With over 800 million monthly active users worldwide, Instagram is a marketer’s dream. Unfortunately, making sure your content is visible in such an active community has the potential to become a nightmare. Using trending Instagram hashtags is an essential element in an Instagram-based content marketing strategy.
25 Top Trending Instagram Hashtags
#love
Instagram is all about positivity, spreading good vibes, and building connections with other people. So it’s not surprising that #love was the most popular hashtag of 2017. It’s safe to say love will always in the list of top trending tags.
#igers
Professionals and regulars like to have a way of indicating their status and making sure the right people see them, so they often use #igers, which is an abbreviation of “Instagramers.” The #instragramers tag is another popular option for the same reason.
#instadaily
Audiences love content creators who post regularly, so many follow the people who use #instadaily to indicate daily uploads.
It may seem like a redundant tag, but if your Instagram posts automatically share across your Twitter and Facebook accounts, the #instagram tag is a good way to add some context.
#photooftheday
Every day, the @photooftheday account picks one picture to add to its collection, which has over 269,000 followers. Using the #photooftheday tag on your single best effort each day puts you in with a chance of winning a slot.
#instagood
The #instagood tag originates from the @instagood account, and is supposed to indicate a particularly notable image. The @instagood account trawls the tag looking for great images to showcase for 855,000 followers.
#instamood
It’s common for the most frequently used tags to begin “insta.” This example is a tag for photographs that represent a mood or emotion. As already mentioned, spreading positivity and enhancing that feel-good factor is a common aspect of Instagram usage, making tags associated with those concepts regulars on the trending lists.
#followforfollow
Most users on Instagram want to build an audience, and one way to achieve that is by offering to follow any account that follows them using the #followforfollow tag. Other variations of this tag include #followback, #followme, #follow4follow, and #follow.
#likeforlike
Tags offering to like content in exchange for receiving likes are another good way to build an audience. Options include #likeback, #like4like, and #l4l.
#me
One of the aims of social media marketing is to make brands feel more human and approachable, and Instagram users are always looking for personalities. Don’t be afraid to post pictures of yourself, and become the recognizable face of your business.
#selfie
Speaking of faces, the #selfie tag is always trending. Everybody loves posting selfies, and there’s evidence to suggest that Instagram pictures with faces are 32 percent more likely to attract comments. Make sure you’re smiling: The #smile tag is also a regular in the trending lists.
#cute
Cats, dogs, babies, family gatherings: If it’s cute, there’s an audience for it on Instagram.
#tbt
Nostalgia is a great way to generate interest, make someone smile, or play on fond memories, making the throwback Thursday hashtag incredibly useful for marketers and a fun option for people who want to embarrass their siblings with an old photo.
#nofilter
If you want to make your natural talent stand out, it’s easy to let the world know your images are the real deal with the #nofilter tag. This tag is associated with professional photographers and models.
#art
A social media platform dedicated to images is the perfect place for showcasing artwork, and naturally a lot of users are searching the #art tag.
#beauty
Anything that implies a feast for the eyes has the potential to draw gazes, so #beauty is regularly trending.
#makeup
With so many people posting selfies and beauty shots, related tags such as #makeup are common. These often work in conjunction with #model, #girl, and #hot.
#fashion
Tags relating to fashion are popular, and thousands of creators love to share their looks.
#OOTD
Outfit of the Day is another option for fashionistas looking to make a style statement that inspires followers.
#life
Let people get a snapshot of your real life. People loving the limelight often use #life alongside #me and #selfie tags.
#food
If you’ve ever been in a restaurant and decided to snap your lunch, you’ll understand why #food is such a popular tag.
#fitness
Fitness-related tags are popular, especially at the beginning of the year when people are making resolutions.
#travel
If you’re in the travel industry, you’ll want to use travel-related tags. Fortunately, Instagram users can’t get enough of beautiful sunsets and sunny beaches, making #travel a popular destination.
#fun
Everybody wants to have a good time, so fun is always on their minds.
#repost
If you’re sharing content that isn’t yours, you should always ask permission, credit the original creator, and use the #repost tag.
Why Use Trending Instagram Hashtags?
There are billions of photographs on Instagram, with users sharing an average of 80 million images every day. Without hashtags, finding anything relevant to your interests would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Thanks to the ability to search for hashtags and to follow the ones you find interesting, it’s possible to sift through the massive database of images and customize the user experience. This makes hashtags incredibly important to marketers because using the trending Instagram hashtags is a great way to improve visibility and extend brand reach.
Obviously, fashions change. The hottest hashtags one month aren’t always going to top the trending list the following month. Tags often reflect the mood of the moment, as everybody wants to get involved in current affairs and use the tags that are most likely to gain visibility. For example, if a huge brand releases a new product, brand-related tags may start to gain some traction, as was the case in March 2018 when #Nike was the only brand in the top 100 trending Instagram hashtags for the month. Similarly, there are seasonal tags to be aware of, such as #valentinesday trending in February, or fitness tags gaining a boost at the start of the year when everybody is working hard on resolutions that they’ve probably given up on by the end of the month.
Despite this, there are some hashtags that are perennial favorites and which regularly trend. Using some of the most popular tags on a regular basis is a good way to keep your content relevant.
Final Thought: Timing Your Tags
Instagram posts with at least one hashtag have 12.6 percent more engagement than posts without, and using trending Instagram hashtags is a great way to get more people to see your content. Consider the time of year, what’s currently popular in the media, and what other companies are doing to establish which hashtags are working well, and try to include as many of the tags that are always trending to extend your brand reach.
