Successful Instagram management is a culmination of a variety of factors. One of the key elements which is detrimental to your post reach is the use of hashtags. What many of my clients don’t realise when they first come to me is that thinking of 5 – 10 #’s on the spot after posting, is not sufficient enough to attain optimum reach.
NOPE.
If you’re one of the many people who are currently operating in this way, you NEED to read the following advice.
Use all 30 #’s:
Instagram only allows the use of 30 hashtags per post, and our recommendation is to use all 30 of them. Think about it, the more you use, the more your post will show up in various hashtag feeds, which results in more of a chance of getting seen by MORE people. This one is a no-brainer!
Use various hashtag types:
Are you aware that there are various hashtag types? Some hashtags are large and generalised – think #’s like #wellbeing which currently has over 3 million posts attributed to it at the time of posting. If your post has to contend with 3 million others within that hashtag feed, what are the chances of it being seen? A better alternative is to use smaller, but more specific hashtags that have a much better chance of being noticed by an engaged audience. For example, you could use #melbournewellness instead, which at the time of posting, only had 4000 posts attributed. Our recommendation is to use more of the specific #’s that relate to your industry. There is less of a chance of receiving those nasty bot comments by doing so as well.
Alternate between groups of hashtags:
Our recommendation is to save different sets of 30 hashtags, perhaps three or four of them. You should alternate between these sets every week, to prevent the Instagram algorithm from limiting your reach or banning your posts. The last thing you want is the algorithm thinking that you are a bot – and repetitive hashtags sets might give this impression.
To post in the caption or comments?:
It don’t matter! Whether you prefer posting your hashtags in your caption, or within the first comment, it doesn’t really matter! There is no evidence to suggest that your reach or engagement will be affected as a result of choosing one over the other. We personally prefer to put the hashtags within the first comment as it allows us to track how posts are going when using the shadow ban tester. Unsure what the shadow ban is? Read our previous post here.
Beware of banned hashtags:
Speaking of the shadow ban – we wanted to briefly mention to be aware of banned hashtags. Instagram is cracking down on inappropriate content (NSFW), so it is worthwhile doing some research on whether a particular hashtag is banned. For more information, head to our shadow ban post, mentioned above.
Use #’s to find and engage with likeminded accounts:
NEWS FLASH! After posting your content and hashtags, you can’t just put your phone away and hope for the best! This is actually when the hard (but fun work) begins. Once you have posted, we recommend choosing ten out of the thirty hashtags you have used, to go into them and like and comment on some of the recent posts within that hashtag feed. Even go one step further and follow some of the accounts who are using that hashtag, especially if they resonate with you. Engagement work is SO important in ensuring your posts receive the same level of love. You get what you give!
If you’re ready to up your hashtag game but just can’t find the time – send through an enquiry and we’ll help you get on track.
x Cat.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments.
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