How to Use Instagram #Hashtags Like a Pro
Today, as Instagram accounts are close to becoming more important than a website, it's important to use relevant hashtags in your main captions or a comment below to attract your target audience members.
By using relevant hashtags in your posts, your chances of gaining new followers, getting more likes and upping engagement significantly increases if you can get your post is a top performer for the hashtags used. It'll also help you land in good hands, aka accounts in the same space, or your market audience, versus random accounts who don't care about your content. Don't worry, you do not have to #hashtag #every #single #word in your post.
Here's how we create strong hashtags:
1. Determine the main theme of our post
Are we posting about an American made clothing brand? A clean beauty brand? A local beer hall? A pretty door? A paleo entrée? Say we're posting about an American made brand. We probably want to think about hashtags like #USAmade, #SustainableBrand, #AmericanMade, or maybe #MadeinBoston, etc.
2. Check with your audience and your competitors
Do a quick search to also see what other people are doing or what's trending. What tags does this clothing brand use? Do they have a brand specific tag? If so, add that. Do they use #EthicalFashion or #SustainableApparel? Or maybe #ConsciousBlogger is a good fit. Add those as well.
3. Look at the stats
The chance of you outperforming the hundreds of thousands of other accounts vying for the top slot of the #USAmade feed will be pretty tough. As of now, there are 205,504 posts with that hashtag. But what about #SustainableFashionBlogger? There are only 5,131 posts on that feed. Depending on how your account is currently performing, you'll probably have a pretty good chance at sticking to the top of that feed for a bit and will hopefully catch the attention of some new followers. Add #SustainableFashionBlogger instead of #USAmade.
4. Search is your friend
Instagram is amazing and does a lot of the legwork for you in helping you find related hashtags. As you enter in hashtags in the search, take a peek at the options that populate and see how they're performing. We've found some real gems this way. And ended up in dark holes. Either way, it's a good thing.
5. Save your hashtags
I personally save mine in an iPhone Note, in a GoogleSheet and in my Later App account. That way I always have a foundation to start with. Nothing is worse than trying to think of strong hashtags on the go!