It was 2010 when all of the cool kids discovered Instagram. Among the sepia selfies and crème brûlée coloured pics, a new term was coined. Hashtag.

#selfie #yolo #holiday #dinnertime

Since its candid 2010 days, Instagram has experienced the mother of glow-ups and is now positioned as one of the top social media platforms for businesses. With a billion users scrolling each month, the humble #selfie became #cha-ching, and ‘how to add hashtags to Instagram’ became ‘how to monetise hashtags on Instagram’.

Hashtags are an effective way to increase brand awareness and help your audience discover you. A business that can be found, is a business that has more opportunities to sell.

Are you ready to increase your brand awareness?

What is a hashtag used for?

According to the wise ChatGPT… ‘A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the “#” symbol used on social media platforms to categorise content and make it easily discoverable by others interested in similar topics.’

Libraries have the Dewey Decimal System. Social media platforms have the #hashtag. Hashtags are a way to categorise posts so users can find relevant content that suits them. 

If you want to find photos of Labrador puppies there’s no use scrolling millions of images just for that daily boost of serotonin. Type #labradorpuppy in the Instagram search bar, et voilà! Puppies!!

This is the same for your audience. Your audience is searching for, and following accounts that provide them with engaging and informative content that’s relevant to them and their lifestyle.

#pinkhandbag #melbournelawyer #giftideas #graphicdesigner #hashtagtips

The above hashtags are the beginning of your audiences’ journey. Instagram is a place for inspiration and research. Learn to guide your audience through the process from pondering to purchasing by using hashtags effectively.

Hashtags aren’t the be-all and end-all of engagement, but they are extremely useful tools to support brand growth online.

How to add hashtags to Instagram (for smarties)

Let’s establish some basics before we start talking strategy.

If you want to know how to add hashtags to Instagram here is what you need to remember:

• Hashtags are a pound sign (#) followed by a keyword (#hashtag).
  
• Hashtags can include numbers and emojis but cannot include special characters such as $ or %.
  
• Hashtags cannot exceed 30 in number for a post/reel or exceed 10 in number for a story.
  
• Hashtags belong in the caption and comment sections of posts and reels. Add hashtags within the body or at the end of the text. To add a hashtag to an Instagram story, tap the screen and type the hashtag.
  

Hashtags will only be searchable if the Instagram profile is set to public. Posts won’t be searchable or appear on the corresponding hashtag page if the profile is private.

The different types of hashtags you should be using to get discovered

Ice by itself is boring but add some soda water and you’ve got yourself a drink. 

Next, add a wedge of lime to give it some flavour.

Now… add vodka and you’ve got yourself a strong, tasty drink! (And probably a headache tomorrow).

Creating effective hashtags sets is a little bit like preparing a tasty drink. There are different types of hashtags, and when combined they make your post stronger and more likely to reach your target audience.

Okay, so what are the different hashtag types? Here is our no-headache explanation:

• Staple hashtags (industry/brand-related).  
• Community hashtags (used by your target audience to connect with the community). 
• Contextual hashtags (specific to a product, service, or subject matter of that particular post).

Let’s look at the below example:

Gloria handmakes natural bath bombs in Melbourne, Australia, and wants to post the below pic. She applies each of the hashtag types to create a strong opportunity for real engagement with her target audience.