Popular Hashtags 2024: Trends and Insights

If you're navigating the ever-evolving world of social media, understanding the power of Instagram hashtags is crucial. Hashtags remain an effective tool to bolster your campaign's visibility and engage with your audience. When used strategically, they help your content appear in search results and increase your reach significantly.

For marketers and creators, hashtags present an opportunity to target the right crowd and compete effectively on social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Using relevant hashtags allows your posts to become discoverable, driving meaningful interactions and enhancing your brand's online presence.

Why are hashtags important on Instagram in 2024?

Using the correct hashtags in your Instagram posts can significantly boost your content's success and help you achieve your social media goals in 2024. Hashtags are not just about increasing the number of views on your posts. They also play a crucial role in refining your content strategy.

Hashtags allow you to connect with your target audience on Instagram effectively. By utilizing popular and relevant hashtags, the Instagram algorithm can amplify your reach, making your content visible to a broader audience. Hashtags tied to your brand and market segment can help your posts show up in Explore and search results.

Monitoring trending hashtags and viral topics keeps you in the loop with current conversations. By using these hashtags, your business can quickly join in early-stage trends, increasing your visibility and relevance.

Branded hashtags are another powerful tool you can leverage. Unique to your business, these hashtags often include your brand name and can help collect user-generated content (UGC). They offer a cost-effective way to gauge social media sentiment about your brand.

Using hashtags also makes your content more discoverable. Organic content remains important, and hashtags aid in this by signaling to Instagram what your post is about. If users search for related topics, your hashtag-enabled content is more likely to appear, enhancing discoverability.

For brands and content creators, trending Instagram hashtags can amplify post reach, gather UGC, tap into viral moments, and increase chances of appearing in search results. Using hashtags strategically helps you grow your audience, increase engagement, and boost visibility on the platform.

The Most Popular Instagram Hashtags in 2024

In 2024, Instagram users continue to rely on both general and niche hashtags to increase their content's reach and engagement. Some of the most popular general hashtags include:

• #love
• #instagood
• #photooftheday
• #fashion
• #trending
• #explorepage
• #viral
• #tbt
• #picoftheday
• #summer
• #art
• #instadaily
• #friends
• #repost
• #nature
• #trendingnow
• #fun
• #style
• #smile
• #food

These hashtags are widely used, resulting in high visibility but also immense competition. For instance, #love has over 2 billion posts, making it a highly crowded hashtag.

To maximize your reach, it's advisable to combine these popular hashtags with more specific ones that align closely with your content or industry. Consider using niche hashtags which are less saturated and more targeted. Examples include:

• #travel
• #fitness
• #foodandbeverage
• #pets

Additionally, you might want to explore community hashtags to engage with a particular group, or branded hashtags to build a community around your brand. For event-based content, using campaign hashtags and event hashtags can help drive focused engagement.

For Instagram Reels, specific hashtags like #reels and #instareels may increase your chances of being featured in the Reels tab, bringing additional organic reach to your videos.

Lastly, don't overlook the power of location-based hashtags. Tags like #NYC or #London can help attract local followers and boost engagement within a specific geographic area.

Expert Tips for Discovering Ideal Instagram Hashtags

Advice 1: Choose Hashtags That Align with Your Target Market and Industry

Identifying your niche is essential, particularly when it comes to your digital strategy. Utilize hashtags that directly relate to your target market and industry to ensure your content reaches the right audience. For instance, Seed + Mill, a budding food brand, effectively uses hashtags like #nycfoodie and #nyceats to capture the attention of their local New York City audience.

To discover suitable hashtags for your niche, start by entering general keywords in Instagram's search bar. For example, a search for "fashion" might reveal more specific hashtags such as #modestfashion. This process can be manually intensive; consider using tools like Keesy’s Hashtag Generator to speed up your research. This tool offers curated lists of hashtags sorted by niche, helping you implement them effectively without lengthy searches.

Tip 2: Leverage Trending Instagram Hashtags for Improved Reach

When aiming to enhance your reach, integrating trending hashtags can offer a significant advantage. Vinted, a clothing resale platform, frequently uses popular hashtags like #secondhandfashion and #springfashion tailored to the season, boosting their engagement with over 500,000 followers.

Several strategies can help you identify trending hashtags. Observing influential creators and monitoring high-performing posts can provide insights. Additionally, hashtag trackers can plot the relevance of certain phrases over time. Tools like Hashtag Manager also eliminate guesswork by allowing you to create and save hashtag sets for future use.

Strategy 3: Find a Balanced Mix Between Widely Used and Niche Hashtags

While popular hashtags enhance visibility, excessive use can dilute your content's impact. Conversely, overly specific hashtags may not attract a significant audience. Strive to find a balance by combining both popular hashtags (with over 1 million posts) and niche hashtags (ranging from 10,000 to 1 million posts). Maintain a 30/70 split, with the majority focusing on your defined target audience.

Consider the example of makeup brand Polite Society. They create engaging Reels by mixing popular hashtags like #cleanbeauty with less saturated ones like #macrophotography. Incorporating their own branded hashtags also optimizes search results on Instagram.

To gauge the effectiveness of a hashtag, simply type it into Instagram’s search bar and review its popularity. This quick check ensures you’re selecting hashtags that provide ample exposure while still attracting a relevant audience.

Instagram Hashtags FAQs: Answered

Are Hashtags Still Effective on Instagram?

Yes, hashtags continue to be effective on Instagram. Although they may not be as dominant as they once were, the Instagram algorithm still relies on hashtag data to organize and display posts to users who might find them relevant. This helps customize the Explore feed to each individual’s interests.

What's the Ideal Number of Hashtags to Use on Instagram?

The ideal number of hashtags is a topic of much discussion. Instagram suggests using 3 to 5 hashtags, whereas other studies indicate that posts with 11 or more hashtags get higher engagement. The maximum limit is 30 hashtags per post. The key is to experiment with different numbers and combinations to find what works best for your account.

Caption or First Comment: Where Should You Use Hashtags?

There’s no definitive rule for this. Some users prefer to integrate hashtags naturally into their caption, while others add them at the end or in the first comment. Tools like Keesy allow you to schedule hashtags in the first comment, providing flexibility and convenience. Ultimately, whether you place them in the caption or first comment doesn't impact performance.

How Can You Save Time When Choosing the Best Instagram Hashtags?

Hashtag research can be time-consuming. To streamline this process, use a specialized tool like the Keesy Hashtag Manager. This tool offers curated lists by niche, allowing you to create and save your own sets of hashtags. This makes it quick and easy to add hashtags to your posts or first comments.