How to Check Instagram Hashtag Popularity

Finding the right hashtags on Instagram can feel like stabbing in the dark, but it doesn't have to be. Knowing how popular a hashtag is - and what that popularity actually means for you - is the first step toward getting your content discovered by the right people. This guide will walk you through simple, effective methods to check hashtag popularity directly within the Instagram app and introduce you to strategies for building a hashtag list that genuinely helps you grow.

Why Hashtag Popularity Isn't Just a Numbers Game

Before we get into the "how," it's important to understand what you're looking for. When you see a hashtag with millions of posts, like #marketing (50+ million posts), it might seem like a golden ticket to massive reach. In reality, it's more like a fire hose. Your content will be buried by thousands of new posts in a matter of seconds. True hashtag effectiveness comes from relevance and discoverability, not just sheer volume.

Think of hashtag popularity in tiers. This framework helps you find the sweet spot for your account, combining discoverability with a fighting chance to be seen.

• Niche Hashtags (Under 10k - 50k posts): These are highly specific tags related to your content. They don't have a massive audience, but the people following them are deeply interested in the topic. This is where you find your most engaged followers.
• Medium Hashtags (50k - 500k posts): These tags reach a broader audience but are still specific enough to be relevant. They are competitive but offer a great opportunity to connect with new people who share your interests.
• Popular Hashtags (500k+ posts): These are broad, high-volume tags. While they may offer a quick, temporary spike in visibility on your followers' feeds, it's very difficult to rank in the "Top Posts" section for these, making long-term discovery unlikely.

The goal isn't to use only the biggest hashtags. It's to build a balanced mix that gives you the best of all worlds: visibility in targeted communities and a shot at broader reach.

How to Check Hashtag Popularity Natively on Instagram

You don't need any fancy tools to start researching. Instagram itself provides all the basic information you need to make smart decisions. Here’s a simple, step-by-step process.

1. Use the Instagram Search Bar

The easiest way to check a hashtag's volume is by using the search function right inside the app.

1. Tap the search icon (magnifying glass) at the bottom of the app to go to the Explore page.
2. Tap the search bar at the top and select the "Tags" tab.
3. Type in the hashtag you want to check (without the # symbol).

As you type, Instagram will auto-populate a list of related hashtags. Next to each hashtag, you'll see the total number of public posts that have used it. This number is your primary metric for judging popularity. A hashtag with "1.2M posts" is a Popular tier tag, while one with "15k posts" falls squarely into the Niche category.

Example: If you're a coffee shop owner in Austin, typing "atxcoffee" might show you a Niche hashtag with 80k posts, while typing "coffee" will show you a huge, Popular hashtag with over 150 million posts. The first one is far more valuable for reaching local customers.

2. Analyze the "Related" Hashtags

Once you search for a primary hashtag and tap on it, Instagram does something incredibly helpful: it shows you a list of "Related" hashtags just above the post gallery. This tiny feature is a goldmine for expanding your research.

Scroll horizontally through this list to discover other tags that people frequently use alongside your target hashtag. This can help you find more niche options or slightly broader community tags you hadn't considered. Not only does this save time, but it also helps you understand the interconnected ecosystem of hashtags within your niche.

3. Look Beyond the Numbers: Check the "Top Posts"

The post count tells you the volume, but analyzing the "Top Posts" for a hashtag tells you about the competition. Is it even possible for your content to get featured there?

After searching for a hashtag, look at the nine posts in the "Top" section.

• Who is ranking? Are the top posts from massive accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers, or are they from accounts similar in size to yours? If you see a mix of small and large accounts, it’s a good sign that you have a chance to rank. If every single top post is from a verified account or a major brand, that hashtag might be too competitive for you right now.
• How much engagement do they have? Take note of the average number of likes and comments on the top posts. This gives you a benchmark for the level of engagement you'd need to compete.
• How recent are the posts? If the top posts are from weeks or months ago, it suggests the hashtag isn't very active, and ranking might be easier. If they are all from the last few hours, you know it's a fast-moving, competitive space.

This qualitative check is just as important as the quantitative post count. A hashtag with 100,000 posts where you can realistically rank is far more valuable than a hashtag with 1 million posts where you have no chance.

Using Third-Party Tools for Advanced Insights

While the native Instagram app gives you a great starting point, dedicated third-party hashtag tools can provide deeper analytics and streamline your workflow. These tools often analyze data that Instagram doesn't show you directly, like engagement rates or how often a hashtag is used per day.

Here are some types of tools and the insights they can offer:

Hashtag Generator Tools

These tools work by taking a seed keyword and suggesting a list of related hashtags, often broken down by popularity. Instead of you manually searching, they algorithmically generate lists for you. Many can also analyze a photo or a link to suggest relevant hashtags.

What to look for:

• Categorization: Do they group hashtags by difficulty (easy, medium, hard) or by post volume? This helps you quickly build a balanced list.
• Relevance Score: Some tools provide a score to indicate how relevant a suggested hashtag is to your original keyword.
• "Banned" Hashtag Alerts: Certain hashtags are shadowbanned or restricted by Instagram. A good tool will flag these so you can avoid damaging your reach.

Social Media Management Platforms

Many larger social media management tools have built-in hashtag analytics and suggestion features. These are useful if you want to keep all your planning, scheduling, and analytics in one place. These platforms can often track the performance of the hashtags you use over time, helping you see which ones are actually driving views and engagement for your specific account.

Typical features include:

• Performance Tracking: See how many impressions or likes a post received from its hashtags.
• Saved Hashtag Lists: Create and save groups of hashtags (e.g., "Foodie Hashtags," "Small Business Tips") to easily add to your posts without copying and pasting from a separate notes app.
• Best Time to Post Recommendations: Some tools use your account data to suggest when to schedule content for maximum hashtag visibility.

Putting It All Together: A Simple Framework for Your Hashtag Strategy

Now that you know how to find and analyze hashtags, how do you apply it to your content? The key is to stop dropping 30 random hashtags into every post and start building strategic sets.

Aim for a mix of 15-20 highly relevant hashtags per post, using this simple formula as a guide:

1. Your Brand & Content Pillars (3-5 Hashtags)

These are the core hashtags that describe your brand and what you post about consistently. They might include your branded hashtag (e.g., #YourBrandNameHere) and specific keywords that define your niche (e.g., #HandmadePottery, #OrganicSkincareTips).

2. Niche & Specific Tags (5-10 Hashtags)

These are the highly targeted, low-competition hashtags you found during your research (under 50k posts). They describe the specifics of what's in your photo or video. For example, instead of #baking, you might use #VeganChocolateChipCookies or #SourdoughScoring. These are your heavy hitters for attracting a dedicated audience.

3. Community & Medium-Sized Tags (3-5 Hashtags)

These are hashtags that connect you to a broader community (50k-500k posts). Think about tags that your ideal audience follows or uses, even if they aren't directly about your product. Examples include #ShopLocalAustin, #CreativeBusinessOwner, or #SustainableHome.

4. Popular & Broad Tags (1-2 Hashtags, Optional)

If you choose to use very popular hashtags (500k+), use them sparingly. Pick one or two that are genuinely relevant to your post. Don't expect them to drive long-term traffic, but they might give your post a small, initial boost right after publishing. Just remember, these are the least important part of your strategy, not the foundation.

Final Thoughts

Checking hashtag popularity is a simple process once you know what to look for - post counts, related tags, and the top-performing content. A successful strategy, however, goes beyond just the big numbers and focuses on using a balanced mix of niche, community, and popular tags to connect with the right audience who will actually engage with your work.

Figuring out these balanced hashtag sets for every single post can become a major time-sink. That's one of the everyday frustrations we wanted to solve when we built Postbase. Our goal is to streamline your entire content workflow, from planning your visuals in our clean calendar to scheduling posts across all your platforms without reliability issues. Instead of juggling a notes app for hashtags and then manually posting video content, you can manage everything - hashtags and all - in one smooth, intuitive dashboard built for the way social media actually works today.