#Hashtag Tips
#Hashtags can be so time consuming, and also really confusing. Today I’m rounding up my favorite tips and tricks for making your #hashtag use efficient and worth it!
What even is a #hashtag?
They are clickable words placed behind the “#” sign that users can click on to find more posts containing that #hashtag. When a user clicks a particular #hashtag, they’ll be taken to a page where all of the recent or top posts using that particular tag are compiled, regardless of whether they follow the account. Therefore, they can be really useful in building followers! For example, if I’m really interested in #easyrecipes, I could click that #hashtag to discover more posts that utilized it - possibly even finding some new bloggers or accounts that post #easyrecipes that interest me enough to follow.
Why use them?
Hashtags are a GREAT way to expand your reach and grow your audience. They improve your post discovery rate and help take full advantage of what the Instagram has to offer. Users can follow particular #hashtags to continue being fed content within that subject area.
How should I use them?
I recommend using ALL 30 hashtags (the maximum) on Instagram posts if you’re trying to grow with a minimum of 10-12 #hashtags per post if you are steady with where you’re at. However, always check with what is working best for your individual account (this can vary). On other platforms outside of Instagram, a few hashtags per post are okay both for looks and for the fact that they aren’t as widely used. I like to hide my #hashtags either in the comment of my Instagram post, or by using a few line breaks to push them further down into the caption. It’s just for looks!
Organizing #Hashtags
When putting together a group of 30 hashtags to use per post, I usually consider my brand, my industry, my location, and the topic of the post. I like to choose 5-6 hashtags in each of these categories to equal 30 total hashtags. Pro tip: consider WHO you want to reach with your post, and what type of hashtags they might be looking for too. For example, a wedding event planner in St. Louis might want to consider #StLouisBride.
Create a bank! I like to keep all the #hashtags I find in a note on my phone so I can easily copy-paste them later into a grouping. Over time, I have a lot to choose from to keep it fresh.
How can I find more #hashtags?
A great rule of thumb for finding popular #hashtags is to search for one hashtag, and to see what pre-populates as a recommendation. Instagram should automatically show you “related #hashtags” - this is gold! You can also go to top post using your #hashtag to see which others are included there. You can also check out pages similar to yours with a larger following. *As a rule of thumb, mix up the use of really largely used #hashtags, as your post can easily be buried if the #hashtag is overused. I like to look for #hashtags with 1k+ uses, but not more than 1m.
Looking for an even easier method? Check out CHD Creative Co.’s Ultimate Hashtag List - where she lists popular #hashtags by topic. I use this all the time!
Mix it up!
Don’t use the same #hashtags on every post. Some of them may carry over, but avoid using the exact same set so that your hashtags are the most relevant as they can be for that particular post.
Don’t be shy
It can be easy to shy away from trying new things on social media when you’re trying to get it right - but be adventurous! You never know what will work for you.
