Instagram as a social platform can be a pain in terms of its changing algorithm.
We know that hashtags give a post a boost into reaching our target audience, increased engagement and landing in the same niche. There is a way to do hashtags wrong though. For example, if you have repetitive hashtags then over time they aren’t going to work as well. Similar to if you would have lots of repetitive content.
Keywords are your best friend so here at Monty we highly recommend doing some research into what keywords work within your niche and what works for your competitors.
How many hashtags to use?
You can include up to 30 hashtags on a regular grid post or reel and then for stories you can add up to 10. However we do not recommend that for a normal grid post or reel that you use that many hashtags. It will look busy, and may actually decrease the reach of a post.
For you to find the right amount that works for you, you need to test and learn. Post different hashtags, quantities – and consider the results.
What hashtags to use?
The hashtags that you use comes down to the identity of your brand. You need to do some thinking on what keywords are most important to your company and the niche that you want to fall into.
You can also look at your competitors within that same niche and see what does well for them. Trial and error is going to be a big factor in choosing what hashtags work well.
You don’t want to just choose a hashtag that has over a million posts under it, this is because your posts just simply won’t be seen. Picking one that is within your niche and is popular but not overly popular will be your best pick!
Overall hashtags can be very beneficial to your company in terms of expanding your reach, engagements and landing your posts in a specific niche.
However, if done wrong, for example having too many or using over populated hashtags could land you in a rut for all your content.
The rules you need to follow are that you shouldn’t have repetitive hashtags, too many or overpopulated ones. You should be good to go with just a little experimenting on what works best for your company!