Instagram Hashtags Strategy 2026: How to Get More Likes and Reach

Instagram Hashtags Strategy 2026 Update: How Instagram Hashtags Work Today (Read This First)

Instagram marketing has changed more in the last three years than it did in the previous ten. Algorithms have evolved, social search is now a dominant behaviour, and AI models increasingly influence how people discover accounts and content. Before diving into the original guide below, here’s what you need to know about using Instagram hashtags for likes, reach and visibility in 2026.

1. Hashtags Still Matter – But They Don’t Work the Way They Used To

In your Instagram hashtags strategy 2026, hashtags remain useful, but they are no longer the primary engine behind reach. Instagram now prioritises:

• content relevancy

• interest-based recommendation signals

• alt text & keywords

• engagement quality (saves, shares, rewatches)

• creator consistency

• AI-driven topic matching

Hashtags are now supporting signals, not the main factor.
The sweet spot in 2026 is 3–8 highly relevant hashtags, not 20–30.

2. Social Search Has Surpassed Hashtags for Discovery

Instagram users increasingly search the way they use Google:

• “best hairstyle ideas 2026”

• “skincare for oily skin”

• “restaurant near me”

• “quick healthy lunch recipes”

Instagram now auto-indexes your:

• captions

• on-screen text

• spoken words (from Reels)

• alt text

• content topics

• engagement patterns

This means your keyword strategy is now MORE important than your hashtag strategy.

3. Hashtags That Work in 2026 Share These Traits

Avoid generic tags like #love, #cute, #instagood — they no longer provide reach.

Hashtags that DO work in 2026 are:

• topic-based (#budgetdecorideas)

• audience-based (#mumswhoworkfromhome)

• location-based (#manchesterbrunch)

• trend-based (#smallbusiness2026)

• niche-specific (#weddinghairtutorial)

Hashtags should match exactly what the content is about, not what’s trending globally.

4. Alt Text Now Influences Reach (Hugely)

Instagram now uses AI to read images and match them to searches.
To improve reach:

• Add custom alt text

• Describe what’s actually in the image

• Include niche keywords naturally

Alt text is now as important as hashtags for discoverability.

5. Reels + Hashtags Deliver the Best Wins

In 2026:

• Reels reach 3–6× more users than static posts

• Best performance comes from niche hashtags on Reels

• Reels with clear on-screen text get 20–40% more search visibility

Pair Reels with 5–8 targeted hashtags for the biggest lift.

6. AI Personalisation Determines Who Sees Your Posts

Instagram’s “For You” feed is now fully AI-driven.
Your hashtag strategy must support content clarity, not “broad discovery”.

Focus on:

• niche relevance

• consistent themes

• repeat signals (posting about the same category)

This helps Instagram categorize your account → and recommend you more widely.

7. Branded Hashtags Still Work – But Only With UGC

In 2026, branded hashtags are most effective when:

• used in contests

• used in influencer partnerships

• added to packaging or your bio

• you repost customer content

On their own, branded hashtags offer little discovery power.

8. Hashtags Are Now Most Valuable for:

• categorising content

• social listening

• UGC collection

• campaign tracking

• niche community discovery

They’re no longer a cheat code for virality – but they are essential for organising your presence.

Continue Reading the Original Guide Below

The updated insights above give you a Instagram hashtags strategy 2026-ready approach, while the original article still offers helpful foundational concepts and examples.

 

Although hashtags were first used on Twitter, Instagram brought them to the limelight. Instagram hashtags are essential, especially if you want to broaden your reach and interact with more people in your target demographic.

Since its introduction to the media space in 2007, it has become an effective marketing instrument. Many have shifted from the traditional website method of advertising to social media because of the potential of hashtags.

Instagram hashtags are now an efficient tool to gain more followers, enhance interaction, and expand reach. In addition, they categorize and make content discoverable for people.

Honing your hashtag skills is the way to go if you want to tap into the platform’s ability to reach a large audience. This is especially so now that people can follow hashtags just like they can follow users.

To use hashtags the right way, you need to be smart, creative, and thoughtful.

In this article, we’ll delve into how to get more likes from Instagram hashtags and the relevant hashtag examples in 2022.

Here we go…

Types of Instagram Hashtags

Before using hashtags on Instagram, you have to know the various types that exist. This will help you creatively develop unique and interesting content for your audience. The major types of hashtags are:

•  Niche Hashtags
•  Branded Hashtags
•  Location Hashtags
•  Seasonal Hashtags

Niche Hashtags.

Hashtags typically help you discover readers who are interested in your material. And using hashtags that appeal to specialized interests like fashion, vegan food, or pets can help you achieve just that. #technews #fashionhaul and #tofulife are examples of niche hashtags.

Branded hashtags.

These hashtags usually include your brand name, a branded slogan, or a brand tagline. You’ll find these kinds of tags in most brand posts because they’re effective.

Feel free to encourage your followers to use your branded hashtags in contest posts or other material that’s relevant to your brand (a.k.a. user-generated content).

Examples of niche hashtags are #cocacola #nike #hm

Location Hashtags

Using the location hashtag is one of the ways to keep your GramFam informed about your latest movements.

Location hashtags are created when you add a hashtag to any location. For example, #dubai.

Seasonal Hashtags

Seasons come and go, but the memory you create for your audience during these seasons stays. Seasonal hashtags are a way you connect with your audience and show them you understand the feeling the new season brings.

For example, if you’re a clothing brand, advertising your summer wares during the period is a good strategy. But to further increase your reach, add in some hashtags like #summerbodygoals, #summerstyle, #summernails, #beachyday, etc.

Image @HouseofSequins

Why do You Need To Use Instagram Hashtags

Regardless of how you feel about hashtags, you can’t deny that they play a crucial role in your content marketing strategy.

Instagram statistics are a valuable tool for businesses, influencers, and individuals who want to understand their audience and measure the success of their content. With over 1 billion active users, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.

Businesses can use Instagram statistics to track metrics such as engagement, reach, and follower growth, while individuals can track their personal brand and measure the impact of their posts. Instagram’s built-in analytics tool, Insights, provides users with detailed data on their profile, including audience demographics, top-performing posts, and more.

By analyzing these statistics, users can make informed decisions about their content strategy, audience targeting, and overall Instagram presence.

Statistics show that an average Instagram Post has about 10.7 hashtags. Hashtags seem too common on Instagram, so why should you join the band?

Instagram hashtags help your brand:

• Categorize your posts
• Get more visibility and awareness.
• Get more promotion on services, offers, and products
• Maintain activeness on the platform

These four points appear to be the most important of a brand’s social media goals. So, the bottom line is that Instagram hashtags are a surefire way to get your business and message out there.

How to Find the Right Hashtags

There are many hashtags out there, but how do you find the best ones for your brand?

Consider Your Audience

Before embarking on any journey on the gram, make sure it’ll benefit your audience . The content you create must be tailored to suit their needs. And so must your hashtags. If you upload something out of your audience’s interest, you’ll likely not get your desired results.

So, consider your audience and study what they want. This will help you filter out the ‘unnecessary hashtags’ for your brand and goal.

You could experiment for Instagram likes with some hashtags. If they don’t perform well enough, change them.

Research

Research is one of the most important things you should do to create unique and relevant hashtags. Keep in mind that hashtags can get outdated. Also, new ones can come in, depending on trends.

So, you need to stay on top of your game and always keep tabs on relevant hashtags according to seasons.

The problem is that it can be quite stressful to do this sometimes. So, here are easy ways to compile more hashtags within a short while.

You can get hashtag ideas from your:

•  Industry

Most hashtags are related to a specific industry. You can simply gather some of the highest performing hashtags in your niche and use them to achieve better awareness.

• Competitors

One thing you will easily get from your competitors is ideas. Ideas for content and ideas for hashtags. So, the next time you need hashtags, take a sneak peek at your competitor’s page.

• Research Tools

How about using research tools to find hashtags? Tools like this give you good suggestions about relevant hashtags for your brand account. Examples of these tools are Hashtagify, hashtag expert, etc.

How to Use Hashtags On Instagram For More Likes

Using hashtags goes beyond adding ‘random tags’ anywhere on your profile. There are different ways to do it. And there are important tips to keep in mind. Here’s a breakdown.

Include Hashtags in Your Bio

Your bio serves as the first impression giver and converter for your brand. But, you can increase these effects by including hashtags and website links to your bio.

Little things like this help bring your brand to the spotlight and increase your audience base.

Image @OutdoorVoices

Avoid Banned Hashtags

Instagram is waging war against scammers and imposters on their platform, hence the need to ban some hashtags. There are tons of banned Instagram hashtags, and using these will limit the reach of your posts. Consequently, it’ll hinder non-followers from seeing them.

There’s a long list of banned hashtags on the Internet, but you have to do your research to find them out.

Use Multiple Hashtags

Most Instagram posts have between 5-10 hashtags. This is the smartest way to combine different related hashtags in your posts without getting penalized for excessive hashtag usage.

Plus, multiple hashtags (not too much) help you appear under different searches at a go.

Create Unique Hashtags For Your Brand

You can as well create unique hashtags for your brand. It’s similar to getting a brand name because it gives your audience the opportunity to decipher your content from others. Your unique hashtag can be crafted from your:

• Brand name
• Industry specialization
• Brand slogan
• Brand nickname, etc

Whichever you choose, play around with words to get a really unique hashtag for your brand.

Get Hashtag Ideas From Your Audience

You can also get Hashtag suggestions from your audience. After all, you may not have all the creativity to handle the hashtag creation task alone. In times when you lack ideas, ask your audience.

Top hashtags for 2022

Here are the top hashtags in 2022

• #love
• #fashion
• #beautiful
• #photography
• #cute
• #follow
• #tbt
• #like4like
• #travel
• #selfie
• #summer
• #Instastories
• #food
• #style
• #motivationmonday
• #follow4follow
• #sunset
• #beach and lots more.

Conclusion to Instagram Hashtags Strategy 2026

You’ve learned how to use Hashtags to increase the number of likes on your Instagram account. You also have a list of the year’s most trending hashtags. Now, you have all you need to drive more likes to your profile using hashtags.

To help your brand expand as planned, avoid using restricted hashtags. Learn from your competition, and conduct extensive research before attempting to use any tag.

While at it, create fresh and valuable content to keep your audience interested. Couple this with targeted hashtags and watch your Instagram profile grow like wildfire.

Feature Image @ Jon Tyson from Unsplash

Last Updated on December 21, 2025 by Becky Halls