Wondering how to use hashtags on Instagram?
Trying to make sense of conflicting information?
Here’s the rundown on
- How many hashtags to use on Instagram 2019
- Using Instagram hashtags in comments or caption
- Adding hashtags to Instagram after posting
- The most popular Instagram hashtags
- Banned Instagram hashtags 2019
- And exactly how to post Instagram hashtags
Plus so much more, for #success on Instagram!
At the end of the post, you can grab the free Instagram hashtag guide.
How many hashtags should I use on Instagram? 2019
You can use up to 30 hashtags on an Instagram post. But, many marketers say that looks spammy. Use 5 or 6.
Others say using 11 gets you the best engagement.
Well, no. The study they’re referring to found that posts with 11 or more hashtags get the best engagement.
I’m a fan of using all 30 hashtags. Do people find it spammy? My engagement rates say otherwise.
Let’s break down this study:
- 0 Hashtags – 18% interaction per 1k followers
- 1 Hashtag – 29% interaction per 1k followers
- 2 Hashtags – 41% interaction per 1k followers
- 3 Hashtags – 39% interaction per 1k followers
- 4 Hashtags – 31% interaction per 1k followers
- 5 Hashtags – 43% interaction per 1k followers
- 6 Hashtags – 33% interaction per 1k followers
- 7 Hashtags – 30% interaction per 1k followers
- 8 Hashtags – 39.5% interaction per 1k followers
- 9 Hashtags – 49.5% interaction per 1k followers
- 10 Hashtags – 22% interaction per 1k followers
- 11 Hashtags – 79.5% interaction per 1k followers
Using 11 or more hashtags means 442% more engagement that using none, and about double engagement over using 1 – 10.
So yes, use at least 11, and more if you want to grow your account.
Is there a maximum of hashtags on Instagram?
The maximum allowed Instagram hashtags is 30. I recommend you use them all – unless you’re happy with your follower number and engagement.
Want to grow? Use 30 hashtags!
What’s the hack to use 60 hashtags on Instagram?
There used to be a trick where you could first post 30 hashtags in a comment, then go back and edit the photo caption to add 30 more hashtags.
Instagram didn’t recognize the hashtags in the caption edit.
They caught on in 2018, though. So the maximum is 30 Instagram hashtags in 2019.
Should I post Instagram hashtags in comments or caption?
Instagram hashtags may be placed in the photo or video caption when you post it.
Or, hashtags may be added in a comment (or several comments) after posting.
There’s no difference to their functionality, so it’s your choice.
I prefer adding hashtags in comments, as these are quickly buried once you get a few user comments.
As of 2018, the caption is cut off after 2 short lines of text, so caption hashtags don’t show at first glance either.
However, the “More” tag will open the full caption.
If you’ve written an engaging caption with a call-to-action or question (please do!), people may get distracted by a raft of hashtags and forget to complete your desired action.
This is why I recommend Instagram hashtags in comments rather than captions.
How to hide hashtags on Instagram
You can hide those 30 hashtags, so they can’t look spammy!
Make them invisible by preceding them with five dashes or periods, each one on a line by itself.
NO space after the period or it won’t work. If you post this in your first comment, IGers will just see […] after your name in the photo stream.
(Tested 1/11/2019 – it still works. The hashtags are only invisible in the photo stream! If someone clicks to read comments, they will see the hashtags).
Create your hashtag text file as I show below, in your phone’s Notes app, because there’s no return key when posting a comment in Instagram.
NOTE: If you’re having problems with this trick, it’s almost always because you have a space at the end of your line. It’s a bizarre and annoying quirk, but Instagram will take out the return if there’s a space at the end of the preceding line.
Can I add hashtags to someone else’s Instagram photo?
No. You can’t add working hashtags by commenting on any other account than the one you’re signed into.
IGers may comment with hashtags, but the other IGer’s post won’t appear in that hashtag feed.
You may see people leaving hashtag comments on others’ posts. Often, the commenter is suggesting that the original poster add that hashtag.
A little helpful advice, perhaps.
Or, they may not know. But generally I see this between groups of IG friends who are helping each other get featured on Instagram hub accounts.
What are the most popular hashtags on Instagram?
Here are the 10 best Instagram hashtags for likes, according to Websta.me, an Instagram analytics tool:
- #love
- #instagood
- #photooftheday
- #fashion
- #beautiful
- #happy
- #cute
- #tbt
- #like4like
- #followme
Really want more? Here’s the rest of the 100 best hashtags for likes:
#picoftheday #follow #me #selfie #summer #art #instadaily #friends #repost#nature
#girl #fun #style #smile #food #instalike #likeforlike #family #travel #fitness
#igers #tagsforlikes #follow4follow #nofilter #life #beauty #amazing #instamood #instagram #photography
#vscocam #sun #photo #music #beach #followforfollow #bestoftheday #sky #ootd #sunset
#dog #vsco #l4l #makeup #f4f #foodporn #hair #pretty #swag #cat
#model #motivation #girls #baby #party #cool #lol #gym #design #instapic
#funny #healthy #night #tflers #yummy #flowers #lifestyle #hot #instafood #wedding
#fit #handmade #black #pink #일상 #blue #work #workout #blackandwhite #drawing
#inspiration #home #holiday #christmas #nyc #london #sea #instacool #goodmorning #iphoneonly
However – I suggest you get a little more creative with your hashtags. Read on…
Should I use popular Instagram hashtags?
If you’re using 30 hashtags, okay, go ahead and make 1 or 2 of those popular ones.
This will get you some quick likes. However, most of those will be fake, bot likes.
Yes, automated “bot” activity is still a problem on Instagram in 2019.
Use popular tags, and you’ll likely also be the target of annoying follow-unfollow activity.
This is where those rule-breaking IGers use automation to follow accounts they think might follow them back.
If you don’t, or maybe even if you do, they’ll unfollow you anyway.
Don’t take it personally, as it’s all automated. No one is making any judgement of your account.
Please don’t ever do this. You risk your account being shadowbanned or even closed.
But back to those popular tags, they may work for likes in the first second after you post. Your post will be quickly buried in the hashtag feed.
In addition, popular hashtags are often used by spammers and quickly get banned!
Using banned hashtags may put you in league with spammers and arouse Instagram’s suspicions about your account.
Banned Instagram hashtags 2019
So now you want to know: which hashtags are banned by Instagram?
Unfortunately this is an ever-moving target. According to Markitors.com:
… the hashtag #happythanksgiving was completely overrun with spam, so they banned it. From here on out, if you use the hashtag #happythanksgiving, not only will your content most likely not show up for that hashtag, you might also be flagged for spam. The repetitive use of banned hashtags, leading to multiple flags to your account, could even result in shadow banning or account removal.
Of course, in order to avoid these forbidden hashtags, you have to know which tags are banned. How is anyone supposed to know that #happythanksgiving is considered “spam”?
There are 3 ways to avoid using banned hashtags:
- Don’t use any of the most popular Instagram hashtags.
- Research any hashtag before using it.
- Use Tailwind Hashtag Finder. NO banned hashtags are ever included.
To research currently banned tags, search for a specific hashtag in the search bar.
Click on the hashtag and scroll through the pictures.
If you reach an end where a message says the posts are “currently hidden,” it’s a banned hashtag.
Want to save the hassle of researching banned tags, and find the best assortment of hashtags for your audience?
Click to learn more about Tailwind Hashtag Finder for Instagram.
Or jump in and try it out! It’s free for 30 Instagram posts.
• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •
Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may make a referral fee if you sign up.
What are the best Instagram hashtags?
I don’t recommend popular tags, for the reasons stated above.
Here’s what I do recommend:
Use more hashtags that are relevant to your niche.
Using specific and relevant hashtags helps you connect with people who are looking for exactly what you’re posting.
You can find relevant tags by searching your keywords in Instagram, or using a site like Hashtagify.me.
Watch what others in your niche are using.
See what your peers and influencers are posting on their photos.
Check out the related tags Instagram suggests when you tap a tag that’s relevant to your content. Try them if they seem useful!
Be sure your hashtags are active.
Check the hashtag feed to see that the tags you’re using are currently being used by others.
Hint: If you scroll down 20 rows and are still finding content posted in the last few seconds, that tag is too active!
Stop using the most popular hashtags like pretty, beautiful, love and similar ones.
Your post will be buried in that feed within milliseconds. In researching this, I also discovered a lot of posts in those tags that I don’t even want to be seen with (some I even felt obligated to report).
Okay, sprinkle in a few popular hashtags when relevant to your post.
Not necessarily the ones with 100M’s of posts, but one or two over 1M might give you some quick likes.
Note: Your content really needs to be awesome to stand out in a lighting-fast moving tag feed!
Create a custom tag for your brand or campaign.
Check that these tags aren’t already being used, particularly in a way you wouldn’t approve of!
Prompt fans and followers to use your tag, and you’ll soon learn just who your superfans are. Support, encourage, and regram them!
Easily find the best Instagram hashtags!
Sign up for a free Tailwind trial. Cost after trial: $9.99 per month, paid annually.
• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •
Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may make a referral fee if you sign up.
Can I add hashtags to Instagram after posting?
Once upon a time, using hashtags was easy:
- You posted a bunch with your photo.
- You came back later, deleted those tags, and added a bunch more.
- Magically, your post was bumped to the top of those hashtag feeds, regardless of how long it had been since the original post.
- Your engagement spiked once again.
But Instagram changed all that for us in March 2015.
No matter when you add a hashtag to your photo or video, it will appear in that hashtag feed with other photos and videos posted at its original posting time.
Or as Instagram says:
Keep in mind that if you add a hashtag to a photo after it was posted, the photo will still appear on the hashtag page according to the time it was originally posted, not the time the hashtag was added.
The short answer is yes, you can add hashtags to your own posts after posting.
Popular hashtags must be added immediately, or your post will never surface in those feeds.
If you like, you can delete those later and add niche hashtags in their place.
Personally, I think your time is better spent on creating new Instagram posts.
Why are my Instagram hashtags not working?
You may be the victim of a shadowban.
A shadowban hides your Instagram posts from users who don’t follow you, which can be detrimental to growing your account and getting more followers.
If you get shadowbanned on Instagram, only you and your current followers will see your post when they search for the hashtags you used. If someone who doesn’t follow your account searches for one of those hashtags, they won’t see your post!
This defeats the purpose of using strategic hashtags to grow your Instagram community.
I’ve even had readers say they can’t find their own posts in the hashtag feeds! This could also be due to shadowban. Or, as IG calls it, “issues with hashtag search.”
Instagram doesn’t admit there is such a thing, by the way, so don’t expect to get help from them.
You can use the “Report a Problem” feature in your account settings under “Support.” I no longer get a reply when I do this, but it can’t hurt.
I would suggest saying “my post isn’t showing in the hashtag feeds” and not use the word “shadowban.”
How can I avoid being shadowbanned?
Instagram shadowbanning is sometimes a result of spammy behavior.
However, some normal behavior is also getting users shadowbanned:
- Repeated use of the same hashtag group within 24 hours.
- Using “broken” or banned hashtags.
Sometimes a normal, everyday hashtag can be banned.
Popular tags are often used on content that violates IG community guidelines. Then Instagram might block the hashtag outright, meaning you can’t even search for it on IG, or they’ll limit the posts shown in that hashtag feed.
With the shadowban, it appears that even if you use a single banned hashtag in your post, Instagram will prevent your post from appearing on any of the hashtags you used!
So, you could search each hashtag feed individually for evidence that a tag is broken or banned. Don’t use those!
OR, just make your life easier by using Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder!
It will give you fresh, related choices so you’re not repeating the same hashtag group, and it will only suggest tags that are Instagram-approved!
To sign up for a free TailWind trial, click here. Cost after trial: $9.99 per month, paid annually.
• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •
Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may make a referral fee if you sign up.
How to post Instagram hashtags for best results:
If you insist on using uber-popular hashtags, you MUST post them in your post caption.
If you wait even a second to post them in a comment, they’re pretty much worthless, as your post will be buried in that hashtag feed the instant you add it.
If you post hashtags in several comments, post the more popular ones first.
Post hashtag comments in the order of how fast the hashtag feeds move!
Niche hashtags CAN still be added at a later date!
DON’T bother adding hashtags where the original date of your post would have it buried deeply in the feed – BUT there are some cool super-niche hashtags that have only several hundred to a few thousand posts in them. Many of these even have avid fans!
For easiest hashtagging, keep groups of 30 hashtags in your phone’s Notes app.
Create and save a set of 30 tags for each type of post you make (or less than 30 if you insist 😉 ).
Copy your hashtag group before you make your IG post!
Then you have them ready on your clipboard to add in a comment immediately. No fumbling, no wasting valuable seconds. Or, set up a text shortcut!
Conclusion: Do This for Instagram hashtag success!
Make your Instagramming easy!
Sign up for a free Tailwind trial. Cost after trial: $9.99 per month, paid annually.
• • • Try TailWind Instagram Hashtag Finder for FREE • • •
Disclosure: I’m a Tailwind affiliate, which means I may make a referral fee if you sign up.
Use 11 to 30 hashtags to grow your account.
Hide your hashtags in a comment with . and return, 5 times.
Use more hashtags relevant to your niche.
- What are your keywords?
- What are peers/competitors/influencers using?
- What does Instagram suggest as related?
Use only a few popular hashtags.
- Only use tags relevant to your content.
- Post in the description – don’t wait for the comment.
- Your content must rock to stand out in popular tag feeds.
Choose hashtags that are actively used (but not too active!).
Create a custom tag for your brand or campaign.
- Be sure to check first to see if it’s already being used.
- Promote your tag’s use by followers.
- Engage / shout out your fans who use it!
Keep hashtag groups in your phone’s Notes app.
- One group for each type of content you post.
- Copy them to your clipboard before you post content.
- Follow up immediately with hashtags in a comment.
Bonus tip: Your hashtags will magically work much better if you’re posting awesome visuals! People are scanning those hashtag feeds, and you need to stand out.
• • • CLICK for your FREE Instagram Hashtag Guide! • • •
If this post has helped you learn how to use hashtags on Instagram, please share!
Melisa says
Thanks for this post. I’m trying to clarify – you recommend putting the hashtags in the comments (with 5 periods above them) and not the post itself?
Louise Myers says
I do. Keeps it cleaner.
Henosis says
Hey Louise! Your article is awesome! I agree with you on this “Use more hashtags that are relevant to your niche. ” With great content specific for a brand and relevant hashtags will enable a business to take advantage of the traffic and improve client engagement.
Miles says
Hey Louise, great article and thank you. Now if I add 30 hashtags and then post, then erase and add 30 different hashtags. I’m I still active in the first set of 30 tags?
Louise Myers says
I believe if you still see your post in a hashtag you deleted then you’re probably seeing a cached version. Only someone who’s seen it before would see the cache.
Adding hashtags to older posts is kinda pointless though, unless they’re so niched that you’ll still be near the top of the feed.
Ted says
Hey there!
Great article thank you for sharing! I have realized if you delete the hashtag post in the commentsan repost exactly the same you have immediately some likes even though the date of the original post is taken into account! How is that possible?
Louise Myers says
Possibly just by adding a comment looks like new engagement on the post.
Amira Leyva Cervantes says
Comments are still displayed in full when viewing from the desktop browser. this trick does work when using a mobile browser (IOS, Android). Anyways thanks for the article. your writings are amazing.
Holly says
I’ve found that none of the hashtags I’ve added to my posts have worked – the post does not show in the hashtag page. This is the case for every hashtag on every post I’ve made since I started the insta feed five days ago. Do you know why this might be? Mine’s a business feed and I need to grow it but I’m struggling to without working hashtags. Any advice would be welcome! Thanks.
Louise Myers says
Read the middle section of this post about shadowban.
Or it could be that you’ve included a banned hashtag. Then none will work.
Also, IG has affirmed that not every post is shown in hashtag feeds. There could be an algorithm for this and your account may be too new.
Jonah says
Hi Louise. I’m Jonah from Hashtagify.me. I’ve just read your article and want to thank you very much for introducing our tool to your readers 🙂
Louise Myers says
Cool! Nice to meet you, Jonah.
Eva says
Hi Louise,
great article, but I’m getting confused, for the lady couple of month we were told that the hashtags now have to go into the caption and that they won’t work in comments. Is this no longer true?
Louise Myers says
I don’t know what lady you refer to, but this hasn’t been true in the years I’ve been on Instagram.
Leanne says
Hi, so you can’t put hashtags on an account you aren’t signed into? is that correct? how long do the hashtags last. Its seems you an take them down 2 weeks later and do a whole lot of new ones and it goes back to the top?
Louise Myers says
“you can’t put hashtags on an account you aren’t signed into” Correct.
“It seems you can take them down 2 weeks later and do a whole lot of new ones and it goes back to the top” If that works for you, great. IG says they’ll appear in the hashtag feed with other content posted at the same time (NOT the time that the tags were added).
shanu robin says
Hello Louise,
Thanks for the valuable informaion, and i think these post is going to help me very much. Even still I don’t know how many hashtag can be used in instagram. But after reading your post I have come to know how many I can use and even how to use also. And I even want to know one thing, is this works where I can promote my brand and can you tell me how much time it’s take to get popoluar ?
Louise Myers says
“how much time does it take to get popular”
This will totally vary depending on your niche, content, and how much time you spend on your account.
Jeremie Moritz says
Hi Louise, I’ve been told lately that the way hashtags are used is changing and that we should not use more Than 5 to 8 hashtags vs. 20 before as Instagram is penalizing accounts using too many – any feedback on this?
Louise Myers says
I would love to hear if you experience more engagement using less hashtags. I personally haven’t found this to be true.
Evie Seifu says
Thank you very informative. Learned quite a bit – so much info out there and yes conflicted and conflicting.
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped, Evie!
Manuel says
Thank you, Louise. I’ve been looking for this kind of well investigted article for like hours. Just wanted to say Thank You!
Louise Myers says
Great to hear it 🙂
Pradip Kalkani says
Hello Louise Myers
first of all thank you for this post its very useful to me but i have a Questions for hashtags
1) if i add tags in my insta photo comment its work or not ? it can be show on hashtags page right?
2) how many time i can add 30 tags sets in photo comments ?
Louise Myers says
1), yes and yes.
2), one time.
Karin says
Wow. Thank you for the simple no fuss article!! Quick Question:
If I delete my hashtags out of the comments a week after the post, will people stop seeing the post. I noticed all the big insta accounts I follow (20k + followers) don’t ever seem to have any hashtags on their posts.
Thanks a bunch
Louise Myers says
If you delete the hashtags, your post won’t be in the hashtag feeds. But after a week, it would likely be pushed very far down anyway.
Most big brands use only a few hashtags. But they have other ways of growing their accounts.
Daniel Erlich says
Hi Louise! your article is amazing! just one question that got me confused.
At one point you wrote to put hashtags only in post caption but after that you wrote to put hashtags in a comment. So I hope you clarify that!
Louise Myers says
The reference to putting hashtags in the caption was ONLY referring to super popular tags. Don’t wait to put them in a comment. Of course, I don’t think you should use them at all, but my advice was to those who insist on it.
jak says
Hello
For a while, my hashtags will not be displayed to me and my friends
What is the reason for this problem
Is it hid by Instagram?
Previously, 100 hashtags were displayed with my photo. But now on the hashtags page, the hashtag will not be displayed with my photo
Louise Myers says
You can’t use 100 hashtags. Plus Instagram has confirmed that not all hashtagged posts will appear in the feeds. They may even be penalizing you for breaking the rules.
jak says
thank u very very
Randy Fresh says
Awesome article, thanks for the tips. I Have one question. Can i post 30 hashtags in the Post and 30 in the comments?
Thanks
Fresh
Louise Myers says
You would have to add them to the caption after the comment, and I can’t guarantee this is effective. Instagram knows this is a hack but hasn’t stopped it yet.
DJ steve says
Thx for the helpful info Louise!
I am a super fan of someone and want to help their IG. Does it help them when I use hashtags in my comments on their videos and photos? Thx
Louise Myers says
Nope, you can’t add hashtags to someone else’s post. Commenting helps though!
Dani says
I’m just dipping my toes in the Insta-pool for my voiceover work. Having noticed the hashtags in comments thing, I started to wonder.
So glad I came across your post.
And I like your patience in dealing with people’s queries/ comments.
I’ll be back!
Louise Myers says
Thanks Dani, and best of luck!
Diane says
Great tip and I’ve seen it done, but it won’t work for me. I use the preview app first, with their comments below the caption. I try to add my own hashtags in the comments, but all I get is an error message.
Louise Myers says
Not sure what you mean by preview app, or exactly your process. But if you have 30 hashtags in the caption, you can’t go back and add more in a comment.
Chetan bhagat says
Thank you so much for the article .
I use 30 hashtags on every post , i try my best to keep them as close to the content as possible.
Can i get blocked for using too many hashtags??
Louise Myers says
30 is the allowed amount.
Lauren says
Hi Louise,
If you post a photo but your account is on private, should I go public after I post? Before?
I want to get the most engagement but im not sure if that works on private, or how long i should leave my profile on public before going back to private.
Help!
Louise Myers says
Why would you switch back and forth? I think you need to decide if you want strangers to see your posts (public account) or not (private).
ayomide olanrewaju says
hello
can I create a personal hashtag for my self or instagram account
Louise Myers says
Yes! Just start tagging your posts with it, and it will create is own hashtag feed.
Daniel says
Hi, Louise. Thank you so much for your amazing tips!
But I have a question…
If I change hash tags in my original posting, which hash tags are released to the public?
Original? or After edit?
Louise Myers says
Hashtags are released when you post them (unless your account is private). Removing a tag will remove you from the tag feed. Adding new tags to old content that hadn’t been popular will probably not get you much if any engagement tho. Unless they’re super niche tags with few posts in the feed, your content will be buried bc the feeds are chronological (unless you can snag a Top Post).
Theodore says
Hi Louise, lots of great tips, all based on experience, thanks!!
About hashtag popularity, I have a question. My account has around 4K followers and I get around 400 likes average, few
reaches 700, some stays around 300. For a travel shot, which hashtags should I target more, hashtags like #travelmore -> 75M , #travellingtheworld ->2M or #besttravelshots -> 400K ?
Louise Myers says
You could split test, but in general I recommend not using tags over 1M.
Theodore says
Thanks for your kind reply! That was great advice and worked very well! I did a lot of googling lately and you are definitely the best source on Instagram hashtags, thanks:)))
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome! I love to get nice comments like this – so thank you too!
peter says
I am still confused about why the popular hashtags should be added in the caption rather in the comment. How does the hashtag feed work?
Louise Myers says
The popular hashtag feeds move so fast that one second is too long to wait to add one to your post.
Marcin says
Hi , I have a question regarding the info that it is not allowed to use same hashtags in every post? Is it true? And if so, is it also not ok to use own hashtag in every post either?
Thank you for your answer.
Louise Myers says
The issue is using ALL the same hashtags in every post. There shouldn’t be a problem as long as you’re changing up some of them. But, Instagram is very fickle so I can’t guarantee anything 🙂
Anthony says
Thank you for the great article Louise! I just learned that since February, you aren’t supposed to use the exact same hashtags in every post. So to clarify, to the best of your knowledge :
1. If I am posting 30 hashtags for each message, how many hashtags would you recommend changing from one post to the next before it is likely safe to not get penalized by the algorithm as suspected spam? Five? Ten? Fifteen?
2. How long would you say it’s OK to go before using the exact same set of 30 hashtags again? I only post once a week, and was wondering if I could use three slightly different hashtag lists on a rotating basis. So this would mean that each list would repeat once every three weeks with two other alternate list posts in between. Would this be OK?
Thank you!
Louise Myers says
What you’re suggesting is probably OK. There’s really no way to know, so I wouldn’t want to say x is safe… because no one knows.
Elizabeth says
I am facing problem posting 60 hashtags (first 30 in the comment and additional 30 in edited caption) since yesterday. Does anyone face the same problem?
Louise Myers says
yes, IG finally figured out how to disable this
Michael says
Wow such a great article, I’ve finally found one that explains it all so well! Thank you for this. I’m a photographer working mostly in Boudoir/portrait. I have been having a very tough time gaining exposure though I do get messages from fellow photographers and models complimenting my work. It just needs to be seen!!!! I’m sitting at 280 ish followers and have over the last month made a personal effort to grow my account. I’m hoping with my new found understanding of hashtags I can gain some traction. Thank you!
Michael says
So to be clear I should not be copy and pasting the same hashtags on all my photos even if they are the same niche? I should maybe save 20 and manually input additional different ones in each post so that IG doesn’t crack down on me correct? (I was reading the fellow comments and one mentioned something about repeat hashtag use)
Louise Myers says
This seems to be the case. It may just be a 24-hour thing, ie, don’t use the same set within 1 day. But it’s always good to mix things up and keep them as relevant as possible.
Louise Myers says
Bonus tip, if you’re getting attention from fellow photographers and models, you may need to look into the hashtags your AUDIENCE would be looking for. Not what your competitors are looking for.
Michael says
Very interesting point, Hmmm. Is there an easier way to discover that information? or just guess? Maybe take cues from other photographers use of hashtags?
Louise Myers says
Options:
Copy photographers using hashtags that are getting them clients
Lots of trial and error
Buy the course Hashtag Hero
disclosure: I may get a referral fee if you purchase the course… but I’m betting it would save you tons of time.
Michael says
I have yet to be successful with hiding my hashtags! Can you confirm that it still works? I’ve tried Evernote assuming it was my note app not working properly. I copy and past the hashtags I want to use then add my 5 (.) and returns. I make sure there is no space after the hashtags by hitting delete and confirming cursor location. I’ve tried two different times with same result.
Louise Myers says
Yes it works. The space problem I mentioned is after the . and before the return.
Hunter says
Michael, did you figure it out? From you comment, I read that you are copying the hashtags and adding the 5 . in IG before pasting. That is not correct according to Louise article and screenshot. The 5 .’s and returns are added in your text document before the hashtags and the entire list, (.’s and #’s) are copied and pasted. If I’m not mistaken.
Louise Myers says
You can do them in IG as long as you delete the space after the period.
scotty says
This doesn’t work! I tried typing them directly into IG and also tried pasting from Notes. There’s no space after the period. They comment shows up as a comment. What am I doing wrong? Can someone explain? Or did IG change this?
Louise Myers says
It may look different if you’re looking at it in the feed (where you don’t see the comment) or tap on the image to open all the comments. Very few people will actually do that. So, it still “works” for the majority of views.
Nicin says
Hey. My name is Nicin. I really liked the article … but there are a few questions, I hope you can help me. As I understand it: better than 10 good hashtags than 10 good and 10 not so good? Bad hashtags can mess up a photo search … right? Or is it better to add all 30 … and then change? I am new to this issue. Now I want to study this issue. You need to know and understand what is happening with the account. There are new subscribers 20 per night (I’m a beginner) … I can not understand that hashtags have affected so … can this be?
Louise Myers says
Sure, if you’re using banned hashtags they could hurt you.
Paulina says
Love the article, can you show an example of How to make the hastags invisible? Thanks in advance ?
Louise Myers says
There’s a large graphic showing this, right in the article.
Maggi Scott says
How do you collect hashtags? Manually or you use services?
Louise Myers says
Manually is best.
Sean says
Thank you for this. I had been doing the ….. thing to keep the tags separate already but only using a few tags on each post. Results were “ok”.
After doing a post with 30 of the top tags things really took off. I tried another post where only one of the tags was over a million and got similar results.
The biggest difference seemed to be the number of comments for some reason. I used pictures that had been posted previously over a year ago just to rule out the quality of the pic in the responses.
Anyway, great results, lots of engagement and several new followers. Thanks a lot!
@frankietakescanada
Louise Myers says
Cool! Here’s to continued success.
v2 says
Found this article very insightful. Thanks Louise. I have a business account and off late, I am not able to tag people. When I do so, the app crashes. However, when I do it in another account, the tagging feature works. What could be happening? I suspect that I am shadow banned. How do I get out of it?
Louise Myers says
I’ve never heard of anything like this with shadowban. Weird that the app crashes. If you have another device, see if it gives the same problem. No idea how to solve it though.
Kiarra Julien says
Thank you for your suggestions! I hope they work. I will be trying them out tonight for my Digital Marketing Business’ IG Account. Your post was very informative! I might even sign up for the product you suggestion, so I hope you get that commission! 🙂
Henry says
I’ve been trying these tips for a few months now and I’ve only got 140ish followers, what am I doing wrong?? I don’t think my feed is that bad…
Louise Myers says
Hashtags are important but only part of Instagram success. The biggest way to get engaged followers is probably liking and commenting on other accounts.
Alexander F says
Hi Louise,
The article was incredibly informative and thank you for sharing! I was curious was resources do you use in order to discover relevant, trending, and popular hashtags? And likewise, how to know which hashtags are banned?
Best,
Louise Myers says
I personally only use Instagram to find hashtags. I’m sure there are apps and tools as well.
Arnel Gonce says
I thought you said you used tailwindapp?
Louise Myers says
I use Tailwind for Pinterest. I don’t use Instagram for business, just personal, so I don’t need an app for that.
moon says
less popular and too small to bother on hashtags? Are you using the numbers of posts as your guide? #Realestate has 5 million posts and #realestateSacramento has 11 posts. Do you have any suggestions for the kind of volume that represents that sweet spot?
Louise Myers says
10K to 1 million.
Rob Dean says
Good job!! It really is worth creating a hashtag strategy for your brand if you want to grow your account!
Louise Myers says
Definitely!
Arnel Gonce says
Why would you want to save hashtag groups if repeated use gets you shadowbanned? Confused…
Louise Myers says
Only if you’re using them in a spammy way, which isn’t specifically defined, but probably using the exact set more than once in 24 hours. I just change up a few. But I only post 1x/day as well…
Rick says
I added 20 new hashtags to post that we’re over a week old. Just thought I would share because it ended up getting me a bunch of likes immediately and a bunch of followers.
Louise Myers says
Cool! I noted that less-popular tags can be added much later. I don’t think top tags will work though, as your post is too far down in the feed.
Let me know if you used ones with millions of uses! I’m curious what worked for you.
Erin Byrd says
Hi! Great article, I learned so much information in a clear and concise way. About the hashtag issue, what about when weddings have a specific hashtag they want everyone attending to use to see all the photos taken—would that make Instagram have an issue with it because so many posts are going up in a short amount of time or within 48 hours that then those hashtags are then not shown in search? I definitely need to try the comment with the saved hashtags in my notes.
Louise Myers says
Not sure why they wouldn’t be found in the hashtag feed after 48 hours, unless you have hundreds to thousands of them going up every day.
Davey says
Unknowingly, I continued to use the same set of hashtags and have been shadowbanned.
I have tried numerous ways to remove the shadowban (contacted IG, stopped using hashtags, removed all hashtags from all posts, greatly increased the engagement with my followers, bought ads and now have logged out for a week) and the ban still remains.
Do you have successful recommendations?
I am beginning to think I just need to start a new account.
Thank you for any insight you could provide!
Louise Myers says
Hi Davey, I don’t know what you can do except wait it out. IG will not help as they insist there’s no such thing as shadowban.
Davey. says
Thank you for taking the time to reply. Some people say it takes a full two weeks for the ban to be removed. I am just not sure.
IG may not call it a shadowban, but it definitely exists.
IG is definitely limiting the people who can see my posts on the hashtag pages.
I have asked people who are not following me to check if they can see my posts on the hashtag pages and they cannot.
If any of your other resources have any answers, I am open to suggestions.
It seems IG wants you to use their platform, but only under their unwritten rules – very frustrating as this ban is definitely affecting my business.
If I had only know, you could not repetitively use the same hashtags, I would not have done so.
It makes me wonder what other unwritten rules I am unaware of.
Thank you again for taking the time to reply. You articles are very insightful and great reads!
Romana says
Grazie Louise,
per questo bellissimo e completo post, da ora metterò in pratica tutti i tuoi suggerimenti per il mio account.
Farò sapere se sono riuscita e se hanno funzionato.
Grazie grazie grazie, pochi post sono così completi come il tuo.
Louise Myers says
Prego 🙂
aileene says
Thanks much for this Louise, your article was great as a confirmation of many points! 🙂
Gloria says
I am new to IG and want to promote my handmade wreaths. I posted a lot of photos but didn’t know about tagging each photo. Can I delete all photos and start all over? And how do you search hash tags as you wrote? And what is the hash tag page?
Louise Myers says
Don’t delete the photos. Post them again if you like.
To search hashtags, use the search icon at the bottom of the app. Tapping a hashtag will take you to the hashtag feed (or page).
Jeff says
Thanks Louise for the useful tips. Besides hashtags, use of cross-platforms can also help a lot in growth. Your account grows fast when fans on other platforms get to know your Insta presence. Plus buying IG services can also help grow an organic audience as people love to follow those with massive counts on profile.
Louise Myers says
I can’t recommend using services to get followers. I tested one that was 100% manually done by VAs. I did get followers but it killed my account.
John says
Hello Louise thanks for the help. Where does the 442% number come from that you use in 11 or more hashtags for engagement?
Louise Myers says
It is simply the 79.5% engagement for 11 or more divided by the 18% engagement for 0.
John says
Awesome got it!