How to trend a hashtag on Instagram

Marketing your small business on Instagram lets you access the over one billion existing worldwide users. But to make the most impact, it’s important to use and trend hashtags. 

Hashtags (marked by the #) link your post to a network of similar content on the platform. Then, when people search for that keyword, your post will appear as an option. 

These tags help you grow your audience beyond followers to find people who might be interested in your products or services. But if you’re unsure where to begin, we can help. 

This guide covers trending hashtags for Instagram marketing, including:

• How hashtags can help your Instagram presence
• How to find and use the right hashtags
• How to trend a hashtag on Instagram

See also: How to use social media for business.

A hashtag trends if many people use it at the same time, connecting many similar post results to the same idea or topic. More specifically, Instagram considers something trending if it’s:

• Popular – it’s tagged in a lot of posts on the platform. 
• Used in posts with high and growing engagement – including views, likes, and comments. 

Posts with trending hashtags allow Instagram to list your content as a ‘top post’. 

To find this page, click the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen and search for a specific phrase or term. Instagram offers a ‘Top’ category to see the related posts with the most action. 

Plus, the more popular your post, the more likely you’ll show up on the user’s suggestions page. Instagram curates this page for each user based on their activity. 

So, if you trend a hashtag, that post could show up on a relevant user’s feed. The more people you can reach within your target audience, the more opportunities you have to earn paying customers.

Ultimately, a popular hashtag helps your small business’ profile and content get noticed. 

To make the most of your hashtags usage on Instagram, you’ll need to find the right ones that work for your business. Not just any word or phrase with a # will help you reach your intended audience. 

Hashtags should be strategic, relevant, and realistic. Let’s go over how to find and use ones that can trend.

To find popular hashtags that can reach your market and target audience, you may want to use a tool. These tools can show you how popular hashtags are, who they can get, and offer specific ideas based on your audience. 

Consider looking at tools like: 

• Later
• Hopper
• Supermetrics
• IQ Hashtags

If you want to use hashtags effectively, try to stick to a few guidelines, including: 

• Don’t make your hashtags too specific, such as the name of your business, because people will rarely search that.
• Don’t #hashtag #each #word in your #caption as it #can be #distracting. 
• Run-on hashtags can be difficult to read (#donthashtagasentence). 
• Though you can use up to 30 hashtags on Instagram, the platform recommends using between 8-12 for the most impact.
• Consider integrating some into the caption, then adding the rest at the bottom of the post so they don’t distract from the content. 
• Always check everything is spelt correctly. 

To trend a hashtag on Instagram, you’ll need to use it strategically. First, consider finding and sticking to a chain of hashtags you include in all your posts to link them together.

For example, a hair salon might include #hairdressing #independentsalon #londonhairsalon in all their posts. 

Then add fresh and relevant ones specific to that post, which can help narrow your results. For a hair salon, you could use #balayage when you post photos with that technique. 

Pop your hashtag ideas into the search bar on Instagram to see what comes up. 

Doing this can help you find out how popular they are and locate other trending options. Scan the platform for which hashtags are performing well and model your strategy with them in mind. 

Consider using three to five popular hashtags for each post. You can pair these with more specific labels to reach a broad and attuned audience at once.

Instead of posting just anything, consider taking professional and well-planned pictures that look good together on your feed. For example, you might stick to a similar colour scheme or filter that enhances your brand identity. 

Then, include a CTA or a call to action in your posts or captions, which prompts people to click through to your page or business website. Also, be sure to post regularly to maintain and grow your engagement. 

See also: How to improve your content for better marketing. 

Track your post engagement to learn how to enhance and better trend your content in the future. 

If a post does well, determine what you should do similarly in the future. But if a post doesn’t trend as you anticipated (and it won’t always), analyse this to see what you might want to tweak. 

Instagram offers useful metrics for business profiles. But you can also use a tool like Hootsuite to analyse your engagement over time while also scheduling and planning content.

Learn more with our article on how to measure the success of a marketing campaign.

This article can help you learn how to trend a hashtag on Instagram for more engaging and effective marketing. Just remember, to make the most of your hashtagging:

• Choose relevant and popular hashtags. 
• Support your hashtag search with analytical tools.
• Create quality and eye-catching content for better results.
• Track your posts progress to improve your strategy. 

If you want to make the most of your Instagram small business marketing, you may look at other ways to use the platform. Why not check out our article on how to set up an Instagram shop next?

Trending a hashtag on Instagram will help you connect with new people and convert them into paying customers. But to make the most of those opportunities, you’ll need to keep your money organised. 

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