How to Find the Right Hashtags for Your Brand
Our data findings are clear: the more hashtags you use, the better.
However, using the right hashtags for your account is key. Every hashtag you use should be relevant to your content, audience, and business.
Social Media Specialist, Lindsay Ashcraft, agrees: “With the right hashtag strategy, you can increase your reach and build a community of people who’ll engage with your content.”
If you’re struggling with inspiration for which hashtags to use, it helps to break them into different categories and add more structure to your approach.
Here are five types of hashtags to consider:
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Location-based hashtags, like #BryantPark or #LowerEastSide
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Branded hashtags for campaigns or events, like # or #Con
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Industry hashtags that describe your niche, like #SocialMediaManagers or #WeddingPlanners
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Community-focused hashtags to bring your community together, like #VanLifeLiving or #IAmASweatyBetty
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Descriptive hashtags that describe the content of your actual post, like #WoodwickCandles or #SheaButterProducts
That said, finding new hashtags to use on Instagram can be time-consuming and takes some trial and error.
But don’t fret! There are some ways to streamline the process. Here are three ways to find the right hashtags for your brand:
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Use a Hashtag Suggestion Tool like
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Draw Inspiration from the Instagram Explore Page
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Discover Tags Using Instagram’s Search Tool
#1: Use a Hashtag Suggestion Tool like
’s Hashtag Suggestion tool is an easy way to find hashtags based on the content of your post and similar hashtags in your industry.
To use it, type a hashtag into the tool’s search bar, hit “Suggest,” and it’ll immediately generate new hashtags, sorted by relevance:
“We use this feature to find new hashtags and keep our hashtag lists updated,” shares Lindsay. “It’s really handy! Make sure you’re typing in niche hashtags for the best results.”
Sign up for a account to find the perfect hashtags for your Instagram strategy – in just a few seconds!
#2: Draw Inspiration from the Instagram Explore Page
The Instagram Explore page is constantly evolving, with new topic categories and advanced search functionalities rolling out all the time.
For example, you can now search by keywords to discover relevant content. Let’s say you own a candle company and want to see what other accounts are doing.
Type “candles” in the search, and tons of posts will appear:
You’ll have the option to discover “Top” posts, scroll through accounts that have “candles” in their Name Field, and see posts with a tag containing that keyword:
Using these filters will help you identify posts that are both similar to your business and performing well in Instagram’s search results.
While we don’t recommend copy and pasting their hashtag strategy, you can gain valuable insights that’ll help you when choosing hashtags you’d like to experiment with.
TIP: Keep on top of your hashtag lists by adding them as Saved Captions with any plan. You can curate multiple hashtag lists and add them to your captions in two taps!
#3: Discover Tags Using Instagram’s Hashtag Search Tool
When it comes to finding the best hashtags, post volume is a really important metric.
If a hashtag has already been used on millions of posts, the chances are your post will be drowned out amongst the masses.
On the other hand, if a hashtag only has a few hundred posts, it’s likely that no one is searching for it on the Instagram Explore page.
With Instagram’s hashtag search tool, you can type in a hashtag and discover others that start with the same keyword, along with their post volume.
In this example, we’ll choose #SelfCare (55M posts):
As you scroll down, you’ll be able to find hashtag variations that are still popular but have less competition (we recommend using these!), like #SelfCareIsForEveryone (61K posts) or #SelfCareFam (27K posts).
When you tap on a hashtag, you’ll be able to see the type of posts that get the most engagement (in the Top tab), and use them as inspiration for structuring your content.
TIP: Add up to 30 hashtags to a comment rather than your post caption! They still work in hashtag search results! ’s First Comment tool lets you schedule a comment to go live at exactly the same time as your post – available on all paid plans.
