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Instagram hashtags: How to find best hashtags for Instagram [+ list]
Chloe West
Written byby Chloe West
Published on June 13, 2025
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Reading time 16 minutes
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Table of Contents
What are Instagram hashtags?
How to use hashtags on Instagram
5 Benefits of hashtags on Instagram
Top Instagram hashtags in 2024
Top Instagram hashtag generators
Types of Instagram hashtags
Tracking and analyzing Instagram hashtags
7 Best practices for Instagram hashtags
Get started with Instagram hashtags today
Instagram Hashtags FAQs
In today’s competitive social media landscape, simply posting and hoping for the best isn’t going to cut it. Instagram hashtags can be the difference between your brand getting lost in the feed or reaching new customers.
Hashtags on Instagram can help your posts reach a target audience, gain new followers and increase brand engagement.
In this guide, we’ll explore the secrets of Instagram hashtags and help you unlock their full potential. We’ll also share the best Instagram hashtags for 2024, introduce you to some of the top hashtag generator tools and provide expert tips and strategies for optimizing your hashtag game.
What are Instagram hashtags?
Instagram hashtags are a way to categorize your Instagram content with words, phrases or numbers preceded by the hashtag symbol ( #) in Instagram captions. Using Instagram hashtags allows your content to be more easily found through the app or served to relevant users.
Here’s an example of what an Instagram caption with hashtags might look like:
A screenshot of an Instagram post with hashtags in the caption
How to use hashtags on Instagram
Using hashtags strategically can help you grow your account and keep your content organized. But, don’t assume hashtags are a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Regularly monitor which hashtags are driving the most engagement on Instagram and adjust your strategy accordingly. Here are four tips on how to use hashtags on Instagram:
1. Research relevant and popular hashtags for your brand
Start by identifying hashtags that are relevant to your content and target audience. You can do this by exploring posts within your industry, analyzing competitor hashtags and using Instagram’s search function to find trending and related hashtags.
A mix of broad and specific hashtags is the key to success. While popular tags can boost your visibility, more specific ones can help you zero in on a more engaged audience. For example, if you’re in a Chicago-based restaurant, consider pairing a broad tag like with more targeted ones like or to draw in a more focused following.
2. Place hashtags within the caption or in the first comment:
You can either include hashtags within the caption of your post or add them as the first comment. While there’s no significant difference in terms of reach or engagement, some users prefer to keep their captions clean and concise by placing hashtags in the first comment. Of course, we recommend you test which hashtag placement is most effective for your posts.
3. Use the right number of hashtags
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but that doesn’t mean you should use all of them. In fact, using too many hashtags can decrease engagement. Aim for 3-5 relevant hashtags per post, and don’t forget to include a mix of general and specific hashtags (See tip #1 above).
Screenshot of an Instagram post by the official Instagram Creators account that outlines a list of 5 "Hashtag Dos".
4. Monitor the performance of your hashtags and adjust your strategy
Keep an eye on the performance of your hashtags by checking insights and analytics. See which hashtags are generating the most reach, impressions and engagement. Use this information to fine-tune your hashtag strategy and optimize your posts for better visibility and engagement. Using an Instagram growth tool will help you monitor and scale your marketing efforts.
Bonus resource: If you’re looking for a way to streamline your Instagram post creation, templates are a great place to start. Use our template collection (with guidance for tweaking colors, typography and icons) to start expanding your content library today.
Download the templates
5 Benefits of hashtags on Instagram
Hashtags should be a major part of your Instagram marketing strategy. There are many use cases for them—but also many benefits. Let’s cover five major benefits that hashtags can provide.
1. Increases exposure and discovery
First and foremost, hashtags are known for increasing exposure and discoverability for posts. They’re good for overall brand awareness. Think of hashtags as digital gateways that connect your content with a broader audience, not just your immediate followers. When you use relevant and trending Instagram hashtags, users who are looking for content about those topics will find your posts. This will increase your chances of attracting new followers and, ideally, customers.
Screenshot of the Instagram results page for the hashtag .
2. Encourages audience interactions
Hashtags are a powerful tool for encouraging engagement and interaction on Instagram. When users find your content through relevant hashtags, they’re more likely to engage with your posts by liking, commenting and sharing. This increased engagement not only boosts your post’s visibility but also helps to build a stronger relationship with your audience, creating a sense of community and loyalty.
Branded hashtags are a custom tag specifically crafted for a brand or social media campaign. They can be used as a rallying point for both the brand and its followers. Having branded Instagram hashtags encourages users to share their experience with your products or service and could be seen as a type of brand advocacy.
3. Competitor analysis
How much digital space are your competitors taking up in your market? Chances are that you and your competitors will have overlapping hashtags, especially if you’re using industry and location hashtags. With a social media competitive analysis, you can analyze the share of voice, sentiment and engagement of those posts.
Instagram hashtags can help you analyze the content strategies of your competitors. By observing the hashtags used by your competitors, you can see what they post, how often they post and the engagements of their posts. This insight helps you identify trends and successful content that appeals to your target audience. It can also help you find ways to improve your own content strategy to better meet your audience’s needs.
4. Content research
Instagram hashtags aren’t just for show; they are a treasure trove of performance indicators. By keeping an eye on the reach, impressions and interactions linked to your chosen hashtags, you can gain valuable insights into what makes your audience tick. Similar to what you’d do for SEO keyword research, hashtags can help you research different content ideas. What seems to be working for similar brands? Is there a certain style or caption that’s trending now? This data-driven approach allows you to fine-tune your hashtag game, optimize your content calendar and tailor your posts to better connect with your followers.
5. Connects digital and IRL campaigns
Whether shopping online or in stores, chances are you’ll come across a hashtag marketing campaign. These types of campaigns gets in front of in-store customers and offers an easy way to connect digital and in-real-life (IRL) campaigns. Remember, you want your customers talking about your brand positively online, and the incentive needs to be visible to them outside of Instagram.
Top Instagram hashtags in 2024
If there’s one rule to keep in mind when using Instagram hashtags, it’s to always keep them relevant to your business and the content you’re posting. However, there’s nothing wrong with using popular hashtags in your industry—so to help you find those, here are some of the top Instagram hashtags of 2024 for a variety of different industries.
To discover hashtags specifically for Reels, we recommend checking out our article on Instagram Reel hashtags.
Top 50 Instagram hashtags in 2024
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Top 10 Instagram hashtags for B2B
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Top 10 Instagram hashtags for fashion and beauty
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Top 10 Instagram hashtags for fitness
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Top 10 Instagram hashtags for food, beverage and restaurants
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