags are important on Instagram because they help to increase the possible reach of your content. Hashtags are searchable, which means that users can discover your content as a result of searching a specific hashtag, even if they don’t already follow you.

 

If you have a business account you will be able to check your analytics to see exactly how many people have discovered each post via hashtags.

 

 

How many hashtags can you use?

If you are using hashtags when posting on your main Instagram feed you are allowed a maximum of 30 hashtags

 

If you are using hashtags within an Instagram Story you are allowed a maximum of 10 hashtags.

 

 

Should I post my hashtags with the caption or in the comments?

If you have already been using Instagram you might have noticed that some people put their hashtags directly in the caption, whilst others put them in the comments. Either way, you are only allowed 30 hashtags, but some people prefer including the hashtags in the comments to keep their captions clean. I personally prefer to put my hashtags in my comments, except for a few odd hashtags that make it into the caption from time to time. However, I would say if you would like to autopost your Instagram content then put your hashtags in the caption and don’t worry about it.

 

 

What hashtags should I use?

Choosing the right hashtags is essential in order to maximise your content’s reach, as well as ensuring it is viewed by the right idea (ie your ideal client or target audience).

 

Hashtags can be described in a number of ways:

• Branded – These are hashtags that are specific to a business
• Community – These are hashtags that are used by a group of people
• Descriptive – These are hashtags that relate directly to the image
• Timely – These are hashtags that are related to a day of the week or a seasonal event.

 

Ideally, you would want to be using a mixture of these hashtags in your posts.

 

Another way of judging hashtags is by their popularity. When you search a hashtag on Instagram it will show you how many other people have used it. This can range from you being the only person to use it to the hashtag being used millions of times.

 

For all of the hashtags, you intend to use you should check the popularity and ensure you have a mixture. Very popular hashtags are more likely to result in you getting spam comments (as they are targeted to bots), and whilst they are often searched because of their popularity you won’t stay at the top of that hashtag feed for long. In contrast, choosing less popular hashtags that are chosen in a targeted way will give you a great opportunity to ensure you are found by your ideal client and that your content appears at the top of the hashtag feed for longer.

 

 

ARE YOU READY TO USE HASHTAGS ON INSTAGRAM?

Hopefully, this post has helped you to understand what a hashtag is, how you can use them on Instagram and Instagram stories and given you some criteria to judge your hashtags by.

 

If you use this advice please do drop me a DM on Instagram (my handle is @charellegriffith) and I will check your profile out.

 

 

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