The Ultimate Guide to Making your Instagram Hashtags More Popular
Instagram hashtags are useful tools for promoting your content, but getting people familiar with these hashtags can be a challenge. Here are some tips and tricks on how to make your hashtags popular with your Instagram audience.
Creating the right hashtag
When creating social media hashtags, think about the platform where they are going to be used. In the case of Instagram, people engage with it on a visual level, which your hashtags should convey. Use visually-descriptive words to give them a picture of the content they will see. Starbucks’ annual #RedCups campaign is a good example of this, having a distinct image associated with the hashtag.
Make your hashtags clear
To strengthen the image, the hashtag should have a clear context within your larger Instagram campaign. Define what function it will play. Will it be used as a slogan for the campaign, or will your audience use it to enter a contest?
Once you have contextualized your hashtag, make it relevant to your audience. Remember that they are the ones who will be using it more. Look at the things they like and the content they post, and use this information to select your hashtag. The #RedCups campaign also does this by connecting it with the things people like about the brand.
Make your hashtags actionable
Another way to get people responding to your hashtag is by making it actionable. They are more likely to use and spread your hashtag if it is a call directed towards them. Be specific in the action your tag conveys to make it easier for people to use.
Tugging your Instagram audience’s emotions is one strategy for creating actionable hashtags. Be creative in how you incorporate the chosen emotion to get people interested in finding out what it is all about. Disney’s #ShareYourEars campaign is one such campaign that relies on both a clear call to action and a strong appeal to people’s sensibilities to get them responding.
Look for misinterpretations
In some cases, your Instagram hashtags might become popular for the wrong reasons. This can often be due to people misreading it, giving rise to a different phrase. Or it might be because of external factors that cause people to use your tag for a different reason.
Avoid this situation by reviewing your hashtag before implementing it. If it is a phrase, write it such that each component word is clearly discernible. Presenting it to a test audience first also helps you pick out any unintentional misreadings early.
Connect multiple hashtags right
In some Instagram campaigns, you might end up creating several hashtags. When conceptualizing them, make sure they relate to one another clearly, letting people know that each hashtag is part of the same campaign.
Define the role that each hashtag will play in the campaign. You can then create a template that the hashtag set will follow. When using the tags, don’t add them all in a single post. Use only the ones that are most relevant to the post. This will help people better understand how to use your tags properly.
Using Instagram Hashtags the right way
When using your Instagram hashtag, you might be tempted to put it in every post. This is not always a good move, as it ends up lessening the tag’s impact. Carefully choose which content to use it with. The photo/video should clearly deliver your tag’s message. You can go one step further and take Instagram photos/videos with the hashtag in mind, like what Airbnb did for their #WeAccept campaign.
You also should consider how to use the hashtag in your photo captions. Don’t just place it at the end, where viewers can easily gloss over it. Look for ways to organically add them to the caption. People are more likely to adopt your tag if they feel that it’s a natural part of your posts.
Add your hashtags in other places
Your Instagram Stories are another good place to add hashtags. Doing so makes the Stories searchable, increasing their lifespan.
To include a hashtag to your Story, select the Hashtag sticker in the options and type it in. The tag becomes clickable and is a good way to drive traffic to your other tagged posts.
You also don’t need to limit your hashtags to posts. Instagram lets users add clickable tags on their bios. The option is useful for promoting your page’s brand or campaign hashtag. As it is with your posts, don’t just drop the tag there. Write your bio to highlight the tag and quickly give information about it.
Pushing your hashtags more
In the suggestions above, you add your Instagram hashtags in clickable places. You can also incorporate it within your photo or video content. Since people see the hashtag right on your content, they associate the two together more. Be creative in how you present the tag in the content to better catch your audience’s attention. Watch how The King uses #ShutUpAndDribble:
To make people more familiar with the hashtag, buy Instagram likes for your posts. Once your posts’ likes go up, your hashtag starts to trend and people will notice. To ensure that you are getting high-quality likes, check out our list of recommended providers.
Spreading your hashtag
Your Instagram hashtag really becomes popular when people start using it for their own posts. Encouraging them to follow it is a good way to set this off. Even if they don’t follow your page, they will see your content immediately. Explain what they can expect once they start to follow your tag to better convince them.
Getting people to engage with your hashtag
Once people are following the hashtag, your next step is to get then talking about and mentioning it. Start by asking your audience some questions about it. Since they follow it, they will respond. Be sure to comment on their answers to keep the conversations going.
Encouraging user-generated content (UGC) is another way to get people using your hashtag. Such content can be anything from simple fanart to contest entries. GoPro is one company that has used UGC’s to push their brand hashtags more.
Follow their example and be creative in how people will incorporate your hashtag in their content. This helps draw more viewer attention to it.
Get the help of influencers to promote your UGC and hashtag campaign as well. They could create their own content based on your campaign and share it to their audiences. Their large following lets you popularize your hashtag to new audiences.
Tracking your hashtag’s popularity
To get a clearer picture of your Instagram hashtag campaign’s effectiveness, keep track of the tag’s performance. Instagram provides hashtag analytics through the Insights feature, available to business profiles. When you open Insights, you can see the number of impressions from different sources, including hashtags.
The feature doesn’t give the exact number of impressions for individual hashtags, but you can still use it to determine their performance across posts. Then plan out how to improve your campaign, such as refining your content to better reinforce the hashtag’s message.
Even if your hashtag is doing well, you can still give it a push to increase its popularity. Buy Instagram shares to spread your posts to even more people. If they see your posts being shared often, Instagrammers become interested in clicking the associated tag and seeing what it is all about. Check out our recommendations on which companies have the best shares service.
Make your hashtags popular and become an Instagram hit
Making your Instagram hashtags popular requires some considerable effort. To pull it off, you need to have:
- The right hashtag: Think about how the tag will effectively convey your message and how people will likely use it for their own purposes.
- Good content for it: Be creative in how you use the hashtag in your content to catch viewers’ attention.
- A good sharing tactic: Come up with different engaging activities that will encourage people to adopt your tag and share it with their peers.
Once you have all these elements, you are on your way to get your tags trending. Take advantage of that opportunity and get people engaging more with your Instagram page.
Date: November 22, 2018 / Categories: Engagement, Hashtags, Marketing, / Author: Rich Drees
