When we do a hashtag research, we'll finally choose which hashtag we'll be using, right?
Well of course the main priority is that the hashtag is properly relevant to our contents.
Apart from its relevancy, there’s another important thing to consider when choosing a hashtag: hashtag popularity.
When you are searching for a certain hashtag, you'll see the number of post numbers below each hashtag. As in the following figure:
That number showsthe number of posts across Instagram that use a given hashtag, or commonly called hashtags popularity.
The larger the number, the more Instagram posts that use the hashtag. In other words: it is popular.
But remember: using a popular hashtagdoesn’t instantly make your posts be viewed by many people.
Why?
Because this number isn't showing the number of follower hashtags, or how often this hashtag is searched. This number shows the number of posts across Instagram which use the hashtag.
Underline: The number of Instagram posts.
Not its followers. Not its search volume. Not the number of people who use it.
The more popular the hashtags are, the more difficult your posts to be found.
Because when an Instagram user performs a search with the hashtag, there are a lot of posts show up. So the less likely your post can show up in the search results.
That way, getting into top posts is also getting harder, because the competition is huge.
In other words, the more popular the hashtags, the higher the competition.
So, to help you choose the right hashtag, I divide hashtags into 5 categories based on their popularity.
For example, if your business is in the field of tourism, #travelhashtags are appropriate for your business. But before you use it, try to check the amount of posts using that hashtag first. There are 377 million posts using this hashtag.
It will be easier when you choose more specific hashtags or smaller number of posts, for example: #travellifetime (834k posts), #traveljournal (661k posts), or #traveladdicted (600k posts).
So our post has a greater chance of getting into the top postin the hashtag we're using.
And when our posts become top posts, then be prepared to flood new impressions, engagements, and new followers as they will be spread to thousands or millions of users.