We all know using hashtags on Instagram can be a great way to increase engagement. What a lot of people don’t know, are the few things you could be doing that may actually be hurting your engagement. I am going to share 3 things that you should avoid.

1. Don’t Use Generic Hashtags

Generic hashtags like #happy, #beautiful and #love are so overused that the chance of someone finding your post based on that hashtag is very slim.

For example, the hashtag #socialmedia has over 17 million posts. The chance of someone finding my content through that hashtag is very small because there are so many people using it. Instead, I would want to use something that is more specific to my location such as #socialmedianewyork which only has 183 posts that use this hashtag.

2. Don’t Use The Same Hashtags For Every Post

You want to avoid using the same hashtags for every single post. Instagram uses photo recognition to make sure that your hashtags are in line with the actual content of the post. For example, if I am posting a photo of a recent website launch and I hashtag #socialmedianewyork that is not really relevant because the post has nothing to do with social media.

To avoid searching and typing out your hashtags for every post, a good tip is to write all of your hashtags by category in the notes section of your phone. This way you can copy and paste them into your posts as needed.

3. Don’t Use Banned Hashtags

Instagram has a long list of banned hashtags due to spam or bot activity. If you use these hashtags, Instagram could potentially flag your account as spam. Also, your content will most likely not show up if you use banned hashtags.

To check and see if a hashtag is banned, you would type it into the search bar on Instagram. If you see a notice at the top that says “Recent posts from (insert hashtag) are currently hidden because the community has reported some content that may not meet Instagram’s community guidelines” then you will want to avoid using this hashtag.