The hashtags on Instagram represent the main lever of visibility on the social network. But do you know how to choose and optimize them? Let’s find out together how to use Instagram hashtags without making sure you optimize your content:
Hashtags on Instagram are generally used in a fairly representative way, allowing you to define their roles and see how they index content. They are essential to position themselves but also to ensure the proper referencing of its publications.
However, Instagram is not the origin of the hashtag on social networks , it should rather turn to the side of Twitter to understand the meaning.
If you have never used hashtags on Instagram or if you did not understand their real meaning, you would probably like to optimize them and make better use of the Instagram social network.
After creating your community on Instagram , you will only have to develop your presence there. Know how to create the Instagram post that will make the difference and use hashtags as a social network expert.
What is a hashtag and what is it for?
In a general way, the hashtag precedes a word (#word) or a group of words without spaces left between them, in order to allow a better indexing of the contents, within which you will use them.
Hashtags are used on many social networks, the best known of which is Twitter, followed by Instagram, which can use up to 30 in its publications . We will see however that it is absolutely irrelevant to use as much at the same time.
Hashtags on Instagram or even on another social network, allow indexing publications in one or more categories depending on the number used. The hashtag an indispensable tool, for the one who wants to position itself as an expert or gain influence on a theme.
Example: If one of your contents contains these 2 hashtags: # Brazil and #Tourism. It will be potentially found in the 2 categories that are Brazil and Tourism. Be careful though, because the more you put hashtags, the more you lose relevance to optimize accurate positioning.
Hashtags on Instagram can be placed in account descriptions (bio) as in publications. Placing them within bio will allow your account to be directly referenced on it, as an account.
Putting the hashtags in publications will allow the social network to index them, so that they are more easily found.
The role of hashtags on Instagram is therefore directly related to publications, in order to position them in the most relevant categories possible. You will increase the visibility of your photos, and get a better
The secret to using all the power of hashtags on Instagram is to choose them. There are very popular hashtags that are used on most of the shared photos. Creating the perfect post Instagram requires a clever mix between creation, originality and the choice of these hashtags.
The TagsForLikes website also offers lists of hashtags that are updated regularly. To give you an idea, here are the most popular hashtags used on Instagram.
You could already use it for your photos (not all at once … eh!):
#love #TagsForLikes #TagsForLikesApp #TFLers #tweegram #photoftheday # 20likes #amazing #smile #follow4follow #like4like #look #instalike #igers #picoftheday #food #instadaily #instafollow #followme #girl #iphoneonly #instagood #bestoftheday #instacool # instago #all_shots #follow #webstagram #colorful #style #swag.
By using them it is possible that you gain many likes because of the large flow of people who consult these hashtags. Recall that the hashtag is a way to index content, so just click on one of them to get the list of Instagram publications that will use them.
Nevertheless it can be interesting, and even advisable, to use more precise hashtags to capture a more qualified audience. Indeed, mass tags will generate mentions I like people who will have very little chance to return to see your content.
There is no need to use excessive hashtags within your posts, this will not allow your audience to follow you for a qualified and accurate positioning.
As a result, the more accurate your hashtags are, the more likely you are to get people interested in your content , and be sure that an Instagram page with 10,000 subscribers, but only 20 likes per publication, is pretty bad. for those who visit your profile, as well as for those who are already subscribed.
At this point you will need to analyze performance measurement on Instagram.
Note: The more frequently you use a hashtag, the more legitimacy you will have on the placement you have chosen.
In the long run it will allow you to gain influence on a specific subject. You will allow your audience and your future subscribers to recognize you as an “expert” on topics related to your hashtags
The choice of hashtags on Instagram depends on several parameters that we will see below. In the first place it is a matter of being focus on a theme in order to be a person recognized on it.
The first thing to do is to define its strong hashtags, as your main keywords on which we should find you. If you are a tourism expert and more specifically on a specific continent or country, do not hesitate to select related hashtags.
Then if you have a photographic style of your own, stand out with a hashtag that would define it, such as #vintage # polaroïd #used #blackandwhite #blackwhite etc …
These first hashtags must define you and follow you continuously on most of your Instagram posts. They will represent your footprint.
Secondary hashtags reinforce the universe of your main theme, highlighting for example an atmosphere, a classification or a degree of quality of the photo.
After defining your positioning on a theme and a photographic style, you can add adjectives that will qualify your shots, such as #Tourism #Asia #Vintage #BestPic #Picoftheday #BestPhoto #BeautifulPic #Red #Blue #Campaign #Mountain …
The idea is to identify hashtags that define what is a beautiful photo, a special photo, an effect, a specific place, a dominant color etc …
Thirdly, it is about raising with hashtags what the photo contains by focusing on the main elements that compose it: #Dog #Chat #Photo #Castle #Cat #Snow #Clouds #Ski # Bike …
We could have a final diagram such as: #Tourism #Asia #China #Vintage #BestPic #Chat #Temple
This would translate to one of the best photos that was taken in Vintage Style Dog, representing a cat alongside a temple. All this as part of a trip related to tourism or to promote a tourist office or other.
Depending on your target and / or the scope you want to offer to your business, your passion … consider using hashtags in different languages. If your Instagram account is in English, do not hesitate to offer hashtags like Spanish or German . They will be able to easily consult your content in English.
If you are French and you travel a lot in the context of tourist actions, consider using hashtags in the language of the country visited.
On the TagsForLikes website again, you can also find relevant hashtags for different categories, here is an example:
Food Tags
Family Tags
Travel / Activity / Sports
You will be able to create your own lists of hashtags. The best is to perform many tests by trying combinations of hashtags.
Do A / B testing to fine tune your hashtags
An A / B test is a principle to compare efficiency between two methods. The idea is to set up 2 similar contents by varying an element, here it is the list of hashtags. You will then see the list of hashtags generating the most interactions.
To set up a concrete A / B test, I invite you to create a dozen lists in your theme, and to try all possible combinations to highlight the 3 lists that will perform best.
Once you’ve found them, you’ll just have to mix them to get new ones and re-run the tests until you get one or more optimal lists, depending on the type of publication.
The update of the Instagram algorithm
It is important to note that Instagram has recently updated its algorithm and this has had an impact on hashtags. Indeed, it is no longer recommended to place too many hashtags on Instagram, especially in the description of publications.
This may have a negative impact on your visibility, and what’s more, the one with your fans. Since it will no longer be relevant to you, we advise you to limit the number of hashtags to 5 or slightly more if necessary. In any case, absolutely avoid using them up to 30 as some people could do before.
To understand the relevance, it’s very simple! Previously we emphasized the recurrence of the use of hashtags, on which you want to position yourself. It is much easier to choose 5 relevant hashtags and stick to them in time than to use up to 30 and change them constantly.
Remember that your audience and your future subscribers must recognize you on a positioning … if your photos are creative and original, they will remain so and virality will take place over time.
The operation of the Instagram algorithm
Know above all that an algorithm is a secret recipe jealously guarded internally and that it combines machine learning and artificial intelligence
To learn how Instagram’s algorithm works, a short video of Dan Noel will help you understand how the social network uses your browsing habits to suggest certain results.
You will be able to better optimize the use of your hashtags on Instagram.
I take this opportunity to give you a little tip: In order to have publications that are well optimized and clean to the eye, you do not have to post your hashtags in your description, but you can post them in comment, directly after your publication.
The impact will be the same, and your publication will have a cleaner and more impactful description for your subscribers. You can also learn from good practices on the Instagram social network . in order to perfect the engagement with your community.
