Kept seeing people using hashtags wrong on Instagram posts

I run a small art account and noticed folks just dumping 30 random hashtags in the first comment. They were all generic like #art or #love which gets you nowhere. I started using 5 specific hashtags related to my actual city and style, like #watercolorportland instead. My last post got 200 more likes than usual after I made the switch. Has anyone else tested hashtag limits and seen what actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

parkera2222d ago

My buddy runs a hiking page and he tried using the hashtag limit. He put 30 in one post and got 50 likes. Next post he used exactly 5 and got 300. So I started doing the same with my coffee shop reviews. I picked 5 specific ones like #portlandcoffee and #localroast and my engagement tripled. But then last week I saw a guy with 50k followers using 30 hashtags and getting thousands of likes. So honestly the only rule is nobody knows the rule. Instagram just picks random winners some days.

thomas.parker22d ago

Man I gotta agree with the whole "nobody knows the rule" bit. I run a small tree service page and I tested this same thing out of curiosity. First post I threw 30 hashtags on it mostly generic stuff like #landscaping and #treeservice. Got maybe 40 likes. Next post I used 5 really specific ones like #portlandtreeremoval and #pnwtreesurgeon. That one hit over 400 likes and got me actual client inquiries. But then last week I tried the same 5 hashtags on a different photo and got like 60 likes. So your mileage may vary wildly from one post to the next even with the same strategy.