Hashtag Strategy Builder
Select your industry and content goal to get a tiered hashtag list - niche, mid-range, and broad - ready to copy straight into your caption.
3 min test
The problem with most hashtag sets isn't the count - it's using tags that are either too broad to rank in, or too random to attract your actual audience. A tiered strategy, matched to what you're actually posting, changes who finds you. Select your details below to get yours.
Your hashtags are reaching people - just not the right ones.
Using hashtags but still not seeing new customers find you? A generic set gets impressions. A matched set gets the right audience.
- ⚠️Audience Targeting Assessment██████████████
- ⚠️Niche vs Broad Balance Analysis██████████████
- 🔴Discoverability Gaps██████████████
- ✦Untapped Hashtag Opportunities██████████████
We'll build a tiered set around your actual account, audience, and what you're trying to achieve - not a list anyone can generate.
- ✓Hashtags matched to your exact niche and buyer
- ✓Tiered mix optimised for reach and discoverability
- ✓Strategy notes - why each tier, and when to use it
You're #12 in today's review list - we work through them in order
Reviewed by a real person who works with independent brands - not generated by AI
An Instagram hashtag strategy that brings the right people to your posts
Most hashtag advice focuses on the wrong thing: how many to use. The real question is whether the people finding you through those hashtags are actually your customers. A florist using #flowers (340 million posts) is competing with every flower photo on the internet. A florist using #LeedsFlorist (12,000 posts) is being found by people in Leeds looking for a florist.
A three-tier strategy works like this: niche hashtags (under 100k posts) reach people actively searching for your specific thing; mid-range hashtags (100k-500k) expand to people interested in your broader category; broad hashtags (500k+) are a long shot but occasionally drive a spike in reach. The mix matters more than the count.
This tool generates a tiered hashtag set matched to your industry and content goal - not a generic copy-paste list, but a set built around what you're actually posting and who you're trying to reach.
Common questions
Do Instagram hashtags still work?
Yes, though differently than a few years ago. Hashtags now primarily function as a discovery signal to Instagram's algorithm - helping it categorise and recommend your content - rather than sending users directly to posts via hashtag browse feeds. Relevant, specific hashtags still improve reach. Irrelevant or oversaturated ones can suppress it.
Where should I put hashtags - in the caption or the first comment?
Both placements work equally well. Instagram has confirmed there is no reach difference between hashtags in the caption versus the first comment. The choice is aesthetic: in the caption keeps everything in one place; in the first comment keeps the caption cleaner. Choose based on what looks right for your brand.
What is the difference between niche and broad hashtags?
A niche hashtag like #EdinburghFlorist has fewer posts - meaning less competition - and an audience actively searching for that specific thing. A broad hashtag like #Flowers has hundreds of millions of posts; your content gets buried within seconds of posting. Niche hashtags consistently drive better-quality reach even when the raw numbers look smaller.
Should I use the same hashtags on every post?
Using the exact same set on every post can eventually be flagged as repetitive behaviour by Instagram's filters. Rotate two or three hashtag sets and swap out 3-5 hashtags per post based on the specific content. Keep your niche and mid-range anchors consistent while rotating the broader ones.
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