By Sarah Knowles | October 3, 2023

Live chevron patterns, Boomerangs, and skinny jeans, using mass hashtag blocks at the end of your Instagram posts is officially chuegy.

Hashtags will always be around, but thanks to Adam Mosseri and Instagram’s ever-evolving algorithms, we must continue discussing the role of hashtags — and how to effectively utilize them — in our social media strategy.

Hashtags are no longer about volume and trying to reach as many people as possible, but about getting seen by the RIGHT people. AKA slapping some generic hashtags on a post and calling it a day is no longer sufficient. 

Today, hashtags are used in a number of ways beyond improving your discoverability, such as community-building, sourcing user-generated content (UGC), running campaigns, and more. 

Here are 3 effective, updated strategies for using hashtags on Instagram:

1. CATEGORIZE YOUR CONTENT WITH HYPER-RELEVANT HASHTAGS

Unlike the early Instagram days, using ultra-popular hashtags is no longer the best strategy for getting more reach and engagement, as they’re WAY oversaturated and less likely to be seen.

As the platform continues to expand its discoverability and SEO tools, it needs to be able to accurately categorize content for the Explore Page and Instagram Reels tab, while also weeding out spammy or irrelevant hashtag use.

For the best results (and to avoid being penalized), Instagram recommends using 3-5 hyper-relevant hashtags, for example, we use hashtags like #AMRDigital #SocialMediaStrategy, or #SMMAgency in our post captions so that users can easily discover our content if they’re on the lookout for Social Media Marketing help!

There are five main types of hashtags to consider when building out your hashtag strategy (or #strategy? 🤔) 

• Location-based hashtags like #ShopDenverLocal or #DenverRealEstate.

• Branded hashtags for your brand name i.e. #AMRDigital, or for campaigns or events like Apple’s #ShotoniPhone.

• Industry hashtags that describe your niche like #SocialMediaManagers.

• Community-focused hashtags to bring your community together like #ContentCreator or #TaylorNation (iykyk).

• Descriptive hashtags that describe the content of your actual posts like #FallRecipe.

2. USE BRANDED HASHTAGS TO ENCOURAGE UGC

Contrary to popular (and outdated) beliefs, placing branded hashtags in your Instagram bio does not make your profile discoverable via hashtag search.

However, the use of a branded hashtag in your profile, posts, and stories can help you promote contests/giveaways, spotlight a specific campaign, or encourage generic user-generated content (UGC) for your brand.

3. FOLLOW RELEVANT HASHTAGS TO KEEP UP WITH TRENDS

Instagram users still have the option to follow specific hashtags, just like you would follow another user. That means content from any creator will show in your feed, as long as it includes the hashtag you’re following.

You can search hashtags in the Tags tab of Instagram’s Explore section. This is a great way to keep up with industry trends and discover new thought leaders in your tribe.

WHAT ABOUT STORIES?

Technically, you can include up to 10 hashtags in your Instagram Stories. However, Instagram Stories are no longer featured on hashtag pages or shown to users who follow a tag. 

This means that hashtags won’t necessarily help get your Stories in front of new audiences, so while they aren’t essential, you can still use them to add context to your content.

LASTLY, A COUPLE OF ESSENTIAL INSTAGRAM HASHTAG TIPS:

• With an Instagram Business account, you can access Instagram Insights. Then you can see how many impressions your profile got from hashtags.

• Avoid adding hashtags in the middle of your captions or comments, as they can potentially make your content less accessible to people using text-to-speech readers.

Looking for a few hashtag-related content ideas? Check out our Complete List Of Hashtag Holidays.