Secret Strategy for Instagram hashtags (how to pick the right hashtags)

“Top Posts” and “Recent Posts” sections of Instagram
When you search a hashtag on Instagram, your search results are divided into two parts: top posts and recent posts. Top posts are the nine posts that receive the most engagement among other posts with the same hashtag. This is the dream place of every Instagramers; all users of Instagram compete to make their posts appear here.


Then we have the “recent posts” section, where all the posts of Instagram with the same hashtags will appear here, regardless of what engagement rate they receive. The posts here are sorted from most recent to the oldest. So the posts of you appearing on the recent tab will soon get buried under millions of other posts published later than you did.


Now what all Instagrammers dream of is to appear among the nine top posts of Instagram hashtags. Let’s see how we can get there.

How to pick the right Instagram hashtags for your posts?
Here I am going to explain a strategy for Instagram hashtags, which is proven to work for all kinds of accounts on Instagram.

• Step 1: Calculate the like range of your posts

To calculate the like range of your posts, write down the lowest and most number of likes you have received on all your content. For instance, if the lowest number of likes on your page is 600 and the most number of them is 1200, then your like range is 600-1200.

This range determines the potential of your posts to receive likes at the current time. This potential increases by time and by a steady strategy of posting on Instagram.

• Step 2: calculate the like range of an Instagram hashtag you want to use

To do this, we need only to see what is the most and least like numbers of the top nine posts in the Instagram hashtag we want to use.


The most and the least liked of the top nine posts in #cutekidsworld
In the photo above, the most likes top nine posts have received in #cutekidsworld is 5938, and the least of them is 606. So the like range of #cutekidsworld is 606-5938. Calculate the like range of all the Instagram hashtags you want to use in your posts and then go to the next step.

• Step 3: pick the hashtags that work for you

Now that you know your own like range of posts and the like range of the hashtags you want to you, it is time to pick the best among your desired hashtags.

Compare your like range with that of hashtags. For instance, for #cutekidsworld, you can decide this one will work for you because your like range (600-1200) falls somewhere between the lowest and the highest limits of the like range of (606-5938) #cutekidsworld. Make the same comparison for other hashtags and decide the best for your posts.

Other tips for picking the right hashtags for Instagram posts

• Use not less (and not more) than 30 hashtags for a post

The point of using hashtags on Instagram is to get the most of the search results. So using all the allows 230 Hashtags in a post puts your photos and videos at the ultimate exposure of Instagram users. On the other hand, using more than 30 hashtags in a post makes your hashtags ineffective, and you won’t appear on the search results of those hashtags.

• Pick 5-8 most popular hashtags

Using 5 to 8 most popular hashtags in which you don’t have a chance to appear at the top nine is necessary. The point is if your Instagram post gets enough engagement from those affordable hashtags, chances are you might also appear on the top nine of the most popular hashtags.

• Choose 3-5 hashtags that represent your brand

Have 3 to 5 fixed hashtags and use them in all your posts. This helps your followers to find you easier using those fixed hashtags.

• Create 2-5 branded hashtags for your Instagram page

Creating hashtags for your brand helps you get more brand awareness among your followers. These hashtags will always belong to you, and users will use them to introduce you on different occasions. Make sure to search Instagram for your invented hashtag before you apply it. Most of the cases your invented hashtags are used by other accounts and brands long before you discover them.

This is a great strategy, but need a lot of efforts. Can you share, how to find related hashtags? Thanks.

It's not a secret anymore

I have been following this strategy for years and can confirm this actually works. Currently growing one account with Hashtags and receiving nice engagement.

Good job!

What an amazing strategy to use instagram hashtags! i will deff bookmark this

Great post! I will be using some of these tactics for my ig! Thank you

Threads like these is why we all love blackhatworld.

Great tips and advice on how to gain more likes and awareness on Instagram, thank you!

Great Share ! Thanks man.

Can confirm this works from my experience

thanks for this i will give it a go. Looks fair

Nice tips. Anyway, which online web tool you guys recommend using to analyze the hashtags?

thanks for this

Good strategy. thanks for sharing.