Instagram Reels Hashtags: Everything You Need to Know
We walk you through how to find and utilize the best hashtags for your Instagram Reels to get you higher engagement and better reach on your video content.
Posted last month
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Mackenzie TaylorPosted last month
Using hashtags for Reels on Instagram is a great way to get higher engagement and grow your following. As hashtag finder and analytics experts here at Flick (hi, hello, thatâs us! đ), weâve put together this guide to demystify Instagramâs hashtag algorithms and help your Reels rank.
First things first, Reels are one of the newest forms of content on Instagram. Unlike Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, these 60-second or shorter videos remain on your profile in the Reels section.
Because theyâre a newer feature, Instagramâs algorithms reward users for posting them. It also means thereâs less competition for posts and Stories as not everyone is using them yet. When you combine that with effective hashtag use, you can leverage reels for a massive engagement boost! And thatâs what youâre here for!
Should you put hashtags on Instagram Reels? Why are hashtags so important for Reels? How many hashtags can you put on your Reels? Do Reels show up in Hashtag pages?
In this complete guide, weâll answer those questions and more as we introduce you to the exciting world of Instagram Reels hashtags. Letâs go!
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Why Use Hashtags For Reels On Instagram?
Many Instagrammers are apprehensive about using hashtags in their content. We get it. Choosing Instagram hashtags, finding the right categories, and writing them in your captions can be really time-consuming.
That leaves many posters asking âShould I put Hashtags on Reels?â Hereâs why we think you should.
Like with other types of content on Instagram, using hashtags for Reels allows you to increase your reach to people who are interested in your specific content, product, or services. When you use a hashtag, your content appears on the page for that term, and your profile becomes more discoverable by other accounts with similar interests.
Whatâs more, because featured Reels take up a lot of space on hashtag pages, your video will catch peopleâs attention first. Plus, if you manage to reach the top post, your video will stay on top of the hashtag page for a few days after youâve posted it, which will help you generate more reach.
If youâre a really big influencer, you might not need to use hashtags to get great engagement on your Reels. However, if you have a small to medium account with less than 300,000 followers, you should definitely be using hashtags for Reels to boost your impressions and reach.
The best thing to do if youâre wondering whether or not to use hashtags is to test and see what works for you. Try using Flickâs hashtag generator for free to see the results of an effective hashtag strategy on your Reels.
Our tool makes it easier than ever to find the right hashtags to reach your audience and remove the tedious âguessing gameâ of finding the right tags for your content.
Instagram is bullish about Reels
Reels attempts to imitate the success of TikTok â another social media platform that has found unrivaled success through short-form video content based on 15-30 second music clips.
In a few recent updates, Instagram has begun to put their Reels content front-and-center on usersâ homepages. Now, Reels videos regularly appear in timelines, just like normal posts.
In fact, Instagram has already rolled out full-screen home feeds to some users. This is clearly an attempt to capture the same experience that TikTok offers â and this vertical format demonstrates how important Reels is to the future of Instagram.
Yes, that does mean that soon, all Instagram videos will be Reels! Itâs time to buckle up because change is coming!
Thatâs why itâs more important than ever to use the right hashtags and optimize your Reels. They have become just as â or perhaps even more â important for getting your brand in front of an Instagram audience.
How Do Hashtags Work On Instagram Reels?
Hashtags work on Reels by helping Instagramâs algorithms to categorize your content so it can appear in the explore feeds of people who might be interested in your account. In this way, they work like search keywords in Googleâs algorithms.
The three main things to understand about hashtag algorithms on Instagram are:
- Topical relevance: the algorithms aim to recommend your account to people who want to see your content, so theyâll take into account:
- Whether youâre following âtopical authoritiesâ in your niche, i.e. those accounts considered experts over the topic, not just one hashtag.
- The âtopical coherenceâ of your hashtags: how much each tag relates to the other tags youâve used, in the eyes of Instagram.
- How often do you post in and interact with relevant niches?
- Whether your content looks relevant to your topic.
So, if you follow and interact with relevant, high-engagement accounts (and they follow you too), post regular, quality content, and use coherent sets of hashtags (!!), your Reels (and other content) are more likely to rank.
- Hashtag competition: the search volume and popularity of the hashtags youâre using, i.e. how many people are searching for a hashtag, and how many posts have the same hashtag. As weâll discuss more below, itâs essential to use a balance of high- and low-competition hashtags.
When you do hashtag research with Flick, we automatically generate an optimized list of hashtags with different levels of competition and indicate their competition score and daily average post count.
Itâs also worth checking out what hashtags are trending on other social media, like TikTok, to predict and incorporate high-performing terms into your Reels.
- Post engagement: Instagramâs algorithm will push your posts in the feeds of people who regularly interact with your content. Sticking to the formula of posting successful Reels is essential to getting great engagement. Analyze whatâs working based on the posts that are ranking for your hashtags and integrate this into your content strategy.
That includes any viral trends: whenever you spot a trend in content, you should be capitalizing by creating your own version and using the relevant hashtags!
Flick computes all of this data to generate relevant hashtags that will drive results. We include a topical coherence score for your hashtag collections so you can assess how well your posts will perform. Our research shows that posts that have a high topical coherence score are 10 times more likely to rank on hashtags.
Currently, Reels have their own tab under the hashtags page, and one for every screen full of posts on the Explore page.
However, the competition to rank on these pages for Reels is lower than for posts. You want yours to be in the top spot, so use low enough competition hashtags to increase your chances of ranking. While all of Instagramâs algorithms and ranking strategies are subject to change in the future, this is a good bet for hashtag strategies in general.
Instagram Reels Insights: How to Grow Reels Using Hashtags
Weâve introduced you to how hashtags work for Instagram Reels and how to find the right tags for your content. Given that, how can you use hashtags to grow your Reels and gain an audience?
Thatâs where Instagram Reels Insights come in. Instagram has given Reels creators a great set of analytics tools to help you analyze and improve your Instagram content! Letâs explore what you can do with Reels Insights.
What are Instagram Reels Insights?
Launched in May 2021, the Reels Insights tab is an analytics section that helps you track key performance metrics about your Instagram Reels videos.
We can use Reels Insights to judge the performance of certain hashtags â helping you optimize your hashtag strategy and find out which tags resonate with your audience.
To access the Insights tab, youâll need to have a Creator or Business account. Youâll be glad to hear itâs free to switch to one of these professional account types. Find out here.
How do you find the Reels Insights tab? You can find this tab for individual Reels on the video page by tapping âView Insightsâ when previewing from your feed.
With Insights, you can also view important performance data about all your Reels over the last 30 days. To do this, go to your account and click the Insights button below your bio. We find the âaccount reachâ feature particularly useful to see how your videos are reaching Instagram users â both those who follow you and those who donât.
Remember, the Insights tab only gives you basic analytics information. To more accurately track your Reels performance and access all the performance metrics youâll need to transform your Reels hashtag strategy, we recommend using Flick! Weâll discuss how you can use our tools later on.
Want to learn more about Instagram Reels Insights? Check out our full guide on Instagram Reels Insights here.
Find The Best Reels Hashtags For Your IG Account With Flick
Effective use of hashtags for Reels on Instagram is key to driving engagement for these posts. Using a balance of low, medium, and high competition terms that are relevant to your brand, content, and each other is a proven way to be ranked highly by Instagramâs algorithms.
How can Flick help you find the perfect hashtags to get your Instagram Reel viral? We offer:
- Hashtag Search: Find hundreds of quality hashtags in minutes â based on your content category, your target audience, and previous Reels. Drive more impressions, profile views, and follows from untapped audiences.
- Competitor Research: While you search for hashtags of your own, you can observe top-performing hashtag content to help you figure out whether your content is the right fit.
- Avoid Banned Hashtags: Youâll never have to worry about banned hashtags ever again, as we filter them out for you.
Let Flick generate hashtags for your Reels and watch your account grow using our powerful analytics tool.
Sign up for a free 7-day trial to see the results for yourself, or learn more first with our free Instagram hashtag research course.
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