There’s no getting around hashtags use if you want to be successful on Instagram.

They make your posts more searchable and this is the single best way to get more followers and engagement on Instagram. The best hashtags to use can change constantly so you need to stay on top of your game.

Most Popular

The most popular hashtags on Instagram aren’t necessarily the ‘best’ hashtags to use but nevertheless, it’s good to be aware of what hashtags people are using.

In 2018, the most popular hashtags were:


How To Use Popular Hashtags

The most effective way to use the most popular hashtags of 2018 is to look at which topics they are talking about.

For example, #Love is the most popular hashtag of 2018 so far with over a billion posts using this hashtag. This tells us two things.

Firstly, that if we use #Love, it’ll almost immediately get lost in an ocean of other posts.

Secondly, it tells us that people and posting (and so likely want to see) posts about love.

We can use this information in our own posts by ensuring we are incorporating love into it, and emitting positive and happy (number six!) feelings and emotions, not negative ones.

It tells us people are wanting to see positivity, and this is something we can easily incorporate into Instagram posts in order to get more likes.

Another way of using popular hashtags is to take a sub-category and use that as a hashtag in order to whittle down the audience.

For example, #Fashion is hugely broad in two senses. The reach is too broad, and the concept is too broad. Fashion can be narrowed down into categories like #coat #shoes #businesswear #beachwear #hikingboots.

Being more specific in what type of fashion your post and brand relate to will result in more people seeing your posts because the search pool won’t be as big so it won’t get bumped off the top as quickly.

You’ll also likely be viewed by people interested in your post rather than general ‘fashion’ lovers.

If someone is searching for #hikingboots they will be more interested in a post about hiking boots than an evening gown post with the hashtag #fashion.

This is not only a good way to get more likes, but you could attract potential new followers if you target your hashtags effectively.

Most Popular Hashtags for Contests

Hashtags can be used when you run contests on your Instagram account.

These can be a great way to get users to share your content or create content about your brand.

In order for the most amount of people to find your competition, these are the most popular hashtags on Instagram for contests and promotions.

1. #contest
2. #[yourbrand]contest
3. #contests
4. #contestalert
5. #contestentry
6. #sweepstakes
7. #[yourbrand]sweepstakes
8. #giveaway
9. #[yourbrandgiveaway] 10. #giveaways

Hopefully, this guide will help you use the most popular hashtags of 2018 more effectively, resulting in likes and new followers on your Instagram account.