Table of Contents
Are you ready for the most awesome list of the best Instagram hashtags to get you more followers?
This list of popular Instagram hashtags contains many things that users find interesting, such as:
- Cute Babies, Dogs, Puppies, Cats, and Kittens
- Compromised Friends in Party Settings
- Stuff You Do Not Want Your Mom to See
- Stuff Your Dad Will Not Expect
- Stuff That Might Prevent You from Getting a Good Job
- Stuff that Could Get You Fired
- Popular Things
- Events
- Great Food
- Wonderful Sayings
- Abnormal Things
- Extraterrestrial Things
- The Weird, the Macabre, the Strange, the Unexplainable, and much more
Instagram says that the service is a visual story-telling system, as promoted by the Instagram FAQ, which allows users to send photos of outrageous events to each other instantly. To make matters worse, the Instagram platform allows photos to be changed into weird and strange forms. While the capturing of photos happens in real time using mobile devices, the alteration happens afterwards.
Then, Instagram users pass these (sometimes embarrassing photos) amongst themselves with delight and abandon. The most interesting ones become popular by using the best Instagram hashtags.
SEE ALSO: Hashtag Tracking Methods
What is a hashtag?
An Instagram “hashtag” starts with the “#” sign. That sign is a number sign, but more recently, it is now a hash.
How Does Instagram Use Hashtags?
Twitter user Chris Medina proposed using hashtags in 2007, and subsequently, they became popular on all forms of social media, including Instagram. The hashtag is the simple marker of putting the “#” symbol before a keyword in a social media post. The best Instagram hashtags allow the post to be in a category according to the hashtag identification, which makes looking up similar posts on Instagram very easy.
Understanding Instagram Hashtags Behaviors
Optimizing hashtag strategy requires an understanding of how Instagram handles tagging:
- Hashtags improve discoverability – posts can appear in tagged hashtag feeds and Instagram’s “Top” and “Recent” sections
- Highly-engaged hashtags may be featured on the Explore page, driving more visibility
- An extremely popular hashtag like #love can drown outposts as competition is high.
- Niche hashtags with moderate popularity can help reach very targeted audiences.
- Caption order matters – hashtags at the end may be truncated on feed previews
- Using banned or spammy hashtags can trigger shadowbanning and reach limits
- Post insights show impressions and reach from individual hashtags to inform strategy
Writing Effective Hashtag-Optimized Captions
When incorporating hashtags, best practices include:
- Putting most hashtags at the end for better visibility
- Mixing a few broad popular tags with niche-relevant tags
- Finding the hashtag sweet spot – around 7-11 total tags ideal
- Being selective – only choose hashtags closely related to the post content
- Creating branded hashtags to promote campaigns, products, etc
- Spacing out punctuation and tags to look cleaner when reading
- Using analytics to identify and double down on top-performing tags
Instagram Hashtags Popularity
Sometimes, a hashtag is automatically popular, such as the hashtag #sexynudephotos of any major star or performer. Other popular hashtags are more sentimental, such as #cutebaby.
We looked at the history of activity on Instagram hashtags to make our list of the most popular hashtags on Instagram.
The top hashtag is #social.
This is so understandable because human beings are social animals. We form many relationships with each other; without these relationships, we are less happy. Many in-depth scientific research papers support this concept.
Here are the hashtags that get tons of traffic on Instagram, according to TwelveSkip.
Category | Hashtags |
---|---|
Popular | #instagood, #iphonesia, #photooftheday, #instamood, #picoftheday, #bestoftheday, #instadaily, #igdaily, #instagramhub, #instacool, #me, #photo, #follow, #tbt, #like, #igers, #love, #summer, #beautiful, #happy, #cute, #selfie, #fun, #friends |
Fashion | #style, #swag, #fashion, #pretty, #instacool, #instamood, #iphonesia, #fashionista, #picoftheday, #beauty, #ootd, #outfitoftheday, #likeback, #shopping, #dress, #fresh, #instafashion, #outfit, #fashionblogger, #whatiwore, #lookbook, #fashiongram, #instafashion, #ootd, #wiwt, #stylediaries, #fashiondiaries |
Travel | #travel, #vacation, #wanderlust, #explore, #travelgram, #instatravel, #trip, #travelblogger, #wanderer, #travelling, #traveltheworld, #travelphoto |
Photography | #photography, #photos, #photooftheday, #instapic, #photoshoot, #pic, #capture, #photobombed, #photoshoot, #photographe, #camera, #photogram |
Couples | #us, #statigram, #home, #best, #sweet, #jj, #perfect, #loveyou, #lovehim, #loveher, #bestoftheday, #amazing |
Best Friends | #bestfriend, #bestie, #best, #us, #jj, #a, #friend, #instagramer, #goodtimes, #likeback, #jj_forum, #to, #cute, #sisters, #friendship, #bestoftheday |
Selfies | #selfie, #me, #i, #a, #instagood, #ig, #iphonesia, #jj, #likes, #party, #f4f, #igers, #picoftheday, #photofotheday, #cute, #follow, #follow4follow, #bestoftheday, #instalove |
Techies | #iphone, #techaddict, #tech, #technology, #tagsforlikes, #photooftheday, #nerd, #techie, #gadgets, #device, #instagood, #instatech, #photooftheday, #picoftheday |
Parties | #drunktexts, #partyhard, #crazy, #craycray, #partypeople, #happy, #fun, #smile, #photooftheday, #cute, #friday, #drunk, #beer, #tgif, #saturday, #nightlife, #lifeisgood |
Food | #food, #yummy, #foodie, #delicious, #happy, #instagood, #foodoftheday, #follow, #tagsforlikes, #foodgasm, #tweegram, #instago, #tflers, #yum, #dessert, #statigram, #instalike, #instamood |
Animals/Pets | #cat, #dog, #puppy, #kitten, #pet, #pets, #dogs, #dogsofinstagram, #catsofinstagram, #ilovemydog, #catlovers, #dogstagram, #doglife |
Lifestyle | #home, #homedecor, # interiordesign, #diy, #organization, #project, #inspiration, #decor, #interior |
Quote | #quotes, #quotestoliveby, #lifequotes, #truth, #wisdom, #saying, #quoteoftheday, #inspirationalquotes, #motivation, #wordstoliveby, #words |
Engagement | #like, #follow, #comment, #tbt, #instagood, #igers, #shoutout, #s4s, #likesforlikes, #photooftheday |
Campaign | #contestalert, #sweepstakes, #giveaway, #offer, #discount, #sale, #promo, #freeshipping, #coupon |
Fitness | #fitfam, #instafitness, #beastmode, #gym, #instafit, #fitnessaddict, #active, #bestoftheday, #instadaily, #fitnessfreak, #health, #healthylife, #eatclean, #fitspo, #abs, #foodgasm, #lifestyle, #diet, #instahealth, #wellness, #getmoving |
Inspirational | #quote, #quoteoftheday, #goodvibes, #quotes, #inspire, #igers, #instalike, #instadaily, #all_shots, #tweegram, #repost, #instagood, #motivation, #inspiration, #determined, #quotestagram, #realifequotes, #dreams |
Truthful | #truth, #pinquotes, #advicequotes, #reality, #quoteoftheday, #quotes, #quote, #quotesdaily, #quotestoliveby, #instadaily, #reminder, #instaquote, #lifeiswhatyoumakeit, #staystrong, #igers |
Lyrics | #lyricsquote, #lyrics, #quoteoftheday, #inspire, #music, #lyrics, #songoftheday, #lifequotes, #tagsforlikes, #typography, #instaquote, #statigram, #photooftheday, #words, #igers |
This is so understandable because human beings are social animals. We form many relationships with each other; without these relationships, we are less happy. Many in-depth scientific research papers support this concept.
Here are the hashtags that get tons of traffic on Instagram, according to TwelveSkip. The list is by ary
The variety of hashtags in use on Instagram is phenomenal. This short list gives an example of how many possible hashtags there are. The hashtags follow trends and go in and out of popularity with breaking news, celebrity gossip, and consumer interest in television shows, movies, fashion, and other items from popular culture. The certain one is that Instagram posts that use hashtags are likelier to be opened and shared.
Kylie Jenner upstaged the Kardashian sisters by hitting 30 million Instagram followers in June 2016. That means there was a great chance of getting an Instagram opened and shared during that period by simply using the hashtag #kyliejenner. Instagram would need some relevance to the audience, but that is pretty easy. Just think of the kind of pizza Kylie would or would not eat and take a photo of one to make an Instagram.
It is important for the web marketing efforts of any organization using Instagram to use hashtags for their postings on Instagram and to pick the most popular hashtags for the best category to get social media users’ attention. If you have any more questions about the best Instagram hashtags, contact our social media agency team – where we can support you with campaigns or digital training for you and your business.
Examples of Effective Brand Hashtag Usage
Some brands that have leveraged hashtags successfully include:
- Nike – Created motivational branded tags like #justdoit and #nikerunning that users actively adopt.
- Starbucks – Uses localized hashtags like #starbucksnewyork to engage regional audiences.
- GoPro – Curates user-generated content with hashtag campaigns like #GoProOfTheDay.
- TOMS – Mixed broad and niche tags like #TravelTuesday and #TOMSPartner to maximize reach.
- Red Bull – Developed branded campaign hashtags that spread organically, like #RedBullStratos.
Latest Instagram Hashtag Statistics and Trends
- 4.2M+ hashtags are used on Instagram daily. (Mention)
- Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement. (Socialinsider)
- Most engagement happens in the first hour after posting, when hashtags boost visibility. (Later)
- Branded hashtag campaigns result in a 37% higher comment rate per post. (ExpertVoice)
Best Instagram Hashtags FAQs
Q: How many hashtags should you use per post?
A: 5-10 is ideal; any more starts to look spammy.
Q: Do banned hashtags ruin your account?
A: They may temporarily throttle reach if used excessively. Avoid blacklisted tags.
Q: Can you edit hashtags after posting?
A: Yes, you can add or remove tags in the caption without affecting visibility.
Q: Do hashtags work in Stories?
A: Yes, but they don’t aggregate Stories into hashtag feeds like feed posts.
Best Instagram Hashtags Conclusion
Hashtags continue to evolve as an integral tool for discovery and engagement on Instagram. By optimizing hashtags as part of an overall social media strategy, brands can expand their reach to new audiences, highlight user-generated content, and participate in trending conversations. The most effective hashtag balances broader tags with niche-targeted tags relevant to each post. Monitoring analytics and honing in on top-performing hashtags that resonate with your followers is key. With a data-driven, flexible approach to incorporating relevant tags, companies can utilize Instagram’s robust tagging system to fuel growth and interactivity.
The key points summarized in the conclusion are:
- Importance of hashtags for discovery and engagement
- Need to use a mix of broad and niche hashtags
- Tailoring hashtags to each post
- Tracking performance and doubling down on what works
- Being flexible and optimizing hashtag strategy over time