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In this post, I'll explain how I use hashtags and how you can start choosing the best hashtags for Instagram to get more exposure, more engagements, more people seeing your posts, and if you make good content… more followers.

I've had many questions about Instagram growth lately, so instead of waiting for me to release a blog post answering your question, here is where I learn everything related to Instagram growth. So with that being said, let's get into it!

A few questions that I get asked all the time are:

"How do hashtags work on Instagram?"

"What are the best hashtags for Instagram growth?"

"How do I use Instagram Hashtags for followers?"

"Can you really use hashtags for likes on Instagram?"

In this post, I'll answer all of these questions.

There is a certain hashtag strategy that I use and it's called the Instagram hashtag staircase method. Well, that's what I call it at least.

Most of the time, when people use hashtags, they choose random hashtags that sorta go with the picture or caption without looking at how many other people have already used that hashtag in their post. Now, using hashtags that go along with what you are posting about is essential and you definitely don't want to use hashtags about food if you're posting about your new car. BUT, there are a few things that most people who are wondering if you can actually use hashtags for likes on Instagram aren't doing.

The first thing being: Not looking at how many people already used the hashtags you are thinking about using. To choose the best hashtags for Instagram, ALWAYS look at how many posts have already used the specific hashtag you are thinking about using. The reason for this is: you could be choosing hashtags that have millions and millions of posts that have already used that hashtag. This makes your post much less likely to be seen by people who follow that hashtag, since there are constantly posts being flooded into that hashtag. So there is a very small chance of your post being seen by using a hashtag with a million plus posts under it.

How to use Instagram hashtags for followers?

Instead of using random hashtags that you think of off the top of your head before you post, take the time to look at how many posts already tagged that hashtag and create a few different sets of hashtags for you to use for your posts throughout the month and as you use the sets of hashtags more, create new sets so you don't get shadow banned.

Quick side note: Shadow banning is a real thing and it is when Instagram blocks you from showing up under hashtags you use in your posts because you over use the same hashtags over and over, which makes them think you are spammy. It's called shadow banning because you aren't notified of this ban. To see if you have been shadow banned, use a hashtag in your post and see if you show up in the recent posts of the hastag. If you do not, you are shadow banned. Leave a comment below if you are interested in learning more about shadow banning on Instagram.

Back to the sets of hashtags. The way I setup my sets of hashtags for likes on Instagram is: I seperate the hashtags in groups of 9's based on how many posts have already used the hashtag.

You are limited to 30 hashtags per post on Instagram, but in order to avoid being seen as spam by Instagram, I recommend using a few under 30.

Instagram hashtag staircase method: Each set of my hashtags works in sets of 9's. Nine hashtags with 0-50k posts under it, Nine hashtags with 50k-100k posts under it, and 9 hashtags with 100k-250k under it. Using hashtags with anything over 250k is useless and will not help you get followers or increase your likes so DON'T use them EVER (unless you have millions of followers).

How do hashtags work on Instagram? Basically, when you use a hashtag, you are telling Instagram that your post is about that hashtag. It is very easy to show up in the recent posts of a hashtag, but that is not the goal. The goal of using hashtags is to show up in the top nine posts of the hashtag so everyone who sees the hashtag, will see your post before everyone else's.

What determines if your post shows up in the top nine posts for a hashtag is how much engagement your post gets compared to other posts that recently used that same tag (engagement meaning likes and comments).

So the idea behind the Instagram hashtag staircase method is: once you rank in the top posts for a small hashtag (0-50k posts), you are more likely to rank at the top for the medium hashtags (50k-100k posts), and once you rank for those you are more likely to rank at the top for the big hashtags (100k-250k posts).

When you use this method and show up at the top for all tags you used in your post, you'll experience serious oranic growth on your profile. This is exactly how you use Instagram hashtags for followers and likes organically.

So in order to save time when making a post, create a few sets of hashtags that would work for your profile and what you post about. I create 5 sets per month so I am always using different tags. Creating sets of hashtags and storing them in the notes on your phone saves so much time. As opposed to creating a new set every time you make a post which is definitely time consuming, creating a few sets that you have stored in the notes app on your phone will save you so much time and make creating a post far less stressful.

Many of you guys have been asking me to make more informative content about Instagram growth, branding, and making money online so here it comes!

To be notified every time I make a new blog post, click here.

To learn about Instagram at your own pace, without having to wait for me to make more content... Click Here. My friend Alex Tooby, @instawithalex, teaches an amazing FREE Instagram course to grow an online business or a personal brand. She completely destroys any learning curve on Instagram with all of her knowledge and experience with growing on IG.

That's all for this post about how do hashtags work on Instagram in 2019. I'd love to know if this information has helped you out, so let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.If you aren't already, make sure you follow me on Instagram @austinvasilios. With all of that being said… I'll talk to you in the next one!