How to Find the Best Hashtags for Instagram

Finding the right hashtags for your Instagram posts can feel like searching for a secret code to unlock better reach and engagement. The truth is, it’s less about secret codes and more about a smart, repeatable strategy. This guide breaks down exactly how to find the hashtags that will connect your content with the audience that's actually looking for it, helping you grow your community organically.

Why Instagram Hashtags are Still a Big Deal

In an ever-changing social media landscape, hashtags remain a vital discovery tool on Instagram. Think of them as signposts that categorize your content and help the algorithm understand who to show it to. When a user follows or searches for a specific hashtag, your post has a chance to appear in their feed or on the Explore page, even if they don’t follow you. A well-executed hashtag strategy does more than just boost your post's visibility, it puts your content directly in front of a highly relevant and potentially engaged audience. It’s not about reaching everyone, it’s about reaching the right ones.

Understanding the Four Main Types of Hashtags

Not all hashtags are created equal. To build an effective strategy, you need a diverse mix of different types. Think of it like building a well-balanced team where each player has a specific role. Using a combination of these will give you the best shot at both broad reach and targeted engagement.

1. Community & Niche Hashtags

These are the heart and soul of your strategy. They connect you with a dedicated group of people who are passionate about a specific topic. These hashtags typically have a volume of anywhere from 5,000 to maybe 500,000 posts. While they don't have the mega-reach of more popular tags, the audience they attract is far more engaged and likely to interact with your content.

Examples:

• Instead of #fitness (500M+ posts), try #kettlebellworkouts (900k posts) or #garagegymlife (250k posts).
• Instead of #art (1B+ posts), try #womenwhopaint (400k posts) or #contemporaryceramics (500k posts).

These hashtags get your content seen by people who truly care about your niche, making them more likely to follow you, save your post, and become part of your community.

2. Broad or Popular Hashtags

These are the heavy hitters with post counts in the high hundred thousands or millions. While it's tough to rank high for tags like #marketing or #homedecor, they do have a place in your strategy. Using a few relevant popular hashtags can give your post a quick initial bump in visibility. The key is to see them as a supplement to your niche hashtags, not the foundation of your plan.

The goal isn't to be the top post for #catsofinstagram, but to be a recent, relevant post that someone scrolling through the tag might see. Use them sparingly and always make sure they're genuinely related to your post.

3. Branded Hashtags

A branded hashtag is one that's unique to your business. This could be your company name (#postbase), a tagline, or the name of a specific campaign (#SummerGlowUp2024). Their primary purpose isn't widespread discovery, but community building and content collection.

Encourage your followers to use your branded hashtag when they post about your products or services. This turns your hashtag into a searchable gallery of user-generated content (UGC), which is incredibly powerful social proof. You can feature this content on your profile, in your Stories, and build a real sense of community around your brand.

4. Location-Based Hashtags

For any brick-and-mortar business, artist, or service provider tied to a specific area, location hashtags are non-negotiable. They are one of the most effective ways to reach a local audience on Instagram.

Get as specific as possible. Instead of just #newyorkcity, try combining your industry with the location:

• #austinphotographer
• #chicagovintagestore
• #londondogsitter
• #pariscafe

This puts you on the radar of people in your area who are actively looking for what you offer, making them highly qualified leads.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Finding the Best Hashtags

Now that you know the different types of hashtags, here’s a practical process you can use to find the perfect ones for your specific niche and content.

Step 1: Study Your Audience and Competitors

Your best source of hashtag inspiration is already out there. Start by looking at three groups:

• Your Target Audience: What accounts do they follow? What hashtags are they using in their own posts? This gives you direct insight into the language and communities they are part of.
• Your Competitors: Analyze the posts of 5-10 accounts in your niche that are similar in size or slightly larger than you. Pay close attention to their best-performing content. What mix of hashtags are they using? You’ll often find high-value niche tags this way. Don't just copy-paste, but use their strategy as a jumping-off point for your own research.
• Industry Leaders & Influencers: Look at the top creators in your field. While many of their hashtags might be too broad for you to compete on, they often pioneer new, relevant tags. Observing their strategy can help you spot emerging trends.

Step 2: Use Instagram's Native Search Feature

Instagram itself is your most powerful research tool. The key is to use it systematically. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Explore page and tap the search bar.
2. Type in a core keyword for your post (e.g., "baking").
3. Tap on the "Tags" tab below the search bar.
4. Instagram will now show you a list of related hashtags, conveniently sorted by post volume.

This simple act gives you a wealth of ideas. If you search "baking," you'll see everything from the massive #baking to more niche options like #bakingfromscratch, #homebaking, and #breadbaking. Note down the relevant ones that fit the different hashtag types we talked about earlier.

Step 3: Analyze Your Own Top-Performing Posts

Don't forget to look at your own data. Go into your Instagram Insights and find the posts that received the highest reach and engagement over the last few months. Make a list of the hashtags you used on each of them. You’ll probably notice a pattern. Certain hashtags consistently deliver better results for your specific account. Double down on those and use them as seeds to find similar tags.

Step 4: Create Organized Hashtag Sets in a "Hashtag Bank"

As you gather good hashtags, you need a system to manage them. Simply trying to remember them or find them in old posts is inefficient. Create a simple "Hashtag Bank" in a spreadsheet, note-taking app, or a simple document.

Organize it by content category. For example, a fitness coach might have sets for:

• HIIT Workouts
• Nutrition Tips
• Motivational Posts
• Recipe Posts

Under each category, list 20-30 researched, relevant hashtags. When you create a new post, you can just pull from the appropriate list and mix and match to create a fresh group of tags. This saves an enormous amount of time and ensures your strategy is consistent and effective.

Here’s a simple structure you could use in a spreadsheet:


| Category | Hashtag | Post Volume | Type | Notes |
|----------------------|--------------------------|-------------|-----------|------------------------------------------|
| Kitchen Renovation | #kitchenremodel | 4.5M | Broad | Good for initial broad reach. |
| Kitchen Renovation | #whitemarblecountertops | 75k | Niche | Highly specific, attracts target buyers. |
| Client Project | #dallasinteriordesign | 240k | Location | Key for finding local clients. |
| Our Brand | #brandnameinteriors | 500 | Branded | Use on all posts for brand gallery. |


Putting It All Together: Your Perfect Hashtag Mix

The magic isn't in finding one perfect hashtag, it's in creating a balanced portfolio of them for each post. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags, and you should use most or all of that real estate with relevant tags. Aim for a mix that gives you a chance to appear in both crowded arenas and quiet corners of Instagram.

A great formula to follow is this:

• 10-15 Community & Niche Hashtags: This is your foundation. These are highly relevant tags with a post volume between 10k - 500k. You have a real chance to rank in the "Top" section for these.
• 3-5 Broad Hashtags: These are your reach-boosters, with 500k to 1M+ posts. Don't expect to rank, but they can give you an immediate spike in visibility from users browsing the "Recent" tab.
• 2-4 Branded & Location-Based Hashtags: Round out your list with your unique brand hashtag and any relevant location tags to attract your local audience and build UGC.

An Example in Action:

Let's say a potter in Toronto posts a video of them making a new mug:

• Niche: #potterylove, #handmademug, #clayart, #ceramicsdaily, #wheelthrownpottery, #studiopottery, #modernceramics, #canadianceramics, #keramik
• Broad: #pottery, #ceramics, #handmade
• Branded/Location: #YourPotteryStudioName, #torontopotters, #madeintoronto

This mix gives the post a chance to be seen by local shoppers, die-hard pottery enthusiasts, and people who are just casually interested in handmade goods.

Where Do You Put Your Hashtags? Caption vs. First Comment

This is an age-old debate. The simple answer? It doesn’t really matter for performance. Instagram has confirmed that hashtags are effective in both the caption and the first comment. The choice is purely aesthetic. If you prefer a clean caption, post them in the first comment immediately after publishing. If you don't mind them in the post, you can hide them by adding a few line breaks (using periods) after your text.

3 Common Hashtag Mistakes to Avoid

As you implement your new strategy, steer clear of these common pitfalls that can limit your reach or get your account flagged.

1. Using Banned Hashtags: Some hashtags have been flagged and blocked by Instagram because of inappropriate content. Using one of these "banned" tags can kneecap your post's reach completely. Before using a new hashtag, search for it on Instagram. If it leads to a page with no "Top" posts or a message saying recent posts are hidden, don't use it.
2. Copying and Pasting the Same List Every Time: Using the exact same block of 30 hashtags on every single post can look spammy to the algorithm. Your hashtag bank is great for efficiency, but always make sure to swap a few tags out for each post to keep it fresh and specifically relevant to what you're posting.
3. Using Irrelevant Blockbuster Hashtags: Slapping #instagood or #explorepage on a photo of your dog might seem tempting, but it does more harm than good. You’re telling the algorithm to show your content to a massive, undefined audience that isn't interested in what you do. This leads to low engagement, which signals to Instagram that your content isn't very good, further hurting its future reach. Always prioritize relevance over size.

Final Thoughts

Finding the right Instagram hashtags is about connecting with the right people, not just getting seen by the most. By thoughtfully researching and mixing niche, community, and branded tags and consistently testing your strategy, you can turn hashtags into an incredibly powerful tool for sustainable, organic growth on the platform.

As creators and marketers, we built Postbase to streamline this whole process. Saving your tested hashtag sets and creating content calendars becomes a breeze when you're not juggling spreadsheets and fighting with outdated tools. A solid strategy becomes second nature when you have a workflow that actually supports it, giving you back time to focus on what really matters: creating great content for your community.