I really do get sick of all of the unfounded rumours that circulate social media about how to use hashtags on Instagram. Have you heard any of these before:

 

  • You should only use 3 to 5 hashtags per posts
  • Using all 30 hashtags makes you look desperate 
  • You MUST put your hashtags in the first comment, not the caption
  • Hashtags don’t work so don’t use any at all

 

And these are just the tip of the iceberg! Don't listen to any of them!!

 

So let’s get a few things straight. When we’re planning our hashtag strategy, you should NEVER just take someone else’s word for it. My advice is always the same - stick to the facts (i.e. did it come from Instagram itself) or trust your own research you've gathered by testing different approaches as what works for others, might not work the same for your page.

 

Remember, hashtags make your content discoverable by potential new followers. If someone inputs a search term or keyword on the Explore page that you have used as a hashtag, your content might make an appearance in their search results. Equally, if someone is following a certain hashtag that you’ve used, you might appear in their feed. Unless you're a massive corporation like Adidas or Apple, you really don't want to be missing out on these opportunities to be be found.

 

Here’s my advice (all based on the facts!):

 

  • Use them! They DO NOT make you look desperate - think of each one as a way to potentially reach a new follower
  • Only use RELEVANT hashtags specific to the actual post and what you do
  • If you have 30 relevant hashtags for your post, use 30 - if you only have 25, use 25 (and so on - you get the idea!)
  • Research your hashtags on a regular basis:
    • Check out what your top followers and influencers/spokespeople/key players/competitors in your industry/niche (and related niches) are using
    • Research hashtags via the Explore page
  • Don’t go for all the oversaturated ones (i.e. over a million posts) or you will get lost in a sea of content
  • Always add hashtags to your caption and NOT your first comment as they are only searchable in the caption (confirmed by Instagram in 2021)
  • Don’t just copy and paste the same hashtags from post to post as it looks spammy and the algorithm might see it as bot behaviour

 

Do you need help with your hashtag strategy? Get in touch and we can see how we can improve your discoverability.

For any advice and support with social media marketing for your business, contact Glow Social. today on 07876136311 or emma@glowsocial.co.uk.