Instagram Hashtag Research: Finding Tags Your Audience Uses

Sometimes, even creators with a knack for making aesthetically appealing content can have a hard time driving reach and engagement. At the end of the day, success on Instagram isn’t just all about creativity. The hashtags you use also play a part in how successful your posts are. And you can’t just use random tags—you must conduct Instagram hashtag research to find tags your target audience likes.

We probably sound like a broken record at this point, but we’ll say it again and again. Hashtags are among the most powerful tools you can use to boost visibility on Instagram. It helps get your content in front of a larger audience, skyrocketing awareness for your brand. In this guide, we’re teaching you exactly how to find the best types of hashtags for your content.

The Importance of Thorough Instagram Hashtag Research

Instagram hashtags are key topics and phrases that help categorize content on the platform. They’re preceded by the pound sign (aka the universal hashtag symbol). Literally, anything can be a hashtag if it defines what niche your content belongs to, from #fashion to #pets.

There are many ways to use hashtags. You can include them in your post captions or comments to boost the visibility of your content. You might even want to put one in your bio to improve your account’s Instagram SEO score. 

Just remember to tweak your tags to fit the type of content. For example, hashtags for Reels include #funnyvideos or #videotutorials, while photo tags might include #picoftheday and #photodaily.

But hashtags aren’t just cutesy additions to your posts. They serve a bigger purpose. They help the algorithm figure out who to push out your content to. If you use hashtags a certain target audience is interested in, your posts may show up on their Explore page. So, it’s important to use hashtags that are relevant to the niche audience you want to reach.

That’s where hashtag Instagram research comes in. You can’t just add the first tags you can think of when writing a caption. You must figure out which tags will actually help you grow. Research which tags are most popular and what topics resonate with your target market. Those are the tags that actually deliver your posts to your desired audience.

Thorough research on your target audience can help you get more likes and followers just by using hashtags. More people see your content and discover your page, leading to new fans who genuinely enjoy your posts.

How To Do Hashtag Research for Instagram: 4 Ways To Find the Best Tags

To find the best hashtags on Instagram for your niche, you need to do thorough research on your target audience. That means diving into what they’re searching for online or what hashtags are popular today. You might even have to dig through other accounts’ tags to get an idea of trendy ones for your industry.

Willing to commit to doing deep research to find the best, most effective hashtags for your content? Here are four of our tried-and-tested tips on how to do hashtag research for Instagram.

1. Utilize Instagram’s Built-in Search Bar

The easiest way to find hashtags for your content is using Instagram’s in-app search function.

For the longest time, whenever you search a keyword on Instagram, you’ll only see top posts related to that word. But in March 2024, a huge update shook the world of Instagram Search. Now, when you search for any word, you can sift through different types of search results. This includes relevant accounts, audio, Reels, and—you guessed it—hashtags.

That means when you search anything on Instagram, you will see all the hottest hashtags associated with that topic. Here’s how to do that, step by step:

1. Open the Instagram app.

2. Tap on the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of your homepage to go to the Explore page.

3. Click the search bar at the top of the screen.

4. Type whatever keyword or topic you want and hit Enter.

5. The first thing you’ll see after that is popular accounts that use that word in their bio or username. At the top of the page, move from the Accounts tab to the Tags results.

From there, you’ll be able to see all the hashtags relevant to your keyword. You’ll even see how many posts use that tag, allowing you to properly assess its popularity. Choose the tags that are most relevant to your content and add them to your posts moving forward.

2. Use a Third-Party Hashtag Generator

Aside from Instagram, you can also enlist the help of third-party hashtag generator tools for your tag research. You give these tools a specific keyword related to your niche, and they provide lists of hashtags associated with it.

What’s terrific about these third-party websites is that they also serve as hashtag analytics tools. They give you the lowdown on any hashtag’s stats on Instagram. That allows you to better assess whether to add it to your hashtag strategy.

One such hashtag tool is Path Social’s free Hashtag Generator and Analyzer. This site shows you tags related to any topic you want to search about. Just enter a keyword, and we’ll generate a list of popular hashtags associated with that query. Then, just copy and paste it into your caption. It’s a no-brainer tool if you’re looking for popular hashtags on Instagram!

The tool also does more than share trending hashtags. It also gives you a snapshot of any hashtag’s health and stats on Instagram. On our site, you’ll find data like the number of posts with that tag, ranking difficulty, and many more.

3. Analyze Your Competitors’ Most Used Hashtags

Another clever way to conduct hashtag research is to audit the tags your top competitors use. This will give you an idea of what hashtags you should be competing in to increase your share of voice.

The first thing you have to do is identify key competitors you want to snag followers from. Maybe it’s a rival creator or perhaps a brand you look up to with a target audience similar to yours.

Then, go through their posts to see which hashtags they use. Take note of how many likes and comments these tags helped them drive. Write down the hashtags they used in their best-performing posts. Consider using these tags in your posts, too, to see if you reap the same benefits from using them.

4. Check the Most Searched Keywords at Any Given Moment

Lastly, you can also research the most searched keywords on the internet at any given time. A site like Google Trends will be your BFF for this type of keyword research.

Google Trends shows you trending search queries your target audience looks up on their search engine. Sure, it’s not the same as the top searched IG hashtags. But it gives you an idea of topics, cultural moments, and hobbies your target market is currently interested in.

From there, you get a better idea not just of hashtags to use, but types of content you should produce. It’s pretty much a one-stop shop for cooking up both content and hashtag strategies for social media!

Other Tips for Implementing Hashtag Research on Instagram

It’s one thing to do Instagram hashtags research to find the best keywords for your posts. But it’s a completely different ball game to actually implement that hashtag strategy successfully.

The work doesn’t stop when you find popular hashtags to use for your content. You also need to know the best practices for using those tags to your advantage. Even the best hashtags won’t work if you don’t know how to use them properly. 

So, here are some important tips to keep in mind about using hashtags to grow on Instagram.

Don’t Overuse Keywords; Stick With 3-5 Tags Per Post

Instagram allows users to add up to 30 hashtags to each post. However, maxing that out is an easy way to overwhelm your followers. Plus, adding way too many hashtags won’t necessarily improve your post’s visibility on the Explore page. If anything, Instagram could flag it as spammy and deprioritize it.

According to Instagram’s official Creators account, you should aim for three to five hashtags only per post. That’s obviously not a lot, so be smart and strategic about the tags you choose for each piece of content.

Combine a Set of Popular and Niche Hashtags

You might assume that using the most popular hashtags related to your industry is a great move. And while there’s merit in using these trending tags, you can’t rely solely on them. If you only use the most popular tags, you’ll be competing with half of the platform. It will be extremely difficult to show up on the “Top Posts.”

So, when choosing hashtags, always incorporate smaller, more niche hashtags in each caption. These tags are easier to compete in since there are fewer posts that use them than popular tags. You get a bigger chance at topping the results page.

For example, if you’re a fashion influencer in New York City, don’t just use popular tags like #fashion and #NYC. Add more pointed, specific tags, like #urbanstreetstyle or #newyorkerfashion. That way, you get the best of both worlds—mass reach and the chance to appear on the niche tags’ pages.

Add Your Industry’s Most Relevant Hashtags to Your Bio, Too

Don’t limit your hashtag usage to just your post captions. Add relevant hashtags to your profile bio, too. That way, you can appear in the “Accounts” search results for these tags. This helps more people discover your page when searching for their favorite topics on Instagram, leading to more followers for you.

Create Branded Hashtags for Marketing Campaigns

Thinking of mounting a social media challenge or dance trend with your brand at the center? Make sure to create branded hashtags people can use when they want to join in!

Using branded hashtags boosts brand awareness because people who see these posts will immediately associate the campaign with your brand. The fact that you can use them to track your marketing campaign’s results is just the cherry on top.

Avoid Using Banned Hashtags as They Can Plummet Visibility

This should go without saying, but banned hashtags are a huge no-no on Instagram. Steer clear of using tags with provocative, scandalous innuendos, like #eggplant, #milf, and #fishnets. Avoid using those that glorify or shame bodies, too, like #bikinibody and #loseweight.

Using these controversial tags increases your chances of getting shadowbanned—and no creator wants that!

Diversify Your Hashtag Lists With Every Post

Don’t use the same set of hashtags for every post. Rumor has it that Instagram’s algorithm deprioritizes the content of users who repeat their hashtags with every post. So, make sure to refresh your list of hashtags with every piece of content.

Think about it—no two posts are the same. You will rarely ever be stuck with the same hashtags for all your content. You can always mix it up and refresh your hashtag strategy with each new photo or video. Plus, the more hashtags you use across posts, the larger the audience you can reach in the long run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hashtags Aren’t Dead—The Right Ones Can Still Grow Your IG Account!

Many people think hashtags are dead, but they’re really not—at least if you do proper Instagram hashtag research. By finding the right tags your target audience is interested in, you can still blow up on Instagram.

But you can’t rely solely on hashtags for Instagram growth. You also need to promote your content to ensure more and more people see it. That’s what we do at Path Social.

We use organic growth strategies—from influencer mentions to newsletter shout-outs—to make your content shine. We’ve done it for successful influencers like Terrell Conyers, and we’d love to do it for you. Get more Instagram followers and boost your engagement with Path Social!