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Scrolling through Instagram, you’ve probably seen posts with long strings of words that start with the “#” symbol — some look random, others strangely specific.
Ever wondered why people use them so often? Or how those tiny tags manage to put some posts in front of thousands while others go unseen? In the world of Instagram, hashtags are more than just trends — they’re powerful tools that can make or break your post’s reach.
If you want more people to find your website, you need more people talking about it. Online, that happens through something called backlinks — when other websites link to yours. These links act like recommendations, telling Google that your site is helpful, trustworthy, and worth showing to more people.
Did you know? Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than those without.
Whether you’re a brand trying to get noticed, a creator building a community, or someone just sharing daily life, using the right hashtags can help your content travel far beyond your followers.
In fact, when paired with effective Instagram marketing services, hashtags become essential for increasing visibility, driving engagement, and attracting the right audience.
But using them without knowing how they work is like shouting into the void. Understanding the what, why, and how of hashtags can completely change the way you show up on Instagram.
In this blog, we’ll break down exactly what Instagram hashtags are, why they matter in 2025, and how you can use them smartly to boost your visibility, reach new audiences, and grow your online presence.
Table of Contents
- What Are Instagram Hashtags?
- Why Instagram Hashtags Matter in 2025
- Types of Instagram Hashtags You Should Know
- How to Use Hashtags on Instagram the Right Way
- Best Hashtags for Instagram in 2025
- Do Hashtags Work on Instagram Anymore?
- Instagram Hashtag Generator Tools You Can Use
- Hashtag Mistakes to Avoid
- How to Track Hashtag Performance
- Combine Hashtags with a Solid Strategy
- SEO Discovery Helps You Find the Best Instagram Hashtags
- FAQs on Instagram Hashtags
What Are Instagram Hashtags?
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the pound sign (#), used on social media platforms to group content by topic. When you use hashtags for Instagram, your post gets connected to a larger conversation, community, or theme. For example, using #travelphotography links your post to all others with the same hashtag.
Hashtags make content discoverable, especially by people who don’t follow you. Instagram users often search or follow hashtags to find new content, which gives creators and businesses a great chance to reach more people organically.
Why Instagram Hashtags Matter in 2025
Instagram’s algorithm is always evolving, but one thing remains constant: it loves content that’s relevant and engaging. Hashtags are one of the most effective ways to signal what your content is about. Here’s why they matter:
Here’s why hashtags still matter more than ever:
Increased Visibility: Hashtags help your posts show up in Instagram’s search results and on the Explore page, making it easier for new users to discover your content—even if they don’t follow you yet.
Better Engagement: Using well-chosen, relevant hashtags can boost your likes, comments, shares, and saves. It gives your content more chances to be seen and interacted with.
Targeted Reach: Hashtags let you connect with your ideal audience. Whether you’re posting about fitness, food, fashion, or finance, the right tags help you reach people who care about those topics.
Community Building: Niche and community hashtags bring people with shared interests together. They help create meaningful interactions and even loyal followers who feel part of something bigger.
Whether you’re doing influencer marketing, growing a personal brand, or promoting your business, hashtags are your best friend.
Types of Instagram Hashtags You Should Know
To get the most out of hashtags, it’s helpful to understand the different kinds. Each type has a purpose and can help you reach the right audience in its own way. Here are the main types you should know:
1. Branded Hashtags
These are hashtags that are unique to your business, brand, or campaign. For example, Nike uses #JustDoIt. You can create your own branded hashtag to promote a product, run a contest, or build a community around your name.
2. Niche Hashtags
These are focused on specific topics or industries, like #VeganRecipes for food content or #DigitalNomadLife for travel and remote work. They help you reach people who are interested in exactly what you post about.
3. Trending Hashtags on Instagram
These are hashtags that are currently popular and widely used. Examples include #MondayMotivation or #OOTD (Outfit of the Day). Using them at the right time can get you in front of a larger audience.
4. Community Hashtag
These connect people with shared interests. For instance, #WritersOfInstagram or #MomsWhoLift helps users find others like them and join a larger conversation.
5. Location-Based Hashtags
These include places, like #DubaiFoodie or #NYCViews. They’re great if you want to reach people in a specific city or region.
6. Event Hashtags
Used for events, either big or small. Examples include #MetGala or #WorldCup2025. If you’re posting about something happening now, these can get your content seen by others following the event.
How to Use Hashtags on Instagram the Right Way
Just throwing in random hashtags won’t do much for your post. To actually boost your reach and engagement, you need to be smart about how you use them. Here are some simple best practices to follow:
1. Mix Big and Small Hashtags
Use a mix of very popular hashtags (like #Travel) and more specific, smaller ones (like #SoloTravelTips). Big hashtags give you more reach, but they’re also crowded. Smaller ones may not reach as many people, but you’ll have less competition—making it easier to get noticed.
2. Use Relevant Hashtags
Always use hashtags that match your content. If you post a beach photo and use #FoodLover just because it’s trending, it won’t help—and could even confuse or annoy people.
3. Don’t Overload Your Post
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags, but that doesn’t mean you should use all of them. A sweet spot is often 10 to 15 well-chosen hashtags that really fit your post. It looks cleaner and tends to perform better.
4. Place Them Smartly
You can put hashtags in your caption or in the first comment—both work! Putting them in the comment can keep your caption tidy while still getting discovered.
5. Update Regularly
Trends change, and so should your hashtags. Try switching them up every few weeks to stay fresh and keep reaching new people.
Best Hashtags for Instagram in 2025
Here are some trending hashtags for Instagram in 2025, broken down by category:
General High-Engagement Tags:
- #InstaDaily
- #PhotoOfTheDay
- #Love
- #InstaGood
- #LifeGoals
Business & Marketing Hashtags:
- #EntrepreneurLife
- #DigitalMarketing
- #SocialMediaTips
- #ContentCreation
- #MarketingStrategy
Fashion & Beauty Hashtags:
- #StyleInspo
- #MakeupLover
- #FashionAddict
- #BeautyGoals
- #OOTD (Outfit of the Day)
Travel Hashtags:
- #Wanderlust
- #TravelGram
- #AdventureTime
- #ExploreMore
- #BucketListAdventures
Fitness Hashtags:
- #FitLife
- #GymGoals
- #HealthyLiving
- #WorkoutMotivation
- #FitnessJourney
Hashtags for Instagram Reels:
- #ReelsOfInstagram
- #InstaReels
- #ReelItFeelIt
- #ReelsTrend
- #ExploreWithReels
Boost Your Instagram Visibility Today—Find the Perfect Hashtags to Grow Your Audience Fast
Do Hashtags Work on Instagram Anymore?
You might be wondering—do hashtags even work these days? The answer is yes, they do! But they don’t work the same way they used to. A few years ago, hashtags were mostly about getting more reach. Now, Instagram focuses more on relevance than just numbers.
Today, hashtags help Instagram understand what your post is about. This means the platform can show your content to people who are actually interested—like on the Explore page or in suggested posts. So, it’s not just about being seen by more people, but by the right people.
Also, don’t forget that users can follow hashtags just like accounts. That means if you use the right ones, your content could regularly show up in someone’s feed—even if they don’t follow you yet. This strategy can be even more effective when combined with Instagram ads, as they both help increase visibility and engagement.
So yes, hashtags still matter, but the key is to use them smartly. Think of them as a way to guide your content to the right audience, not just a trick to get likes.
Instagram Hashtag Generator Tools You Can Use
Finding the right hashtags doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Luckily, there are plenty of handy tools out there that can help you discover the best hashtags for your posts—saving you time and helping you get better results. Here are some of the most popular and useful Instagram hashtag generator tools you can try:
1. All Hashtag
This tool gives you hashtag suggestions based on keywords. It also offers analytics to see how popular and effective certain hashtags are. It’s a great all-in-one tool for beginners and pros alike.
2. RiteTag (by RiteKit)
RiteTag provides instant hashtag suggestions for both text and images. Just upload your photo or paste your caption, and it shows which hashtags are currently performing well. Super helpful for real-time posting.
3. Hashtagify
Perfect for hashtag research. Hashtagify helps you find trending hashtags and shows how they perform over time. You can even check how a hashtag ranks globally or by niche.
4. Display Purposes
This tool generates clean, relevant hashtags while filtering out banned or spammy ones. It’s great if you want safe, topic-related tags that look natural.
How to Track Hashtag Performance
Even if you’re using popular or well-researched hashtags, making a few common mistakes can hurt your post’s performance—or even get it hidden from feeds. Here are some hashtag habits to avoid if you want your Instagram strategy to actually work:
Using Banned or Spammy Hashtags: Some hashtags are banned or flagged by Instagram because they’ve been linked to spam or inappropriate content. Using them—even by accident—can reduce your reach or even shadowban your account. Always double-check your hashtags with a tool like Display Purposes or simply search the tag on Instagram to see if it’s working properly.
Copy-Pasting the Same List Every Time: Using the exact same hashtags on every post might save time, but it can hurt your engagement. Instagram may see it as repetitive or spammy. Try to mix up your hashtags based on the content of each post to keep things fresh and relevant.
Using Irrelevant Hashtags Just Because They’re Trending: It can be tempting to jump on trending tags for extra exposure—but if your content doesn’t actually relate to the tag, it won’t help. Worse, it can annoy users or damage your credibility.
Not Analyzing What Works: If you’re not tracking which hashtags bring the most instagram engagement, you’re missing out on a chance to improve. Use Instagram Insights or analytics tools to see what’s performing well and adjust your hashtag strategy over time.
How to Track Hashtag Performance
Use Instagram Insights if you have a Business or Creator account. You can see how many impressions your post got from hashtags. Also:
- Use third-party tools like Later, Sprout Social, or Hootsuite.
- Experiment and track which hashtags bring the most engagement.
Combine Hashtags with a Solid Strategy
While hashtags can definitely boost your visibility, they’re not a magic solution on their own. To truly grow your presence on Instagram and beyond, you need to combine hashtags with a broader, well-thought-out strategy. Here’s how you can make hashtags work even harder for you:
Work with SEO Experts: Pair your Instagram efforts with SEO services from a trusted SEO company. Good search engine optimization improves your overall online visibility, helping people find your brand not just on Instagram, but across the web.
Build a Strong Social Media Marketing Strategy: Hashtags are one part of a bigger puzzle. Social media services include consistent posting, audience engagement, brand messaging, and content planning. The more aligned everything is, the better your results.
Use Paid Ads and PPC: Sometimes your best content needs an extra push. Combining hashtags with paid marketing or pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns can get your posts in front of a much larger audience—and bring in fast results.
Partner with Influencers: Collaborating with the right influencers can skyrocket your reach. When combined with smart hashtag use, influencer marketing helps you reach new followers who trust the person promoting your brand.
SEO Discovery Helps You Find the Best Instagram Hashtags
Using hashtags the right way can make all the difference on Instagram. But with thousands of options and ever-changing trends, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s where SEO Discovery steps in. As a top digital marketing agency, SEO Discovery helps you find the best Instagram hashtags tailored to your niche, audience, and content goals.
With over 22 years of experience and a 98% client satisfaction rate, we have consistently delivered exceptional results across various industries.
- 1.42 lakh+ keywords ranked
- 1 million+ leads generated
- Clients have witnessed up to 300% increase in organic traffic
- 30%–70% boost in local search traffic and conversions within 3–6 months
Boost Your Instagram Reach and Engagement with the Perfect Hashtags for Your Content!
FAQs on Instagram Hashtags
Post interactions from hashtags refer to the engagement your posts receive when users discover them through specific hashtags. This includes likes, comments, shares, saves, and profile visits from people who found your post via the hashtags you used. Hashtags can increase visibility, making your post appear in the Explore page or in hashtag searches, ultimately boosting engagement.
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but the ideal number of hashtags for the best engagement is usually between 10 to 15. Using too many hashtags can look spammy, while using too few may limit your post’s reach. The key is using a mix of relevant and targeted hashtags.
Yes, hashtags still work on Instagram! They help categorize your content and make it discoverable by people interested in those topics. The right hashtags can increase your post’s visibility, engagement, and help you reach a broader audience.
To use hashtags on Instagram, simply add them to your post’s caption or in the comments. Make sure the hashtags are relevant to your content. You can use a mix of broad and niche-specific hashtags to increase visibility while targeting a specific audience.
To add hashtags on Instagram:
- Type them directly in your post’s caption.
- Alternatively, you can add hashtags in the first comment to keep your caption clean while still making your post discoverable. Simply type “#” followed by a keyword or phrase, and Instagram will suggest popular hashtags related to your search.
Yes, hashtags still work on Instagram in 2025. Instagram’s algorithm focuses on relevance, so when you use hashtags that match your content, your post is more likely to appear in front of users who are genuinely interested in it. This helps your content gain more visibility and interaction.
To hide hashtags on Instagram:
- Add them to the first comment instead of your caption. This keeps them out of sight but still functional.
- You can also use line breaks to push hashtags further down your caption, making them less visible without losing their effectiveness.
You can see if a hashtag worked by tracking your post’s performance using Instagram Insights. This feature is available if you have a Business or Creator account. You can view how many impressions came from hashtags and how much engagement your post received through them.
To gain followers using hashtags:
- Use a combination of popular and niche-specific hashtags relevant to your content.
- Focus on hashtags that match your target audience’s interests.
Engage with posts under the hashtags you use to build a community and attract followers who resonate with your content.
