Think you don’t already use hashtags? Think again.

We all know someone who shakes their head defiantly and proclaims, “I never use any hashtags on Instagram.”  

The only people for whom this statement is true, are people who are not using instagram, at all. 

Virtually everyone on Instagram has had some exposure to and association with hashtags. Even if you have never used a single hashtag in one of your own posts. This is because Instagram is tracking the hashtags that you engage with.

Every single post you like, every single topic you search, and every single account you follow, is associated with hashtags. 

Ways you are using hashtags that you might not already be aware of include:

• Clicking on a hashtag
• Following a hashtag feed
• Searching a hashtag or searching a keyword/topic that is associated with a hashtag
• Liking a hashtagged post
• Commenting on a hashtagged post
• Following an account that uses hashtags
• Watching or interacting with hashtagged Stories or IGTV content

Looking at the above list you can see how impossible it is to use Instagram without interacting with hashtags.

What this means for you: Hashtag research is increasingly important. Hashtags are having an impact on your account. This can work in your favor, when you use hashtags consciously and with purpose.

Try an experiment with your own account. For two days, make an effort to only like and comment on posts within a narrow niche topic - maybe one or two hashtags. Notice anything different about your feed? 

You should be seeing increased content of a similar nature. You might notice that certain accounts you follow are being shown more or less often, because they are more or less closely associated with that topic. 

Instagram has long stated it is their goal to deliver the type of content to people that they are looking for. So when you engage with a hashtag, you are sending a clear signal to Instagram that this is the type of content you are interested. 

That signal is further boosted when you use hashtags in your own posts, and receive engagement on those hashtagged posts. But make no mistake... 

Hashtags are an important part of every account, whether you are adding them to your posts, or not.

Vitamin H Hashtag Rx lists can help you reach your targeted audience and grow in your niche by delivering fresh, topical hashtag lists. It would take hours to do this sort of hashtag research on your own. 

We make it easy for you to stay current with the tags that are getting the highest engagement. 

Recognizing the power of hashtags, and being conscious of your interactions with them is essential for authentic growth and success on Instagram today.