How to Use Hashtags in Instagram: Getting More Reach in 2024

3 min read
3 January 2024

Hashtags are the key words that will make your search for some relevant content easier. Instagram uses hashtags for arranging posts for its users. The more precisely you use the hashtag – the easier it is to promote your posts and to expand your audience.

Here are some hints for using hashtags:

Easy-to-understand word

Choose an easy-to-understand word for the hashtag: you brand name, fashion label, your last name, name of the city. Don’t make your hashtag look like a puzzle.

Try saying your hashtag, if it sounds natural – then it’s a good hashtag.

Correct: #fashiongeek #moscowstreetart #mybreakfast Incorrect: #sanfranfoodiegeek #okidokidoodledoo #070517fest

English word

English is the main language of Instagram. If you are using English words as hashtags – you are helping your foreign followers and the service itself in arranging the posts. Refrain from using non-Roman spelling, if you use that spelling for your hashtag – you limit the scope of your users only to those ones, who speak the same language with you.

Correct: #iloverunning #hellyeah #ilovemydog Incorrect: #приветмосква #كس #猫

The exception to this rule would be local brands and companies. If you are promoting your Instagram account on your local market – feel free to do hashtags in your language.

Limit for Popular Hashtags

Don’t use the top and the most popular hashtags with tons of photos published with them. Such hashtags are a waste of time – new posts with these hashtags come faster than you can trace them. Choose a hashtag with a number of photos varying from 5k to 50 k as a tag for your post.

Correct: #vscogood #iloveemirates #everydayadventurer Incorrect: #vsco #nyc #ilovetravel

Find your own hashtag and go for it!

Choose a hashtag for your brand and put it on all the photos on your account. You may have several brand hashtags. For instance, one hashtag may be for the shots made in your show room, another hashtag may be for your goods and products, and still another hashtag may be used for promotion and special offers. This will help you in promoting separate parts of your business. If your customers would like to see everything you can offer – just give them your general brand hashtag.

Make sure all the photos on your hashtag are relevant and there are no odd ones.

5-6 Hashtags Max

If there are too many hashtags on one post – that may be a bit irritating. 5-6 hashtags for a post is perfect: 1-2 your brand hashtags and 3-4 hashtags with limited popularity. This is the way to attract random users interested in popular hashtags to your post, and Instagram will properly arrange such postings.

Just to be safe, use this simple formula: one hashtag per every three words in description.