If you are an Instagram or Twitter fanatic like me, then you probably want to get the most out of your posts. You want to increase your audience as much as possible and make sure you are reaching the right people. Using the right hashtags is the best way to do this.

Hashtags are Instagram and Twitter’s method of categorizing posts. On Instagram, you can use up to 30 hashtags on each of your photos so I recommend finding 30 of the most popular hashtags in your industry and posting them after your caption. There are a few benefits to doing this :

  1. Your post can be found long after you originally made it. If you are in the fitness niche and you post #gymlife, your post will be categorized as #gymlife and people in the future will always be able to find it. If someone is looking for #gymlife a month from now there is a chance they will see your awesome photo and follow your account
  2. Your Post also has the opportunity to be one of the “featured posts” for the hashtags you chose. These are the first photos that come up when someone searches for that hashtag. It can be difficult to get in that featured slot, but it is possible if you have top quality content and you are using the right hashtags

Identify Trending Hashtags


Your best chance to be featured for a particular hashtag is to identify a new trend and be one of the first people to post about it using the appropriate related hashtags. For example, if you have a technology-based page and you saw the potential in Fortnite, you could have made many #forntite or #fortnitegame or #fortnitegameplay posts. If you have a reputable account with a decent following and engagement, there’s a good chance Instagram will bump you up to the first slot in the featured hashtags.

What Not to Do

It’s easy to get carried away with hashtags. It can be tempting to spam your photos or posts with hashtags, and there are a few things you want to make sure you steer clear of:

  • Don’t use hashtags that are not relevant to your photo
  • Don’t use hashtags that can be seen as offensive to some people.
  • Don’t #overuse hashtags in your #instagram or #twitter posts. Use hashtags after your caption to eliminate confusion and a spammy feel
  • Try not to annoy people with hashtags that are screaming for attention such as #likeforlike

For more information about hashtags and a detailed guide on how to use them, check out Social Network Elite’s Instagram Hashtags Cheat Sheet

audience development hashtags Social media marketing strategy Twitter