Hashtags - Why Size Matters
Hashtags are something that my clients often tell me cause them headaches. And I get it – these 30 little #hashtags at the end of a post (or in the comment – discuss!) can be a source of huge annoyance.
Why do some work better than others? How do you know which ones are working? And how many should you be using?
Don’t worry – I’ll break it down for you.
What are hashtags?
Hashtags are basically a search tool. Some of them have been used in posts many millions of times, like #wedding, and some of them are very niche and will give your post a much better chance of being seen, like #rutlandweddingharpist.
How many do I need?
You can use a maximum of 30 hashtags on an Instagram post, and I would highly recommend using the full 30! Why? Because every hashtag is a chance to get your post seen, so why not give yourself 30 chances of that?
How do I know how big a hashtag is?
Now we get the crux of the issue! A lot of people say “I don’t know which hashtags to use” or “I use hashtags but they don’t work for me” but the truth is you’re probably using the wrong ones.
Let’s use an example…
#wedding has 247 million uses so the chances of your post being found in that are very small.
#weddingphotographer has 27.2 million uses so we’re getting a bit closer, but we can do better
#weddingphotographeruk has 53.6k uses – much better! But let’s niche it down even more
#relaxedweddingphotographer has 16.1k uses – this is what we like!!
So you can see how your post is much more likely to be found using hashtags that are “smaller”. Unlike everything in life, with a hashtag, smaller is better.
Of the 30 hashtags, try to use at least 15 that have under 100k uses, 10 that have under 500k uses and 5 that have under 1 million uses.
This will give you a total of 30 hashtags and the best chance of your post being found through them.
Amanda Forman Photography
If you’re still unsure on which hashtags to use, send me an enquiry today and I’ll create you a Bespoke Hashtag Bank with over 300 hashtags specifically for you and your business!