How To Use Hashtag Effectively? Your 3-step Hashtags Guide

Hashtags are a key element of audience building and reach on Instagram and that's not about to change.

A post with at least one Instagram hashtag gets 12.6% more engagement compared to posts without a hashtag.

Why do you need to use hashtags?

Hashtags help you:

• get more followers
• improve your engagement rate
• build a community around your business

If you want to growth you Instagram account and get new eyes on your posts, you need to add your hashtags strategically. 

Hashtags help Instagram organize and categorize photos and video content, so people interested in specific topics can quickly find it. 

The right hashtags can put you in front of your target audience.

Avoid these 6 hashtags mistakes 

1 - Not having a public account. 

Private accounts are not visible to the public and your posts can be only be viewed by people who follow you. 

So, adding hashtags to your account doesn't grow your audience. 

2 - Using super popular hashtags 

It is so tempting to use super popular hashtags. Traffic on super popular hashtags is so big that your post might get lost in the mix of it.

Avoid using hashtags like #love

3- Not researching your hashtags

Researching hashtag can take some time, but using niched hashtags on your posts is the best way to reach your ideal customers. 

4- Adding hashtags throughout your caption

Adding hashtag in the text of your caption can encourage your reader to click away from your your post. I avoid this and add all my hashtags at the end of my post. 

5- Not using the full 30 hashtags 

Instagram allows us to use up to 30 hashtags, but some marketing gurus suggest to use 5 or 10 in your feed. I ranked in the feed based on several hashtags because I use the full 30 hashtags. 

6 - Using the same hashtags in every post

This strategy gets your posts look spammy to the algorithm and Instagram doesn't show it to your followers. It is best to research hashtags for each post. 

Where to add your hashtags?

One of the frequently asked question about hashtags is: Where to put hashtags?

There are 4 main ways to post hashtags in 2021.

1 - Add your hashtags in your caption. 

When adding your hashtags in your caption, make sure to skip several lines to add your hashtags. Since hashtags give the opportunity to click away, you want to keep your caption clean.  

2 - Use your 1st comment to post your hashtags

In this case, make sure to post your hashtags in the comment within minutes after posting your post. Instagram shows your post in the general feed based on the time you post them. 

3 - Split you 30 hashtags between your caption and comment

This is another way to add your comment. I don't see any difference from adding hashtag in the caption or slitting it between caption and comment.

4 - Use up to 10 hashtags in your Instagram stories

People who follow hashtags are also shown stories with the hashtags they follow. This gives your content a chance to be discovered by new audiences.

What types of hashtags to use?

How to find your hashtags?

1. In the app, click the search icon at the bottom of your screen
2. Select the tag tab at the top in the menu 
3. Tap in a topic your audience might be interested in.
4. Go through and select your hashtags from the suggested hashtags

 3 ways to use hashtags strategically

1 - Use niche hashtags

These are hashtags that are related to your niche, your expertise, and your message. To find these hashtags reply to this questions:

• How will your audience describe your services?
• What is your niche in your industry?

Use niche hashtags like #weddingphotographer, #soundhealer, #yinyogateacher #travelphotographer

2 - Use community hashtags 

Community hashtags are hashtags that are followed by your audience. This brings even more visibility to your content. People in your audience follow some hashtags; using community hashtags they are more likely to see your content.

Use community hashtags like #bakersofinstagram or #foodiesofinstagram

 3 - Use branded hashtags 

You can create a hashtag for your brand or an upcoming project or launch. The big benefits of these types of hashtags is that they can help you build a community and exclusivity around a launch. 

The easiest way to create a branded hashtag is to use the name of your course, workshop, book,...as your hashtag. Then, invite your followers to follow your branded hashtag. 

 Follow these three steps to effectively use your hashtags - 

if you don't yet have it yet, get my 2021 Instagram Engagement Hack Cheat Sheet here!