14 July 2020

How to Create a Hashtag Strategy for Your Business

1Frameworks

6Insights

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Frameworks in this episode

Marketing5 steps

Four-Ingredient Hashtag Strategy

Mix four hashtag types to reach customers, local searchers, and industry peers.

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster17:53

Popular but Irrelevant Hashtags Can Hurt Your Account

Adding a trending hashtag unrelated to the post is not a harmless visibility shortcut. Jasmine warns that Instagram can recognize mismatches between images and hashtags, potentially hiding the account from hashtag results.

Every hashtag should relate directly to the post.
Popularity does not compensate for weak relevance.
Instagram can identify objects and themes in photos.
Misleading hashtags may cause content to be hidden from hashtag discovery.

“Like don't hashtag J lo if she's not in the photo, you know what I'm saying?”
Jasmine Star · 18:03

“And if you're hashtagging irrelevant items and terms, just to get part of like a very big popular conversation, it's just going to come back…”
Jasmine Star · 18:17

#hashtag-relevance#instagram-risk#content-integrity#reach

Explainer· 1

Explainer01:18

Why Hashtags Make Instagram Content Discoverable

Hashtags make posts searchable beyond an account's existing follower base. Jasmine positions them as an optional growth catalyst that helps Instagram connect users with content they are actively seeking.

Posts with at least one hashtag are said to receive 12.6 percent more engagement.
Hashtags can expose content to users who do not follow the account.
Instagram benefits when hashtags help users find relevant content and remain on the platform.
A post can still be seen without hashtags, but hashtags add a discovery layer.

“It doesn't mean you need to use them, but if you want to use it as a catalyst for growth, hashtags will help you get…”
Jasmine Star · 01:43

“Hashtags. Allow Instagram content to become searchable. Not only by you and your followers, but by anyone.”
Jasmine Star · 04:11

#instagram#discoverability#engagement#hashtags

Story· 1

Story07:08

How Jasmine Uses Instagram for High-Intent Searches

Jasmine describes using Instagram to find products, collaborators, workplaces, and local businesses. These examples show that Instagram discovery can connect searchers with purchases and professional relationships, not merely entertainment.

She searched Instagram for products during quarantine.
She uses it to find makeup artists and videographers in unfamiliar cities.
She searches for local, non-franchised coffee shops.
Hashtags helped her find collaborators, places, products, and services.

“When I traveled to a new city and I'm looking for a makeup artist or a videographer to collaborate with the first place I go…”
Jasmine Star · 07:28

“I have collaborated with creative people. I have found really cool places to work or study or even shoot. And I found really amazing product…”
Jasmine Star · 07:54

#search-intent#local-discovery#collaboration#instagram

Tool· 1

Tool15:47

Use Instagram Autosuggest to Find Narrower Hashtags

Instagram's search box suggests related hashtags after a seed term is entered. This provides a quick research tool for finding more specific conversations that may better match the intended audience.

Start with one or two likely customer-facing hashtags.
Review Instagram's automatically suggested related terms.
Compare broad seed terms with narrower alternatives.
Keep only suggestions relevant to the customer's interests and the post.

“And the good news is that Instagram autosuggest hashtags.”
Jasmine Star · 15:55

“So if you can think of just one or two hashtags that you think would be powerful for your customer, well, you're going to be…”
Jasmine Star · 16:08

#instagram-search#autosuggest#hashtag-research#social-media-tools

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway16:34

Why Smaller Hashtags Can Deliver More Discovery

Very broad hashtags contain so many posts that new content can vanish almost immediately. Jasmine recommends considering relevant conversations with fewer than 500,000 entries as a practical rule of thumb, while allowing occasional larger tags in the mix.

A broad hashtag such as brunch contains millions of posts.
Narrower related hashtags can give a post more time and visibility.
Fewer than 500,000 entries is presented as a rule of thumb, not a hard rule.
Relevance remains more important than size alone.

“And because it has less posts, I think I have a higher likelihood of getting discovered there.”
Jasmine Star · 17:12

“If you want to get discovered and is relevant to the conversation, a smaller hashtag will be most bang for your buck.”
Jasmine Star · 17:37

#hashtag-size#reach#instagram-growth#discoverability

Takeaway18:26

Treat Hashtags as Measurable Growth Barometers

A hashtag strategy should be evaluated by the discovery it produces, not simply by whether hashtags were added. Jasmine highlights measuring post performance, new account discovery, and which terms work best for the individual business.

Track how posts perform under different hashtag combinations.
Measure how many new people discover the account.
Identify which hashtags consistently fit the business.
Use results to improve future hashtag selection.

“This is how you're going to measure how many new people are discovering your account.”
Jasmine Star · 18:50

“This is how you're going to measure what hashtags are perfect for your business.”
Jasmine Star · 18:54

#measurement#instagram-analytics#growth#optimization