How To Find INSTAGRAM HASHTAGS TO ATTIRE AUTHENTIC FOLLOWERS

 So, you're posting beautiful images on Instagram, writing witty captions and using Plann to ensure your feed is on point. But, you still feel like your posts are attracting crickets, but that no one is actually consuming your stunning content.

The good news is, if you're already creating great shared content, then congrats that you're well on your way to success! But there's one more part of the Instagram puzzle: hashtags!

Powerful hashtags

Hashtags can be compared to the road signs that guide people directly to your Instagram profile! Think of them as your own Google keywords that help users discover your profile. They boost your visibility to those who aren't following you, and allows you to be part of bigger conversations online.

However, knowing what Instagram hashtags to use is one of the major issues and where many users get tripped up. What number of hashtags should you be using? Do you need to include them in your captions, or in your posts? What are the best ways to determine which ones are appropriate to include, in order to make you visible to your ideal readers.

Do not worry, we're here to guide you through this maze of hashtags, so you can select just the right ones to get your content seen by just the most relevant people.

How many hashtags can you make use of on Instagram?

Instagram allows for 30 hashtags that can be used on each post and we strongly recommend using the entire 30 hashtags -- since it lets you make your posts more visible to a wider audience. It might sound like it's a lot however, the more hashtags you make use of, the more people will be able to see your posts!

There is no strict rule to whether you should add these captions to your captions or in your first comment. It can look neater in the first comment, but is easier to schedule for your caption.

Change it up with hashtag collections

However, you shouldn't have to be using those same hashtags time and again! Not just are the Instagram algorithm believed to view you negatively for using the same hashtags, but it also means that you'll be always drawing the same people.

It's essential to be consistent and keep mixing the hashtags you use. The most effective method to accomplish this is to use Hashtag sets!

In Plann you can make smaller sets of hashtags that you can quickly select and choose from each when you post until you reach your goal of 30 hashtags. We recommend using around 5-10 hashtags per set, which is in alignment with your strategy themes (which you can decide on in the'strategy' tab of Plann.)

You might have a hashtag for your thought leadership posts, another for inspiration, another one for education and all that! Let's say, for instance that you're a makeup blogger and you've got your own individual strategy prompts that you have created in Plann for topics like beauty inspiration healthy skin as well as acne positivity, and so forth. You'll have specific hashtag sets in Plann in those categories which can be easily copied and pasted into your captions at the clicking of a mouse.

How do you find the most effective Instagram hashtags to utilize

How do you find hashtags to use in your Instagram posts? The best place to start is to consider the kind of content your target audience will be searching for.

If you're selling products specifically for cats, and your customers are cat owners and cat enthusiasts. One great place to start is #cats however, as we'll explore in the next section, this might be a little too competitive. Therefore, you'll want to search for related hashtags with this one.

The way to accomplish this is by logging onto your Instagram feed and then typing "cats" into your search bar. This will bring up an option menu with different hashtags related to that search term, along with the number of posts they've been used in.

You can also take the search a step further, by selecting among the hashtags from the list. There's a second set of hashtags listed on the top of the screen, as illustrated in the image below. This is a great beginning point to start putting together your hashtag collections in Plann together!

Another hashtag research strategy is to look through your Instagram accounts of others within your field, to discover what hashtags they're using and use them to create your own.

Size is everything

Hashtags can be a bit of an Goldilocks situation. You shouldn't use ones that are too large or smallhowever, instead, use the combination of medium to small competition ones that are just right. If you're using hashtags which aren't popular enough (think, hundreds of thousands of mentions) it could result in your content being buried in a sea of posts and nobody seeing it. But, if you are using hashtags so specific and niche that it just has a few people mentioning it, it's unlikely that anyone is going to search for it.

To figure out the number of pictures posted using a particular hashtag, just type the hashtag you'd prefer to use as a hashtag into Instagram's search box on Instagram. Then check the number under the hashtag, as shown in the photo below. This number shows how many images using this hashtag are being posted on Instagram at the moment.

What's the best size hashtag density?

To attract people who are keen on your content We suggest that you search for Instagram hashtags that have under 500k posts (unless that you already have bigger following or a really active audience, then you should definitely try working with bigger hashtags). Don't be afraid to adding hashtags with a number of at or below 20,000 posts as they could be the perfect spot for users who are super-engaged.

Another reason for you to locate Instagram hashtags sitting in the mid-range and smaller hashtags is the visibility. If someone searches on Instagram the most popular photos sit in the top Posts section. The rest of the photos reside in chronological order in Most Recent, as shown in the picture below.

 

"If the hashtag has millions of photos like #beach, then any photo not

making it to the top of the page will rapidly disappear into the bottom in a matter of seconds."

Let's say you took an image from the shores of Santorini. Your photo would have so much better a chance of getting to the top spot of Top 9, if you choose to use the hashtag #santorinigreece which has under 100,000 photos included, as opposed to #beach.

Get specific!

Let's get more imaginative with hashtags. If you're a fashion stylist, then you're inclined to use the hashtag 'fashion'. However, with over 350,000,000 views on Instagram now, you're aware that your picture will be seen by millions of people for the duration of a moment on the first page of results for #fashion. Instead, we should be strategic and niche down a little based on your business's goals and the photos you are posting.

Under #fashion, you can find #fashionstylist on more than 2 million posts. Much better. You post your photo and you'll get lots of likes and your followers will be aware that you're a fashionista.

We can do better. Consider other keywords you could use in your business. If, for instance, you wish to motivate your followers with some new season fashion the best hashtag to consider is #springstyle or #winterstyle depending on where you live. With over 500,000 hits for each of these hashtags on Instagram with these two hashtags you're much more likely to show up there than you are on #fashion. However you'll be able to concentrate on what your customers are looking for. Hurray! Now you can build your own hashtag list and select hashtags that truly represent your company and service.

Do not use spammy Instagram hashtags for genuine followers.

In order to ensure you are attracting genuine followers and your ideal customers, be careful when choosing hashtags to promote your business as well as your images. Be aware that some hashtags draw spammers and attract certain types of pictures might not want to have. The best way to stay clear of this is to check out every hashtag you plan on making use of to ensure you're content to be featured there.

The most popular culprits that draw spammers are hashtags such #instagood, #happy and #followme just to name just a few. They should be avoided If you don't wish to get bombarded by lots of smiling faces, or "follow me to get FREE followers" comments. It is easy to identify the hashtags to stay clear of as they'll be home to more than 100,000,000 posts on them. Checking how many photos have been posted on a particular hashtag is not just a way to filter out the ones that are spammy and allows you to discover those lesser mid-range hashtags that will make you stand from the crowd.

Find Instagram hashtags that are used by feature accounts.

Another hashtag to be on the lookout for is one that was created by someone else who curates images and reposts them on the Instagram page. The way it works is that you include their hashtag on your photo and if their account likes the image, they'll post it on their Instagram page, along with the link directly to your Instagram page.

These sorts of Instagram accounts typically have an enormous following which is why being included in their feeds is kind of significant and lets you reach out to a whole new audience.

Many of the people featured on curated accounts see their followers' likes and followers grow exponentially since they're discovered by a wider audience.

Here's a listing of different types of accounts that you can attempt at getting featured on by using their hashtags. Remember to look at the accounts to ensure that the photos are in line with the aesthetics of their accounts. This gives you a higher probability of being featured as well as a greater likelihood of attracting people to see what you're about.

There you go. The best guide to using hashtags on Instagram, to attract authentic people who are looking for exactly what you can provide. Follow the tips in this blog post and you'll be a hashtag guru in no time, drawing more users on your Instagram account.

Have you ever thought about how you can make use of Plann our visual scheduling application, to save 'sets' of hashtags?

Save your Instagram hashtags in custom themes, and simply include them in your very first comment!