Instagram hashtags are a powerful tool when it comes to discoverability, finding your audience, and increasing your reach on the platform.
Knowing which hashtags to use (and when) can make a big difference in your social marketing success, so consider this your hashtag-packed guide.
Keep reading for a rundown on how and why to use hashtags on Instagram, plus hashtagging help from AI and human experts — namely, Drew McWhirter, the Creative Marketing Lead at Anh and Chi, a Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver.
Key takeaways
- Hashtags boost your reach. Hashtags are essential for getting your content seen. Using them on Instagram helps categorize your posts and makes it easier for your target audience to find you.
- Don’t overcomplicate your hashtags. Using 3 to 5 hashtags is often the sweet spot. Experiment to find what works best for your brand and keep your captions looking clean. #LessIsMore
- Use tools for inspiration. Don’t stress about finding the right hashtags! Hootsuite’s free hashtag generator can make the process easier and more efficient.
An Instagram hashtag is a clickable word, phrase, number, and/or emoji preceded by the # symbol. Hashtags are used to categorize or label content and make it more discoverable.
In the example below, #anhandchi and #vancouverfoodie both qualify.
Use hashtags for every post to help your content find its target audience, show up on the Explore page, and get more followers and reach.
How to use hashtags on Instagram
All Instagram hashtags are clickable: they can be tapped on, searched, and analyzed by SEO tools and Instagram’s algorithm.
How to add hashtags on Instagram
Adding hashtags is simple. Just type “#” followed by whatever text you want to use.
Just make sure it’s all one word — spaces signal the end of the hashtag (think #ILoveHotDogs, not #I Love Hot Dogs).
You can add your hashtags in your caption or as a comment on your post. Either works.
Once you type the “#” sign, Instagram search results will start suggesting popular and trending hashtags (as seen above). Select any that apply to your Instagram post to help give your content an extra boost.
How many hashtags should I use on Instagram?
In our expert opinion, the best number of hashtags to use on Instagram is 3 to 5.
Try experimenting with your Instagram hashtag strategy to find the number that best suits your needs.
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
As of December 13, 2024, Instagram users can no longer follow hashtags, but that doesn’t mean hashtags don’t matter anymore.
In the past, Instagram “growth hackers” added irrelevant trending hashtags to their posts in hopes of expanding their reach. By removing the ability to follow hashtags, Instagram is helping make sure users are served content they’re actually interested in.
But don’t abandon your hashtag strategy just yet.
Hashtags are still a valuable signal for Instagram’s algorithm. They help the platform understand what your content is about so the right people can discover it.
Free Instagram hashtag generator
Tools that can come up with Instagram hashtags for you, like Hootsuite’s free hashtag generator, make a social media manager’s job a whole lot easier.
Just pick a language, describe your content, add keywords, and you’ll get 10 AI-generated hashtags to use in your post.
Please note: This tool may display inaccurate or offensive material that doesn’t represent Hootsuite’s views. You’re solely responsible for use of any content generated using this tool, including its compliance with applicable laws and third-party rights.
30 Top Instagram hashtags
These are the most popular hashtags globally — they’ve been used hundreds of millions (or billions) of times. However, while top hashtags are good to know, they’re usually not very specific (#cool).
A large number of posts may mean lots of people use that hashtag, but it also means there’s a ton of content on it, and your posts might get lost.
Consider using a combination of popular and niche hashtags to reach different audiences, from broad to specific. Here are 30 hashtags to get you started:
- #love (2.1B)
- #instagood (1.8B)
- #fashion (1.1B)
- #photooftheday (1B)
- #photography (1B)
- #art (1B)
- #beautiful (848M)
- #nature (826M)
- #travel (752M)
- #follow (735M)
- #picoftheday (734M)
- #happy (721M)
- #instadaily (712M)
- #cute (682M)
- #style (674M)
- #trending (652M)
- #tbt (588M)
- #summer (569M)
- #followme (557M)
- #beauty (556M)
- #instalike (556M)
- #fitness (550M)
- #food (531M)
- #photo (515M)
- #like4like (479M)
- #music (477M)
- life (463M)
- #me (459M)
- #family (455M)
- #friends (453M)
Psstt: If you’re looking for popular hashtags on Instagram Reels, here are 158 of them.
25 Popular B2B hashtags
If you’re operating a brand account on Instagram, keep these business-related hashtags in mind.
- #smallbusiness (144M)
- #business (124M)
- #entrepreneur (109M)
- #socialmedia (41M)
- #digitalmarketing (40M)
- #startup (28M)
- #sales (22M)
- #tech (22M)
- #leadership (21M)
- #innovation (18M)
- #networking (15M)
- #SEO (11.9M)
- #contentmarketing (9.8M)
- #marketingstrategy (8.8M)
- #businesstips (7.7M)
- #productivity (4.9M)
- #strategy (4.4M)
- #b2b (3.6M)
- #consulting (3.4M)
- #workplace (2.6M)
- #professionaldevelopment (2M)
- #leadgeneration (1.4M)
- #b2bmarketing (685K)
- #saas (725K)
- #thoughtleadership (265K)
19 Trending Instagram hashtags
Keeping up with trends is an important part of staying relevant on Instagram. Here is a list of hashtags that are trending in 2025.
- #pets (100M)
- #diy (92.6M)
- #gaming (70.5M)
- cooking (66.1M)
- #petsofinstagram (61.6M)
- #blog (56.5M)
- #influencer (49.8M)
- #giveaway (49.1M)
- #fitnessjourney (44.1M)
- #craft (34.5M)
- #lifestyleblogger (24.9M)
- #ai (23.2M)
- #parenting (22M)
- #crypto (19.7M)
- #recipe (19.1M)
- #finance (18.6M)
- #beautytips (13.4M)
- #homeworkout (10.8M)
- #collab (7.5M)
20 Hashtags for likes
Lots of the most popular hashtags on Instagram are like-related—and we love to like.
- #instalike (556M)
- #like4like (479M)
- #like (407M)
- #daily (168M)
- #instalove (145M)
- #likesforlike (140M)
- #like4likes (142M)
- #likesforlikes (78.4M)
- #like4follow (71.5M)
- #liketime (53.7M)
- #liker (44.3M)
- #likeme (42.1M)
- #likers (16.9M)
- #likeit (15.8M)
- #liked (11.5M)
- #like4followers (4.3M)
- #likelikelike (3.6M)
- #likethis (5.3M)
- #likefollow (2M)
- #likeplease (2.2M)
19 Viral Instagram hashtags
Virality is rooted in time—the same hashtags that everyone’s using this week will change by the time next week comes around.
These are some examples of hashtags that have gone viral this year.
- #reels (825M)
- #trending (652M)
- #style (647M)
- #ootd (445M)
- #makeup (414M)
- #model (378M)
- #foodie (259M)
- #nails (240M)
- #outfit (159M)
- #nailart (145M)
- #kids (137M)
- #healthylifestyle (133M)
- #skincare (126M)
- #reelsvideo (125M)
- #business (124M)
- #fashionstyle (124M)
- #healthyfood (123M)
- #realestate (116M)
- #creative (109M)
21 Common Instagram hashtags
Here are some of the hashtags you’ll see more regularly on the platform.
- #selfie (450M)
- #fun (449M)
- #smile (445M)
- #girl (431M)
- #motivation (401M)
- #dog (385M)
- #model (378M)
- #lifestyle (369M)
- #sunset (337M)
- #instamood (294M)
- #amazing (288M)
- #nofilter (285M)
- #sun (273M)
- #inspiration (255M)
- #followforfollow (208M)
- #instapic (207M)
- #bestoftheday (198M)
- #cool (165M)
- #night (147M)
- #swag (142M)
- #happybirthday (133M)
30 Dog hashtags for Instagram
So you can hashtag your Havanese or get more likes for your labrador.
- #dog (385M)
- #dogsofinstagram (325M)
- #dogs (175M)
- #instadog (119M)
- #doglover (105M)
- #dogoftheday (90M)
- #doglovers (63.8M)
- #ilovemydog (51.6M)
- #frenchbulldog (40M)
- #goldenretriever (38M)
- #rescuedog (28.2M)
- #doglove (25.6M)
- #dogphotography (21.5M)
- #dogmom (19.6M)
- #labradorretriever (15.1M)
- #dogmodel (11.5M)
- #dogsitting (10.4M)
- #dogofinstagram (10.5M)
- #dogtraining (10M)
- #doglife (68M)
- #doggrooming (7.5M)
- #doginstagram (4.8M)
- #dogstyle (3.8M)
- #doginfluencer (2.3M)
- #dogboarding (2.1M)
- #dogsmile (1.8M)
- #dogselfie (1.8M)
- #dogpics (1.1M)
- #doggram (1.6M)
- #dogadventures (1.6M)
20 Cat Instagram hashtags
The most popular hashtags for pretty kitties and the people who work for them.
- #cat (298M)
- #catsofinstagram (208M)
- #cats (161M)
- #catstagram (107M)
- #catlover (79.5M)
- #instacat (67.4M)
- #catlife (48.5M)
- #catlovers (47.1M)
- #catoftheday (41.8M)
- #ilovemycat (21.7M)
- #cutecat (21.1M)
- #catlove (20.2M)
- #blackcat (19.9M)
- #kittycat (16.5M)
- #caturday (13.6M)
- #catphoto (10.2M)
- #catmom (5.9M)
- #catphotography (5.4M)
- #catscatscats (5.1M)
- #catselfie (2.4M)
20 Traveling Instagram hashtags
Not all who wander are lost… especially people with internet access.
- #travel (752M)
- #travelphotography (246M)
- #travelgram (184M)
- #vacation (160M)
- #adventure (153M)
- #instatravel (131M)
- #traveling (96.3M)
- #travelblogger (91.1M)
- #travelling (89.4M)
- #traveler (55.5M)
- #traveller (45M)
- #travelblog (29.5M)
- #journey (28.8M)
- #traveldiaries (19.1M)
- #adventuretime (18.8M)
- #travelphoto (18.1M)
- ##lifeofadventure (16.6M)
- #travelholic (13.2M)
- #worldtraveler (9.2M)
- #adventureawaits (5M)
23 Exercise hashtags for Instagram
Popular hashtags fit for your workout-related content.
- #fitness (550M)
- #gym (285M)
- #workout (231M)
- #healthy (192M)
- #health (174M)
- #fitnessmotivation (156M)
- #bodybuilding (145M)
- #yoga (126M)
- #running (95.8M)
- #gymmotivation (76.4M)
- #exercise (71.7M)
- #body (65.5M)
- #fitnessmodel (64.5M)
- #run (64.2M)
- #cardio (52.3M)
- #fitnessjourney (44.1M)
- #getfit (36.1M)
- #gymrat (29.4M)
- #workoutmotivation (28.8M)
- #fitnesslifestyle (18.5M)
- #yogainspiration (18.2M)
- #sweat (16.3M)
- #strengthtraining (14.7M)
23 Instagram hashtags for photography
This platform is built on envy-worthy photos, and the top hashtags prove that photography is still going strong on Instagram.
- #photography (1B)
- #photooftheday (1B)
- #photo (515M)
- #photographer (267M)
- #naturephotography (252M)
- #travelphotography (246M)
- #photoshoot (209M)
- #instaphoto (129M)
- #streetphotography (128M)
- #foodphotography (117M)
- #portraitphotography (82.5M)
- #landscapephotography (75.9M)
- #photos (66.6M)
- #weddingphotography (65.3M)
- #photoshop (60.4M)
- #photographylovers (46.2M)
- #filmphotography (43.1M)
- #photograph (39.9M)
- #photogram (24M)
- #photographers (19M)
- #photoart (15.9M)
- #photographeveryday (15.2M)
- #photographyislife (14.5M)
25 Artwork hashtags for Instagram
Give your creative work an extra boost with these popular hashtags.
- #art (1B)
- #photography (1B)
- #artist (343M)
- #drawing (300M)
- #artwork (208M)
- #digitalart (154M)
- #artistsoninstagram (121M)
- #draw (109M)
- #instaart (96.3M)
- #artoftheday (84.2M)
- #contemporaryart (73.7M)
- #paint (57.9)
- #abstractart (52.5M)
- #artgallery (52.5M)
- #tattooart (34.7M)
- #modernart (31.3M)
- #artistic (29.9M)
- #artofinstagram (25.2M)
- #picsart (22M)
- #artists (21M)
- #artcollector (20.3M)
- #urbanart (19.8M)
- #artlover (11.1M)
- #artdaily (7.5M)
- #artjournal (5.6M)
Check out more daily hashtags!
1. Use Hootsuite’s free hashtag generator
Scroll back up and check out our hashtag generator! It’s totally free and a snap to use.
2. Check out our AI hashtag suggestion tool
Want an even more streamlined tool? Hootsuite’s AI hashtag suggestion tool is incorporated right into the Composer.
You can only use this if you schedule your posts with Hootsuite (which, by the way, is free for 30 days).
Just select the hashtag button on the bottom right of the text field and Hootsuite’s AI will suggest relevant hashtags.
3. Conduct competitive analysis
Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? Take a look at accounts that you look up to — you know, brands with a strong Instagram game.
Keep track of competitors in your industry and see which hashtags they are using: odds are, those same hashtags can help you get more reach and find the right audience.
4. Use Explore page suggestions
You really only need one good keyword to find lots of hashtags.
Head to the Explore page, search for a word, then hit “Tags” and see a ton of suggested hashtags that are related to your keyword.
For example, check out what populates when searching the keyword “raccoon.”
Psstt: No matter what strategy you use, make sure you’re using hashtags that are actually related to your content.
It might be tempting to throw #raccooncafe onto your post, but if you can’t deliver the sort of media that’s expected under that label, any user you attract won’t stay long.
For some delicious advice on using hashtags for business, we asked Drew McWhirter, Creative Marketing Lead of Vancouver’s Anh and Chi Vietnamese restaurant.
“In a digital world full of content, hashtags are our way of narrowing it down and reaching the right people,” McWhirter explains.
Here’s how she uses hashtags to reach local foodies.
1. Be specific… but not too specific
“The method to my hashtag madness lies in the range of specificity,” says McWhirter. She explains that it’s important your hashtags aren’t too vague (#GoodVibes, while cute, isn’t going to be helpful in terms of social strategy).
For example, Anh and Chi’s Instagram hashtags usually include #vietnameserestaurant or #vietnamesefood instead of just #restaurant or #food.
“Instagram shows you how many posts a hashtag has been used on,” she continues.
“This is incredibly helpful because it lets me see which hashtags are more popular and which have little to no use—I steer clear from hashtags that have very few posts because they are incredibly niche and won’t help to expose our content to larger audiences.”
2. Location matters
When your brand is a brick-and-mortar business (or your product or service is only available in a certain city or region), it’s always a good idea to include your location in your hashtags.
That way, your content will reach more people who are located in your area, and there’s a higher chance of converting your Instagram success to real money and growth for your business.
Anh and Chi use hashtags like #vancityeats and #vancouverfoodie to show Instagram users (and the algorithm) that the restaurant is in Vancouver.
“Location-related hashtags help us reach our local audiences,” says McWhirter.
3. Tag amplifiers
Hashtags can be used to attract the attention of influential Instagram accounts—for example, media.
“I tag media-related accounts because it’s one more avenue of exposure for potential reach,” says McWhirter.
Anh and Chi’s Instagram hashtags often include the names of local newspapers, magazines and blogs, which can result in valuable reach, including sharing on social or media coverage.
Often, local media will have their own hashtags listed in their bio. For example, Dished Vancouver has a branded hashtag “#dishedvan” to encourage foodies to share their photos, and boost user generated content, too.
4. Think like an Instagram user
While the purpose of hashtags is partially for things like algorithms and SEO, the end goal is always to best serve humans on the platform—so don’t get too caught up in the tech of it all.
“I like to put myself in the shoes of a user,” says McWhirter. Think about what kinds of content people are searching for, and how your brand can be useful to them.
“I ask myself questions like, ‘Do I find this content interesting?’ and ‘What am I getting out of this?’” she adds.
Hashtags like #grilledsquid and #seafoodlover will help squid fans find this post.
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