The BEST Instagram Hashtag Generator (and 17 Copiable Hashtag Lists)

Struggling to find the #perfect hashtag for your Instagram post?

That's #relatable!

Most content creators on Instagram are in the same boat.

But there's a quick way to fix this.

I'm about to show you how to find Instagram hashtags that will boost engagement and connect your posts with the #perfect audience.

The BEST Instagram Hashtag Generator (and 17 Copiable Hashtag Lists)

In this post I'll show you how to find and use the best Instagram hashtags — no matter what niche you're in!

And yes, the free tool and lists of popular hashtags are below!

In fact, I’ve added a glossary of 999+ hashtags below, so you have instant access to good hashtags for your next post.

But first... let's back up and define what hashtags are and the different categories of hashtags.

Table of Contents

• What is an Instagram hashtag?
• How do you add hashtags on Instagram?
• 9 different types of Instagram hashtags
• Another way to categorize Instagram hashtags
• The best Instagram hashtag generator tool for finding hashtags
• The top Instagram hashtags in 17 categories
• 7 Instagram hashtag mistakes you should avoid

What is an Instagram hashtag?

Let's start with the basics.

What's a hashtag?

A hashtag is a word or a group of words beginning with a # sign.

If you’re American, you might call this a pound or number sign. Whereas other countries in the world refer to this (#) to as a ‘Hash’ symbol.

Hashtags basically function as keywords. You can click them to see more posts about the keyword.

Twitter was the first social media platform to introduce hashtags in 2007. Since then, many other social platforms have adopted them.

Now let’s look at the process of creating hashtags.

How do you add hashtags on Instagram?

Again, hashtags allow you to categorize Instagram posts into different buckets.

Here’s an example:

Say you want to see posts related to digital marketing. No problem. Just click in the search bar on Instagram and type in #digitalmarketing.

The search suggestions will supply you with a list of related hashtags.

When you click enter on #digitalmarketing, you get a page filled with Instagram posts about digital marketing:

You can use any term as a hashtag and search to get relevant results.

If you're a digital marketer and want to make sure your posts show in this feed, you just need to add the hashtag “#digitalmarketer” to your post.

Then your post will automatically end up in this feed and be visible to anyone who searches the hashtag — or clicks the hashtag on another post

Keep in mind: it's difficult to get seen via generic or highly competitive hashtags.

How to make finding hashtags (even more) simple

Think of the Instagram search bar as ‘Google’ and each hashtag page as a “Search engine results page”.

Just like Google, the posts on a hashtag's results page depend on a number of factors, including:

1. Quality of posts
2. Number of likes, comments, shares and saves
3. Number of followers of the account

...and other factors determined by Instagram’s algorithms.

Choosing the right hashtags has NO advantage when your posts aren’t good quality.

You'll only gain juice out of your hashtags when your Instagram posts STAND OUT from the crowd.

You can use a professional tool or a free Instagram post maker to help you create stunning Instagram posts in minutes.

Apart from quality posts and the right hashtags, you also need to focus on your post captions.

Add a pinch of consistency and you'll get solid engagement on all of your Instagram posts over time.

9 different types of Instagram hashtags

Today, Instagram boasts over a BILLION active users.

As a result, hashtags have grown in number too — and with that high quantity comes a huge variety.

So let's take a look at the different types of hashtags used on Instagram.

1: Branded hashtags

Branded hashtags feature names of your organization, product or service.

Such hashtags are used every time you make a post about your social media handles.

Some examples of branded hashtags are #nike, #picmaker, #Instagram, #LouisVuitton, etc.

Here’s an example of Louis Vuitton using their branded hashtag on one of their posts, featuring a member of the South Korean boy band, BTS.

NOTE: #BTS is also another branded hashtag on this post.

2. Hashtags related to a product or service

This category is a subset of the first category.

Although your products and services are offered by your brand, you can create separate categories for them too.

Sometimes you can also choose already available categories for products and services.

For example, some of the product hashtags from Nike could be #shoes, #whiteshoes, #whitesneakers, etc.

3. Community hashtags

This is a great way to index your posts among already well-established hashtags or communities on Instagram.

For example, if you're a musician, you can use hashtags like ‘#musiciansofInstagram’ to index your post among the community on international musicians.

Let’s go a step further and assume that you’re a musician in New York.

You could also use a hashtag like ‘#musiciansofny’ to index your post on that page.

The other way brands can use this is by developing their own hashtag.

Mindvalley, the brainchild of Vishen Lakhiani, uses community hashtags on all of its Instagram posts.

Here are some community hashtags they consistently use on their posts.

#mindvalleycommunity

#mindvalleytribe

4. Custom campaign hashtags

These are custom hashtags created to track campaigns run by brands on Instagram.

One example of this is #nationafriedchickenday by KFC.

Although this was not their brand hashtag, it was highly relatable to their core offering — fried chicken.

They used the hashtag to their benefit on all their Twitter and Instagram posts.

Now, that’s what we call smart usage of hashtags!

On the other hand, Coca-Cola inserted #shareacoke into their famous campaign.

5. Location hashtags

These hashtags are based on certain locations in the world.

It can be anything like #newyork, #california, #italy, #india.

6. Event hashtags

These are hashtags created for events and conferences organized around the world.

One good example of event hashtags is the ‘#olympics’ used during the Olympics. Based on the country in which they are hosted, these hashtags can be further split into multiple categories.

A good example is the upcoming Tokyo olympics.

The hashtag‘#tokyoolympics’ is already trending even though the event is more than two months away (at the time of this being written).

7. Day-based hashtags

There is a list of hashtags that are based on days of the week.

Even though most people reject these hashtags, one look at their popularity may nudge you to think otherwise.

Here’s a small list of the hashtags for Monday.

Here’s another example of hashtags for Tuesday.

With day-based hashtags, your opportunities are endless.

8. Month-based hashtags

After day-based hashtags, we have month-based hashtags.

Although each variant can only be used once in a batch of 30 days in a year, it's still beneficial.

It depends on how you apply your creativity to use these hashtags on your Instagram posts.

Here’s an example of all the hashtags that are based on ‘#january’

9. Special day hashtags

These hashtags are based on a special day in a year.

These could be anything like International Earth Day, April Fool’s Day, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and even National Underwear Day. (Yes, we’ve got a special day to celebrate underwear at a national level!)

Here is an example of ‘#earthday’ used by Pinterest on one of their posts.

Another way to categorize Instagram hashtags

Apart from the above-mentioned way of categorization, here’s one more way to categorize Instagram hashtags.

While that looks at the function and internal meaning of a hashtag, here’s how you can do it differently.

1. High competition Instagram hashtags

Instagram hashtags that have more than 250,000 posts fall into the category of high-competition Instagram hashtags.

These are generic hashtags like #digitalmarketing, #marketing, and #sales.

Here’s an example page of a high competition Instagram hashtag:

This page has more than 15,549,561 posts, which puts it at the top of the competition.

2. Medium-competition Instagram hashtags

Medium competition hashtags are in the range of 85,000 to 250,000 posts.

#digitalmarketingtip is a good example of a medium-competition Instagram hashtag.

3. Low-competition Instagram hashtags

Any hashtag that has less than 85,000 posts is a low-competition hashtag.

#digitalmarketingspecialist is a good example of a low-competition Instagram hashtag.

Newbies on Instagram can try to compete for such low-hanging fruit (assuming their posts are good enough).

The best Instagram hashtag generator tool for finding hashtags

Below is the FREE hashtag generator tool! Enjoy and let us know how it works for you in the comments.

Here's how to get started:

Step 1: Log onto All-hashtag.com

You can use this link to visit the website: all-hashtag.com.

Step 2: Enter your core topic

Once you are on the website, click on the ‘Generator’ tab.

You will land on the Instagram Hashtag generator page.

On this page, enter your core topics into the search bar:

For example, if your search topic is sales, you can enter "sales" in the search bar and click enter.

You will land on the results page for your search query.

Step 3: Copy the hashtags and paste them into a Google sheet

You can copy these results and paste them in your Google sheet.

Here’s how we created a Google sheet of relevant hashtags for our reference.

Step 4: Use different sets of hashtags for different posts

Once you have collected these hashtags, mix them up and use them in different posts.

The more hashtags you use, the more your 'test set' will increase over time.

Step 5: Test and analyze your results

Once you have put out posts with different hashtags, go to Instagram analytics and check the traffic you are getting from each set.

There are quite a few tried and tested ways to check the reach of hashtags on all your posts.

You can analyze your hashtag reach using Instagram’s built-in analytics tool.

All you need to do is set up an Instagram business account and you will be good to go.

The top Instagram hashtags in 17 categories

Link to popular Instagram hashtags in 17 categories (Google sheet)

You can use this Google sheet to get various hashtags for your Instagram posts.

Here's a breakdown of all the categories inside this Google sheet, along with the top 25 hashtags from each category.

Tab 1: Top 99 hashtags of 2021

Here's the top 25:

#follow4follow #amazing #sexy #red #model #design #friends #insta #bestoftheday #selfie #likeforlike #instagram #italy #paris #ootd #photographer #canon #architecture #follow #night #training #followforfollow #l4l #food #goals

Click this image to see the rest:

Tab 2: Top 100 hashtags of all time

Here's the top 25:

#love #instagood #fashion #photooftheday #beautiful #art #photography #happy #picoftheday #cute #follow #tbt #followme #nature #like4like #travel #instagram #style #repost #summer #instadaily #selfie #me #friends #fitness

Click this image to see the rest:

Tab 3: Top hashtags for Sales, Real Estate, Marketing, Digital Marketing

Sales top 25:

#sales #salesman #Salesforce #salestraining #salesfunnel #salestips #salesteam #SalesLife #salescoach #salesperson #salesmanager #salesk2 #salesrep #salesalesale #salespeople #salesjobs #saleswoman #salestrainer #salesmen #salespromotiongirl #salesfunnels #salesagent #salespro #salesdevelopment #salesleads

Real Estate top 25:

#realestate #realestateagent #RealEstateInvestor #realestatelife #realestateinvesting #realestatephotography  #RealEstateBroker #realestatemarketing #realestateagents #realestatesales #realestateforsale #realestateexperts #realestateinvestment #Realestatemiami #realestatephotographer #realestateinvestors #realestatenews #realestatedevelopment #RealEstateTips #realestateagency #realestategoals #realestatemarket #realestatedeveloper #realestatephotos #realestatephoto

Marketing top 25:

#marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #marketingonline #marketingstrategy #marketing101 #marketingagency #marketingplan #marketingsocial #marketingmultinivel #marketingtools #marketingteam #marketinglife #marketingdeconteudo #marketingguru #marketingderede #MarketingIdeas #marketingcoach #marketingconsultant #MarketingStrategies #marketingtip #marketingadvice  #marketingblog #marketingmanagement #marketingautomation

Digital Marketing top 25:

#digitalmarketing #digitalmarketingagency #digitalmarketingtips #digitalmarketingstrategy #digitalmarketingtraining #digitalmarketingstrategist #digitalmarketingtools #digitalmarketingconsultant #digitalmarketingexpert #DigitalMarketingThailand #digitalmarketingservices #digitalmarketinglife #digitalmarketingplan #digitalmarketingstrategies #digitalmarketingtip #digitalmarketingturistico #digitalmarketingcompany #digitalmarketingdubai #digitalmarketingblog #DigitalMarketingConsultants #digitalmarketingpanama #digitalmarketingblueprint #DigitalMarketingBusiness #digitalmarketingcourse #digitalmarketingnigeria

Click this image to see the rest:

Tab 4: Top hashtags for Finance, Fitness, Health, Travel

Finance top 25:

#finance#finances #financememes #financegod #financeandfelony #financeiro #financetips #financemarket #financeira #financebroker #financeworld #financecoach #financereading #financemanager #financefreedom #financefriday #financeavailable #financeblogger #financecars #FinanceGoals #financemajor #Financement #financeaccounting #financenews #financequotes

Fitness top 25:

#fitness #fitnessmotivation #fitnessmodel #fitnessaddict #fitnessgirl #fitnessjourney #fitnesslifestyle #fitnesslife #fitnessfreak #fitnessgoals #fitnessgear #fitnessfood #fitnessinspiration #fitnessgirls #fitnessbody #fitnesswomen #fitnessblogger #fitnessmodels #fitnesscoach #fitnessphysique #fitnessmom #FitnessTrainer #fitnesslover #fitnessaddicted #fitnessfreaks

Health top 25:

#healthy #health #healthyfood #healthylifestyle #healthychoices #HealthyEating #healthyliving #healthylife #healthybreakfast #healthyhair #healthybody #healthcare #healthiswealth #healthcoach #healthymind #healthyeats #HealthyDiet #healthandfitness #healthyrecipe s#healthandwellness #healthyskin #healthymom #healthfood #healthysnack #healthyhabits

Travel top 25:

#travel #Travelgram #traveling #Travelphotography #travelling #travelblogger #traveler #traveller #travelingram #traveltheworld #travelblog #travels #traveladdict #travellife #travelphoto #travelpics #traveldiaries #travelbug #TravelAwesome #travelpic #travelers #travelstoke #travelgirl #traveldiary #traveldeeper

Click this image to see the rest:

Tab 5: Top hashtags for Music, Love, Friends, Photography

Music top 25:

#music #musician #musica #musically #musicvideo #musical #musicislife #musicians #musicproducer #musiclife#MusicLover #musicallyapp #musicproduction #musicfestival #musicismylife #musicphotography #musicstudio #musicindustry #musiclovers #musicianlife #musicals #musicartist #musicvideos #musicaly #musicaltheatre

Love top 25:

#love #lovely #Loveit #loveyourself #lovelife #lovemyjob #lovequotes #loveyou #lover #loveher #lovehim #lovers# lovedogs #loveislove #lovefood #lovemylife #lovethem #Lovestory #lovewhatyoudo #lovecats #lovepuppies #lovenature #lovethissong #lovewins #loveofmylife

Friends top 25:

#friends #friendship #friendshipgoals #friendsforever #friendships #friendsforlife #friendstime #friendsnotfood #friendshipquotes #friendswithbenefit #FriendsLove #friendsinperson #friendsgiving #friendslikefamily #friendstrip #friendshipismagic #friendshipbracelet #friendsandfamily #friendstvshow #friendsday #friendsallovertheworld #friendsinbnw #friends4ever #friends4life #friendsarefamily

Photography top 25:

#photography #photographylovers #photographysouls #photographyeveryday #photographyislife #photographylover #photographyislifee #photographylife #photographyart #photographyoftheday #photographyy #photographylove #photographyaddict #photographyskills #photographybook #photographyprops #photographydaily #photographyisart #photographyaccount  #photographystudio #photographyday #photographynature #photographysoul  #photographystudent #photographyworkshop

Click this image to see the rest:

7 Instagram hashtag mistakes you should avoid

Mistake #1: Keeping your profile private

A private profile is one of the worst things you can do for your hashtag strategy.

If your profile is private, Instagram won’t index your posts on any hashtag pages.

Let’s assume that you have included the following hashtags on your post: #marketing, #sales, #future.

Instagram will only index your posts on the following hashtag pages if your profile is public.

Here’s an example of a public profile.

With a public profile, you can view all it’s contents even if you aren’t following it.

Now, here’s an example of a private profile:

Even if this account uses 100 different hashtags on all their posts, it wouldn’t be indexed on the hashtag pages.

Mistake #2: Using banned hashtags on Instagram

Instagram has a number of banned hashtags you should stay away from.

These hashtags are banned because Instagram users have termed them to be spammy or irrelevant.

One rule of thumb is to insert your hashtag into the “Instagram search bar” and see if it has been flagged.

For example, you might think that ‘#alone’ is completely harmless.

But once you run a search on Instagram, you will find that this hashtag has been flagged for inappropriate use.

Adding too many banned hashtags on your profile , may flag your profile as spammy.

Mistake #3: Being too generic with your hashtag approach

Hashtags like #digitalmarketing, #sales, and #marketing are QUITE generic.

These hashtags have a lot of followers and posts.

But, they also have strong competition at the top.

A good rule of thumb is to niche down and include hashtags that are highly relevant to your post.

Here’s an example of how Dain Walker, a Melbourne-based brand strategist uses a niche hashtag to his benefit.

Apart from generic hashtags like #marketing, #branding, Dain has also included low competition hashtags like #markeitngtips and #brandingdesign.

It's a solid strategy to have a mix of hashtags that are high competition — as well as low on competition.

Mistake #4: Being generic with your Instagram posts in general

A common mistake Instagram content creators make is being highly generic with their Instagram posts. Instagram is crowded and highly competitive.

If you’d like to be successful on Instagram, stick to a niche and post content related to that. Here are some examples:

Dain Walker sticks to posts related to branding, digital marketing, and content marketing.

Marcus Filly is a fitness trainer and sticks only to content related to fitness.

Don’t be generic with your content strategy on Instagram.

Pick a niche or an industry — and stick to it.

That’s the only way to grow in a highly competitive platform.

Mistake #5: Not having a consistent posting schedule

Creating content on a consistent basis is hard.

Coming up with new ideas every single day is a challenge.

That's when social media management tools like Post Planner come in handy.

It allows you to follow top accounts in your niche and generate ideas from it.

You can also use tools like Post Planner to plan posts beforehand and reshare old posts when you’re running out of ideas.

If you’re serious about your social media strategy, tools like Post Planner are a solid investment.

Mistake #6: Not using location-based hashtags

Location-based hashtags can be really helpful for your reach.

It's true for businesses that operate on a local or regional level.

For example, if you’re a florist in New York, you can include hashtags like “#florist, #floristsofInstagram, #florist life”.

Since you’re a local business operating in New York, you can also include hashtags like “#newyork, #newyorkcity, #newyorkcity_Instagram” etc.

Add a mix of location hashtags to get the extra reach on your Instagram posts.

Mistake #7: Adding irrelevant hashtags

The most common (and ANNOYING) mistake on all social media platforms?

Spamming.

Instagram gives you the freedom to add 30 hashtags on every post.

But if you're unable to come up with 30 hashtags, you shouldn’t add irrelevant hashtags.

Many social media marketers recommend not using more than 11 hashtags per post — to avoid appearing spammy.

Don’t add more hashtags and reduce your post relevancy.

By adding irrelevant hashtags, you risk spamming your Instagram account.

Do you have a favorite hashtag for YOUR industry? Please let us know about it in the comments below!