Instagram Hashtags Are Still Powerful Tools for IG Growth!

Profile photo of Karen Lin, author

Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | May 31, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

Instagram hashtags are still an excellent organic growth tool. We know that, as creators, it feels like you have to wage war against the algorithm. Instead of fighting it, how about we find ways to ride the waves? There are ways to get more likes and follows using hashtags. It may take some trial and error, but we can do it!

Your followers are out there. You just need to bring them to you with organic growth methods. Hashtags are just one way. The Path Social experts will help you work out all the kinks. Keep reading for more information and the answers to questions you may have!

A card on a shelf with “hashtag GOOD DAY” printed on it. 

The Best Hashtags for Instagram Depend on Your Brand

Discovering the best hashtags on Instagram for your needs will require some trial and error. We could list the most popular hashtags, but those might not be what increases your following. You’ll have to experiment and pay close attention to your analytics tool. Your user-generated content may require a different hashtag strategy than regular posts.

Ultimately, you want people to engage with your content on Instagram. Using the most widely used hashtags won’t necessarily get the best results. Consider using hashtags with particular characteristics to what you are posting. Doing this can produce more interaction on Instagram. 

While the list of top Instagram hashtags is a fantastic starting point, you should consider utilizing niche hashtags.

Finding the perfect hashtag to compliment your posts on Instagram may be challenging. This is especially true with the extensive number of options available to users. Just remember that the first step is to try!

“#GIRLBOSS” printed on a card of paper, being held by someone.

How To Find Trending Instagram Hashtags

You’ve likely searched for a hashtag on Instagram before. It’s normal to use this method as a search engine. Many users do it as well. You’ve noticed the top posts and wondered how they got there. The top posts show you some of the most popular content with trending Instagram hashtags. Therefore, these posts rely on the engagement rate

Below this section, getting noticed is a matter of timing and luck. IG lists the posts in reverse chronological order below the top posts. If the hashtag is popular, getting your brand’s name into the top posts can increase exposure. To discover popular hashtags, follow these steps:

Search for Them

When you search for one, the search engine will also suggest hashtags that are also popular. This is an excellent way to find variations of hashtags you were already thinking of. A factor to keep in mind is that this tool recommends common hashtags with many corresponding posts. We don’t recommend using a tag that sees such widespread usage. There is a very high likelihood that your material will have to compete with other posts. It may get lost in the crowd.

Check the Competition

Look through the posts of popular influencers in your field. Then, list the hashtags in their captions. However, if the influencer already has a huge following, hashtags alone may not be responsible for their high engagement rates. Some popular Instagrammers don’t even use hashtags.

Consider Related Hashtags

Search for a hashtag. Analyze the top posts until you spot one that made use of many hashtags all at once in that post. Select one of those hashtags. Then, scroll down the page that opens to reveal the most recent postings using that hashtag.

Increasing Your Reach Is More Than Using Popular Hashtags on Instagram

Instagram keeps changing the rules. Meanwhile, social media experts try hard to stay up-to-date with the algorithm. What’s always stayed the same is the power of hashtags on Instagram. 

Hashtags for Instagram are still an effective instrument that may assist you with promoting your brand. They can expand your sphere of influence on the app. They bring attention to your brand and deliver your material to the followers who will genuinely engage with it. This may sound easy. However, if you don’t choose the appropriate hashtags, you won’t benefit from all they offer. The science involves more than just throwing popular hashtags on Instagram out and hoping one sticks.

What appears to be working for one creator may not work for you. Using popular hashtags may not necessarily be the most effective social media strategy. You aim to increase reach and engagement. People are less likely to spot them in the first place if people flood these hashtags with posts. So, what can you do? We have some suggestions.

“#bekind” written on a square sheet of paper.

An Instagram Hashtag Generator Does the Hard Part for You

Producing relevant hashtags to include in your social media posts can be challenging. You can sit down and work out the ideal hashtags for your brand. Or, you could use an Instagram hashtag generator. Path Social is an excellent tool for generating hashtags.

All you need to do is enter the subject of your post into a hashtag generator. It will provide you with a selection of hashtags to include in your post. You’ll see actual posts that use these hashtags. After that, you may copy the hashtags right into the caption of your social media post. This is much easier than deciding what to do on your own.

The hashtags produced by the hashtag generator tool are the most relevant to the topic of your social media post. This tool assists you in finding the most appropriate hashtags for your requirements.

You need to determine the ideal number of hashtags to use for each of your social media postings. Find that sweet spot to get the highest level of engagement. There is no set number that you should use for optimal results. The most effective approach is experimenting and discovering what works best for your content. Just remember that the maximum number of hashtags that IG allows you to use is 30. Within that, you can use as many as you’d like, but be sure to select them wisely. This tool will help!

How To Choose Hashtags for Instagram: Three of the Best Tips You Can Find

If you have a brand online, you need to master this hashtag thing. If you plug in the appropriate hashtags, your posts have a greater chance of discovery. In addition to reaching a wider audience, you can generate more engagement. You just need some tips on how to choose hashtags for Instagram, and we’re here to provide them!

Shuffle Your Hashtags

Avoid using identical hashtags in the same sequence. If you do so, IG may mark your material as spam. Your brand might inherently limit the hashtags that you can use. Consider switching up the order in which you post them. Experiment with new permutations of keywords. We can’t say that Instagram considers the order of your hashtags. However, it is worth a try. Instead of starting with the most obvious hashtags, begin with the niche ones. 

Change Your Hashtags

Try to avoid using the same hashtags over and over again! If it brought in a particular target audience, try to secure another one. It may surprise you how many different types of people would love your brand. Focus on another part of the post or reel. You might want to maintain a few of them as consistent choices.

Mix Up Your Hashtags

Hashtags on Instagram attract various audience sizes. It’s ideal to use a combination of ones that have a small to medium level of use. If you use hashtags that people have used a million times, your content may disappear in a mass of posts. It will go unnoticed because of the popularity of the hashtags. Obscurity isn’t the answer, either. Don’t use hashtags only you know about. These are unlikely to be searched by others.

How To Use Hashtags on Instagram To Secure Quality and Quantity

You want followers, but not just any followers will do. You still want followers who will engage in your content. To ensure you reach legitimate followers on Instagram, avoid spammy hashtags. If you don’t know how to use hashtags on Instagram, it’s a good idea to learn best practices before starting. Luckily, we can help.

We want to make sure that you attract genuine followers. Find the kind of people interested in what you have to offer by carefully picking hashtags. You may intend a different meaning for a hashtag than other users. If you choose wrong, you may attract spammers. Additionally, your content may get listed with photographs that don’t align with your brand identity. This will not bring you closer to your target audience. Screening out each hashtag you intend to use could prevent this situation. 

This way, you can eliminate the spammy hashtags. You are also able to locate the smaller to medium-sized hashtags. These will help you stand out and attract more serious followers.

The placement of hashtags could impact the quality and quantity of your followers.

  1. Begin by adding one or more hashtags in your Instagram bio. This spot is often overlooked by users. 
  1. Include the hashtag in your caption organically. You could insert hashtags as they naturally come up in the body of your text. Just know that it may not be the most accessible for some to read.
  1. If the above suggestion looks cluttered, try this instead: Skip several lines by adding “…” in each line. Then, bundle all your hashtags in one place. 
  1. The comments section is another place to put the hashtags. IG still features them when they are comments.

A person sits on a skateboard while trying to configure new hashtags. 

Are Your Instagram Hashtags Not Working? This Might Be Why 

Have you given hashtags on Instagram a chance? Maybe you don’t have the stellar reviews everyone else does. Well, Instagram hashtags not working could be due to several reasons. We can help you to break down these reasons. Don’t give up just yet. It may be something you can quickly fix. Check out these reasons below:

You Keep Repeating the Same Hashtags

Do you copy the hashtags from post to post? You may be reaching the same people. You’ve exhausted this crowd and need to diversify. You can have a master list of hashtags, but choose the most appropriate ones for each post.

Your Hashtags Are Too Broad

Use some hashtags that are unique to your brand rather than generic ones. You will have a much better chance of attracting new followers. You can inspire engagement in niche areas. A larger hashtag will help you reach more people, but small ones may help reach people more likely to engage.

You Have a Typo

Check the spelling. There are popular hashtags that have typos. Potential followers looking for the right word or phrase won’t find your content in search if it’s spelled incorrectly

You’re Accidentally Using Banned Hashtags 

Instagram doesn’t just ban inappropriate or vulgar hashtags. Instagram may ban a hashtag for various reasons, including spam. That’s why it’s essential to check before including a hashtag in your post.

There could be many reasons you aren’t seeing the results you want. They may not be functioning because they aren’t related to the post. Or maybe Instagram is having a technical issue at the moment.

A woman holding her phone types hashtags in her Instagram post.

Banned Hashtags on Instagram

You can already tell that all hashtags are not made equal. Some do nothing for your brand, but others harm your brand. Banned hashtags on Instagram will banish you from IG’s good graces. Don’t let that be you. Follow our tips instead.

Ready to unload all those great hashtags? Wait a bit. Test one out by doing a quick search of that hashtag to see any results. IG may have banned its usage. Try a word or phrase similar to that. If there are results, IG may not have banned it. 

Unfortunately, there is no exact science to this. We are hoping Instagram will make a list of restricted hashtags, as people use restricted hashtags without knowing. But until then you can use a banned hashtag checker online. The tool will do the checking for you. For example, one is MetaHashtags.

If a post does not work as expected, you may have discovered the answer to your predicament. IG may have banned it. Switch up the hashtags. You won’t have any problem recognizing which hashtags are irrelevant if you follow the above advice. Just try to apply it to your situation preemptively. It’s better to be sure before you post content. This will show Instagram that you are complying with their policies and not publishing anything that might be posting banned material.

Hashtags for Instagram Posts Can Change Everything for You

Your brand can grow if you use Path Social! There is an in-house tool that Path Social built for Instagram creators over the past ten years. We also use our AI targeting tool to ensure the new followers are genuine. 

The results we get are made possible by artificial intelligence, which perfectly complements Instagram hashtags. People who want to interact with your material are the only ones who will come to you. The following you get should stick. Let us take care of the details. Begin expanding your Instagram following right now!