September 4, 2025

September 9, 2025

Guide to Finding the Best Hashtags for Instagram

Lynn Corbitt

Hands holding smartphones with hashtag icon overlay

What Are Instagram Hashtags and Why Use Them?

Hashtags are one of the easiest ways to increase visibility on Instagram—especially in 2025, where organic growth is more competitive than ever. Whether you're a creator, a brand, or just building a personal presence, using hashtags smartly can put your content in front of the right audience.

Hashtags are keywords preceded by a “#” symbol that help group your content under searchable topics. People can follow hashtags, search them, or browse them through Explore, which means your posts can reach beyond your existing followers.

How Hashtags Help You Get Seen

Hashtags act like search beacons. If someone is interested in #veganrecipes, #mensfashion, or #photographytips, they’ll likely explore posts under that tag. When your content is tagged correctly, it has the chance to appear in those spaces, exposing it to users who are already interested in your niche.

Instagram’s algorithm uses hashtags to learn more about your content. The better your hashtag strategy, the more likely your posts will show up in the Explore page or suggested posts feed—especially for those engaging with similar content.

Why Hashtags Still Matter in 2025

Despite changes to the platform, hashtags are still very effective. In fact, when paired with features like Reels or Carousels, they can be the push your content needs to go viral.

Here’s why they still work:

They help Instagram categorize your post
They boost discoverability by reaching new users
They support niche and local targeting
They increase engagement when used properly

Using the right hashtags on photo-based posts still works wonders, especially for niche creators. This curated photography hashtags is a good example of how specialized tags can outperform generic ones.

Hashtag vs Tag: What’s the Difference?

While they sound similar, there’s a big difference.

Hashtags (e.g. #skincarehacks) are public keywords used for discovery.
Tags or Mentions (@username) are used to notify or connect specific accounts.

Hashtags help you grow your audience; tags help you interact with others.

Top Instagram Hashtags for Likes and Reach

If you're chasing higher reach and more likes, using trending hashtags can help. But they must be relevant to your content. Don’t just copy-paste the top ten trending tags—use them with purpose.

What Are the Top 10 Hashtags Right Now?

While these rotate regularly, here are examples of evergreen high-traffic hashtags:

#love
#instagood
#fashion
#photooftheday
#beautiful
#art
#photography
#happy
#cute
#travel

These tags have millions of posts, so they’re crowded. But when used with smaller niche tags, they can still drive strong results.

Which Hashtags Get the Most Likes on Instagram?

Hashtags that blend trendiness and emotion tend to get the most likes. Tags like:

#motivation
#selfcare
#funny
#ootd
#inspo

Pairing these with a good caption, quality image, and posting at the right time can significantly improve your like count. To take your posts a step further, mix these high-engagement tags with topic-based ones like #makeuptutorial or #digitalart.

Best Hashtags for Reels, Posts, and Growth

Instagram Reels and traditional feed posts work differently in 2025. Each format requires its own approach, and hashtags are no exception.

Best Hashtags for Instagram Reels

Reels are Instagram’s most viral-friendly feature. Your hashtag strategy should reflect that.

Reels Tags That Help You Go Viral

Try these on your next Reel:

#reelsoftheday
#trendingaudio
#viralreels
#instareel

These tags tap into algorithm-friendly behaviors, especially when paired with trending music and effects.

Niche Reels Hashtags That Actually Work

If you’re posting educational or lifestyle Reels, go with niche-specific tags like:

#reelsfitness
#makeupreels
#artreels
#photographyreels

Creators using music in their stories or reels can also experiment with audio-based tags. This adding music can help you align your content with trending sounds.

Best Hashtags for Likes and Followers

If your goal is more engagement and followers, you need a mix of tags that reach broad and niche communities.

Hashtags That Help You Gain Fast Engagement

Use these sparingly to boost visibility:

#like4like
#followforfollow
#instafollow
#likesarefree

While they’re effective short-term, be cautious—relying only on these can hurt your long-term credibility.

What Size Tags Should You Use?

Not all hashtags are created equal. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Large (1M+ posts): Boost reach but high competition
Medium (100K–1M): Good balance of exposure and engagement
Small (<100K): Perfect for niche targeting and loyal followers

Smart creators in 2025 use a mix of all three. Save sets based on topic, audience, or post type, and rotate them.

How to Find the Best Hashtags for Your Content

Woman posing with Instagram frame cutout

Finding the right hashtags doesn’t have to feel like a treasure hunt—or a taxing chore. With thoughtful practices and a few smart tools, you can quickly find the tags that match your content and your audience.

Use a Hashtag Generator Tool

If you struggle to craft the perfect tags, a hashtag generator can be a total lifesaver. It does the heavy lifting by suggesting tags based on keywords or descriptions of your content. For example, Kicksta offers a free generator that gives you curated hashtag sets in seconds—perfect when inspiration is low or you're short on time.

Check Instagram Search and Explore Pages

One of the easiest methods is built right into Instagram. Type your core keyword into the search bar, and Instagram will suggest related hashtags along with a view of how often they’re used. Likewise, the Explore page shows live trends—just look at the tags on trending posts that relate to your niche.

Look at What Competitors Are Using

Want the inside scoop on what works? Glide into successful accounts in your niche and peek at the hashtags they use. Don’t simply mimic—the goal is to understand patterns and adapt them with your own creative twist.

Create and Use a Branded Hashtag

If you’re a creator, business, or brand, owning your own hashtag is golden for community and recognition. Make sure it’s short, memorable, and easy to spell. Encourage followers to use it—this builds content from your fans, highlights your brand identity, and gives you a growing library of posts to engage with.

Smart Tips for Using Hashtags in 2025

Using hashtags the right way means thinking strategy, not guesswork. Here are four smart habits to adopt.

Mix Popular, Niche, and Community Tags

Balance is key—use high-traffic hashtags to broaden reach, niche tags to attract targeted interest, and community tags to engage loyal followers. This mix-level strategy keeps your content visible while still hitting the right audience.

Avoid Banned or Spammy Hashtags

Every year, Instagram bans or flags hashtags that invite spam or violate community guidelines. Always check if a tag is active and safe to use. A clean feed means your content stays discoverable and your account remains trusted.

Add Hashtags in Captions or First Comment?

Either works. Many creators place them right after their caption for context, while others tuck them into the first comment to keep the caption clean. It’s really a matter of style—just be consistent so your growth stays trackable.

Save and Reuse Sets of Hashtags

Save time by organizing 3–4 sets of tags you rotate depending on your content. Keep them in your notes app or planner. You’ll avoid repetitive typing—and your posts will benefit from diversified reach.

Real-Life Example: Kaya the Beauty Creator

Kaya’s Hashtag Strategy That Increased Her Reach

Kaya, a beauty influencer, started using a branded tag like #KayaBeautyTips and paired it with her daily themed series, using hashtags like #GlowUpSeries, #SkincareReels, and #MakeupBasics. She rotated through broader tags like #beautytutorial, balancing them with niche tags that aligned with each day's theme.

What Worked Best for Her Reels and Posts

Kaya's Reels took off because she used specific, niche-focused tags—like #naturalglowreels—that linked directly to her audience's searches. She also monitored which tags showed trends via Instagram insights, adjusting her choices each week for maximum traction.

Real-Life Example: Kaya the Beauty Creator

Kaya’s Hashtag Strategy That Increased Her Reach

Kaya is a beauty creator who wanted more reach on her Reels without spending all day on content planning. She started by doing two simple things: looking at her competitors' hashtags and testing her own content using Instagram Insights. That alone gave her a solid idea of which tags were helping and which ones were just clutter.

Instead of chasing large, overused hashtags, Kaya found smaller niche tags like #dewyskinroutine or #pinkeyeshadowreel. These might not have millions of posts, but they were full of active beauty fans who actually watched and saved her content. She also kept a set of reusable hashtags for different post types—morning routines, product demos, and skincare transformations.

What Worked Best for Her Reels and Posts

Kaya saw the most success when she:

Mixed niche and community-based tags
Posted Reels at consistent times using music that was already trending
Used 1–2 branded hashtags (her own name and slogan)
Kept her post hashtags different from Reel hashtags
Checked what beauty creators with similar follower counts were using

Alongside this hashtag strategy, Kaya also optimized her captions using ideas from this relationship captions to make her content more personal and engaging. It helped boost her saves and shares—which are crucial metrics for Instagram’s algorithm in 2025.

Free Tools to Help With Hashtag Growth

Kicksta’s Free Hashtag Generator

If you’re looking for a quick way to discover hashtags for your next Reel, Kicksta’s free generator is a good place to start. It lets you explore hashtags by category and popularity. You can search by niche or check how competitive a tag is before you use it.

Other Popular Hashtag Finder Tools

Here are some other helpful tools you can try out:

Display Purposes – Filters spammy tags and gives quality suggestions
RiteTag by RiteKit – Shows tag strength based on your image or text
Hashtagify – Offers trend data and keyword analysis

Just don’t rely too heavily on any one tool. Even when suggestions look solid, test how your content performs with them. Real results > recommendations.

Tools for Viral Reels Hashtag Ideas

Want your Reels to trend? Start by matching trending sounds with trending tags. Pair those with good visuals and short captions. One underrated trick is to scroll through the Reels Explore tab and note what tags creators are adding. Then check their views and likes.

Another great strategy is combining viral content formats with current culture or humor. If you’re unsure what formats are doing well, this influencer trends has some helpful background—even years later, some strategies still hold up when tailored for 2025.

Bottom Line – Start Growing With Better Hashtags

Hashtags aren’t magic. But when you use them right, they help more people find and engage with your content. That’s the whole point—visibility with the right audience.

Here’s a quick recap of what to do: