Reach your next 100 followers + avoid hashtag slip-ups
There’s a lot of responsibility with growing your social media following, because people expect you to be present and engaged, yet you only have a few seconds to connect with them. To hit your next milestone, you’ll need to get out of marketing-bot mode. It sure sounds simple, but I went on for months without double-checking the hashtags I used. Then I focused on my hashtags for a month + just this week reached my next 100 followers. (then I waited until I got an additional 15 before posting this – just so I wouldn’t jinx it!!)
It feels good to reach an Instagram milestone worth a pat on the back.
Attracting new followers to your Instagram account during holiday months can be a challenge. Before it got cold out, I was at my desk, sipping my ice coffee, rolling my eyes at all the hashtag junk out there in the world. Can’t a girl just let people know she has really creative + cute gift wrap ideas that will make people smile this holiday season?? YES. With the right hashtags, she can. My spirits were up when I found an intriguing French hashtag. The French make great wines, crepes, and now, hashtags? (jackpot)
Fortunately, I realized after a split second that I don’t actually know French. Even though this shiny new hashtag was surrounded by a sea of hashtag friends I use frequently in my WINE+PINE posts, I knew I had to figure out what it meant before I blindly associated it with SipBiteGo.
Further research exposed my favorite new hashtag as someone’s last name. What a close call. All the lights seemed green. Hundreds of posts under the hashtag. All different photography styles (as if they were by different people). Thankfully I was concerned enough to check it out again before posting. Long story short, I compiled a list of well-researched hashtags to sprinkle throughout December’s posts.
You can grow your Instagram presence and gain followers without bumps in the road. Personally, I practice keeping an updated list of hashtags that are relevant for the topics of my Instagram each month. Feel free to borrow the ones that work for you.
Where can I find you on Instagram?
Got hashtags you can’t live without? Have a tip to share? I’d love to hear from you. Join the discussion in the comments + let me know your Instagram account so we can connect.
Instagram is all about hashtags and I agree you need to choose the ones you use carefully. If you choose the right ones your pictures will get seen by thousands of p Instagram is all about hashtags and I agree you need to choose the ones you use carefully. If you choose the right ones your pictures will get seen by thousands of people!
I’ve been trying new hashtags out, there are a few I love- anything A Beautiful Mess works for me. 🙂 You can find me IG’ing over @Mrs_AOK
xoxo
I really don’t use Instagram as much as I should. Deciding on which hastag to use is such a challenge. Thanks for giving some new things to think about.
Great points about hashtags! I don’t use them often but now I will be more thoughtful about how/when I use them.
These are great tips! I love to use hashtags, but I try to only use ones that I am familiar with. Most of them were created by bloggers. I feel safer sticking to them. 🙂
I know I am guilyy of doing this – some days I do ok but others not so much – but I am always conscious of trying better 😉
This is such good information! I really need to learn more about hashtags and when to use the right ones!
I don’t use hashtags very well, but I do like to use hashtags. 🙂 I have made the mistake of misspelling something before, and I’m glad that instagram now offers a way to edit posts!
It is good to use hashtags that are relevant to your audience or niche. Great advice here.
Guilt of a few and although it’s been hard to stop using hashtags with instagram, I’m getting better at it. I’ve never used them with pinterest and don’t think I ever will unless required.
These are great tips. I have Instagram, but I don’t use it very often.
Super important to use the right hashtags for your niche. I use the app TagforLikes and that’s helpful. You can find me @kidsareatrip. Great tips you’ve shared!
I’ve been much more intentional with my #s lately. Finally hit 500 mark. Small milestones.
Oh my goodness, I completely agree, you have to be careful. When I first started out on instagram I had a lot of vegan recipes I was posting, so of course I was using the hashtag vegan a lot – I got so many new subscribers, and was super excited, but then lost a lot when I posted my non-vegan recipes….hard to please everyone 🙂 I have backed off since then, but I need to get back into it properly again!
Hehehe great pointers!!! I swear sometimes you think you have a cleaver hashtag and omg, it totally means something else! Not too long ago on a scope a day challenge the prompt for the day meant something totally different in Twitter and img… Creepy people galore lol