Hashtags are one of the most effective ways to expand the reach of your IG posts organicallyโand, by extension, one of the best ways to grow your follower-count. (**๐๐๐๐๐: ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐ฃ๐ช๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข ๐ช๐จ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ค โ๐จ๐๐ฌโ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐ฉ.**) Personally, hashtags account for roughly 15% - 25% of my postsโ reach. So, theoretically, for every 1,000 of my followers who see one of my posts, I can bank on an additional 150 to 250 views by way of hashtags. Not bad!
Before I explain the categories, here are some best practices to keep in mind:
1. Donโt copy/paste your hashtags. IG may โshadow-banโ you (Google that :D). Instead, take the time to insert them manually.
2. Some people claim that 11 or some random number of hashtags is the optimal number but Iโve never come across anything conclusive to prove that idea. Bottom line is, IG allows up to 30 hashtags in a post. Use 10, use 20, use 30โwhatever gets you the reach you want. Test and adjust.
๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ - Popular hashtags. E.g. #TBT. Heads-up, itโs best to use hashtags that relate to your post, otherwise you could get flagged for hashtag-spamming.
๐๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก - Neighborhood-, city-, or community-specific hashtags. E.g. in #Nashville, thereโs a neighborhood called 12South. One of its popular hashtags is #12SouthNash.
๐ฟ๐๐จ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ - Hashtags that describe the content of your post. E.g. #ComingSoon.
๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฉ-๐๐๐จ๐๐ - Hashtags that describe a general subject of interest. E.g. #LuxuryHomes.
๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ-๐๐๐จ๐๐ - Hashtags that connect to what a buyer or seller may be intending to do. E.g. #BuyingAHome.
๐ฝ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ - Hashtags tied to specific brands that relate to the content of your post. E.g. #TomFerry. Again, donโt use a brandโs hashtag if itโs totally random.
Happy ๐๐๐จ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐, folks!