How to Find the Best Hashtags

How to Find the Best Hashtags in 2026 [Template Included]

The 2.5+ billion MAUs have solidified Instagram as a top-tier social network worldwide. With over 30% of the world’s mobile internet users accessing the app monthly, it has become a primary social network for brands aiming to expand their audience and establish a robust online presence in 2026.

Through the strategic use of customized hashtag collections and a keen understanding of targeted searches—now powered by advanced AI algorithms—brands can elevate the visibility of their content, connect with a fresh audience, and enhance engagement with their followers. In this guide, we will illustrate how to discover the most effective Instagram hashtags for your posts and employ them strategically to distinguish your brand in the competitive landscape of 2026.

Instagram hashtags? Are they still trending?

In 2026, Instagram hashtags are far from outdated; in fact, they remain one of the most effective tools for expanding the reach and engagement of your account. However, their role has shifted from “bulk tagging” to “semantic categorization.”

Hashtags play a crucial role in helping users discover posts aligned with their specific interests, making it easier for your content to connect with a broader audience. By incorporating relevant and popular hashtags, you can extend your reach, garner more followers, and ultimately attract more customers. Despite the evolution of some of Instagram’s features—like the prioritization of Reels and SEO keywords—hashtags continue to be a vital element in enhancing the visibility of your content.

What’s an Instagram hashtag?

A hashtag is a distinct keyword or phrase preceded by the “#” symbol (like #Food or #picoftheday). It serves as a tool on all social networks to categorize posts based on topics or themes, enhancing their visibility. On Instagram, hashtags are interactive; when clicked, they automatically redirect users to a search page showcasing all Instagram posts associated with that particular hashtag.

3 benefits of using hashtags on Instagram in 2026

The utilization of hashtags on Instagram has experienced significant growth in recent years. Brands can leverage hashtags effectively in their posts to achieve various benefits, including increased awareness, reaching new audiences, enhancing follower engagement, showcasing brand personality, and fostering a community around their products or services. Let’s delve into the key advantages users should contemplate when shaping their content strategy in 2026:

1. Instagram hashtags increase visibility and reach

When incorporated effectively into a post, Instagram hashtags play a crucial role in amplifying exposure for businesses. They achieve this by showcasing content to new followers actively searching for those specific keywords. Businesses can enhance the discoverability of their posts by integrating popular hashtags, making them more accessible to users who might not be acquainted with their content. This strategic use of hashtags facilitates brands in broadening their awareness beyond their existing follower network and reaching potential new customers.

2. Instagram hashtags increase engagement with target audiences

Through the strategic use of relevant hashtags tailored to their target audience, businesses can elevate engagement—measured by likes, shares, and comments—among Instagram users interested in their product or service. Hashtags serve as powerful instruments for directing pertinent traffic to your posts. Users associated with specific hashtags are more likely to engage with your content, provided it resonates with them in terms of interest, entertainment, or originality.

3. Instagram hashtags showcase your brand’s personality

Hashtags provide brands with an avenue to express their creative flair by crafting custom hashtags that mirror their values or mission. Through dedicated hashtags like #MyBrandIs, #ServiceWithASmile, or #WeLoveOurCustomers, businesses can showcase their personality, reinforce their brand identity, and cultivate loyalty among existing customers. Brands can employ hashtag campaigns as an interactive means to connect and engage with their customers, encouraging them to share stories or photos related to their product or service.

For example, beauty brand L’Oréal Paris initiated the #WorthSaying hashtag, urging women to share posts on issues they care about, thereby amplifying their voices.

How to effectively use Instagram hashtags in 2026?

Now that you’re aware of the various benefits of hashtags on Instagram in 2026, here are some tips for using them effectively in your posts.

1. Identify the most relevant hashtags for your brand

Discovering the best hashtags on Instagram in 2026 involves several methods. Here are four approaches:

These methods can help you identify the most effective hashtags for your Instagram posts.

TagsFinder is an Instagram hashtag search tool that leverages a vast database of millions of hashtags. It provides the functionality to filter search results based on language, country, or city. This tool assists users in discovering and refining hashtags to enhance their Instagram posts.

Sistrix is a comprehensive digital marketing tool that features an Instagram hashtag generator app. This tool facilitates the discovery of relevant hashtags for your content and provides the capability to monitor their performance in terms of reach and engagement. It offers valuable insights to optimize your hashtag strategy on Instagram.

All Hashtag is an Instagram hashtag generator that creates relevant hashtags based on keywords or the URL of a post. Additionally, it provides a search function that helps you discover popular hashtags related to your content. This tool streamlines the process of finding and using effective hashtags for your Instagram posts.

2. Use the right number of Instagram hashtags

While Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, it is advisable to limit their use. Using an excessive number of hashtags can create the perception of a spammy or insincere post, aiming solely for maximum impressions. This may even lead to penalties from Instagram.

According to recent updates, Instagram now recommends adding only 3 to 5 highly relevant hashtags. While you can still use up to 30, posts with 3-5 hyper-focused tags often perform better in search. The key is quality over quantity.

It’s important to note that these statistics may vary based on factors such as your brand, subscriber profile, type of posts, industry, and more. Therefore, conducting your own tests is crucial to determine the optimal number of hashtags for your specific context. Experiment with posts featuring different numbers of hashtags, analyze the results, and refine your strategy accordingly.

3. Regularly monitor the performance of your posts

Effective hashtag strategies demand ongoing monitoring and performance tracking. Keep a close eye on the frequency of use for each hashtag, identify those that generate higher engagement rates, recognize those that don’t yield desired results, and be mindful of outdated or trending hashtags. The social media landscape evolves rapidly, and what is trendy and popular today may become obsolete tomorrow. Regularly assessing the performance and metrics of each post empowers you to make informed decisions, ensuring that your future posts remain impactful and have the potential to go viral.

The Ultimate Hashtag Collections for 2026

Selecting a popular hashtag that aptly represents your content is crucial for maximizing exposure and engagement on Instagram. For inspiration, here are the most popular hashtags categorized for your convenience.

Additional Niche Collections

(Continue using the lists below for specific seasonal, pet, and lifestyle niches)

The Importance of Hashtags & Semantic SEO

Keywords and hashtags assist social media platforms in understanding the content of your post and identifying the audience for whom the post is relevant.

• If you don’t add any hashtags, you’ll miss out on exposure.
• Adding irrelevant hashtags can lead to a lack of engagement (Bounce Rate).
• Using overly competitive hashtags may cause your post to get lost in the crowd.

To optimize your reach, it’s essential to strike the right balance and include a mix of relevant hashtags in every post. This is now often referred to as Social SEO.

The 3-Bucket Strategy: Finding the Right Mix

Ensuring that your hashtags are relevant is essential. The concept of the “Mix” involves finding the right balance between popular and less popular hashtags, tailored to your niche. This strategy aims to have your post visible with less competitive hashtags, and if engagement is robust, it might also appear for more popular ones.

Your mix is unique to your situation. If you have a modest following in a highly competitive niche, your mix will primarily feature less competitive hashtags. Conversely, if you have a large and engaged audience, your mix can include more competitive hashtags, offering the potential to reach a broader audience.

How to find the best hashtags on TikTok

Let’s start with a straightforward approach to finding popular hashtags on TikTok for your business. Follow these steps: First, go to the search function. Enter the hashtag you’re interested in, and make a note of how many times it has been viewed. Then, scroll down to discover other hashtags that are relevant to your business. Record these as well. Repeat this process as needed.

Remember, adding the date to your template is just the first step. When you post content, it’s crucial to use a combination of relevant hashtags, including both popular and less competitive ones, for the best results.

How to find the best hashtags on Instagram

When it comes to discovering the most effective hashtags on Instagram, it requires a bit more effort. While you can still search for a hashtag to gauge its popularity by checking the number of posts, Instagram doesn’t display related hashtags as conveniently as TikTok does. So, it involves a more manual process. Nevertheless, the principle remains the same. Once you’ve identified all the relevant hashtags and recorded them in your research sheet, create a diverse mix of hashtags for your upcoming post.

How to find the best hashtags for Twitter (X)

When it comes to discovering the top hashtags on Twitter (now X), it’s advisable to use a tool. Twitter doesn’t readily display the popularity of a hashtag. While for some hashtags, they may show how many times it has been used in a Tweet in the last hour, the data can vary significantly. We recommend using RiteTag for this purpose. Just create an account, and you’ll have access to the data you need for your research.

Just jot down the number under the ‘hashtag exposure per hour’ (the eye icon) in your sheet, and use that to build your list for the next time you plan to send out a great Tweet. This way, you’ll have the data you need to optimize your Twitter posts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)