How to use Photography hashtags on Instagram! My simple hashtag strategy!

 

Let me tell you something that might floor you: most of your kids have probably never lived in a world without hashtags. Weird, right?

Believe it or not, even after all these years, hashtags are still a super valuable tool that can help your clients find you. They’re essentially Instagram’s search engine.

Does that make you feel a little silly for still not understanding how they work, or how to use them for your family photography business? Don’t sweat it — using them to your advantage is easier than you think. I’ve got you! 

Hashtags are simply a way related posts get grouped together so that users can discover content they’re interested in.

And with over 500 million daily Instagram users, they can put you in front of a LOT of people who otherwise might never have discovered your work. They’re powerful, too — adding just one can boost your engagement by more than 12%.

Knowing what works best with your audience is something you’ll discover with time. But to get you started, try this little three-step strategy I use and you’ll be hashtagging your posts like a pro in no time.  And download my free hashtag guide for photographers to get an even more in-depth hashtag tutorial.

Location, location, location

Start with location-specific hashtags for the area you live in, and don’t forget the quirky ones like the nicknames for your city or region. For me, that looks like #pnwisbest #seattlefamilyphotographer #seattlephotographer #seattleportraitphotographers. For someone in, say, Chicago, it might look like #chicagophotographers #windycityphotograpers #chicagoviews #igchicago. See what your peers and local industry influencers are using, and jump on their hashtag bandwagon.

Be niche-specific 

So much in business these days is highlighting your niche, and hashtags are no exception. Will it also get you in front of people who do the same type of photography you do? Sure! But all engagement is good engagement, including the kind you get from your peers. It will encourage the algorithm to also boost your content within the local tags, which is where your client audience lives. Examples: #familyphotography #newbornlifestylephotography #familyposingmadeeasy

Use the max amount allowed

You’re allowed 30 hashtags on each post and 10 on each story. Given what you know now about what just one can do, why wouldn’t you use all 30?! The most engaged conversations are happening within the more niche hashtags, so don’t automatically gravitate to the ones that have been used a million times. Stay relevant and specific, and steer clear of anything overly general.

Give this a try and let me know what you find!