The rules for Instagram hashtags have changed.

It is a brand new year and like virtually everything else associated with Instagram, best practices which worked in the past just aren't as effective anymore.
From subsequent hashtags for adding them to a Instagram Stories, we are showing you all of the new ways that you can utilize Instagram hashtags that will assist you grow your brand this year, as well as sharing helpful hashtag suggestions to make sure you're utilizing hashtags smartly to meet your marketing goals!

Maintaining Your Instagram Hashtags Relevant is More Important Than Ever
Instagram recently gathered the ability to follow hashtags which means that instead of a user needing to look for an Instagram hashtag and scroll through an infinite feed (hopefully) land in your articles, your posts could now show up automatically in the feeds of prospective brand new followers.

While Instagram's algorithm has always preferred using specific and relevant hashtags, this new feature makes using hashtags that make sense an even bigger deal.
That is because users finally have the capacity to indicate your hashtagged content as a tool they don't want to see!
This is how it works.

This is how it works.
After an individual is after a particular hashtag and suggested articles begin to show up in their feed, they'll have the ability to select a new"Do not Display for this particular Hashtag" choice to indicate the content not interesting or not relevant.
While this information is meant to tell the Instagram algorithm what sort of articles a user likes, having too a lot of your articles marked in this manner could potentially raise a red flag on your account and negatively influence all your other articles as well.

Switch Your Instagram Hashtags to Prevent"Spammy" Behavior
Copying and pasting the specific same collection of Instagram hashtags to each and every post and call it a day won't just impact your engagement, but it can also allow you to look spammy!
The most essential issue to remember while determining what hashtags to use is that you're being intentional -- as in, you're using hashtags that your target audience is actually searching for and after!
In accordance with Alex Tooby, It is important to change your Instagram hashtags in each post to prevent being"spammy." It's also a good idea to avoid gimmicky hashtags such as #likeforlike, and hashtags that have been used over 1M times. While these hashtags may get you a couple additional enjoys, but they are not likely to help you develop a highly participated, concentrated following.
Instead, try looking for ultra-niche community hashtags that are specifically relevant to the material you post.
By way of instance, if you are a company that targets small business owners in the fashion industry, you may have multiple hashtags that you use on different topics.
Some may be specifically for small businesses, while others might be about ecommerce and fashion. The crucial thing is to gather and categorize them so that if they're employed in a post, you can readily tell which brings in the most participation in your own post.
And do not forget to utilize your branded hashtag if it is reasonable! The first step to obtaining different users to talk about your branded hashtag would be to use yourself.

Saving multiple hashtag lists Later will definitely help save you time, however, just how can you know that you are using the ideal hashtags to your articles in the first location?
We advocate picking hashtags that explain your accounts, your enterprise, and your target audience.
By way of instance, if you are a baby food business whose target market is anticipating mothers and parents with little kids, you need to use hashtags that explain your product and company, such as #babyblends, #freshbabyfood, and #organicbabyfood in addition to your very own branded effort hashtags.

Community hashtags are Instagram hashtags that join like-minded users around a specific subject. They're a great way to connect with others, improve the searchability of your posts, gain followers, and grow your own community.
Look to industry leaders and other influencers and brands in your niche to find out what community hashtags they're using so you can add those to your hashtag lists as well!
Use a Third-Party Tool to Find the Right Instagram Hashtags for Your Business
If you still need some help locating market and industry-specific hashtags then you might want to check out Afterwards's Hashtag Tips feature.
Hashtag Suggestions functions by automatically locating relevant hashtags to your articles based on additional hashtags that you use.
For example, let's say you're posting a photo of a beautiful bedroom to publicize your company that sells linens. All you need to do is understand one important hashtag (such as #livesimply), place it into Hashtag Suggestions, hit"Suggest," along with the feature will immediately generate 30 other hashtags, sorted by relevance.
You can then pick and choose which of these hashtags to add you to your own post. All you need to do is click on"Insert Hashtags" and they will be added to the finish of your caption.
After that you can pick and choose which one of these hashtags to add you to your post. All you have to do is click"Insert Hashtags" and they'll be added to the end of your caption.
Hashtag Suggestions is available on all Afterwards small business plans -- update now for access!

There is a lot of conflicting information out there about how many Instagram hashtags is the"right" amount.
Therefore, if you are wondering just how many hashtags you should be using on each article, the jury remains out!
Alex's guidance is to use the maximum number of hashtags permitted by Instagram, which will be thirty. While thirty tags may seem like a lot, she states that using the most quantity of Instagram hashtags gives you more opportunities to be found.
We have seen all kinds of strategies and suggestions on how many hashtags make the gap, however at the end of the day, it's really up to you. If it's possible to locate thirty super relevant hashtags to add to every article, then you should definitely go for it.
However, if you do not feel comfortable with that many, feel free to opt for less. It is always fine to experiment with the amount of hashtags you use on a post from the search to locating your hashtag sweet spot.
The most important thing to remember is that you are being intentional with your hashtag choice and you're using hashtags that your intended audience is looking for and following.

Open a scheduled Instagram post in the Afterwards desktop program
Paste your Instagram hashtags into your caption
Insert a couple drops (5-6 should do it) to transfer your hashtags farther down
Select either"notification" or"auto publish" for publishing
If you post your photo, Instagram will just show the first few lines of your caption so your hashtags will be concealed
Business Profiles Could Track Instagram Hashtag Success with Post Insights
Those who have switched to a company profile not simply have the ability to check on how their reports are increasing over time with Instagram's analytics, but they can also examine how individual articles are performing and compare the specific results from every.
What does this mean for you?
You will be able to see precisely how effective your posts are at bringing a new audience, according to impressions from various sources-- such as your Instagram hashtags! Having access to these insights can allow you to continuously optimize your hashtag strategy.
To get this information, select the post you would like to get more detailed analytics on and hit on View Insights at the bottom left.
Swipe up to see the entire page of data for this post, such as things like reach, impressions, and interestingly enough -- the way the men and women who watched your article found you.
If you are on one of Afterwards's paid programs, you can even utilize Afterwards's Hashtag Analytics to monitor crucial insights about the hashtags you use, including a breakdown of that hashtags are forcing the most likes, opinions, impressions, saves, and reach on your Instagram articles.
You may use this data to determine which hashtags are forcing the most engagement on your posts. As soon as you locate your top performing hashtags, you can use them more frequently to get much more involvement and traction for your business.
Instagram Hashtag Analytics are available on all Afterwards small business plans, beginning at $19/month. Later also has general Instagram Analytics on all paid programs.

As previously mentioned, in a big update from 2018, Instagram added that the capability to"follow" hashtags, meaning you can now stay up-to-date on various subjects (or communities) by adhering to a hashtag linked to your interests.
Following a hashtag works just like after an individual's profile. When you find a hashtag you'd like to follow you simply open the hashtag webpage and tap the follow button.
For brands and businesses, this opens a fantastic opportunity to regularly show up in a follower's feed. By way of instance, if you have a branded hashtag to your small business , you can invite your followers to also follow your distinctive hashtag.
It doubles your odds of engagement!

You can also use this new feature to keep a close eye on competitors and even discover potential partners by deciding to follow industry-specific hashtags.
You Might Also Add Instagram Hashtags to Your Instagram Stories
Adding hashtags to your story is a fantastic way to give your content an extra chance to be found by new audiences. When people search for a hashtag on Instagram, if it is popular enough, they'll be able to look at active, real-time stories on that hashtag's webpage -- such as your own.
And if they like what they see, they might even tap follow in your profile!
There are two distinct ways to add hashtags to your own stories. One is using the hashtag sticker (you can only insert 1 hashtag with this method), and the other is using the text tool and just typing your hashtags out (you can add up to ten hashtags employing this method).

Luckily, there are a few techniques to get around this!
Insert Instagram Hashtags For Your Instagram Bio
Whether you're promoting an Instagram competition or UGC campaign, including your branded hashtag in your Instagram bio is a wonderful way to drive involvement on your articles!
What is so great about this feature is that it makes your bio even more operational -- you can use hashtags for everything from boosting your Instagram neighborhood to highlighting your branded articles and declaring your Instagram campaigns.

Including your branded hashtag on your bio is also a great way to get your followers in the habit of submitting with it.

Employing Instagram hashtags strategically is still a great way to contact clients, find content generated about you by have a look your own followers, and build long-term relationships with powerful partners!
Hopefully, these new rules for utilizing Instagram hashtags have sparked some new ideas which you can begin to execute around your own hashtag strategy!