How to Increase Instagram Engagement with the Right Hashtags in 2024

Hashtags remain one of the most powerful tools for Instagram growth. But using the wrong hashtags can actually hurt your reach.

How Instagram Hashtags Work Instagram uses hashtags to categorize content and show it to relevant audiences. When you use a hashtag, your post appears in that hashtag's feed.

**The Perfect Hashtag Mix:**

• 5-10 niche-specific hashtags (under 500K posts)
• 5-10 medium hashtags (500K - 2M posts)
• 3-5 popular hashtags (2M+ posts)

Types of Hashtags to Use: 1. Niche hashtags — Very specific to your content 2. Community hashtags — Connect with specific communities 3. Branded hashtags — Your business or campaign hashtags 4. Location hashtags — If content is location-specific 5. Trending hashtags — Current viral topics

**Hashtags to Avoid:**

• Banned or flagged hashtags
• Completely irrelevant hashtags
• Spammy hashtags used by bots

Pro Tip: Use our free AI Hashtag Generator to instantly create relevant hashtags for any topic or niche.