How to use hashtags when you’re posting

You're on the homestretch. Now all you have to do is get your content out into the world. This lesson is dedicated to making that process as easy as possible for you.

Relevancy is key to your hashtag performance, so if you're making a post and you feel a specific set is a lot more relevant than your planned set, feel free to swap them - the schedule is just for guidance. If you find that you haven't used a set enough, just make an additional post at the end of the challenge to bring up the usage numbers!

As you post, tick off the set you used in your schedule, and make sure you’re keeping track of the sets you’re using.

Pro tip: Before you start posting, check the best time to post based on your account in Flick's Analytics Overview. This will ensure you're posting at the optimum time, giving your posts an even better chance of getting the engagement they deserve.

Best Practises for Posting with Hashtags

Make sure every post counts. It's easy to fall back into old habits when you're making posts on Instagram - use this lesson to remind yourself of what not to do. You've got this!

1. Ensure hashtags are aligned with the content being posted

Hashtags help Instagram provide its users with highly relevant content. A good way to ensure your tags are aligned is to ask yourself "if someone searched this hashtag and saw my piece of content, would it be what they expected to see?"

2. Use all 30 hashtags

It sounds simple, but it's often forgotten that Instagram provides 30 slots for hashtags for each of your posts. That's 30 opportunities to get your content seen and so we advise taking advantage of as many of these opportunities as possible.

3. Use a variety of low, medium & high competition tags

In the Hashtag Research module, we highlighted the 'trade-off' between the ease of ranking on a hashtag and the level of return you're likely to receive. By using hashtags with varying levels of competition you're creating a diversified portfolio of hashtags that balance out the likelihood of ranking and the return you're looking to make.

Depending on your appetite for risk, you may opt for a strategy that uses a lot more high competition hashtags, that will provide very high returns if successful, or you might decide that a safer, lower returning strategy is for you. The nice thing is that you can try out different ratios of hashtags on your posts to test what will work best for you. Either way, as you see success with your hashtags, and your account grows, over time you will be able to expand the competition of the tags you use.

4. Avoid banned / flagged hashtags

We've said it before and we'll say it again: check that you're not using banned or flagged hashtags. We make this very easy for you - use Flick's 'selected hashtags audit' before you export hashtags or add them to a Collection.

5. Download the Flick mobile app so your Hashtag Collections are available and always by your side

Hashtags are one of Instagram's core features. Make sure you have the right tools and take advantage of them at all times. By downloading our mobile app your perfectly selected library of hashtag options is with you at all times, making your life easier and improving your organic reach.

We can't stress just how important optimizing your workflow with tools and tricks is for building long term results.