How to Create and Use Hashtag Lists for Instagram

Do you have a problem keeping your digital assets organized to post on Instagram?

Have you wondered why similar accounts have grown and your posts seem to be lacking similar engagement?

This is why you need hashtag lists for Instagram!

How to use hashtag lists for Instagram

Many Instagrammers use pre-selected groups of hashtags for their posts which they’ll add/remove on the fly depending on the post. These hashtags are often-times researched and saved on their iPhone Notes section, email, or Evernote on their desktop computer. We’ll call these hashtag lists.

We’ve come up with a better solution! You can now add hashtag lists in your Tailwind app. Yes!!! Read how to add them in How to Use Hashtag Lists in Tailwind for Instagram

Build out groups of hashtags for different types of content that you’ll post on Instagram. Being organized will help you use hashtags consistently and bring more people to your posts on Instagram.

You can use your branded hashtags to build your community and find their posts in the future.

The hashtags are grouped by topic/niche and are typically researched ahead of time via a couple different methods:

• off the top of their head
• via Google search for “best hashtags in niche
• seeing what other people use in their posts (eg “big brands” in their niche or friends)

Some people vet their hashtags by looking at performance on Instagram. A few things to think about:

• overall media count on Instagram – if the count is extremely high then your post will likely not get seen in the mix; if the count is low then not many people are looking at this hashtag. There is no general consensus on what counts define on different ends of that spectrum.
• types of media that use that hashtag – to see if the content being posted fits their niche/what they plan to be posting.

Overall, hashtag lists are not updated very often but will be used with pretty much every post made to Instagram.

How hashtags are typically added on Instagram posts

• in the post caption itself either straight up at the bottom
• with some additional spacing at the bottom so it’s not visible above the “read more” fold
• in the first comment after the post is live

Since Instagram is all about the aesthetic, people tend to find the giant list to be ugly which is why they try to hide it via spacing or first comment. Here’s more on how and where to add Instagram hashtags.

There is a maximum of 30 hashtags available total between the post and comments. If you try to add more than 30, Instagram won’t post your caption or comment.

Instagrammers typically have about five groups of hashtags that they use on a regular basis.

Here are some frustrations many people have with hashtags

Don’t know which ones are effective – there isn’t a widely-used/definitive resource on choosing them.  Or there wasn’t until Tailwind launched its Instagram Hashtag Finder which suggests related hashtags categorized by “Good”, “Best”, “Niche” and “Competitive”.

Even after using them, it’s hard and/or cumbersome. [hint: we have a solution!]

How many hashtags should you use?

According to a study by Simply Measured, 88% of brand posts include at least one hashtag.

The number of hashtags is a personal choice – if you have an account under 1,000 followers, you’ll probably want to max out your hashtags at thirty so you can grow.

91% of posts by top brands have seven or fewer hashtags but they’ve already made a considerable effort into growing an engaged Instagram following.

You might want to start by setting a robust Instagram hashtag strategy <– that post will show you how. Create several different hashtag lists for Instagram and test them to see what number of hashtags gets the most engagement on your account. Testing and experimenting to find your own sweet spot could be the key.

How to find hashtags to add to your lists:

• Create your own branded hashtag that isn’t just your own brand name e.g. #welltraveled for Herschel – this allows other people to fit into the hashtag as well
• Look at hashtags that your competitors or influential people in your space use
• Use more niche-specific hashtags to get more targeted audience reach e.g. #vwvan vs #van
• Find hashtags that have a dedicated community around them for your targeted audience
• Use localized hashtags e.g. hashtags like #sanfranciscoeats or #sffoodie will draw the attention of local foodies in the area, or those looking for a new restaurant to try
• Check out other posts using that hashtag to verify your content will “add to the conversation” and is relevant
• Try Hashtag Finder in Tailwind for Instagram. It suggests the best hashtags for your post as you type your caption.

Find hashtags where you can get into the “Top 9 Posts” for the hashtag – these are hashtags that aren’t overly popular but still engaged with people posting on a regular basis. There’s an unknown algorithm to the Top Posts for a hashtag page and it’s a mix of likes, comments, and amount of reach for the post.

Instagram suggests, “After tagging the photo with relevant and specific tags, you may also find that people sharing photos similar to yours are using even more specialized tags that you hadn’t thought of originally. In our photo, we found that photos tagged #vw and #vwvan also use #vwbus.”

Other Caption Best Practices

• Tagging at least one other person increase engagement (influential or relevant people)
• Geotagging also increases engagement

How do the pros use Instagram hashtags?

Hashtag suggestions from Jenn Herman of Jenn’s Trends: “For example, I tag my blog post notices with #socialmedia (which produces hundreds of thousands of results), #socialmediamarketing (which produces thousands of results), and #socialmediatips (which produces hundreds of results). By covering all three ranges, my post’s visibility is guaranteed to be higher than if I only used one of the tags.”

Popular Instagrammer Chalene Johnson of IGImpactOfficial says, “When you post your hashtags, post them in a comment after your initial caption. Although you can edit your caption, Instagram may be changing their algorithm soon to decrease the reach/visibility of edited posts in your followers newsfeeds. Post your hashtags in a comment after the initial post is completed.”

Sue B. Zimmerman, The Instagram Expert recommends using locations and emotions in your hashtags.

Location  – Geotag or add locations relevant to your post or business  i.e. where you are posting from or the town/city in which your business is based

Emotions – Hashtag how what you do makes you feel, how you are feeling that day or how the post topic makes you feel. i.e. #energetic #pure #natural

Did you know that you can use emoji hashtags on Instagram? #? You can! Click to Tweet

A recap of hashtag best practices:

• One brand hashtag (example: #Tailwind)
• 1-2 hashtags could be hashtags you’ve created (example: #TailwindTribe, #TailwindVibe)
• 2-5 should be community-centric hashtags (examples: #PinterestLover #InstagramTool)
• Pick one or two popular hashtags
• If your post is relevant, try to hit one of the trending hashtags like #motivationmonday or #sundayselfie
• Use up to thirty hashtags but make sure they’re all relevant to your post
• Be consistent to build solid brand awareness

Don’t forget to mention influential and relevant users in captions to engage new audiences. Keep in mind that you don’t want to come across as spammy.

Another way to grow your audience is to find hashtags where you can be featured on their account. Many feature accounts have these listed in their bio. Instagram hosts their own hashtag feature account project called Weekend Hashtag Project and the topic changes each week. Instagram’s instructions are “Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags. For a chance to be featured, follow Instagram and look for a post every week announcing the latest project.”

Tailwind can help with your hashtag lists for Instagram

A big update we’ve added to the Tailwind for Instagram app is hashtag list management. This will allow you to save hashtags in the app and use them right when you’re posting to Instagram. Creating them on desktop makes it easy to be accurate. Set them up once and use on all your Instagram posts for the maximum amount of impact for your content.

Learn more here: How to Use Hashtag Lists in Tailwind for Instagram

We’d like to give you some suggestions for hashtag lists for Instagram that you can add to your Tailwind app for maximizing your Instagram exposure and potential. Take them and customize them to match your Instagram theme and goals.

Remember to be smart with your hashtag choices and you’ll reach people who will be interested in your posts.

COFFEE LOVERS

#barista #coffeeart #coffee #coffeelover #espresso #latteart #instacoffee #coffeegeek #coffeeshots #coffeencloths #coffeeshop #coffeesesh #butfirstcoffee #coffeeaddict #coffeeporn #coffeegram #coffeeculture #morningslikethese #darlingweekend #finditliveit #cupsinframe

TEA DRINKERS

#tea #teabar #cupoftea #teatime #drinktea #maketeanotwar #matcha #matchalatte #matchagreentea #matchatea #greentea

CREATIVES

#creativityfound #createcommune #createexploretakeover #creative_instaarts #artofvisuals #makersgonnamake #creativelifehappylife #creativityfound #creativeminds #calledtobecreative

LIFESTYLE BLOGGERS

#thehappynow #thedarlingmovement #pursuepretty #flashesofdelight #petitejoys #Livethelittlethings #finditliveit #howyouglow #instagood #instadaily #liveauthentic #otb #ontheblog

QUOTES

#quoteoftheday #quotestoliveby #dailyquote #quoted #quotesforlife #quotesofinstagram #quoting #instaquote #instaquoting #quoteme #liveunscripted #liveauthentic #wordstoliveby #inspirationalquotes #thatslovely #thehappynow

WORLD TRAVEL – TRAVEL BLOGGERS

#instatravel #travelgram #love #traveling #instagood #instapassport
#bestofthday #instalove #flashesofdelight #pursuepretty #passionpassport #darlingescapes #letsgosomewhere #travelblogger #theprettycities #iamtraveler #wanderlust #beautifuldestinations #worldcaptures

FITNESS

#fitness #fitnessaddict #fitnessjourney #fitnessfreak #fitnessmodels #fitgirls_inspire #fitfood #yogaeverydamnday #yogalove #yogachallenge #yogalife #yogadaily #yogafit #yogafan #acroyoga #acroyogalove #vinyasa #vinyasagram #instayoga

ENTREPRENEURS

#thegrindisreal #staymotivated #stayfocused #beconsistent #workhard? #worksmart #liveyourdream #achieveyourgoals #achieveyourdreams #selfemployed #selfempowermen t#entrepreneurialmindset #positivemindset #workfromhome #workfromanywhere #digitalentrepreneur #entrepreneurlifestyle

GIRL BOSSES

#femaleentrepreneur #workfromanywhere #theinstagramplan #solopreneur #bossladies  #womeninbiz #creativeentrepreneur #girlboss #mycreativebiz #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #instatidechallenge #ladyboss #bossbabes #beyourownboss #communityovercompetition #empowerwomen #theeverygirl #risingtidesociety #entrepreneurlife #buldinganempire #businesschicks

FOODIES

#mytabletop #oneofthebunch #eatingnyc #zagat #f52grams #huffposttaste #nycfat #eatupnewyork #newforkcity #feedyoursoull #buzzfeedfoods #foodspotting #eastcoastfoodies #westcoastfoodies #igfood #instaeats #foodporn #onthetable #foodiegram #handsinframe #foodgasm #foodphotography #foodart #foodstyling #cupsinframe

#food #foodie #foodporn #eat #delicious #yummy #foodspotting #foodgasm #foodstagram #instafood #mylittleeats #restaurant #foodhub #dailylicious #eatandshout #starvingtime

BOOK LOVERS

#booksandbeans #currentlyreading #reading  #bookish #booksandcoffee #booknerd #booklover #bibliophile #bookstagram #dailyinspo #igreads #instapic #inspiration #writersofinstagram #literature #booklover #books #bookstagram #booknerdigans #fridayreads

THE FASHIONISTA

#fashionista #fashionaddict #fashionblogger #beautyblogger #dreamsoffashion #effortless #urbaninspiration #outfitoftheweek  #styleblogger #OOTD #fblogger #whatiwore #currentlywearing #personalstyle #realoutfitgram #fashiondiaries #outfitgoals #fashiondaily #OTB  #wiw #wiwt #stylediaries #aboutalook #ontheblog

PET LOVERS

#petsofinstagram #petlovers #petsofig #animallover #instadog   #animalkingdom #cuteanimals #animal_captures #adorable_animals  #doglover #ilovemydog #cutecats #catlover #doglife #fluffycat #cuteanimal #dogs_of_instagram #animalsofig #animallover #animallove

We hope that you’re more excited to use hashtag lists for Instagram! Let us know which hashtag list works the best for your Instagram posts.

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