320 Best Hashtags for Instagram: Guide with Types, Tips & More
What’s the best way to get more people to see your content on Instagram?
A hashtag is a clear answer. It’s the pathway that connects your content with Instagram users. It is also a smart way to categorize the myriad of posts on Instagram.
Properly chosen hashtags can drive your brand’s visibility. But there’s a significant downside – you’ll probably have to look for the top hashtags for hours before finding something relevant.
But don’t worry – we’ve got everything you need to know about hashtags in our guide. Let’s jump right in!
Table of contents:
The 9 Instagram Hashtag Types You Should Know
For easier navigation and to categorize millions of posts, Instagram breaks down all hashtags into nine categories:
- Product and service hashtags
- Industry and niche hashtags
- Instagram community hashtags
- Special event and seasonal hashtags
- Location hashtags
- Daily hashtags
- Hashtags with brand-related keywords
- Hashtags using acronyms
- Emoji hashtags
Let’s explore each of these hashtag types one by one and see how different brands use them in their hashtag strategies.
Type #1: Product and service hashtags
The first hashtag type uses a keyword that points to your product and/or service.
A great example is of a product and service hashtag is #handbag. It’s a bit generic, but you can use it together with a branded hashtag to associate the product with your business, as Elie Beaumont did in the example below:
Credit: @eliebeaumont
It’s a smart move on Elie Beaumont’s side to also use the synonyms of product and service hashtags. This way, the brand reaches a bigger audience and gets an opportunity to target more potential buyers.
Type #2: Industry and niche hashtags
These hashtags reflect your brand’s position in a certain industry and niche. Type-two hashtags are more specific as they indicate your business’s specialty and role.
An Instagram profile @bowlsbyasmaa uses #foodblogger, which is a great example of a niche hashtag:
Credit: @bowlsbyasmaa
Since industry and niche hashtags are more targeted, they help you reach a very specific audience. Besides, these hashtags tend to be less competitive than product and service hashtags, but not for every industry.
Type #3: Instagram community hashtags
Community hashtags help you find and reach out to interest groups on Instagram.
Take #nyxlovers, for example. This is a hashtag that unites all admirers of NYX Cosmetics. And resellers like Optima Beauty use it to target NYX fans:
Credit: @optimabeauty
Much like niche hashtags, community hashtags are also more semantically narrow. It means that using a community hashtag will give you access to a very niche audience, more likely to buy your product.
Type #4: Special event and seasonal hashtags
These hashtags are dedicated to seasons or holidays and are often used to promote seasonal content.
A great example of this hashtag type is #fathersday, and @elkwood_designs, an e-commerce store, has a great Instagram post on its business account to demonstrate it in action:
Credit: @elkwood_designs
The brand uses #fathersday to commemorate the respective holiday and celebrate it with the launch of personalized Father’s Day gifts. It’s a great idea to follow if you want to reach out to someone looking for a present dedicated to a specific occasion.
Type #5: Location hashtags
Also known as geo-tags, location hashtags help you target potential buyers around a specific area.
You can combine the keyword for your location with the one describing your product and service to make the hashtag more specific. For instance, @birchcoffee uses #nycpastry to target pastry lovers around New York City:
Credit: @birchcoffee
While keywords describing a location can make a hashtag too broad, adding a product and service keyword makes a hashtag less competitive and more targeted.
Type #6: Daily hashtags
Daily hashtags are dedicated to each day of the week. They can cover any topic, from #MondayMotivation to a popular #ThrowbackThursday, but the key prerequisite is to include a day of the week.
Another widespread daily hashtag is #TGIF (thank God it’s Friday), and @kays_cocktail_bar found a creative use for it to remind its guests about making reservations on a Friday night:
Credit: @kays_cocktail_bar
Daily hashtags also have good performance - #tgif has collected over 38 million posts. So, including these hashtags can give your posts a great boost.
Type #7: Hashtags with brand-related keywords
These hashtags include the elements of niche, product/service, and community hashtags. The goal is to reflect your brand’s specialty.
A great example of a hashtag with a brand-related keyword is #bakerylove, and @butchertowngrocerybakery used it to advertise their limited-edition cruffins:
Credit: @butchertowngrocerybakery
These hashtags are low –competition, and they usually target a specific (and highly relevant) audience. It’s also your chance to reach out to communities and interest groups on Instagram.
Type #8: Hashtags using acronyms
Acronym hashtags abbreviate long-tail keywords. As a result, a hashtag occupies less space and becomes more catchy.
We already mentioned #tgif, which is a combination of an acronym and daily hashtags. Another great example is #ootd (outfit of the day), and many clothing brands, such as @globalrepublicfashions, use it in their Instagram post descriptions:
Credit: @globalrepublicfashions
Brands use hashtags with acronyms for a good reason – they are super popular. For instance, #ootd alone has over 371 million posts. That said, these hashtags are also quite competitive, so make sure you combine them with niche hashtags.
Type #9: Emoji hashtags
Last but not least are emoji hashtags. Their nature is pretty clear: instead of using a keyword, you include emoji, which saves space and makes a hashtag more noticeable.
Take #sun, for example. The meaning of this hashtag is rather general, but @copain_koishikawa managed to apply it in a post promoting its new summer menu:
Credit: @copain_koishikawa
Emoji hashtags are not as popular as acronym hashtags, but they can definitely be a great addition to make your post description more creative. Beware of overusing them, though – their meaning is often too broad.
Trending Hashtags on Instagram for 2021
Now, let’s explore what you came here for – the best hashtags for Instagram. We’ll start with the ones trending in 2021 and then move forward to popular hashtag categories.
Here are the hashtags that have been trending in 2021 so far:
- #instagram – 710 million posts
- #nature – 648 million posts
- #model – 313 million posts
- #follow4follow – 300 million posts
- #igers – 292 million posts
- #nofilter – 282.9 million posts
- #beach – 271.9 million posts
- #followforfollow – 243 million posts
- #l4l – 238.1 million posts
- #bestoftheday – 214 million posts
- #followforfollowback – 204 million posts
- #lol – 179 million posts
- #blue – 153 million posts
- #followback – 123 million posts
- #throwback – 120 million posts
- #blogger – 115 million posts
- #dogstagram – 110 million posts
- #likesforlikes – 77 million posts
- #giveaway – 41.6 million posts
Instagram’s algorithm is quite tricky, and the popularity of each hashtag can change within a few hours. So, always use an analytics tool to keep track of a hashtag’s performance and make sure it’s still trending.
Most Popular Instagram Hashtags
Next comes the list of hashtags that have been trending for quite a while. Every marketer knows that including these hashtags in a post almost guarantees you more exposure and an increase in the number of Instagram followers.
- #love – 2.1 billion posts
- #instagood – 1.3 billion posts
- #fashion – 983 million posts
- #photooftheday – 939 million posts
- #art – 818 million posts
- #beautiful – 755 million posts
- #picoftheday – 661 million posts
- #nature – 647 million posts
- #happy – 644 million posts
- #cute – 636 million posts
- #followme – 578 million posts
- #tbt – 575 million posts
- #travel – 575 million posts
- #style – 571 million posts
- #instadaily – 546 million posts
- #repost – 537 million posts
- #like4like – 535 million posts
- #summer – 505 million posts
- #fitness – 459 million posts
- #selfie – 453 million posts
- #food – 452 million posts
- $instalike – 439 million posts
- #girl – 434 million posts
- #friends – 423 million posts
- #fun – 420 million posts
- #smile – 410 million posts
- #family – 395 million posts
- likeforlike – 354 million posts
- #fashionista – 125 million posts
This is also the list of most popular hashtags on Instagram so far. You may have noticed many influencers using these hashtags in their posts, and for a good reason. These hashtags can give an immense boost in visibility.
Marketing Hashtags
Now, let’s jump into the most popular hashtag by category. We’ll start with marketing hashtag examples.
- #marketing – 56.6 million posts
- #marketingdigital – 28.2 million posts
- #socialmediamarketing – 15.4 million posts
- #digitalmarketing – 18 million posts
- #networkmarketing – 8.5 million posts
- #onlinemarketing – 6.5 million posts
- #contentmarketing – 4.8 million posts
- #marketingtips – 4.5 million posts
- #marketingstrategy – 4.3 million posts
- #marketingonline – 3.4 million posts
- #affiliatemarketing – 2.5 million posts
- #marketingagency – 2.2 million posts
- #marketing101 – 1.1 million posts
- #marketingplan – 634 thousand posts
- #marketingconsultant – 650 thousand posts
- #marketingsocial – 565 thousand posts
- #marketingcoach – 495 thousand posts
- #marketinglife – 478 thousand posts
- #marketingtools – 475 thousand posts
- #marketingstrategies – 469 thousand posts
- #marketingteam – 353 thousand posts
- #marketingadvice – 346 thousand posts
As you can see, these are very niche hashtags, so, to boost their performance, combine them with some of the trending hashtags.
Business Hashtags
Business-specific hashtags can improve any brand’s exposure. But you will especially benefit from them if your small business needs more attention from the public.
- #business – 86 million posts
- #entrepreneur – 82.4 million posts
- #smallbusiness – 68.3 million posts
- #entrepreneurship – 24.3 million posts
- #entrepreneurlife – 18.1 million posts
- #businessowner – 15.3 million posts
- #businesswoman – 13.3 million posts
- #businessman – 9 million posts
- #onlinebusiness – 8.3 million posts
- #entrepreneurmindset – 4.5 million posts
- #businesscoach – 4 million posts
- #businesstips – 3.8 million posts
- #businesswomen – 3.1 million posts
- #businesslife – 2.8 million posts
- #businessowners – 2.7 million posts
- #businessopportunity – 2.6 million posts
- #businesscards – 2.3 million posts
- #businessquotes – 2.2 million posts
- #businessminded – 2 million posts
- #businesspassion – 1.7 million posts
- #businessmindset – 1.7 million posts
- #businesssgrowth – 1.7 million posts
- #businesscasual – 1.4 million posts
- #businessmen – 1.3 million posts
- #businessideas – 1.3 million posts
- #businessgoals – 1.1 million posts
- #businessadvice – 1 million posts
- #businessstrategy – 1 million posts
- #businessonline – 880 thousand posts
- #businessmotivation – 823 thousand posts
To avoid making your hashtag list too broad, add some niche hashtags to showcase what your business specializes in.
Food Hashtags
The topic of food is very popular on Instagram. Naturally, it has generated quite a few trending hashtags.
- #food – 452 million posts
- #foodporn – 266 million posts
- #instafood – 202 million posts
- #foodie – 192 million posts
- #healthyfood – 98 million posts
- #foodstagram – 93.3 million posts
- #foodphotography – 82.3 million posts
- #foodgasm – 61.1 million posts
- #foodblogger – 60.6 million posts
- #foodlover – 58.4 million posts
- #foodpics – 43 million posts
- #foodpic – 37.5 million posts
- #veganfood – 25.5 million posts
- #foods – 24.9 million posts
- #foodblog – 20.2 million posts
- #foodgram – 17 million posts
- #foodlovers – 15.9 million posts
- #foodstyling – 12.1 million posts
- #foodart – 10.2 million posts
- #fooddiary – 9.8 million posts
- #foodoftheday – 8.3 million posts
- #foodbeast – 6 million posts
- #foodforfoodies – 4.9 million posts
- #foodnetwork – 4.3 million posts
- #foodstylist – 3.3 million posts
- #foodography – 3.3 million posts
- #foodforlife – 3.1 million posts
- #foodprep – 2.6 million posts
- #foodvsco – 1.7 million posts
- #foodideas – 1 million posts
You can use these hashtags for likes. And if you want more followers, you can add hashtags like #followforfollow or #like4like to get more exposure.
Travel Hashtags
As you might remember, #travel is one of the trending hashtags on Instagram in 2021. There are also quite a few other travel-related hashtags with a decent number of posts.
- #travelphotography – 157 million posts
- #travelgram – 145 million posts
- #instatravel – 112 million posts
- #traveling – 81.5 million posts
- #travelling – 72.7 million posts
- #travelblogger – 67.4 million posts
- #traveler – 46.2 million posts
- #traveltheworld – 35.2 million posts
- #travelingram – 28 million posts
- #travelblog – 25.6 million posts
- #travels – 21.6 million posts
- #traveladdict – 20.5 million posts
- #traveldiaries – 14.5 million posts
- #travellife – 14.3 million posts
- #travelawesome – 12.7 million posts
- #travelpics – 12.6 million posts
- #travelholic – 11.3 million posts
- #travelbug – 10.4 million posts
- #travelpic – 7.1 million posts
- #travelmore – 5.7 million posts
- #travelguide – 5.4 million posts
- #travelgoals – 4.2 million posts
- #travelinspiration – 3.5 million posts
- #travelcouple – 3.3 million posts
- #travelcommunity – 1.6 million posts
You can use #travel with a location hashtag to target customers around a specific area.
Art Hashtags
Art-related hashtags also have stellar performance on Instagram and can give quite a boost in visibility to art-related businesses.
- #art – 818 million posts
- #artist – 247 million posts
- #artwork – 145 million posts
- #digitalart – 90.9 million posts
- #arte – 89.7 million posts
- #instaart – 81.6 million posts
- #artistsoninstagram – 80.6 million posts
- #artoftheday – 55.7 million posts
- #contemporaryart – 50.3 million posts
- #artofvisuals – 39.9 million posts
- #artsy – 35.7 million posts
- #artgallery – 27.8 million posts
- #arts – 25.6 million posts
- #artistics – 25.1 million posts
- #animeart – 20.7 million posts
- #tattoart – 19.8 million posts
- #artists – 17.3 million posts
- ##artlovers – 14.2 million posts
- #artofinstagram – 12.1 million posts
- #artcollector – 10.5 million posts
- #artforsale – 8.6 million posts
- #artworks – 8.4 million posts
- #artphotography – 6.6 million posts
- #artstudio – 6.5 million posts
- #artdaily – 4.4 million posts
- #artjournal – 3.5 million posts
- #artcurator – 3.1 million posts
- #arthistory – 2.3 million posts
- #artworld – 2.8 million posts
- #artcollection – 2.1 million posts
Although these hashtags perform very well, they are also quite competitive. So, make sure you combine them with product/service, niche, and location hashtags.
Music Hashtags
Music-related hashtags are also quite popular and diverse.
- #music – 375 million posts
- #musica – 45.4 million posts
- #musician – 37.2 million posts
- #newmusic – 28.2 million posts
- #musically – 25.9 million posts
- #musicvideo – 21.2 million posts
- #musicproducer – 13.3 million posts
- #musical – 12.7 million posts
- #musicians – 10.9 million posts
- #musicislife – 10.9 million posts
- #musiclife – 7.5 million posts
- #musiclover – 7.4 million posts
- #musicproduction – 5.8 million posts
- #musicfestival – 5.1. million posts
- #musicphotography – 4.7 million posts
- #nusiclovers – 4.1 million posts
- #musicstudio – 2.4 million posts
- #musicindustry – 2.3 million posts
- #musicartist – 2.1 million posts
- #musicvideos – 1.8 million posts
- #musicproducers – 1.3 million posts
- #musicbusiness – 1 million posts
- #musicblog – 930 thousand pots
- #musictherapy – 924 thousand posts
- #musicpromotion – 771 thousand posts
Music-related hashtags belong to the industry type, so, combined with product/service hashtags, they won’t be as competitive.
Photography Hashtags
If you’re on the hunt for the best Instagram hashtags that would give your Instagram account a visibility boost, you’re in for a treat. There are plenty of photography-related hashtags with great performance.
- #photography – 782 million posts
- #naturephotography – 164 million posts
- #travelphotography – 157 million posts
- #streetphotography – 96 million posts
- #portraitphotography – 82.4 million posts
- #landscapephotography – 53.1 million posts
- #weddingphotography – 40.1 million posts
- #canonphotography – 30.3 million posts
- #filmphotography – 29.9 million posts
- #photographylovers – 29.5 million posts
- #architecturephotography – 27.1 million posts
- #fashionphotography – 27.1 million posts
- #mobilephotography – 26.9 million posts
- #nikonphotography – 24.2 million posts
- #wildlifephotography – 19.5 million posts
- #nightphotography – 15.8 million posts
- #urbanphotography – 13.6 million posts
- #bnwphotography – 12.7 million posts
- #photographyislife – 12.4 million posts
- #photographyeveryday – 11.3 million posts
- #photographylover – 10.9 million posts
- #photographysouls – 10.2 million posts
- #familyphotography – 9.1 million posts
- #photographyislifee – 8.5 million posts
- #dronephotography – 7.7 million posts
- #photographylife – 5.3 million posts
- #aviationphotography – 5.2 million posts
- #photogtaphyart – 5.1 million posts
- #photography– 4.8 million posts
- #photogtaphyoftheday – 2.5 million posts
You can experiment with mixing photography-themed hashtags with location hashtags to get your photography business more exposure around your city and state.
Wedding Hashtags
Instagram has a big audience interested in wedding-related posts. You can easily browse for this content using quite a top Instagram hashtags.
- #wedding – 208 million posts
- #weddingdress – 43.8 million posts
- #weddingday – 42.6 million posts
- #weddingphotography – 40.1 million posts
- #weddinginspiration – 27.3 million posts
- #weddings – 25.6 million posts
- #weddingphotographer – 21.5 million posts
- #weddingplanner – 17.2 million posts
- #weddingideas – 12.7 million posts
- #weddingmakeup – 11.3 million posts
- #weddingdecor – 10.2 million posts
- #weddinginspo – 10.1 million posts
- #weddingseason – 9.8 million posts
- #weddingcake – 8.8. million posts
- #weddingphoto – 8.4 million posts
- #weddinghair – 8.1 million posts
- #weddingflowers – 7.2 million posts
- #weddingstyle – 7 million posts
- #weddinggown – 6.2 million posts
- #weddingwear – 1.5 million posts
As you can see, there are quite a few niche- and product/service hashtags, which you can combine with location hashtags to increase brand exposure.
Fitness Hashtags
Some of the best Instagram hashtags come from the fitness category. The majority of these hashtags have a stellar performance.
- #fitness – 459 million posts
- #fitnessmotivation – 108 million posts
- #fitessmodel – 54.9 million posts
- #fitnessaddict – 43.7 million posts
- #fitnessgirl – 31.1 million posts
- #fitnessjourney – 30.2 million posts
- #instafitness – 17.5 million posts
- #fitnesslifestyle – 14.9 million posts
- #fitnessgoals – 12.2 million posts
- #fitnessfreak – 9 million posts
- #fitnessfood – 6.1 million posts
- #fitnessgear – 4.6 million posts
- #fitnesscoach – 3.6 million posts
- #fitnessblogger – 2.8 million posts
- #fitnessphysique – 2.2 million posts
- #fitnesswear – 2.2 million posts
- #fitnesstransformation – 1.8 million posts
- #fitnessjunkie – 1.4 million posts
- #fitnessfashion – 1.2 million posts
- #fitnesschallenge – 1.2 million posts
These hashtags will work pretty well if you want to launch an online event, like a challenge or competition. They can help you reach more potential contestants and get more online exposure.
Mental Health Hashtags
Many Instagram users are currently trying to raise awareness around the topic of mental health. As a result, it got quite a few hashtags with good performance.
- #mentalhealth – 30.5 million posts
- #mentalhealthawareness – 13.8 million posts
- #mentalhealthmatters – 5.9 million posts
- #mentalhealthadvocate – 1.3 million posts
- #mentalhealthsupport – 1.3 million posts
- #mentalhealthrecovery – 1.1. million posts
- #mentalhealthwarrior – 806 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthquotes – 775 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthawarenessmonth – 707 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthblogger – 574 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthisimportant – 457 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthawarenessweek – 413 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthtips – 406 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthday – 382 thousand posts
- #mentalhealthawareness – 259 thousand posts
These are great industry/niche hashtags for therapists who would like to reach more people and de-stigmatize mental health.
Motivation Hashtags
A lot of people look for motivation on Instagram, so much so that this topic has collected quite a few top-performing hashtags.
- #motivation – 281 million posts
- #motivationalquotes – 41.2 million posts
- #gymmotivation – 33 million posts
- #mondaymotivation – 26.1 million posts
- #motivational – 17.1 million posts
- #workoutmotivation – 17.9 million posts
- #motivationmonday – 9.7 million posts
- #weightlossmotivation – 8.6 million posts
- #morningmotivation – 7.9 million posts
- #dailymotivation – 5.7 million posts
- #motivationalspeaker – 4.3 million posts
- #motivationalquote – 3.6 million posts
- #entrepreneurmotivation – 1.5 million posts
- #motivation101 – 1.2 million posts
- #motivationdaily – 1.2 million posts
If your brand comes from the fitness industry, you can combine these picks with fitness hashtags to gain more online visibility.
Self-Love Hashtags
Self-love is the last category of the best hashtags for Instagram on our list. Although it’s less popular than other hashtags we talked about before, it still has got some recognition.
- #selflove – 68.9 million posts
- #mindfulness – 28.5 million posts
- #ambition – 8.5 million posts
- #selflovejourney – 1.9 million posts
- #selfrespect – 1.6 million posts
- #self-lovequotes – 1.2 million posts
- #selfloveclub – 902 thousand posts
- #selfloveisthebestlove – 862 thousand posts
- #selflovefirst – 686 thousand posts
- #selflovetips – 429 thousand posts
There aren’t too many popular hashtags under this category, but you can combine them with other hashtag types to get more followers on Instagram.
How to Use Hashtags on Instagram
Now that you have the list of trending Instagram hashtags, let’s discuss how to use them for Instagram marketing.
Choosing the right hashtags for Instagram captions is not rocket science. But in case you’re new to this platform, here are step-by-step instructions.
1) Go to post editor on Instagram
Start by going to your Instagram app. Tap on the + icon to enter the editor and choose the photo or video you want to upload. Pick the filter and make other edits, if needed.
2) Write post description
Create a catchy description, add relevant keywords, location, and tag other profiles if you’re uploading user-generated content.
3) Add hashtags
Start by entering the # symbol and adding the most relevant keyword. Once you enter it, you will see the list of related hashtags and their performance. You can pick the ones that suit your post the best.
When you’re done with hashtags, simply tap the check mark and upload your post.
Using Instagram hashtags in Stories is also super easy. Start by going to Instagram Stories and choosing a picture or video you want to upload. You can also film something in real life.
Next, tap on the Stickers button at the top of the screen and choose the #hashtag option.
When you start entering the first hashtag, Instagram’s hashtag generator will add a few relevant options at the bottom of the screen.
You can also change the color of the hashtag by tapping on it.
How to Follow Hashtags on Instagram
It is possible to follow hashtags on Instagram, which is especially handy if you’re on the lookout for trends and want to keep track of relevant content.
To find new hashtags to follow, go to the explore page at the bottom of your screen.
Next, to complete the hashtag search, start typing in the # symbol and the keyword you’re interested in.
When the right hashtag appears on the screen, tap on it and click on Follow.
Once you follow a hashtag, you will receive weekly Instagram post updates categorized as Top and Recent.
How Many Hashtags Should You Use on Instagram
According to Instagram Help Center, users are allowed to add up to 30 hashtags per single post. If you include more, your comment won’t be uploaded. Instagram hashtag limit for stories is 10.
What if you need to add a bigger number of hashtags?
In this case, you can add the rest to the first comment under your post. Many Instagram profiles, such as @syroszen, do it to increase the visibility of their posts:
Credit: @syroszen
Your list of hashtags can be as diverse as you want, but don’t make it too spammy – all hashtags should be relevant to your content. If you want to attract the right target audience, the hashtag should direct them to the content they want to see and not deceive their expectations.
Over to You
Instagram is a rather competitive platform for social media marketing. But you can always level up your game with the best hashtags for Instagram that we shared with you today.
However, hashtags are not the only thing that impacts the visibility of your Instagram account. It also matters how you schedule your posts based on your audience’s activity.
Scheduling on Instagram can be tricky, but it’s not something Postoplan can’t manage. With Postoplan, you can create an Instagram content plan in just a few clicks. And, if you run out of content ideas, we’ve got you covered – you will get auto-generated post inspiration for each day of the week.
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