If you’re serious about growing your Instagram account in 2024, you must pay close attention to trending hashtags. As an aspiring influencer, using the right hashtags can make all the difference in getting your content seen by the right people. This guide is designed to give you the most up-to-date and popular Instagram hashtags you can use immediately to increase visibility and engagement and ultimately grow your following.
What hashtags are trending on Instagram in 2024?
To kick things off, here’s a list of popular hashtags that are driving engagement across Instagram. You can copy and use these hashtags in your posts for maximum exposure. Remember, the key to success is relevance—using the right mix of trending and niche hashtags will help you stand out.
🔥 Trending General Hashtags
General hashtags are widely used and can apply to many types of content. They’re great for boosting visibility across a broad audience:
- #love – 2.1B posts
- #instagood – 1.6B posts
- #fashion – 1.1B posts
- #photooftheday – 1.1B posts
- #beautiful – 850M posts
- #happy – 723M posts
- #cute – 684M posts
- #tbt (Throwback Thursday) – 589M posts
- #summer – 571M posts
- #repost – 569M posts
- #art – 1.09B posts
- #nature – 830M posts
- #travel – 757M posts
- #fun – 451M posts
- #smile – 446M posts
🎯 Popular Niche Hashtags
For more targeted engagement, niche hashtags help you reach specific communities:
- #sustainablefashion – 1.2M posts
- #veganrecipes – 4M posts
- #indietravel – 742K posts
- #minimalistdesign – 3.6M posts
- #slowfashion – 5.5M posts
- #zerowaste – 2.3M posts
- #homecooking – 1.1M posts
- #selfcaretips – 6M posts
- #plantbasedlife – 8.9M posts
- #blackownedbusiness – 1.4M posts
💼 Hot Branded Hashtags
Branded hashtags are often created by companies to promote their products and build community engagement:
- #JustDoIt – Nike’s campaign
- #MyCalvins – Calvin Klein
- #ShotOniPhone – Apple
- #ShareYourEars – Disney
- #HereToCreate – Adidas
📅 Surging Daily Hashtags
These hashtags follow a day-specific trend, helping you engage with users who love routine content:
- #MondayMotivation – 40M posts
- #TransformationTuesday – 16M posts
- #ThrowbackThursday – 589M posts
- #FridayFeeling – 20M posts
- #SundayFunday – 31M posts
🌍 Viral Location Hashtags
Location-specific hashtags are perfect if your content is tied to certain areas, whether you’re traveling or running a local business:
- #NYCViews – 3.1M posts
- #ParisFashion – 2.7M posts
- #TokyoNights – 1.4M posts
- #LAstyle – 2.2M posts
- #SydneyBeaches – 1.1M posts
🌸 Trending Seasonal Hashtags
Aligning with the seasons can also give your content a timely boost:
- #SpringAwakening – 400K posts
- #WinterVibes – 900K posts
- #SummerGoals – 650K posts
- #AutumnLeaves – 1.1M posts
- #HolidaySeason – 1.7M posts
Why Use Trending Hashtags on Instagram?
Trending hashtags are more than just popular—they’re gateways to visibility. When you use viral hashtags, you’re placing your content in front of a massive audience beyond just your followers. Here’s how they can help:
- Expand Your Reach: Popular hashtags allow your posts to show up in search results for people interested in those topics, increasing your potential audience.
- Increase Engagement: Using the right hashtags puts your posts in front of people who are actively searching for that content, leading to more likes, comments, and shares.
- Join Conversations: Trending hashtags often tie into current events, pop culture, or seasons. Using them means you’re joining in on what people are already talking about, making your content more relevant.
Using trending hashtags is a great way to boost your visibility, but to stand out, combine them with a plan to buy Instagram followers and grow your audience even faster.
How to Find Popular Instagram Hashtags in Real-Time
Want to stay ahead of the curve? Here’s how you can discover the latest hashtags:
- Instagram Explore Page: The Explore page highlights posts using popular hashtags. Check it often to see which hashtags are currently gaining traction.
- Hashtag Generators: Tools like Inflact, All Hashtag, and HashtagsForLikes allow you to enter a keyword and generate a list of related viral hashtags.
- Social Media Analytics Platforms: Platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social let you track hashtags gaining traction in real-time and analyze their performance.
How to Combine Hot and Niche Hashtags for Maximum Engagement
It’s not just about using the most popular hashtags. Combining viral hashtags with niche ones can help you reach a more targeted audience while still benefiting from the popularity of surging tags. Here’s how to do it:
- Example Mix:
- Trending: #fashion + #style
- Niche: #sustainablefashion + #ethicalstyle
- This way, you capture the attention of a broad audience but also engage with people passionate about sustainability in fashion.
Trending Hashtags by Industry and Location
Tailoring your hashtags to your specific industry or location can further boost engagement. Here are some examples based on different sectors:
Travel Hashtags:
- #Wanderlust – 146M posts
- #AdventureAwaits – 50M posts
- #TravelGram – 140M posts
Fitness Hashtags:
- #FitLife – 70M posts
- #WorkoutGoals – 30M posts
- #HealthyLiving – 100M posts
Fashion Hashtags:
- #FashionWeek – 25M posts
- #StreetStyle – 15M posts
- #OOTD (Outfit of the Day) – 447M posts
Food Hashtags:
- #FoodPorn – 268M posts
- #InstaFood – 195M posts
- #HealthyEats – 70M posts
Location-Specific Hashtags:
- #ParisEats – 500K posts
- #NYCStyle – 600K posts
- #LondonFashion – 400K posts
Analytics: How to Measure the Impact of Your Hashtags
Once you’ve implemented a solid hashtag strategy, it’s essential to measure its performance. This allows you to see what’s working, what isn’t, and how you can fine-tune your approach to maximize engagement and reach.
Using Instagram Insights
Instagram’s built-in analytics tool, Instagram Insights, is your go-to for tracking the performance of your hashtags. If you’re using a business or creator account, this feature is invaluable. Here’s how you can leverage it:
- Impressions: One of the key metrics Instagram Insights provides is impressions. This tells you how many times your post was shown to users. Under the “Impressions” section, you can see how many of those impressions came directly from hashtags. This is a clear indicator of whether the hashtags you chose were successful in attracting viewers.
- Engagement: Track how many likes, comments, shares, and saves your post received. If you notice that posts using certain hashtags are getting more engagement, it’s a sign that those tags resonate with your audience.
- Reach: This metric shows how many unique users viewed your post. If you’re using trending or niche hashtags effectively, you should see a broader reach with each post.
Third-Party Tools for In-Depth Hashtag Analysis
While Instagram Insights is useful, third-party tools like Iconosquare, Later, and Sprout Social offer more advanced data on your hashtag performance:
- Hashtag Tracking: These tools provide detailed reports on which hashtags drive the most engagement. They break down metrics such as likes, comments, and reach associated with specific hashtags.
- Competitor Analysis: Some tools allow you to compare your hashtag performance against competitors. You can see what hashtags they’re using and how their posts are performing, helping you refine your strategy.
- Hashtag Popularity: Many of these platforms can show real-time data on hashtag popularity, so you can quickly adapt your strategy by jumping on the latest trends.
By continuously monitoring and analyzing these metrics, you’ll get a clearer picture of how your hashtag choices impact your overall Instagram strategy. This data is invaluable for tweaking your content to maximize visibility and engagement.
Best Practices for Using Popular Hashtags
Using hashtags may seem simple, but there’s an art to it. To get the best results, you need to strike a balance between hashtags that bring high visibility and niche hashtags that target specific communities.
How Often to Use Popularized Hashtags
Hashtags that are son the rise are powerful, but using too many in every post can dilute their effect. A good rule of thumb is to include 2-3 trending hashtags that are highly relevant to your content. This ensures you’re tapping into popular conversations without overwhelming your audience or appearing spammy.
Mixing Hot and Niche Hashtags
To truly optimize engagement, combine trending hashtags with more targeted, niche ones. Hyped hashtags give your post a broad reach, while niche hashtags help you connect with a specific, engaged audience:
- Example Strategy: If you’re posting about sustainable fashion, you could use a trending hashtag like #fashionalongside niche hashtags such as #sustainablefashion or #ethicalstyle. This way, your post is seen by both mainstream audiences and those specifically interested in eco-friendly fashion.
Maintaining Quality and Relevance
It’s tempting to use popular hashtags just for the sake of visibility, but relevance should always be your priority. Hashtags should always tie into the content of your post. For example, using #foodporn on a fashion-related post might get you some likes, but those users are unlikely to engage with your content in the long term. Quality always beats quantity, so choose hashtags that make sense for your post.
Frequency and Timing
How often you post and when you use hashtags also plays a significant role in their effectiveness. Avoid using the same set of hashtags for every post. Instead, rotate them based on your content, time of day, and what’s trending at the moment. Posting at peak times (when your audience is most active) with the right hashtags can significantly increase your engagement.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Trending Hashtags
Even though hashtags can be a powerful tool, misusing them can harm your visibility and credibility on Instagram. Here are some common mistakes to steer clear of:
Using Irrelevant Hashtags
One of the biggest mistakes influencers make is using irrelevant hashtags. While it might be tempting to jump on a trending hashtag, using a tag that has nothing to do with your post can backfire. It might give you an initial boost in impressions, but the people viewing your content won’t engage if it’s not relevant to their interests. For example, using #travelgram on a post about beauty tips might increase views, but those viewers are unlikely to stick around. Worse, it can make you look spammy.
Overloading Posts with Too Many Hashtags
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but just because you can use that many doesn’t mean you should. Overloading your post with hashtags can clutter your caption and make your content look less professional. Instead, aim for a focused set of 10-15 well-chosen hashtags that include a mix of popular, niche, and location-specific tags. This ensures a cleaner, more impactful post.
Relying Only on Highly Competitive Hashtags
While trending hashtags can bring massive visibility, they are also highly competitive. If you only use extremely popular hashtags like #love or #fashion, your post could easily get lost in the sea of other content. To stand out, mix these high-competition tags with more specific, mid-range hashtags. For example, instead of just using #fitness, combine it with #fitgirlsquad or #gymmotivation to target a more engaged audience.
Ignoring Hashtag Research
Failing to research your hashtags can result in missed opportunities. Sometimes, hashtags that seem relevant aren’t as popular or active as you think. Make sure you’re using tools like Inflact, HashtagsForLikes, or Instagram’s search feature to research hashtags before adding them to your posts. This helps ensure your hashtags are current and effective.
By following these best practices and avoiding common pitfalls, you can master the art of using trending hashtags to grow your Instagram presence in 2024. With the right mix of analysis, strategy, and awareness, your posts will reach the right people, increasing your engagement and helping you stand out in a crowded space.
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