Instagram Hashtags: 400+ Ideas To Grow Your Instagram (2024)

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Using popular Instagram hashtags can help you extend your reach, engage your audience, and please the Instagram algorithm. In order to get these benefits, you need to find and use the right hashtags on Instagram for your content.

This article contains a list of trending Instagram hashtags for 2024, tips on how to select the right Instagram hashtag for your post, plus a list of the best Instagram hashtag generators.

If you want to promote your brand or learn how to make money on Instagram, these tactics are for you. You can also check our guide on how to get followers on Instagram if you’re looking to build an audience.

What are Instagram hashtags?

Hashtags are your best friend for sorting and finding content on Instagram. Created using the “#” symbol, Instagram hashtags are attached to things you post on Instagram and become clickable and searchable topics.

Any word or phrase can be turned into a working hashtag, as long as it has a # placed in front of it. Numbers can be used inside hashtags, but spaces and special characters can’t. On Instagram, most creators use hashtags to join trends, and help audiences discover their content.

How hashtags work on Instagram

You can use up to 30 hashtags on every Instagram post. Those posts need to be public—if your profile is set to private, any hashtags you use won’t appear on discovery pages.

When users click on a hashtag, they’re taken to its discover feed, which shows all the public content attached to it. People will click on or search for hashtags they’re interested in as a way of finding content on Instagram.

Users can also follow hashtags they’re interested in, ensuring that relevant content appears in their feed regularly.

Hashtags on Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories has a hashtag sticker, which lets you place working hashtags onto your Stories. Users who click will be taken to the hashtag’s feed, just like they would if they’d clicked on a hashtag in your post.

Hashtags on Instagram Reels

Hashtags work similarly for Reels, helping the Instagram algorithm categorize your content so it shows up in a user’s Explore feed.

Do hashtags still work on Instagram?

Hashtags are still a valid tool to help your Instagram account grow—but the way that Instagram hashtags work has changed slightly.

Basically, the Instagram algorithm will reward engaging content by featuring it more prominently on hashtag pages and explore pages.

That means the best way to use Instagram hashtags is create and tag quality content that keeps people on the Instagram platform. Once that content begins to receive interactions, the algorithm should notice and amplify your post.

So, while adding hashtags to your content won’t automatically mean more views or followers, hashtags are a legitimate way to boost the visibility of content that already performs well.

Since hashtags are used with an intent to discover content, the right hashtags can put you in front of your target audience, even if they haven’t connected with you before.

Recognizing their importance on the platform, Instagram has expanded the functionality of hashtags. For instance, brands can now add hashtags to the profile section of their Instagram bios.

💡 Tip: Shopify comes with powerful integrated tools that help you list, promote and sell products on Facebook and Instagram. Create product collections, showcase your brand and products, and make sales on Facebook and Instagram without leaving your Shopify admin.

Top 50 Instagram hashtags for 2024

Here’s how brands are using popular Instagram hashtags in 2024:

1. #love (2.1B)
2. #instagood (1.7B)
3. #instagram (1.2B)
4. #fashion (1.1B)
5. #photooftheday (1B)
6. #photography (1B)
7. #photo (1B)
8. #beautiful (833M)
9. #nature (798M)
10. #picoftheday (726M)
11. #travel (717M)
12. #instadaily (659M)
13. #style (652M)
14. #tbt (585M)
15. #repost (561M)
16. #followme (557M)
17. #summer (556M)
18. #like4like (513M)
19. #instalike (516M)
20. #food (515M)
21. #beauty (538M)
22. #fitness (530M)
23. #me (456M)
24. #music (452M)
25. #selfie (452M)
26. #friends (442M)
27. #smile (439M)
28. #ootd (433M)
29. #girl (428M)
30. #life (445M)
31. #trending (445M)
32. #family (441M)
33. #sunset (328M)
34. #likeforlike (327M)
35. #artist (325M)
36. #model (365M)
37. #motivation (365M)
38. #design (362M)
39. #dogsofinstagram (313M)
40. #followforfollowback (303M)
41. #follow (303M)
42. #foodporn (304M)
43. #beach (298M)
44. #amazing (287M)
45. #nofilter (285M)
46. #instamood (283M)
47. #igers (277M)
48. #makeup (401M)
49. #trendingreels (164M)
50. #trend (134M)

Top Instagram hashtags by category for 2024

There is a lot to consider when working with Instagram hashtags.

Below, you’ll find the best Instagram hashtags, sorted by categories like industry or event. Choose a relevant category to start the process of fleshing out your hashtag strategy.

Best hashtags for likes and follows

1. #likes
2. #like
3. #follow
4. #likeforlikes
5. #love
6. #instagood
7. #instagram
8. #followforfollowback
9. #followme
10. #photooftheday
11. #fyp
12. #instalike
13. #photography
14. #l
15. #instadaily
16. #me
17. #picoftheday
18. #beautiful
19. #myself
20. #likeforfollow
21. #fashion
22. #smile
23. #followers
24. #likeforlike
25. #followback
26. #f
27. #followforfollow
28. #comment
29. #likesforlikes
30. #bhfyp

💡 Good to know: No promises on the quality of the followers or likes you’ll receive from these hashtags, as these and other related tags are typically used by new Instagram accounts looking to trade likes and follows.

Best Instagram Reels hashtags

1. #reels
2. #reelsvideo
3. #reelsinstagram
4. #reelsindia
5. #holareels
6. #reelsbrasil
7. #reelsteady
8. #instagramreels
9. #reelsinsta
10. #instareels
11. #reelsofinstagram
12. #k
13. #music
14. #bhfyp
15. #disney
16. #littlestoriesofmylife
17. #tiktokindia
18. #videoftheday
19. #instareel
20. #foryoupage
21. #fyp
22. #reelsviral

Best fashion and beauty hashtags

1. #fashion
2. #beauty
3. #haul
4. #style
5. #shopping
6. #styleinspo
7. #ootd
8. #outfitoftheday
9. #outfit
10. #whatiwore
11. #shoppingaddict
12. #beautydoesnthavetobepain
13. #currentlywearing
14. #instastyle
15. #lookgoodfeelgood
16. #hippy
17. #fashionblogger
18. #fashionista
19. #fashionstyle
20. #fashionable
21. #fashiongram
22. #fashionblog
23. #fashionaddict
24. #fashionphotography

Best food and beverage hashtags

1. #food
2. #foodporn
3. #foodie
4. #instafood
5. #foodphotography
6. #foodstagram
7. #yummy
8. #yum
9. #instagood
10. #love
11. #foodblogger
12. #foodlover
13. #delicious
14. #homemade
15. #healthyfood
16. #photooftheday
17. #picoftheday
18. #dinner
19. #foodgasm
20. #foodies
21. #tasty
22. #cooking
23. #instadaily
24. #lunch
25. #bhfyp
26. #takeout
27. #restaurant
28. #healthy

Best travel hashtags

1. #travel
2. #nature
3. #photography
4. #travelphotography
5. #photooftheday
6. #instagood
7. #travelgram
8. #picoftheday
9. #photo
10. #beautiful
11. #art
12. #naturephotography
13. #wanderlust
14. #adventure
15. #instatrave
16. #travelblogger
17. #landscape
18. #summer
19. #trip
20. #hike
21. #explore

Best pet hashtags

1. #pet
2. #dog
3. #pets
4. #dogsofinstagram
5. #cute
6. #petsofinstagram
7. #dogs
8. #cat
9. #love
10. #puppy
11. #cats
12. #petstagram
13. #animals
14. #animal
15. #instadog
16. #instagram
17. #dogstagram
18. #doglover
19. #of
20. #catsofinstagram
21. #dogoftheday
22. #doglovers
23. #petlovers
24. #doglife
25. #instapet
26. #catstagram
27. #instagood
28. #cachorro
29. #catlover

Best tech and gadgets hashtags

1. #techie
2. #latesttech
3. #ilovemygadgets
4. #gadgetsgalore
5. #apple
6. #android
7. #applevsandroid
8. #wearabletech
9. #VR
10. #mobile
11. #makinglifeeasier
12. #tech
13. #technology
14. #technews
15. #gadgets
16. #instatech
17. #software
18. #innovation

Best wedding hashtags

1. #wedding
2. #bride
3. #weddingdress
4. #weddingphotography
5. #weddingday
6. #weddinginspiration
7. #makeup
8. #weddingplanner
9. #prewedding
10. #bridal
11. #bridetobe
12. #weddingphotographer
13. #weddings
14. #groom
15. #engagement
16. #party
17. #weddingideas
18. #makeupartist
19. #indianwedding
20. #casamento

Best fitness hashtags

1. #fitness
2. #gym
3. #workout
4. #fitnessmotivation
5. #motivation
6. #fit
7. #bodybuilding
8. #training
9. #health
10. #lifestyle
11. #fitfam
12. #healthylifestyle
13. #sport
14. #healthy
15. #gymlife
16. #life
17. #crossfit
18. #personaltrainer
19. #goals
20. #exercise
21. #muscle

Best holiday hashtags

1. #stockingstuffers
2. #christmasdecor
3. #spookyhalloween
4. #happyhalloween
5. #thanksgivingtable
6. #turkeyorham
7. #valentineformyvalentine
8. #happyfourth
9. #newyearseve
10. #newyearsresolution
11. #holidaycrazy
12. #holidayspirit
13. #kwanza
14. #hanukkahgift
15. #underthetree

Best Instagram contest hashtags

1. #instacontest
2. #instagiveaway
3. #giveaway
4. #sweepstakes
5. #contestalert
6. #contestentry
7. #winit
8. #freebie
9. #winitwednesday

Best photography hashtags

1. #photography
2. #photooftheday
3. #photo
4. #picoftheday
5. #photographer
6. #model
7. #photoshoot
8. #portrait
9. #beauty
10. #travelphotography
11. #canon
12. #selfie
13. #landscape
14. #sunset
15. #fotografia
16. #portraitphotography
17. #photographylovers
18. #artist
19. #nikon

Best B2B hashtags

1. #business
2. #businesstips
3. #marketing
4. #ecommerce
5. #socialmedia
6. #digitalmarketing (28M)
7. #SEO
8. #contentmarketing
9. #marketingstrategy
10. #consulting
11. #workplace
12. #startups
13. #productivity
14. #strategy
15. #sales

Best hashtags for small business

1. #smallbusiness
2. #supportsmallbusiness
3. #handmade
4. #shoplocal
5. #shopsmall
6. #smallbusinessowner
7. #entrepreneur
8. #supportlocal
9. #localbusiness
10. #businessowner
11. #blackownedbusiness
12. #art
13. #explorepage
14. #homedecor
15. #covid
16. #startup
17. #entrepreneurship
18. #womeninbusiness
19. #motivation
20. #success
21. #girlboss
22. #entrepreneurlife
23. #handcrafted
24. #local
25. #smallbiz
26. #homemade
27. #custom
28. #smallbusinesssupport
29. #shopsmallbusiness
30. #handmadewithlove
31. #supportsmallbusinesses
32. #supportlocalbusiness

Best music hashtags

1. #music
2. #hiphop
3. #rap
4. #musician
5. #singer
6. #musica
7. #dj
8. #rock
9. #dance
10. #song
11. #guitar
12. #viral
13. #producer
14. #newmusic
15. #musicvideo
16. #instamusic
17. #livemusic
18. #pop
19. #concert
20. #trap
21. #beats

Best art hashtags

1. #art
2. #artist
3. #drawing
4. #artwork
5. #painting
6. #artistsoninstagram
7. #illustration
8. #digitalart
9. #design
10. #sketch

Best nature hashtags

1. #nature
2. #naturephotography
3. #sunset
4. #flowers
5. #wildlife
6. #mountains
7. #hiking
8. #explore
9. #outdoors
10. #naturelover
11. #beach
12. #forest

Top Instagram hashtag generators

Whether you’re shooting for six hashtags or 30, it can be time consuming to enter that many characters, especially since autocorrect doesn’t fix hashtag spelling mistakes. Ask any social media manager and they’ll tell you: it’s not their favorite thing in the world.

Fortunately, there are plenty of Instagram hashtag generators and hashtag search engines that can streamline the process. Here are some Instagram tools to consider.

Best-Hashtags

Best-Hashtags is a simple browser-based hashtag research tool. Its algorithm calculates the best Instagram hashtags for your social content based on historical data. Simply type in your desired hashtag and Best-Hashtags will generate a list of hashtags across different categories like:

• Best related hashtags
• Top 10 hashtags based on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok popularity
• Low difficulty hashtags
• Exact hashtags

You can also discover new hashtags on its New Hashtags and Best Hashtags category pages.

SISTRIX

The SISTRIX Instagram Hashtag Generator is another great tool for finding successful hashtags, fast. Enter a hashtag or topic, and you’ll see the best 30 hashtags to use. Get more recommendations by searching other hashtag variants related to your main search.

The tool is completely free for up to 25 queries each day. If you want more searches, you’ll need to register for a SISTRIX account.

Influencer Marketing Hub

This Instagram hashtag generator is different. Rather than search for hashtags by topic, you upload a photo and the tool suggests hashtags to use. In the following example, we uploaded a surreal artwork to see what hashtags would generate.

You can select up to five keywords. Once selected, the tool reveals the optimal list of hashtags to use for your post.

Inflact

Inflact is another useful Instagram hashtag tool for tagging your posts or researching popular ideas for Stories and Reels. The easiest way to use the tool is through keywords. For example, if you type “Paris” into the generator, it will reveal a handful of different hashtags that contain the keyword. Hashtags are broken down by frequent, average, and rare use cases.

Inflact’s AI search tool also reveals organic hashtags or those that are often written together in the same post.

Keyword Tool

Keyword Tool is a paid tool that helps businesses discover keywords across a variety of platforms, including Instagram hashtags. It has a geolocation feature, so you can pinpoint popular hashtags that are trending in your audiences’ area.

Most Instagram hashtag generators are free. If you aren’t willing to invest in a tool just for this purpose, the more affordable route may be to use a general social media tool. You can keep a document of different hashtags and use social media scheduling software.

You can create the posts on your desktop, copying and pasting hashtags or groups of hashtags to the caption as needed. Since all of these tools can now post directly to Instagram for you, this can save you a few steps.

Types of Instagram hashtags

Understanding which hashtags to use is a crucial part of developing a strong hashtag strategy that maximizes your reach and increases engagement.

Different types of hashtags serve different purposes, and a good strategy incorporates a combination of them. Learn how to get verified on Instagram and use hashtags from your verified account to maximize your reach.

Branded hashtags

These should be listed in your Instagram bio and are exclusive to your specific store. They can be used to build brand awareness, and you can encourage users to share user-generated content employing them. Examples include Harper Wilde’s #LiftUpTheGirls, Shwood Eyewear’s #shwoodshop, and So Worth Loving’s #swlfamily. Use only one or two branded hashtags per post.

Location-based hashtags

Do you use Instagram to sell your products in specific locations? Use hashtags like #FloridaLife or #NewYorkDrinks to target those local audiences. You can also tag posts based on location to reach users in the area.

Community and industry hashtags

The majority of brands and businesses, regardless of their size, use at least one hashtag that symbolizes their product or industry. More often than not, these hashtags are designed to be uncomplicated and memorable.

To find popular community hashtags in your niche, examine popular posts from competitors in your field. Check out the hashtags they’re using.

Daily hashtags

Famous daily hashtags include #MondayMotivation and #ThrowbackThursday. But there are many tags for daily challenges, themes, or common experiences. Find them by checking the tags of posts from specific days, or search the days of the week and see what autofills in the search results.

Entertainment hashtags

These hashtags aren’t meant to grow your audience, but rather to expand on the relationship with the audience you already have. These phrases often have little to do with a brand itself, and more to do with the situation in the specific post.

Mass appeal hashtags

Mass appeal hashtags are general hashtags that can apply to almost any post. They’re frequently used, which means they’re also frequently sought out. They can occasionally give your posts a significant bump in reach, putting them in front of established audiences. Examples of these include #instagood and #lovelife.

Occasion-based hashtags

Maybe you want to remind your followers that it’s OK to have a #caseofthemondays, or to appreciate that #summerrain. Timely hashtags can be related to a certain holiday, time of year, or even time of day. Users love timely content and are likely to seek out holiday and seasonal posts in particular.

Trending hashtags

Trending hashtags are hashtags that for any number of reasons explode in popularity due to current events, advertising campaigns, viral nature, or pop culture. Hashtags go in and out of favor, just like styles of clothing and slang.

Whether Apple has announced a new version of the iPhone, or it’s election day somewhere in the country, trending hashtags won’t give you evergreen results, but they can yield meaningful returns when used correctly.

Niche hashtags

Certain products have audiences with niche interests with corresponding niche hashtags. People who are buying their own virtual reality systems, for example, are likely to be interested in all the latest technology. Customers who are interested in healthy eating may search for phrases like #organic or #eatinggreen. Use niche-specific hashtags to connect with a highly relevant audience.

Bremont does this exceptionally well in the example below. It uses hashtags like #watchstyle and #watchesofinstagram, knowing that these niche hashtags could connect them with their target audience.

Special event hashtags

Sometimes hashtags can act like beacons that alert users to special events going on with your store. Are you about to host a contest? Hashtags like #contestalert and #instagiveaway can help you find an interested audience. Similarly, hashtags like #flashsale and #BOGO can both help you find bargain hunters and signal to followers you’ve got special deals for them online.

If you create a hashtag to promote a new product launch, you could feature that hashtag in your Instagram bio so that when people click through, they’ll find all the posts and stories that were published using that hashtag.

Which types of hashtags should I use?

Not all ecommerce businesses will benefit from every type of hashtag.

A merchant with national or international reach may not have a reason to use location-based hashtags, for example, and B2B merchants with a strictly professional voice may not use a lot of entertainment-focused hashtags. That’s fine. Adopt the ones that will work best for your brand and your audience.

Benefits of using Instagram Hashtags

Unsure whether you should add a hashtag to your latest post? Here are five reasons why your Instagram content can benefit from a tag or two:

1. Create or join a community

Instagram hashtags allow you to quickly identify active communities within the app. Join them by creating and tagging relevant content.

You can also use a new hashtag to build engagement on a topic that’s related to your account or business.

Promote a unique, accessible hashtag to your followers. Perhaps your tag could speak to a benefit of your product, such as #cozyhome, or cite a common experience amongst your audience, like #momlife.

If the hashtag is catchy, followers may start to use it in their own posts, creating a collection of user-generated content that fosters a sense of community and links back to you.

2. Target people and groups

Hashtags make it easier to put your content in front of a target user. Pick tags that are relevant to your brand as well as your audience’s interests to increase your exposure, and make it more likely that your posts will reach receptive people.

3. Track posts and campaigns

By creating a unique hashtag for a post or collection of content, you can easily monitor its progress. Moreover, you don’t have to limit your use of hashtags to Instagram. Why not create a hashtag for an entire marketing campaign and use it across other social sites, ads, and even in physical marketing materials?

4. Stay informed

Making hashtags a habit is a good way to stay on top of trends within your industry. By following relevant tags, you can see what types of content resonate with your audience, as well as what your competitors are up to.

Maintaining consistent brand messaging is important, but you should also adjust your content strategy in response to shifting trends and interests.

5. Improve post SEO

Adding hashtags to a post’s caption can increase its visibility in Instagram’s internal search engine. By tagging posts with popular or timely search terms, you should gain greater prominence in results, giving your content an extra boost.

According to Instagram, this tactic can be particularly effective for posts that already have significant clicks, likes, or shares.

Tips for using hashtags on Instagram

Be mindful of the number of hashtags you use

You can use up to 30 hashtags on a single Instagram post. Whether you should is another question entirely.

The latest advice from Instagram is to be selective with hashtags and only use three to five per post. However, research suggests that using more hashtags generally leads to higher engagement.

As for precisely how many hashtags work best, the data is inconsistent. Some marketers swear by using just two hashtags, while others use all 30. In reality, the sweet spot for a single post may only be something you can uncover through testing.

Should my Instagram hashtags be visible?

Nobody wants to read through 30 different hashtags, or even six for that matter, just to get to the content. Big blocks of difficult-to-read text also look visually unappealing.

Because of this, many brands opt to hide the bulk of their hashtags by strategically placing them below the “See More” option. Some will even take this a step further, adding significant extra spaces outside of the See More in order to aesthetically remove large chunks of hashtags from the rest of the description. Other brands will add hashtags in a separate comment on the post, but this may cause the hashtags to lose effectiveness.

For most brands, the best option is simply to make sure that your hashtags are separated by at least one line from the caption and are hidden under the See More option. This keeps the focus on your caption, increasing the likelihood that it will be read. It also looks cleaner.

The exception is if you’re using one or two hashtags for branding or entertainment purposes. In this case, leave them above the fold, if necessary, and make sure they’re listed first or written in line in your Instagram caption. That way, users are more likely to read them.

Although you may see others doing it, there’s no reason to use more than one line of separation for hashtags. If users click on See More, you don’t want them to have to scroll forever to get to the comments, because there’s a good chance they won’t continue and leave a comment of their own.

Conduct Instagram hashtag research

Hashtag research is a key part of distribution on Instagram. It can help you identify the most popular hashtags, give you new ideas for hashtags you wouldn’t have thought of on your own, and help you to identify trending hashtags.

There are several different strategies you can use to conduct hashtag research, whether you want to grow your list or find new trending topics. Let’s take a look at each.

Scope out Twitter

If you want to find relevant hashtags that are currently trending, Twitter can give you an edge. It has a trending topics section, where you can see what people are sharing.

Note that hashtag usage on Instagram and Twitter is different, and trending Twitter hashtags are more heavily focused on news. Keep that in mind and use it for research purposes instead of copying and pasting hashtags blindly to Instagram.

Check out your competition

It never hurts to see what your competition’s Instagram marketing strategy looks like, and that includes their hashtag strategy. Look for trends in which hashtags they’re using and you might get a few ideas for phrases you want to add to your roster, too.

Monitor influencers

Influencers—including micro-influencers—are called influencers for a reason: they already have an audience and people actively look to them for advice, inspiration, or expertise. It’s not surprising that these Instagram profiles may have mastered their hashtag game and found the best performing terms out there. Take a look, and don’t be afraid to snag a few that you like.

Avoid banned hashtags

Did you know that there are such things as banned hashtags on Instagram? They aren’t even necessarily swear words or outright obscenities—though those definitely make the list.

Instagram routinely “bans” hashtags that it detects are used frequently alongside some sort of illicit content. Some of these aren’t surprising, like #nasty, but others like #fitnessgirls and #tgif could be used for perfectly innocent reasons. Instagram won’t post new content to a banned hashtag’s feed, if the feed even stays up at all.

Hashtags can be banned permanently or temporarily, and when you use them, your Instagram posts could be shadowbanned. This means that they may not show up in your followers’ feeds, and they may not appear when users search for other hashtags attached to the post. All in all, using a single banned hashtag can unravel all the work you did on a post.

When compiling hashtags that you want to use, check out the full list of hashtags that have been banned on Instagram.

Measure your Instagram hashtag strategy

All marketing efforts should be measured whenever possible, and that goes for hashtag strategies, too.

Hashtags can be much more difficult to evaluate on your own, especially if you have groups of them on posts. This can make it difficult to know which are working and which aren’t pulling their weight. Fortunately, there are several ways to measure the impact of your strategy.

First, take a look at the overall growth of your channel. You can do this with Instagram’s analytics, though many third-party social management platforms will offer more detail.

See if impressions, reach, and likes go up for your profile and posts. How many accounts have you reached through the Discovery channel? Are you seeing big changes as a result of your new strategy? Look for month-to-month increases. If you don’t see them within a couple months, it’s time to try something different.

You should also be using hashtag research tools to monitor the hashtags you’re using regularly. Make sure their popularity is trending up over time and not decreasing. You can use tools like Keyhole to track your branded hashtag and to see the reach, impressions, and overall use from other profiles. This can help you evaluate how much your branded hashtag is helping you, and if it’s gaining traction organically.

Finding the best Instagram hashtags

Instagram hashtags are an essential part of Instagram marketing. If you combine your hashtag tactics with a strategy that focuses on getting more followers, you’ll see an immediate lift in likes, comments, and audience.

If you don’t have a strategy in place, your marketing may not be reaching its full potential on the platform. Use the tools and hashtag suggestions detailed in this post to form your own list of high-performing hashtags that will extend your reach and keep your audience engaged, and remember to switch them up based on your analytics tools for best results.

Illustration by Eugenia Mello

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