Hashtags
September 14, 2021.
Although they get a bad rep, hashtags were created to help boost your content. They represent a form of tagging that allows individuals to share content of a specific subject or theme to many users. There are hundreds of hashtags out there to use, and I understand that it can seem intimidating to use them, but imagine all of the interesting people you could end up interacting with by using them. The best thing to do before posting a photo is to go on the hashtags that you will be tagging on your content and engage with some of the content.
You should then engage with the top posts on those hashtags to help boost engagement (like, comment, share). When you post your photo including those hashtags, the algorithm will assume you are familiar with those hashtags since you are in the system attached to those hashtags. Anyone who is interested in those hashtags, will have a higher chance to see your post because you persuaded the algorithm to give you a chance to see if those people will like your content.
Three Types of Hashtags
High Popularity
Example: Fashion (1B Posts)
Using a high populated hashtag increases the chance that you will be seen by a large amount of users; however, your post may also be harder to see because their are so many using these hashtags, which makes it more difficult to get the attention of people because you may not be exactly what they are looking for. These type of Hashtags can get you quick engagement boosts, but most likely you will not get many new followers from them.
Medium Popularity
Example: Ripped Jeans (3.2M Posts)
Using a medium populated hashtag increases the chance that you will be seen by a medium amount of users; your post has a good chance to be seen but may not get too much engagement because the people viewing the content from these hashtags may not be passionate or interested in the content as much
Low Popularity
Example: Ripped Black Jeans (5,000+ Posts)
Using a low populated hashtag increases the chance that you will be seen by a small but faithful amount of users; your post may be seen by people who really enjoy your content because these people have a strong liking to these hashtags. These type of Hashtags can get you new followers, and the potential to be seen by businesses who are interested in people who are looking for specific things.
Using all three
When figuring out what hashtags to include in your posts caption, it is best to use an assortment of all three types (High, Medium, and Low Popularity). In doing so, you are making sure you get high volume traffic, medium volume traffic, and low volume traffic. This traffic will guarantee you a boost engagement both short-term and long-term. You should analyze your photo and decide what are the main takeaways from your image. If it pertains to a specific subject, explain what the user is looking at in the photo. Some popular hashtags are, #photography, #sunset, #instagood, #love, #food, #tbt, #art, #photooftheday, and many more. You are able to use more than one hashtag at a time, so just to use the best ones that pertain to either your account or to your post.