As an Instagram expert and content strategist, I know firsthand how important hashtags still are for organic reach and engagement. However, I also understand the desire for a clean, uncluttered aesthetic. Hiding your hashtags is the perfect compromise.
In this ultimate guide, I‘ll dive deep into the why and how of hiding Instagram hashtags in 2024. We‘ll cover everything from algorithm insights to step-by-step tutorials so you can implement this strategy with confidence. Let‘s get started!
Why Hashtags Still Matter on Instagram in 2024
First, let‘s talk about why you still need to use hashtags on Instagram this year, even with all the platform‘s changes. The data doesn‘t lie:
- Posts with at least one Instagram hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than posts without (Source: SproutSocial)
- 70% of Instagram hashtags are branded (Source: Mention)
- Hashtags can increase impressions on Instagram by up to 30% (Source: Later)
Instagram hashtags are essentially an organic search and discoverability tool. When users search for topics or follow hashtags that interest them, your hashtagged content has a chance to show up in those results. Strategic hashtags put you in front of new potential followers who are likely to engage with your content.
How the Instagram Algorithm Uses Hashtags
To understand hashtags, you need to understand the elusive Instagram algorithm. While the algorithm‘s exact criteria are a secret, here‘s what we know about how it ranks and distributes content on the platform:
-
The algorithm takes into account interest (what types of content a user has engaged with before), timeliness (how recent the post is), relationship (a user‘s interactions with the account), and frequency (how often a user opens the app).
-
In 2022, Instagram revealed that they track user interest across a variety of topics and subtopics. The algorithm then attempts to serve relevant content within those interest categories.
-
Hashtags are a key signal to categorize your post and match it to users‘ interests. A post with the hashtag #yogaeverydamnday, for instance, tells Instagram that your post relates to yoga, fitness, wellness, and motivation. It has a chance to be shown to users who have engaged with that type of content.
The more specific and niche your hashtags are, the more likely you are to reach a highly engaged audience. That‘s where the strategy comes in.
Where to Hide Instagram Hashtags for the Best Results
Now that you‘re convinced of the power of hashtags, let‘s talk about placement. There are three main places to put Instagram hashtags:
- In the caption
- In the first comment
- On Instagram Stories
Here are the pros and cons of each placement:
Hiding Hashtags in the Caption
Putting hashtags in your caption ensures they are crawled and indexed immediately when your post goes live. However, a long block of hashtags here can distract from your engaging caption and call-to-action.
The solution is to hide them with line breaks and punctuation marks:
- Type out your caption and add any emojis or mentions
- Hit "return" to go to a new line
- Add a punctuation mark like a period or bullet
- Repeat steps 2-3 at least 5 times
- On the next line, type or paste your hashtags
For example:
[Example post with hidden hashtags in caption]This pushes your hashtags down so they are only seen if a user clicks "more." Just keep the above-the-fold portion of your caption short and snappy.
Hiding Hashtags in the First Comment
Many brands and creators opt to keep their captions completely hashtag-free by posting them quickly in the first comment instead. This requires a little more finesse to be sure your comment is added before anyone else‘s.
Here‘s how to do it:
- Have your hashtags copied and ready to go
- Post your photo or video with your caption, emojis, and mentions
- Immediately tap the speech bubble icon and paste in your hashtags
- Post your comment right away
You can use the same line break and punctuation strategy here to push the hashtags down within the comment. Some social media scheduling tools like Hootsuite also allow you to auto-publish your first comment to streamline this process.
Hiding Hashtags on Instagram Stories
Instagram allows up to 10 hashtags per story. When used strategically, these hashtags can boost your story‘s reach and discoverability. However, you probably don‘t want to clutter up your story‘s aesthetic with visible tags.
Here are a few ways to hide hashtags in your Instagram Stories:
- Shrink the hashtag sticker by pinching it very small
- Camouflage the hashtag by matching its color to the background
- Hide the hashtag behind a GIF, emoji, or image element
- Type out hashtags and make the text tiny or match the background color
With these tactics, your hashtags will be crawled by Instagram without distracting from your story‘s visual appeal.
How to Research and Choose the Best Instagram Hashtags
Hiding your hashtags only works if you‘re using the right hashtags to begin with. Throwing 30 popular tags on a post won‘t necessarily boost performance if they aren‘t relevant to your content or audience.
The Explore Page Test
One quick litmus test is to search a hashtag on Instagram and analyze the top performing posts. Do they match your content style, niche, and audience? If so, that hashtag is likely a good fit for your brand. If the results are all over the place, you may want to go more specific.
[Screenshot of yoga hashtag search results]For instance, rather than using the broad hashtag #yoga with over 89 million posts, you might opt for #yogaathome, #yogaforbeginners, or #yogaeveryday to narrow down the context.
Semantic SEO for Instagram
To supercharge your hashtag strategy, you need to think like a search engine and consider semantic SEO. Essentially, you want to use hashtags that match the user intent behind a search query.
Say you‘re posting a photo of a vegan hamburger recipe. Rather than just tagging #hamburger or #recipe, consider what a user looking for that content might search for:
By matching your hashtags to the words and phrases your target audience is actually searching for, you increase your chances of showing up in their results.
Tools like DisplayPurposes and AutoHash generate relevant hashtag suggestions based on semantic SEO so you don‘t have to brainstorm alone.
Optimal Number of Instagram Hashtags
You can use up to 30 hashtags in an Instagram post and up to 10 hashtags in a Story. But should you? Let‘s look at what the data says about the optimal number of hashtags for performance:
- Posts with 20 hashtags get the highest average reach rate (Source: Social Insider)
- Posts with 11 hashtags get the most engagement on average (Source: Feed Them Social)
- Using more than 5 hashtags decreases average engagement rates (Source: TrackMaven)
As with everything on Instagram, it comes down to your unique content and audience. I recommend experimenting with different hashtag volumes (while keeping them relevant!) to see what moves the needle for your account.
In general, aim for 3-5 highly targeted hashtags in your caption to categorize the post without being spammy. Then, if you choose to add more hashtags in a comment, keep them around 10-15 for the best engagement rates.
[Example post with varying numbers of hashtags]Measuring Your Hashtag Performance
Now that you‘re hiding relevant, targeted hashtags on your posts, how do you know if they are working? Instagram Insights provides some key metrics to keep an eye on.
Under the "Post Insights" section, you can view:
- How many impressions came from hashtags specifically
- What percentage of impressions were from non-followers (aka new eyeballs on your content)
- A breakdown of "Follows" showing if people discovered your account via hashtag
If you notice certain hashtags driving more reach and new follower growth than others, that‘s a sign to use them more frequently. On the flip side, don‘t be afraid to retire hashtags that aren‘t pulling their weight.
Third party analytics tools like Iconosquare and Sprout Social also provide deeper insights into hashtag trends and performance over time.
Advanced Instagram Hashtag Strategies
Want to level up your hashtag game beyond the basics? Here are a few advanced strategies to try:
Rotating Your Hashtags
The data is clear: while hashtags work, you can‘t just use the exact same ones on every single post. For one thing, Instagram may flag that as spammy behavior. But more importantly, varying your hashtags exposes you to new potential audiences.
I recommend having a bank of at least 50-100 hashtags relevant to your brand. Rotate through different groups of 10-15 to keep your content fresh. Tools like Flick and Later let you save hashtag groups so you can easily mix and match based on your post.
Using Hashtags on Reels, Guides, and Live
Hashtags aren‘t just for static feed posts anymore! You can incorporate them strategically across all of Instagram‘s content formats:
-
Reels: Add up to 30 hashtags in the caption of an Instagram Reel to boost its chances of landing on the Explore page for those topics. You can hide them with the line break method covered above.
-
Guides: Hashtag the posts you include in your curated Instagram Guides to increase their visibility. A food brand might use hashtags like #healthyrecipes and #mealprep to get their guide discovered.
-
Instagram Live: Although live videos don‘t use traditional hashtags, you can tag your Instagram Live with a location and one hashtag topic like #athomeworkout or #livecooking for increased discoverability.
Branded and Campaign Hashtags
If you want to track conversation around your brand and build a community, having a dedicated branded hashtag is a must. A branded hashtag could be as simple as your company name (#NikeWomen) or a slogan (#JustDoIt).
[Example of brand using a branded hashtag]Consider also creating unique hashtags for specific marketing campaigns, product launches, or events. This allows you to track engagement, collect user-generated content, and create buzz.
For example, the Museum of Ice Cream used the hashtag #MOICMiami to promote its Miami pop-up location, drive ticket sales, and source UGC from attendees. The hashtag now has over 20k posts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hiding Instagram Hashtags
Still have burning questions about all things Instagram hashtags? I‘ve got you covered:
1. Is it better to put hashtags in comments or caption?
There is no definitive answer, as both strategies can be effective. Putting hashtags in the caption ensures they are crawled immediately and may signal to the algorithm that the hashtags are highly relevant to the post. However, many brands prefer to keep captions clean by hiding hashtags in the first comment instead.
I recommend testing both placement strategies with your audience to see which drives more engagement and reach. Either way, aim to include a few relevant hashtags in the caption itself and then add additional ones in the comment.
2. Do hashtags still work on Instagram in 2024?
Yes! Although Instagram has introduced keywords and alternative forms of search and discovery, hashtags remain one of the platform‘s key organizing tools. Studies show that using relevant hashtags can increase a post‘s reach by over 10% and engagement by 4% compared to posts without hashtags.
Think of hashtags as a way to label your content and help Instagram categorize and recommend it to interested users. They may not be as crucial as they were in the early days of the platform, but they still hold significant value for organic growth.
3. What hashtags are banned on Instagram?
Instagram has cracked down on spam, illegal activities, and inappropriate content over the years. Certain hashtags that are frequently associated with these types of content may be banned or limited.
Some banned or restricted hashtags as of 2023 include #adulting, #beautyblogger, #curvygirl, #elevator, and #singlelife. Instagram may block all content using these tags or issue a warning before displaying any results.
To check if a hashtag you want to use is banned, simply search for it on Instagram. If you see a message that posts are hidden or no results show up, it is likely restricted. Hashtags with a high volume of inappropriate content will also have an confirmation screen before displaying results.
4. How do I find my most successful Instagram hashtags?
To determine which hashtags are driving the most engagement and growth for your account, keep an eye on your Instagram Insights. Track the number of impressions and profile visits coming from hashtags specifically.
[Screenshot of Instagram Insights showing hashtag metrics]Also pay attention to which hashtags you rank in the "Top Posts" for. Ranking in the top 9 posts for a hashtag can significantly boost views and engagement.
Finally, look at the hashtags your most engaged followers are using. Chances are, content with those hashtags will resonate with similar users in your niche.
Key Takeaways for a Winning Instagram Hashtag Strategy
We covered a lot of ground in this deep dive on Instagram hashtags! Here are the key points to keep in mind:
-
Hashtags are still valuable for organic Instagram reach and growth in 2024. Don‘t neglect them because of the rise of alternative discovery methods.
-
Choose hashtags that are relevant to your content, niche, and target audience. Aim for a mix of branded, community, and descriptive tags.
-
Hide hashtags in your caption or first comment to maintain a clean look while still benefiting from their use. The line break and camouflage methods work for both static posts and Stories.
-
Track hashtag performance in Instagram Insights to see which ones drive the most impressions, reach, and new followers. Double down on your top performers!
-
Rotate your hashtags, use them across content types, and don‘t be afraid to experiment. Continual testing is key for an optimized hashtag strategy.
If you made it this far in my epic hashtag guide, congratulations! You are now equipped with the knowledge and tactics to grow your Instagram presence in 2024 and beyond.
Happy (strategic) hashtagging!
