How To Hide Hashtags on Instagram and Boost Your Visibility

Do you know that using nine or more hashtags per post can increase engagement by 2.5 times?

Hashtags are an effective way to extend your content’s reach to a wider audience beyond your followers. When chosen wisely, hashtags can connect your brand with your target audience, increasing exposure on the Explore page.

However, while crucial for growing followers and engagement, excessive hashtags can clutter your feed. So, how can you maintain a clean and attractive Instagram feed? 

Easy! Once you select relevant hashtags, learn how to hide hashtags on Instagram with easy-to-follow methods.

Read on to find out more about hiding Instagram hashtags. 

Why Learn How To Hide Your Hashtags on Instagram?

We know hashtags can help boost Instagram engagement rate and follower count, so why hide them?

There’s no harm in displaying a list of hashtags per post. It’s about keeping your posts clean and organized. Whether you put hashtags in comments or captions, your content still shows up in your niche’s Discover feed.

Using 10 to 30 hashtags can make even your evergreen content look less valuable. In addition, your target audience will believe you want to increase followers without providing value. Excessive hashtags take up your feed space, so choose the right hashtags wisely to avoid overshadowing your content. 

Best Way To Hide Hashtags on Instagram

Wondering how to make your IG posts viral without using hashtags? Here are some of the best ways to hide hashtags on Instagram:

Hide Hashtags in Captions

A simple way to know how to hide a hashtag on Instagram is by adding more spaces in your caption. Instagram doesn’t allow users to use the ‘Enter’ key to create line breaks within captions. This makes it tricky to format your text.

To work around this limitation, draft your caption in a different app. For instance, you can use the built-in Notes app on your iPhone or Android. Instagram still won’t recognize empty lines, so insert punctuations or emojis on each line and press ‘Enter.’

Once you add enough spaces in your external app, copy and paste these space filters into your IG caption. Make sure to position your hashtags at the very end. Also, Instagram typically displays only the first two lines of your caption to viewers scrolling past your post.

To see the entire caption, including the hashtags and spaces, users must hit “more…” to expand the full caption. This conceals a portion of your Instagram caption and prevents it from looking cluttered with hashtags.

Hide Hashtags in Comments

Make your Instagram captions look cleaner by placing your hashtags in the comments. Your posts will still show up in hashtag searches.

However, if you comment hashtags on someone else’s post, it won’t link them to the post because it’s not yours.

The benefit of hiding hashtags in a comment is that they won’t clutter your post at first glance. Other users won’t see them immediately as they scroll through your feed. To find the hashtags, they’ll need to click the comment button or “View All Comments.”

To hide Instagram hashtags in the comment section, follow these steps:

1. Open a text editor like “Notes” app on your phone.
2. Type a period (.) and tap Return, repeating this 4 to 5 times.
3. Add your hashtags.
4. Copy all the text, including the line breaks.
5. Open the Instagram app and tap the ‘speech bubble icon’ beneath your post.
6. Paste the copied text.
7. Now, post it.

This way, your hashtags will stay hidden. Others will need to tap ‘view all comments’ to see your hashtags. Many Instagram marketers use this tactic to add relevant hashtags and expand their Instagram reach. Just remember to steer clear of banned IG hashtags to protect your Instagram profile.

Can You Hide Hashtags on Instagram Stories?

To avoid cluttering your Instagram story with hashtags, you can use invisible hashtags. These hidden tags do the job without cluttering your stories. So, can you hide hashtags on Instagram stories?

Here are three methods to hide hashtags on Instagram stories:

1. Blend Hashtags in the Background

Follow the steps below to hide hashtags from stories:

1. Tap the ‘Aa’ button when creating a new story.
2. Type hashtags.
3. Tap the “color icon”.
4. Select the “color picker” tool.
5. Pick a background color.
6. Drag hashtags onto the background where they won’t be visible, and make them smaller.

2. Reduce Hashtags Till They Disappear

You can hide hashtags by making their font smaller. Note that this method may work better on iOS devices than on Android/PC.

1. In the “New Story” view, tap the ‘A’ button.
2. Type hashtags and hit “Done.”
3. Tap the hashtag and use your fingers to shrink them until they disappear.

3. Drag Tags Out

Another way to hide Instagram hashtags from stories:

1. Open the “New Story” view.
2. Tap the ‘Aa’ option.
3. Type out your hashtags.
4. Reduce text size.
5. Drag tags in the corner to remove them from your screen.

These methods will help you keep your Instagram stories clean and free from visible hashtags.

How To Create Compelling Instagram Hashtags

Creating effective Instagram hashtags is crucial for increasing the visibility of your posts and reaching a larger audience. According to one report, relevant hashtags can help increase engagement rates by 12.6%.

Here are a few factors that can help you create and use hashtags effectively:

• Know Your Audience: To create an effective hashtag strategy, understand your audience’s preferences. Avoid irrelevant hashtags and explore popular ones in your niche. Analyze hashtags used by similar brands and incorporate hashtags aligned with your audience’s interests to boost visibility.
• Relevant Popular Hashtags: Find hashtags pertinent to your brand. Observe influencers and industry brands for inspiration. Using relevant hashtags ensures your posts appear in searches related to your content or business. Check hashtag volume to identify trending ones with high user engagement.
• Research Before Use: Before using a hashtag, research its usage and associated content. Don’t assume relevance solely because influencers or businesses use it. Review posts linked to the hashtag via Instagram search to ensure alignment with your brand.
• Mix Popular & Niche Hashtags: Combine popular and niche hashtags for diverse audience reach. Smaller, niche hashtags can offer better visibility due to less competition. Use a blend of hashtags to extend reach while targeting ideal customers.
• Seasonal & Holiday Hashtags: Incorporate time-sensitive content with hashtags related to the year, season, month, week, day, holidays, or industry events. Research popular holiday hashtags to keep your posts fresh and discoverable.
• Optimal Hashtag Count: Avoid excessive hashtags in hopes of wider exposure. Instagram recommends using three to five highly relevant hashtags per post. Remember, quality matters more than quantity.

Boost Your Visibility on Instagram With Path Social

Instagram hashtags are crucial for organic growth. They have their discovery pages, allowing users to find related content. When used strategically, hashtags work like clickable keywords to boost your brand reach. So, the results will be the same whether you hide hashtags in comments or captions. 

Need help with the natural integration of hashtags to boost your Instagram visibility? Choose Path Social!

We provide tailor-made strategies, tips, and tools to help you refine your Instagram profile. Our aim is to empower you to unleash the true potential of your account, grow followers, and go viral. Don’t wait to learn how to hide hashtags on Instagram by yourself—let Path Social help you. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.