Standard Reasoning
Use hashtags in your Instagram pictures and stories, since this is a universal piece of advise.
And the leading authorities agree:
According to Natalie Lam of Noisy Little Monkey, “[using hashtags] massively expands the reach of your post, gets you decent engagement, and even grows your Instagram followers a little bit.”
It’s no secret that using a specific hashtag -or even industry hashtags- may be a simple method to increase your engagement; studies have shown that posts using hashtags receive over 12% more interaction. Huffington Post’s Christina Nicholson said this.
Now I see the whole picture. Using trending hashtags can increase the visibility of your Instagram posts. The more the exposure your hashtags get, the more engagement and attention your Instagram post will receive.
The Shocking News
those on Instagram with 11 or more hashtags have the greatest average engagement rate, followed by those with 4 or fewer hashtags.
Very unexpected, given that last year the highest-performing posts were those with a single hashtag and that as the number of hashtags rose, the post’s engagement rate decreased. Okay, so what shifted?
The Predictions
We obviously do not believe that the answer is as black and white as “hashtags either increase or decrease engagement.” The key is to utilise hashtags that are specific to your topic.
So, what may be triggering this pattern? I’ll list a couple options below.
Instagram Now Dislikes Hashtags That Feel Like Spam
Instagram is more of a well-run ship than other social media sites like Twitter or Snapchat. Community standards prohibit sexually explicit and other inappropriate material.
The Repercussions of Disallowed Hashtags
Including one of these will prevent your post from showing up in other users’ feeds. A post using a hidden hashtag won’t reach as many people and will thus receive less likes, comments, and shares.
A-Listers Can Get By Without Hashtags
Our research includes several well-known figures. The majority of their postings are liked and commented on.
Since they aren’t trying to attract attention like the rest of us, it’s reasonable to conclude that they use less hashtags overall.
In fact, none of the top 10 most shared posts in our sample used a hashtag. It’s conceivable that this is skewing our averages.
Perhaps the absence of hashtags is what makes these posts so successful. However, it’s more likely that they’re successful in spite of the absence of hashtags.
There’s a good chance you’re overusing hashtags.
This is the counterargument to the previous hypothesis. Those with a smaller following who desperately want to get discovered by Instagram’s algorithm are perhaps the most hooked hashtaggers. They want to increase their following and level of interaction rapidly, and hashtags make this possible.
We’ve All Adopted the Same Hashtag
I won’t claim that hashtags are obsolete because they still have their uses.
That the most widely used hashtags on Instagram aren’t the best way to get your content seen is surprising, but it makes sense.
One of the most used hashtags on Instagram is “#love.” It shows up over 2.1 billion (that’s billion with a B) times! It’s quite unlikely that your photo will appear towards the top of this hashtag’s page, given that 1.3 billion new images are submitted every day.
Takeaway
Despite the aforementioned explanations, one thing is clear: the mere usage of hashtags does not improve interaction. You’ll need to be inventive if you want to increase your number of Facebook likes and comments.
Improve Your Hashtags
Our findings indicate that hashtags by themselves are not a guarantee of success. The buddy who uses the same 30 tags on every post is not using a winning tactic.
Instagram recommends limiting yourself to no more than five hashtags per image. According to the most recent Instagram Engagement Report, you should begin utilising the top four hashtags immediately.
Keep in mind that users can still choose to follow certain hashtags, increasing the likelihood that your posts will be seen by those who aren’t already following you. it is priceless!
Don’t Use Prohibited Keywords
This is self-evident. Using a forbidden hashtag will not only prevent your material from being discovered, but Instagram will also “shadowban” users that abuse restricted hashtags.
Boost Engagement with New Hashtags
Repeatedly using the same set of hashtags in your posts is another certain way to have oneself shadowbanned. that is this person that has 30 tags? That’s not a strategy that’s likely to last.
Conclusion
Despite all that has been written in this essay, hashtags will still be used in 2023. They’ve actually returned with a vengeance.
It’s important to keep in mind that a small number of carefully chosen branded hashtags or hashtags connected to your business may go a long way.
Make sure your postings are valuable and interesting to your intended audience, since this is what will attract new followers to your account.