Instagram: guide des hashtags pour photographes, freelancers et blogueurs

You will need to have a public profile on Instagram if you would like to use hashtags. If you set your profile to “private”, you will not be found via the hashtag search.

Before you randomly add hashtags to your picture, you should first think about how many hashtags are appropriate, whether they should be posted directly in the profile description or as comments. You should also think about whether you should use international hashtags and how to search for the most relevant hashtags. You will find answers to all these questions below.

Firstly, we will explain what type of hashtags there are before looking into the different search options. Hashtags on Instagram can basically be divided into three categories. On the one hand, there are generic hashtags, which are suitable for a wide range of images and are used very frequently by many users. Here are a few examples #instadaily, #sunday or #photooftheday. If you search Instagram for these hashtags, you will see several hundred million images. Although these hashtags are very popular and they are also relevant for a large number of posts they can pose a problem. They can make it hard to find your posts and this is because in the very next moment the next ten thousand pictures have been posted with the exact same hashtags.

The second type of hashtag are very subject specific. In most cases, these hashtags are very specific to the image content. An example of this would be a photo of a dessert by a food photographer who hashtags his image with #food inspiration or #food photography. You can change some of these hashtags to make them more specific, for example, if you choose hashtags such as #dessert or #dessertrecipe. This all depends on who your target group is. These more specific hashtags make it easier to find your posts and they are visible for a longer period of time. This is mainly because they are not used as often as some of the other typical hashtags.

Before posting something on Instagram with hashtags make sure to think about who your target group is so that you can use subject specific hashtags. This is particularly useful for business accounts that want to sell a product or offer specific services on Instagram.

In addition to these two types of hashtags, there are also the so-called spam hashtags which aim to gain likes, comments and followers, but do not fit the account and the picture at all. Therefore these hashtags are not recommended for a meaningful picture description. These are some examples of spam hashtags #like4like or #follow4follow.

After explaining what types of hashtags there are on Instagram, we will now answer the two important questions about the number and positioning of hashtags.

Basically, there are two different answers for both questions. Some users say you should only use 3-5 hashtags, while others think that you should use the full number of possible hashtags. It is recommended to only use a handful of hashtags due to the development of the platform.

Now let’s take a look at the hashtag positioning as some users think it is best to insert the hashtags directly on the image description, while other users prefer to post them separately in the first comment. However, when adding your hashtags to the first comment you will be losing valuable time. This can happen especially when using very generic hashtags. Here there is a danger that after half a minute, you will already have slipped so far down the search results for this hashtag that your post will no longer be viewed.

Did you know? When posting a reel on Instagram the "content type" plays a big role. Once the reel has been edited and given a suitable description, you can select up to 3 content types that describe the content of the video before posting it. These include "recipes", "photography" or "travel destinations". So feel free to use this feature to describe the content in more detail. This will help Instagram find the right viewers for your posts.

It’s now time to think about using hashtags in English or hashtags in a foreign language once you have planned the number and positioning of your hashtags. This question can also be answered by looking at your target group on Instagram. For example, if you want to advertise a local service with your account it is advisable to concentrate only on local hashtags in the local language. If your target group or strategy is more general and not limited to a local area, then it is a good idea to use international hashtags. As a rule, English hashtags achieve a higher reach.

Now it’s time to search for suitable hashtags for your posts. There are several ways to do this directly on Instagram. On the one hand via the search feature and on the other hand the analysis of the “competition” or the analysis of similar profiles. For example, you can use the search feature to display more than just popular hashtags. Instagram also provides its users with suggestions for similar or relevant hashtags. However, analysing the top posts in your field of work is also a great way to find relevant hashtags for your account and posts.

To help you get inspired we have listed some commonly used hashtags below.

Generic Hashtags:

#instadaily #instamagazine #instainspo #instadaily #monday #sundaymood #visualsoflife #dailyinspiration #nothingisordinary #amazingday #throwbackthursday

Photography:

#fotoshooting #chasinglight #makemoments #vscocam #photography #postmoreportraits #justgoshoot #makemoments #toldwithexposure #acolourstory

Food:

#foodporn #foodphotography #lifeandthyme #eeeeeats #onmytable #tastemade #foodlicious #foodshot #foodandwine #onthetable #foodstyling

Lifestyle:

#livethelittlethings #flashesofdelight #thehappynow #nothingisordinary #petitejoys #darlingmovement #darlingweekend

Blogger:

#bloggerlife #bloggerstyle #blogger_ch #ontheblog #blogger #blogging #instablogger #bloggerlifestyle

Work:

#whereiwork #workmode #workaholic #handsandhustle #creativeentrepeneur #startuplife #attheoffice #entrepeneurlife #startups #workharder #workhardplayharder

Design & Architecture:

#minimalmood #minimal_graphy #abmhappylife #chairaffair #lovedesign #designinspiration #designporn #interiordesign #modernism #architecturelovers

Fashion:

#fashionblogger #fbloggers #streetstyle #styleblogger #whatiwear #outfitoftheday #todayimwearing #styleiswhat #fashionnista #fashiondaily #mensstyle #mensweardaily #styleguide

Nature:

#exploremore #getoutside #takeahike #wilderness #campvibes #wonderfulplaces #naturephotography #natureshots #mountainlife

Travel:

#travelmore #travelandlife #welltravelled #takemethere #takemeback #traveltheworld #travelgram #travellife #traveldiaries #wanderlust #passionpassport