Over the last few posts, I’ve talked about all the changes Instagram has made to their hashtag rules and how to use relevant hashtags to get more engagement for your content. Here are eleven tips to using your Instagram hashtags to your advantage and not being labelled a spammer by the popular social website.
1. Say Goodbye To Irrelevant Hashtags - Nobody wants to see them. Nobody cares about them. And, unless you’re out to annoy people who are following those hashtags, get them out of your content repertoire. Instead, use relevant hashtags strategically so that you increase engagement and your followers can find your content.
2. Don’t Go Overboard On The Number Of Hashtags You Use - Based on some analysis that was done by TrackMaven, content with nine hashtags get the most engagement. Does that mean you need to add nine hashtags to each piece of content you post? No. Let your content dictate what relevant hashtags you use and how many. The maximum number of hashtags that Instagram will allow is 30.
3. Niche And Specific Hashtags Are Your Friend - While keeping the number of hashtags to about nine (remember, the maximum allowed is 30), use specific or niche hashtags relevant to your content. If you posted a picture of a VW Bug, hashtag #VWBug. You’ll get a better audience.
4. Don’t Forget To Use Some Popular Hashtags - When you use popular hashtags in conjunction with more specific and niche hashtags, you can expand your content’s reach without looking spammy. Just use them responsibly.
5. Make Sure Your Hashtag Means What You Think It Means - Look through the content on the hashtag’s page to make sure it isn’t, well, naughty or nefarious. You also need to make sure that the hashtags you want to use are not banned, or your post is not going to be seen.
6. Keep A List Of Hashtags For Use On Future Content – Remember, you don’t want to use the same list for every post you publish because you could be considered spamming. By keeping a list of relevant hashtags, you will find that you have a lot to choose from.
7. Hide Your Hashtags To Keep Your Audience Focused On Your Content - You can do this by making the first comment on your post your hashtags. You can also tap enter after your content, adding a piece of punctuation and then hitting enter again. Do this about five times so that it pushes your hashtags below the visible post line. Your audience won’t be able to see it unless they tap “More” on your post.
8. Go Back And Add Hashtags To Posts You’ve Already Published - You can add them as a comment or go back into the post and edit your content.
9. Use Brand Hashtags - These are hashtag’s that are relevant to your brand. It could be as simple as your business name, the name of a product you sell, an ad campaign or even your tagline. It will push your audience into engaging with you more. It’s a great trick for tracking promotions or contest submission.
10. Make Your Brand Hashtags Short And Memorable - The easier it is to remember your brand hashtag, the more your audience will engage with it and tell others about your content
11. Try Emoji Hashtags - You can say a lot with an emoji.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match the hashtag you choose to use with your content. Make them specific, memorable, and don’t use them repeatedly. It will take some experimentation on your part to find the right mix, but when you do, you’ll see your engagement and followers increase.
These are such good points to keep in mind. Thank you for the recommendations!