The Most Popular Instagram Hashtags in 2023

Underestimating the power of a single hashtag is every marketer’s downfall.

Though they may appear to just be words at the bottom of your screen, hashtags are proven to make or break your content strategy. Use them correctly and your posts are more likely to be seen by people who will actually be interested in your brand and products. 

But how do you know which hashtags to use? 

We’re glad you asked. 

If you are fortunate enough to be working with an Instagram marketing agency, then you will have people to do the heavy lifting for you, but for the independent creators among you, this blog will not only reveal the most popular Instagram hashtags of 2023 thus far, but also how they work and our top tips for maximising their use. 

Source: Robert Benjamin Youtube Channel

Tips and best practices for using hashtags on Instagram

Before teaching you how to harness the power of the most popular hashtags on Instagram, it is first important that you understand how they work. 

Typically attached to the end of your captions, hashtags are essentially clickable and searchable topics that users can interact with to find similar content. You can place any word or phrase in front of a # and it will immediately become an interactive topic. This is great for brands trying to connect with their target audience, as your content will appear in the hashtag’s discover feed.

Being noticed on the discover feed of the most popular hashtags on Instagram is a much harder feat to achieve, so opting for more refined, niche hashtags will increase your discoverability. 

Now for the fun part.

Using hashtags doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are some non-negotiables when it comes to implementing them into your content strategy. 

1. Avoid banned/spammy hashtags: it is good practice to check that the hashtags you want to use aren’t banned, as these can cause less engagement and lessen the effect of legitimate hashtags used due to a drop in the algorithm. On a similar note, you should avoid hashtags that shamelessly solicit likes and followers, such as #like4like and #followme, as these will only attract bots; showing others that your brand is okay engaging in spammy behaviour.

2. Don’t use irrelevant or repetitive hashtags: not only is this detrimental to your reach, but Instagram’s community guidelines clearly state that posting repetitive comments and content is not okay. Ensure that your hashtags make sense and remember, it’s not about being seen by a lot of people, it’s about being seen by the right people. 

3. Conduct Instagram hashtag research: this is a key part of distribution and there are several ways to go about it; check out your competition, monitor influencers, see what hashtags your audience are already using or use Instagram’s Related Hashtags feature.

4. Don’t just use hashtags underneath your post captions: hashtags can also be included in your Stories, by either using the hashtag sticker or by simply placing a # before your words. These have exactly the same function as hashtags below captions and allow for users to click through to the discover feed for that hashtag. 

The most popular hashtags on Instagram…

In general

1. #instagrammers
2. #igers
3. #instalove
4. #instamood
5. #instagood
6. #followme
7. #follow
8. #comment
9. #shoutout
10. #iphoneography 
11. #androidography
12. #filter
13. #filters
14. #hipster
15. #contests
16. #photo
17. #instadaily
18. #igaddict
19. #envywear
20. #pleaseforgiveme
21. #photooftheday
22. #pics
23. #insta
24. #picoftheday
25. #bestoftheday
26. #love
27. #instafamous
28. #popularpic
29. #popularphoto
30. #photography

Instagram hashtags for fashion content

1. #fashion
2. #love
3. #style
4. #styleinspo
5. #ootd
6. #outfitoftheday
7. #whatiwore
8. #shoppingaddict
9. #beautydoesnthavetobepain
10. #currentlywearing
11. #instastyle
12. #lookgoodfeelgood
13. #fashionblogger
14. #fashionista
15. #fashionstyle
16. #fashionable
17. #fashiongram
18. #fashionblog
19. #fashionaddict
20. #fashionphotography

Instagram hashtags for food and beverage content

1. #food
2. #foodporn
3. #foodie
4. #instafood
5. #foodphotography
6. #foodstagram
7. #yummy
8. #instagood
9. #love
10. #foodblogger
11. #foodlover
12. #delicious
13. #homemade
14. #healthyfood
15. #photooftheday
16. #picoftheday
17. #dinner
18. #foodgasm
19. #foodies
20. #tasty
21. #cooking
22. #instadaily
23. #lunch
24. #bhfyp
25. #restaurant
26. #healthy

Instagram hashtags for travel content

1. #travel
2. #nature
3. #photography
4. #travelphotography
5. #photooftheday
6. #instagood
7. #travelgram
8. #picoftheday
9. #photo
10. #beautiful
11. #art
12. #naturephotography
13. #wanderlust
14. #adventure
15. #instatravel
16. #travelblogger
17. #landscape
18. #summer
19. #trip
20. #explore

Instagram hashtags for pet content

1. #pet
2. #dog
3. #pets
4. #dogsofinstagram
5. #cute
6. #petsofinstagram
7. #dogs
8. #cat
9. #love
10. #puppy
11. #cats
12. #petstagram
13. #animals
14. #animal
15. #instadog
16. #instagram
17. #dogstagram
18. #doglover
19. #of
20. #catsofinstagram
21. #dogoftheday
22. #doglovers
23. #petlovers
24. #doglife
25. #instapet
26. #catstagram
27. #instagood
28. #cachorro
29. #catlover

Instagram hashtags for tech and gadgets content

1. #techie
2. #latesttech
3. #ilovemygadgets
4. #gadgetsgalore
5. #apple
6. #android
7. #applevsandroid
8. #wearabletech
9. #VR
10. #mobile
11. #makinglifeeasier
12. #tech
13. #technology
14. #technews
15. #gadgets
16. #instatech
17. #software
18. #innovation

Instagram hashtags for wedding content

1. #wedding
2. #bride
3. #weddingdress
4. #weddingphotography
5. #weddingday
6. #weddinginspiration
7. #makeup
8. #weddingplanner
9. #prewedding
10. #bridal
11. #bridetobe
12. #weddingphotographer
13. #weddings
14. #groom
15. #engagement
16. #party
17. #weddingideas
18. #makeupartist
19. #indianwedding
20. #casamento

Instagram hashtags for fitness content

1. #fitness
2. #gym
3. #workout
4. #fitnessmotivation
5. #motivation
6. #fit
7. #bodybuilding
8. #training
9. #health
10. #lifestyle
11. #fitfam
12. #healthylifestyle
13. #sport
14. #healthy
15. #gymlife
16. #life
17. #crossfit
18. #personaltrainer
19. #goals
20. #exercise
21. #muscle

Instagram hashtags for holiday content

1. #stockingstuffers
2. #christmasdecor
3. #spookyhalloween
4. #happyhalloween
5. #thanksgivingtable
6. #turkeyorham
7. #valentineformyvalentine
8. #happyfourth
9. #newyearseve
10. #newyearsresolution
11. #holidaycrazy
12. #holidayspirit
13. #kwanzaa
14. #hanukkahgift
15. #underthetree

Instagram hashtags for makeup 

1. #makeup
2. #makeupartist
3. #makeupaddict
4. #makeuplover
5. #makeupjunkie 
6. #makeuptutorial
7. #makeupforever
8. #makeupbyme
9. #makeupoftheday 
10. #makeuplook 

Instagram hashtags for business 

1. #business
2. #businessman 
3. #businesswoman 
4. #businessowner
5. #businessowners
6. #businesscoach 
7. #businesswomen 
8. #businesslife
9. #businesstips
10. #businessminded 

Instagram hashtags for gaming 

1. #gaming 
2. #gamer 
3. #ps 
4. #game 
5. #playstation 
6. #videogames 
7. #xbox 
8. #games 
9. #fortnite 
10. #twitch

The Types of Instagram Hashtags

The beauty of using trending hashtags for Instagram is that they are broad and cover top-line subjects. This means they can be used effectively by all Instagram users and brands to add context to their content.  

However, sometimes it’s even more impactful to user hashtags that are targeted. Specific hashtags not only introduce your content to a niche audience, but they often have less content under them. Essentially, there’s less competition, meaning your content will dominate the hashtag. 

Brand hashtags

Using branded hashtags is a popular Instagram hashtag strategy for many businesses. Brand-specific hashtags allow businesses to house their content under one hashtag and also encourages Instagram users to create their own content. When Instagram users create their own content, you can easily see which UGC performs the best; with the creator’s permission, you could use the content in your own marketing. 

When creating branded hashtags, you should focus on your brand’s tagline or hero product. This allows you to easily see the value behind your business and not just your brand’s name. 

Category hashtags

Category hashtags are still relatively broad, but by keeping them related to the subject of your content you can provide context to your content and brand. If you’re promoting a running fitness app or software, you will want to use category hashtags such as #fitness and #running. These hashtags aren’t directly connected to any brand. 

Event hashtags

Event hashtags relate to a specific event. If you are hosting a launch event for a new product or campaign, you should use the name of the event, the product tagline or anything that can uniquely identify your event. 

Campaign hashtags

Campaign hashtags are arguably the most commonly used Instagram hashtag strategy. They are typically used for the duration of the campaign and are a great way to track how Instagram users really feel about the campaign. There are usually a lot of hashtags created for product launches. 

Community hashtags

There are tonnes of communities active on Instagram globally. Using community-specific hashtags can help you join in organic conversations.

Examples include #gardenersofinstagram and #craftersofinstagram. 

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