Instagram’s Most Popular Hashtags Explained
Instagram came on the scene back in 2010, and since then it has become one of the most popular ways people share images in the social realm. Plus, with more than 75 million people using the app daily, it’s pretty safe to say it’s not losing speed.
But amateur photographers (and pros) aren’t the only ones posting on this social platform – brands and small businesses are also using it to spread their messages through an organic and visual arena. Of course, there’s more to getting noticed on this network than simply uploading a great pic; if you’re going to be on Instagram, you should definitely know a thing or two about the hashtags that are happening right now. The best way to explore on Instagram is by clicking the magnifying glass icon on the bottom left of your screen. From there, you can search people, photos, or hashtags and all the pics associated with your search will be before your eyes.
Ready to start using hashtags on your own Instagram posts? Here are some you’ll want to know.
Hashtags for every day of the week:
If you were a fan of those ‘days of the week’ underwear, you’re going to like these hashtags.
Sunday has been deemed *the* day to post that selfie you look so good in. Depending on your business, this could be pretty irrelevent or extremely silly and cute. We’re big fans of the latter.
We could all use some motivational words now and again. As far as days go, Mondays tend to be toughest. That’s where this hashtag can come in handy, and you can use it to inspire your followers and get their week started off right. Positive and inspirational posts tend to have the added benefit of getting more likes, tags, and regrams – which is always a plus.
#TransformationTuesday This hashtag can be used a few different ways, depending on what message you want to get across. If you’re a personal trainer, it’s a great way to show results with a ‘before and after’ shot. If you have products to sell, it can be an interesting way of showcasing a new and improved item, or service. Or…
This one may be tougher to work into your marketing efforts, as it stands for ‘Woman Crush Wednesday’. Basically, if you’re crushing on a lady, or would like to put a spotlight on a woman who’s just generally awesome, this hashtag can work nicely with your content. Our tip: use it to build someone up, or give a woman who deserves some respect her moment – just don’t use it in a mocking way.
#ThrowbackThursday or #tbt Everyone loves some good quality nostalgia. This hashtag goes great with an image of something that already happened a while ago (days, weeks or years), hence the ‘throwback’. It can also be a clever way to post something that you may have missed the opportunity to post when it happened, like say, that time that celebrity came into your shop. No time like the pres… scratch that – no time like Thursday.
#FlashbackFriday or #ff We’re not going to sugarcoat it – this hashtag is basically the same as #ThrowbackThursday. However, if you happen to miss the opportunity to finally post that old pic on Thursday, you have another chance on Friday. Ain’t Instragram grand? Quick word on best practices for both of these hashtags: unless you’re in the antique business, you should use them sparingly – not every Thursday and Friday of every week.
#Caturday When the weekend arrives, so do the kitties. It’s an established fact that the internet has become a platform for sharing cat pics, and Instragrammers are happy to continue the trend. If your office or brick and mortar shop happens to cater to cats or simply has a feline friend or mascot, here’s the chance to shine.
Hashtags for anytime:
Sometimes, you just need to post something to Instagram – and you don’t want to wait for Caturday to roll around. Rest assured: hashtags aren’t exclusive to specific days only. Here’s a bunch that get used on the regular. #regram See something on someone else’s Instagram account that you want to snag? If you want to repost it on your account, it’s okay so long as you give credit to the original poster. Adding #regram simply lets people know that you’re reposting.
#foodie Depending on your biz, you could either never use this hashtag, or use it constantly. Food bloggers, chefs and just about anyone in the restaurant world with an Instagram account will likely use this from time to time to simply say: yummy stuff happens here.
#quoteoftheday Come across some words of inspiration that you think would resonate with your followers? Put ’em up on your account and add this hastag – you might just earn some new followers.
#like4like / #follow4follow While we don’t condone the use of these two, we still felt they deserved an explanation. The Instagram equivalent to “I’ll invite you to my birthday party if you invite me to yours” – these simply tell people that if they like your posts or follow your account, you’ll return the favor. In general, this won’t get you the engagement you’re looking for, so best to steer clear.
#nofilter Instagram became known for the fancy filters you can add to your pics that make them look vintage (and oh so cool). However, when people take a pic that is so stunning it doesn’t even need a filter, they tend to want to tell you about it. The general consensus: most people don’t care. If you really want to add it though, it won’t do any harm.
#NBD If you’ve seen this guy floating around the Insta-world, it was probably attached to a pic that had some kind of ironic element to it. While it stands for ‘No big deal’, it rarely means it. Feel free to try using it when you post that picture of you and Justin Timberlake. You know, no big deal.
#ItsThatEasy This past February, Wix was lucky enough to have a 30 second ad in a little thing called the Super Bowl. But being the internet geeks we are, we didn’t want to stop there. We created a whole campaign around the hashtag we created: #ItsThatEasy. Our goal was to show people just how easy (and even fun!) it is to create a Wix website. #ItsThatEasy might not be as big as #Caturday just yet, but we think it’s one to watch.
By the Wix team
