Hashtags were first made popular by Twitter back in 2007. Today, hashtags are supported by every one of the main social networks including Instagram. Hashtags are a great way to gain traction and interaction for the photos you post to your Instagram account. Here are the answers to the three basic questions for getting started with hashtags on Instagram:
What is a Hashtag?
A hashtag is a word or a phrase prefaced with the symbol #. Hashtags provide a means of grouping messages. This means that you can search for a certain hashtag and every message that contains that particular hashtag will show up. For more detailed information on hashtags, check out this video.
Why Use a Hashtag?
Adding tags to your photos is a great way to find new followers and share your photos with more people. For example, if you are a bakery and post a picture of your new cupcake creation, by adding a hashtag such as #cupcakes, anyone (even those that aren’t following you yet) who searches for that hashtag will see your photo. If they like what they see, you may gain a new follower!
How Do I Add a Hashtag?
Adding a hashtag is very, very easy. At the end of your photo caption, simply type in the “#” symbol, followed by your hashtag. Make sure you don’t add any punctuation or spaces, though, as that will “break” the hashtag and keep it from being effective. #hashtagsareeasy
What Should I Hashtag?
Make it easy for other like-minded Instagrammers to find you by making sure your tags describe your photo. Using very general tags like #photo might get you a few likes, but with over 700,000 photos tagged #photo, it isn’t the best way to make your photos stand out and connect with the people most like you. Relevant tags will help you attract new followers who will take a genuine interest in your photos and continue liking and commenting on your photos over time. So, basically #getcreative
So #gettoit , #havefun and #hashtagyourheartout!
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