What are hashtags and why to use them
Before actually seeing how hashtags work on Instagram, you have to understand first what are hashtags and, especially, why you have to use them: This way you will be able to understand even better the information contained in the rest of the tutorial.
- hashtag not only other than labels, or as they are called in jargon, thematic aggregators, whose task is to categorize the contents present on a website, on a blog or, as in this specific case, on a social network making more easy consultation of content related to a specific topic.
Hashtags (from the English "hash", or "hash" and "tag", or "label"), are composed of a hash symbol (#) followed by a password or from one phrase, usually written in English. Using hashtags correctly is essential to increase your popularity on Instagram, or any other social network.
Since these "labels" are used to categorize the content posted on social networks, they greatly affect the search results that are offered to users. Many people, in fact, search for content on Instagram and other social networks starting from hashtags and, consequently, using them correctly can significantly affect their online visibility.
How to choose hashtags on Instagram
After understanding what hashtags are and why you need to use them, you need to understand how to choose hashtags on Instagram. Let's say that in using the labels to be inserted in the posts published on the social network, two important factors must be taken into consideration: the relevance of the hashtags with the posted contents and their popularity.
Let's start from the concept of relevance. It would be unfair to use hashtags that have little or no relevance to the topic addressed in a particular post, just because they are popular. Remember that users who search for content on Instagram starting from a hashtag, are obviously interested in the topic represented by the latter. Therefore, respect the other users of the community and do not "spam" your posts using an infinite number of hashtags, especially if they are not relevant to the content posted.
Another factor you need to take into consideration is the popularity of hashtags: the more popular a hashtag is, the more users look for content that relates to the topic represented by it. This means that by using one or more popular hashtags (but still relevant to the subject matter) it is possible to increase the visibility of your posts in a very simple way.
But how do you know which hashtags are the most popular at any given time? Don't worry, you don't have to have a "crystal ball" to get hold of this information: just use the right tools. For example, below you will find a list of online services and free apps that allow you to know which hashtags are most used on Instagram at a given moment: make good use of them!
- Top Hashtag (Online) - this is a web service that can be used without registering. It allows you to know in real time the ranking with the 100 most popular hashtags on Instagram, search for specific hashtags and view their degree of popularity.
- All hashtag (Online) - this web service works similar to Top Hashtag. In fact, it allows you to view the most used hashtags for a given topic.
- Top Tags (Android / iOS) - this free application, characterized by a user friendly interface, organizes the most popular hashtags in specific categories, making them easily available. For more details on how TopTags works, read my in-depth study dedicated to apps to increase followers on Instagram.
- HashTags for Instagram (Android) - it is one of the most famous and used applications for searching for popular hashtags. I have already shown you how it works in the tutorial dedicated to apps to increase followers on Instagram.
- Likes for Instagram (Android) - this free app has the same features as the solutions listed in the previous lines. For more information on how to use it, read my guide where I talk about apps to increase followers on Instagram.
How to insert a hashtag on Instagram posts
As soon as you have chosen the most popular hashtags (as well as the most relevant ones), you will need to include them in your posts. At the time of writing, Instagram allows you to enter up to a maximum of 30 hashtags per post.
That said, you don't necessarily need to use 30 hashtags for each piece of content you intend to post. Indeed, as I have already advised you to do in the previous paragraph, it is better to use labels that have a certain relevance to the topic addressed in the photo or video you are about to publish, without exaggerating.
insert one or more hashtags in an Instagram post, start the official social network app on your smartphone, log in (if required) and tap the button capacitor positive (+) lead located in the center of the screen (bottom). Then, tap on the preview of the content you want to post or, if you prefer, take a new one photo or a new one video, presses on the voice NEXT (located at the top right), select a filter to apply to the content and press the item again NEXT (always located at the top right).
At this point, complete your post by typing in the field Write a caption ... the hashtags you want to use. Then click on the symbol (#) from the keyboard and type, without leaving spaces, the word or phrase to use as a label for your post. You can enter USEFULL e letters, but you cannot use special characters (ex. %, !, ?, &, etc.) or insert spaces.
As you can see, by typing a hashtag, Instagram will inform you of the number of posts in which this has already been inserted (a useful indication to understand its degree of popularity). After completing the caption of your post by entering popular and relevant hashtags, press on the entry OK (located at the top right) and then on the item Share.
If you are not clear about some "technical" steps on how to write a post on Instagram, I suggest you dispel your doubts by reading the tutorials in which I explain how Instagram works and how to write on Instagram. I am sure these readings will be of great help to you.
I also remind you that you can also insert hashtags in Instagram Stories (using, for example, interactive stickers or creating a story in text mode) and in comments always following the same "rules" that I indicated in the previous lines, or use the hash symbol (#) followed by letters and / or numbers and do not use spaces or special characters.
How to search Instagram with hashtags
As I mentioned a few paragraphs above, hashtags are used by users to search for content on Instagram. Are you wondering how you can do it too? There is nothing complicated to understand.
search on Instagram using hashtags, you simply need to log into your account, type in the search bar Instagram hashtag related to the topic you are interested in (if you use the official app of the social network you must first press on the symbol of magnifying glass located below) and that's it.
Indeed, if you use the official Instagram app for Android, iOS or Windows 10 Mobile, you can filter the results by tapping on the tab Hashtag / tag, in such a way as to display only results containing a hashtag. After searching by hashtag, Instagram will offer you the most interesting posts in which the label you searched for has been inserted.
How to follow hashtags on Instagram
For some time now, Instagram has been introducing a new feature that allows you to follow hashtags just as it is possible to do with users registered on the social network. This is a very convenient function, which allows you to always keep an eye on the most popular content concerning a topic of your interest.
To follow hashtags on Instagram, press on any label you see on Instagram (or, alternatively, search by hashtag as I indicated in the previous chapter) and, as soon as you see the page relating to the hashtag of your interest, do tap on the button Follow. From this moment on, you will be able to see photos and videos related to the hashtag followed in the Instagram stories, in the feed and in the section followed of your profile.
How hashtags work on Instagram
