Should You Be Using Hashtags?
Hashtags are the best way to grow your Instagram profile organically. There is so much speculation out there about how many you should use in each post, where you should place them, and what hashtags you should even use. Let’s clear things up.
WHAT EVEN IS A HASHTAG?
A hashtag is a keyword or phrase behind the ‘#’ sound on Instagram that allows users to search for related content. Hashtags are sort of like tags for your content. They describe what your content is about.
SHOULD YOU BE USING HASHTAGS?
Yes. 1,000 times yes! Hashtags are a way for new followers to find your post and profile. Without hashtags on your Instagram posts it is hard for your account to grow organically. Hashtags help your posts get found, and without them how do you expect people to find your profile?
WHAT HASHTAGS SHOULD I BE USING?
You want to be using niche hashtags for your posts, and not using random hashtags that are not relevant to your content. Niche hashtags are hashtags with less than 200k posts under them. When you click on a hashtag on Instagram you will see how many posts there are under the hashtag at the top! For example, #love and #igers no longer work on the platform. They have millions of posts under them and they are WAY overused! You want to use hashtags that describe what your business is, where it’s located and your audience. For example if you are a hair salon in Hoboken, New Jersey serving women clients a few hashtags you could use are:
#hobokenhair #hairsalonnj #hobokenhairsalon #njstylist #hobokenstylist
HOW MANY SHOULD YOU USE?
Instagram let’s you use 30 hashtags on each… so use all 30! When you are using the right, niche hashtags like we discussed above you won’t have any issues. However, it’s best to not copy and paste the same 30 hashtags on every post you share. Create a few sets of 30 niche hashtags and rotate them around. You can check your insights to see if exactly how many impressions you are getting from hashtags. If the number is low, it is smart to switch out those hashtags and test another set!
FINALLY, WHERE SHOULD YOU PUT THEM?
Many people speculate that hashtags are only meant for the caption, while others debate that they are better in the first comment on your post. The verdict: it only affects the aesthetic of your post, and won’t affect the engagement on your content! If you are scheduling your content, using a scheduler like Planoly, then you can simply put them at the end of the caption or in the first comment if you pay for their plan. It’s up to you!
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