Hashtag on Instagram: What They are, How to Use them, Tips and Tricks

Standing out on social networks and reaching the audience you want is increasingly complicated. Instagram, a social network where more than 65,000 photos are published per minute, it is practically impossible to reach more users if you do not know the necessary strategies. Today we show you all the details you need to know about what many creators use the worst, hashtags .

What is a hashtag and how does it work?

Hashtags, or tags, are words or a phrase made up of letters, numbers, or emojis, written without leaving a space between them and preceded by the “#” symbol. These tags allow you to classify the content on Instagram according to the theme to which the hashtag is directed.

Hashtag on Instagram How to Use them, Tips and Tricks

For example, if we use the #Photo tag, content related to this topic will appear. And, the more relevant it is to the community, the higher it will be in this classification.

Best of all, for a few years now, this social network has allowed us not only to follow people, but also to keep up to date with the new publications made with these labels. Therefore, it is a fundamental characteristic that you should add to your creations.

Why you should use hashtags on Instagram?

Maybe, if you are reading this article, this is the main question you have about hashtags. There are several reasons that we now list, but the main idea is that, by making correct use of these elements, your presence on this social network will improve. These are the main reasons why you should use hashtags on Instagram:

  • Increase interaction with your posts : by being able to follow the activity of these tags and be used as content classification elements, millions of people end up using hashtags every day. If you have your active account as a creator or as a business account, you will be able to visualize the activity that comes from the use of these elements in your statistics. If you use these elements properly, many people will discover your content through their use.
  • Finding your audience : just like using hashtags on Instagram allows you to make yourself known to a larger audience, you can also find the right audience with your creations and the message you are trying to convey with them. Once again, this aspect lies in the correct use of the labels.

  • Create brand : even if it seems like a lie, a great way to develop your personal brand, publicize a product or transmit your message goes through hashtags. Brands like McDonald’s make custom labels when they develop a new hamburger so that, when the public tries it, they add that hashtag to the photograph that uploads to networks. This way they get interaction and make their product known easily.

7 tricks to optimize your hashtags on Instagram

Although the use of these tags can improve the engagement of your publications, if you do not place the hashtags properly in your posts they will not do much. We show you some of the best tips you can follow to optimize the use of these elements:

  • Don’t use generic hashtags : This is one of the main flaws that most creators have who want to make themselves known on Instagram. If you use tags like #Happiness, #PicOfTheDay or #InstaGood in which there are millions of users to “compete” for the top positions, it is extremely difficult for you to be at the top of the list.

  • Think of similar hashtags : a perfect way to avoid the above problem is to use tags related to that viral hashtag, but it does not have such high competition. This way it will be easier for you to reach a high position within that label. In addition, if you have already identified a hashtag that usually works for you, analyze some similar ones that attract more users.
  • Check the hashtags that your competition uses : one of the most used commercial strategies is to analyze the competition and, of course, it also applies to Instagram. Above all, check the labels that influencers use within the theme of your post .
  • Use the optimal number of hashtags for Instagram : This is an unwritten rule, but after analyzing the data from many posts, we concluded that the optimal number is between 9-15 tags.

  • Use the Instagram search engine : if at any time you have doubts about which hashtags to use, put a keyword in the Instagram search engine that is related to your publication. With this query you may get various ideas of possible labels.
  • Generate hashtags that create interaction : this is, as we mentioned before, the dynamics that many companies follow. If your account is based, for example, on raising awareness of recycling to save the environment, you can create one of these labels to accompany your posts that show how you recycle or tips and tricks to do it correctly. Then you just need to encourage the one who reads it to do the same and add this hashtag to their posts .
  • Add the hashtags before publishing : this detail is key and many creators are unaware of it. Despite the fact that adding or removing a tag after having published a photograph or video in your account, Instagram will not treat or position that publication in the same way (in terms of positioning within a hashtag) as if you did before publishing it.

These are some of the best tips you can follow to optimize the use of hashtags . Remember that not everything is the correct use of these elements and that, of course, your publications must be relevant for the public to be interested in them. If you have any questions about this topic, do not hesitate to leave us a comment and we will resolve it as soon as possible.