Instagram has become one of the leading social media platforms in terms of popularity. With over 2 billion active users (and growing), it's no wonder that people are looking to grow their following there too. If you're wondering what the best way is to do this, we've got a full breakdown below!
So many brands have jumped onto the bandwagon with an account, but they don't really know where to start or why certain hashtags work better than others. This can be very confusing - especially if you're just starting off. But fear not because we've got all the information you need right here. We'll explain everything from which hashtags actually get the most clicks down to whether #hashtagging works at all...
If you want to learn how to use Instagram like a pro, then check out our list of the best practices for posting great photos on IG. Not only will that help you to make sure your pictures look good, it'll also give you some insight into what types of content perform well and which ones fail miserably.
But let's talk about getting traction on Instagram first before moving onto those other things. After all, who wants to post something without any real interest in seeing it go viral? So in order to find out exactly which hashtags get the most views and likes, we looked through the data ourselves. The results may surprise you!
We used an app called Hashtags.io to analyse all the different hashtags across the platform. And after running thousands of searches, we came up with the biggest winners. Here are what we found:
The obvious answer would seem to be using the word "insta" somewhere within the description of your photo. However, as mentioned above, Instagram does limit us when it comes to hashtagging. You cannot include the name of another Instagrammer unless you're friends with them already. That means if someone sees your picture tagged with #insatag, they might assume it was taken by somebody else entirely. Instead, try adding "#igotthisfromthefuture". It sounds cheesy, but it makes your image stand out and could lead to new followers.
Another thing to consider is the location tag. As long as your place isn't listed among the world's most dangerous places, chances are that Instagrammers won't mind tagging along. A simple search for "Tag me!" will show you lots of locations around the globe that people love tagging alongside their own images. For example, we spotted a lot of Instagrammers in New York City. They were often seen walking around town while wearing matching outfits and holding hands as though they'd been dating each other forever.
It's worth noting that the same rules apply when searching for hashtags on Twitter too. In fact, the same rule applies to Facebook and Snapchat too.
The question of the century, I suppose. There aren't even 10 million hashtags on Instagram so finding a winner is pretty tough. Nevertheless, let's take a quick look anyway.
#IGOTTHISFROMTHEFUTURE
This is probably the number one choice for gaining traction on Instagram. Why? Because it seems like everybody uses it now. Even celebrities such as Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner have started including it in their captions.
#WTF
I'm not going to lie. The WTF tag doesn't tend to get much attention these days. But hey, I guess every little bit helps.
#Caturday
You see a lot of cats being shared on Instagram nowadays. And since they always seem happy, it's easy to understand why Caturday became a hit almost overnight. Plus, it adds a sense of whimsy to your photos that's hard to replicate anywhere else.
#tbt
TBT stands for Throwback Thursday and refers to old photos you share online. It's been around for years and still continues to generate plenty of traffic, despite its age. People still throw back to old memories and reminisce.
#selfie
Selfies are arguably the main reason why Instagram exists in the first place. With millions upon millions of people taking hundreds of selfies daily, it wouldn't surprise anyone to learn that selfie-related hashtags dominate the platform.
#nofilter
There's nothing quite like a nice filter applied to your face. Whether it's brightening it up or turning your skin blue, filters are a huge part of the Instagram experience. Hence, you should definitely add this tag to any photo you upload.
#beauty
As previously stated, the beauty industry is booming thanks to makeup tutorials and influencers sharing their tips on YouTube and Instagram. So it's no wonder that this particular hashtag dominates the platform.
In case you haven't guessed yet, the answer to this is clearly #cattitude. People love cat videos and photos, and they like to share them with their friends. Therefore, this hashtag consistently ranks high in the charts whenever we run our analysis.
Also keep in mind that the type of content you create plays a big role when analysing this kind of stuff. Videos tend to receive far more engagement than regular photos. So make sure you put some effort into creating engaging video content.
For instance, if you're trying to build a brand presence on Instagram, focus on producing interesting stories rather than uploading boring pics. Try writing short stories instead of making multiple videos. Or maybe you could produce a series of videos related to a specific topic.
Whatever you decide to do, remember that you shouldn't rush anything. Take time to think carefully about your approach and plan ahead. By doing this, you increase the chance that people will engage with your content.
That's a tricky one. While #IGOTTHISFROMTHETHEPAST and #tbt come close, my personal favourite is #followme. This one is a classic. Whenever someone tags themselves in a photo, they usually mention the person they follow. So by putting yourself in front of the camera and asking your followers to follow back, you're essentially telling everyone reading your caption that you're trustworthy.
And trust is very important. Sure, you could say that anybody could click 'like' on your photo. But the truth is that if you ask enough people to follow you, eventually they will. When this happens, they feel special and valued. Which leads to higher engagement rates overall.
So next time you're thinking of posting an exciting story, try using a few of these tips to boost your reach. Remember to think outside the box and experiment. Then sit back and watch your audience grow.
Have you ever tried using hashtags on Instagram? What did you notice? Let us know in the comments section below. Also, if you'd like to read some more articles on Instagram marketing, head to our dedicated page for further resources.
If you're looking to grow an audience on social media then you'll want to know which hashtags are the most effective.
We've looked at some of the best ways to create engaging content that people will love and share with others - but now we need to look into another aspect too. What is the best way to make sure that people see your posts when they search for them?
The answer might surprise you! Hashtags have become one of the most important tools available to help you engage with other users on Instagram. They can be used as a place where you introduce yourself, or let people find new accounts to follow (and maybe even buy from). You could also use hashtags to tell stories about your brand, products, services, etc.
So what hashtags do well? Which ones should you avoid using? And what's the difference between "popular" and "trending"? Let's explore all four questions here.
You may remember that earlier this year, Instagram introduced something called comment previews. This was a feature designed to give users a preview of whatever they were going to say before posting their own comment. It would show up alongside any existing comments so that there would be no chance of anyone feeling left out if they didn't like what someone else said first.
But did adding the hashtag to your post really improve things? Or was it just one more thing that made it harder to read through those pesky comments? There’s only anecdotal evidence either way. Some believe that by making the comment easier to skim over, it actually improved the overall experience for everyone. Others think it makes reading comments less enjoyable because they take longer to load.
Whatever side of the fence you sit on, having the #hashtag in the actual text of the comment seems to work much better than just putting it in the comment itself. So unless you're planning to leave your account open to spamming, I'd recommend sticking to commenting without tags rather than adding them manually.
One of the main reasons why hashtags exist is to allow people searching for information to find relevant results quickly. But how does exactly this process work? Is it based purely on popularity? Are popular hashtags always the best choice?
There are several different factors involved in determining whether a particular hashtag gets loads of traffic.
For example, there's often a correlation between popularity and relevance. If lots of people are talking about something, chances are that it's probably pretty interesting. The same goes for specific topics. For instance, if everyone's talking about the latest release of Pokémon Go, it stands to reason that this game has been incredibly successful.
On the flipside though, sometimes very obscure topics end up being extremely popular, despite not being anywhere near as mainstream as many others. These tend to be niche subjects, such as video games, technology, movies, music, etc., where people feel strongly enough about them to start discussing them online.
In fact, it turns out that niche-related topics are one of the biggest drivers behind hashtags gaining popularity. A study conducted by researchers at Penn State University found that “[i]ncreasingly, people are gravitating towards topical hashtags related to entertainment, travel, food, fashion, sports, politics, and current events.” This means that while generic terms like #funny or #summertime can still bring in plenty of attention, niche hashtags are becoming increasingly popular.
Another factor that plays into the popularity of certain hashtags is the number of times that they appear across multiple platforms. While individual hashtags don’t necessarily carry weight, collectively speaking, they can prove highly influential.
Let’s say that you run a business selling sunglasses. Your Twitter handle is @sunglasses_for_you. In order to promote your brand effectively, it would be great if people started saying #sunglasses_for_me instead – especially since you already have your name attached to the product.
It wouldn’t hurt if they also mentioned your company, either. That way, you can reach potential customers who haven’t yet heard of you.
And finally, the frequency with which a given topic appears within conversations isn’t the only measure of its popularity. Often, people choose hashtags simply because they sound cool, funny, or catchy. Many brands have embraced this approach by creating humorous slogans and tag lines.
Some examples include Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ campaign, which uses #justdoit as part of its marketing strategy. Similarly, Red Bull uses #redbullallday every day to encourage fans to enjoy their drink whenever they want.
The takeaway from this list is that if you want to drive a large amount of traffic to your page, you should try to pick hashtags that reflect both popularity AND relevance. Popularity alone won’t cut it anymore.
Of course, you shouldn’t expect to go around tagging everything with #likes. After all, the goal is to attract people who aren’t already interested in what you sell. Instead, you should focus on generating interest among a wider range of audiences.
As a result, it doesn’t matter how many likes a given hashtag garners. Rather, it matters how many unique individuals are exposed to it. To figure out which hashtags receive the most eyeballs, marketers can turn to analytics software. One of the simplest and easiest solutions is Google Analytics.
By analyzing data collected during previous campaigns, you can determine exactly how many people saw each hashtag on your website or Facebook page. Armed with this info, you can decide which hashtags you should pay special attention to.
A good rule of thumb is to aim for a minimum of 100 visits per month. Once that threshold is reached, you should start focusing on promoting the hashtag via paid ads and sponsored posts.
While there are certainly some clear trends regarding which hashtags generate the most traffic, it's hard to say for sure which ones will continue to thrive in the future.
That being said, there are two broad categories of hashtags that seem to keep attracting a steady stream of visitors. First off, you have general purpose hashtags. Examples include #tech, #gaming, #food, #music, and #fashion.
Second, you have hashtags that relate to specific industries. Here, you'll notice that there are lots of references to #entertainment (#movies, #tvshows, #books), #sports (#football, #baseball), and #technology (#cars, #gadgets).
Both of these types of hashtags can be useful for driving awareness of your brand and increasing sales. However, it's worth noting that hashtags relating to news and current affairs also perform quite well.
To learn more about how to increase your visibility on Instagram, check out our Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following on Insta.
Instagram has become one of the go-to platforms for influencers looking to showcase their talents or just share something fun with friends and family. It's also an excellent tool if you're trying to reach new audiences or build brand awareness through social media marketing. The platform offers users all kinds of ways to interact with each other, including commenting, liking photos, sharing stories, subscribing to feeds, following people, and so much more.
But when it comes to getting noticed by potential customers or fans, there are two major challenges that can make or break your success on Instagram. First off, making sure you have enough followers (and lots of them) who will see your post. Second, figuring out what kind of content works well on Instagram. So let's take a look at some great tips for choosing which hashtags to include in your next photo.
Hashtags were once only used by those posting videos on YouTube but now they’ve evolved into a powerful way to find relevant accounts and topics among millions of tweets. Using hashtags helps Instagrammers connect with others sharing similar interests. If you search #hashtag or #hashtage on Instagram, you'll be able to see every single hashtag being used right now. You might even discover a few favorites from back in the day like #awesome or #happy. But as we've seen before, not everyone uses hashtags correctly. For example, using multiple tags doesn't help you stand out any better than sticking to one. In fact, tagging too many times could hurt your chances of gaining traction.
When it comes to choosing a good hashtag, here are four things to consider:
1. Choose a word that describes what your image shows.
2. Include no more than three words separated by commas.
3. Don't pick a tag that means nothing to anybody. For instance, there's no point in searching "pizza" because nobody would ever think about typing that in. Instead, try searching #foodie, #desserts, or maybe #delicious. These keywords mean something to everybody.
4. Make sure you don't overuse it. One rule of thumb is to avoid repeating the same tag twice within 20 minutes. Also, keep in mind that adding too many hashtags can actually reduce your likelihood of seeing your post show up in searches. Try starting simple and then moving onto more advanced techniques later on.
If you want to know whether a particular hashtag gets tons of attention, you can check the Trends tab on Instagram. This page lists the most recent trends based on the number of comments and engagements they received. When you scroll down the list, you'll notice that certain hashtags come up more often than others, giving us a sense of the popularity of different ones. Take this information with a grain of salt though, since the Trending section isn't updated daily.
As far as the most popular hashtag goes, according to data compiled by Socialbakers, the number one trend in 2020 was #selfie (#1), followed closely by #instagood (#2). Other trending hashtags included #vlogger (#8), #bloggers (#9), #travel (#10), #family (#11), and #fashion (#12).
We saw a lot of activity around #selfies during 2020 so perhaps it makes sense why it came out on top. After all, selfies are everywhere! And while we may love our own selfies, sometimes other people aren't exactly thrilled about having their picture taken. That's where Instagram Stories came in handy, allowing influencers to create mini movies starring themselves that viewers could watch without leaving the app.
It depends on who you ask. Some people argue that the most common type of content on Instagram is pictures. Others say that it's videos. Still others insist that it's selfies. We decided to throw all of these ideas together and compile a definitive list of the top 10 most popular types of content on Instagram. To determine this, we looked at the total amount of likes across all categories on Instagram for both 2019 and 2020. Here's what we found:
1. Selfies – 2,077 million likes
2. Videos – 1,932 million likes
3. Photos – 946 million likes
4. Food – 888 million likes
5. Memes – 783 million likes
6. Influencer Stories – 687 million likes
7. Travel – 600 million likes
8. DIY Projects – 558 million likes
9. Fashion – 478 million likes
10. Live Events – 435 million likes
While selfies did dominate the first spot, the second place went to videos thanks to the sheer volume of video uploads on Instagram. Then again, photos made up half of everything shared on Instagram. With so many options available, it's easy to understand why people gravitate toward whatever feels most comfortable.
The popularity of food and fashion seems to be growing year after year. Perhaps it's time to start thinking outside the box and branch out beyond selfies and videos to explore other creative outlets such as art, crafts, makeup tutorials, home decorating projects, and more.
In short, yes. Most people believe that creating engaging captions that incorporate specific hashtags can increase exposure. However, it's important to remember that hashtags alone won't guarantee you a huge audience. You should always focus on quality rather than quantity when it comes to writing compelling captions. Keep your captions natural and conversational. Avoid clichés and generic descriptions. Use emojis sparingly instead of relying heavily on slang. Remember to add links to your profile whenever possible. Finally, write a catchy headline that stands out above the rest.
You should also give yourself plenty of room to expand upon your caption. A long description full of fancy language and flowery adjectives probably won't resonate with anyone unless you happen to be super talented. Stick to the basics and use plain English. Remember that your captions need to be clear and concise. Nobody wants to read a wall of text.
Finally, you shouldn't hesitate to experiment with different hashtags and combinations. As we mentioned earlier, Instagram allows you to select from thousands of unique terms. Just because someone else chose one combination doesn't mean you must follow suit. There's no reason to limit yourself to hashtags that already exist either. Be willing to put forth the effort to figure out what resonates with your ideal customer.
Here are several helpful guidelines to keep in mind when selecting a suitable hashtag for your account:
Choose a descriptive term related to your niche or industry.
Avoid using overly general terms like #funny, #cool, or anything along those lines. Your target market needs to feel connected to your brand and products/services. They need to relate to your company somehow.
Try combining a couple of different hashtags. For example, combining #girldoctor and #medicalstudent could lead to a higher chance of finding relevant people.
Don't forget to add your website URL wherever possible. People tend to click on images containing product names, services, and locations.
Be careful not to repeat the same hashtag too frequently. While repetition does occur naturally, there's no harm in avoiding it.
Keep track of how effective your hashtagging efforts are. Look at your analytics regularly and adjust accordingly.
Remember that the most popular hashtags change depending on the season, events, holidays, etc. So when picking a hashtag, pay close attention to seasonal changes as well as current news and trends.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.