5 Reasons Why Your Hashtags Are Not Working

You say #donut. I say #doughnut. Let’s figure the whole thing out.

why-hashtags-fail-strategic-ampersand-pdx-donut-doughnut

Hashtags are bit like baking: there’s a science in how they work, but they also need some attention and maintenance to help your content rise to the top.

Feel like your hashtags aren’t working or seem a little stale? Let’s look at 5 reasons why your hashtags may not be helping build brand awareness or grow your audience.

1. They’re massively (over)used.
It’s true. Using those super popular hashtags aren’t helpful at all. Why? The higher the use rate, especially anything over 1M+ uses, means your content will be pushed down all the faster in that specific hashtag’s feed. For example: when writing this article, #donuts had over 8 MILLION uses, which means, on average, that hashtag is used 4,500 times per day. And considering people stop scrolling after 3 or 4 swipes, your image will be quickly lost in the fray.

The Fix: Research all versions of the hashtags and consider using a less popular one instead of, or in addition, to heavily popular ones. Using the above example: #donut (3.8M), #doughnuts (2.5M), #doughnut (1.1M) should all be considered as options.

Again, those numbers are based when this article was written on 6/13/20.

2. The exact same hashtags are used on every. single. post.
Using the exact same block of hashtags on every single post is what bots do, and in turn, the algorithm picks it up, may flag the account, which in turn limits its reach.

And - to be honest - using the same hashtags each time is lazy. It’s like piling a platter (aka your grid) with crullers, bear-claws, maple bars, and so many other sweet options, but telling people “look, #donuts.” The reality is the feed is cornucopia of goodness that people should know about - but by blanketing all the posts with the exact same hashtags, no one will know you also have #ChocolateCronuts.

The Fix: Make sure the hashtags are relevant to the image and copy as well as YOUR brand.

As a side note, this is different than including your brand’s hashtags on every post, which you should do.

3. They are unrelated to the content overall.
This goes in-hand with using the same hashtags on every single post. If you posted the bagel sandwich you had for lunch, but used donut-related hashtags; it’s a disservice to your brand. And with zero sugar-coating: it makes your brand less trustworthy to audiences, which makes it less likely audiences will follow you.

The Fix: Hashtags should (again) be relevant to the content and the brand.

4. You haven’t researched hashtags, and/or might be using banned, outdated, or incorrect hashtags.
If you’re using hashtags because they “feel” right or you saw a competitor use one you liked, that’s like baking without all the ingredients. When we research hashtags, we’re able to add them to the mix to best target and increase brand awareness.

The other helpful part is knowing what hashtags have been banned - long story short: hashtags related to pornography, terrorism, hate speech, and verbal and/or physical violence are banned permanently, while others are put under a “temporary” or rolling ban; for example hashtags that are producing a lot of spam within a short timeframe are blocked temporarily - and these can change within 24hrs. And once a hashtag is banned, temporarily or permanently, your post won’t be seen within the hashtag feeds. Also: ready for head explosive moment: if one hashtag is banned, it’s highly likely the rest of the hashtags in your post will be as well - when one goes out, they all go out.

The benefit of researching hashtags, you learn how/why/what certain hashtags are used for just by simply looking at a that hashtag’s feed - and you can decide if you want to hop on the trend train.

The Fix: A bit obvious, but do the research, learn the difference between various hashtags, and create “collections” of hashtags for each use that will relate to your brand’s content, help audiences find you, and not get banned.

5. Your content isn’t captivating.
Yeah. This is the gut-punch. That one stings because it’s a rough admission. What’s important here is to remember: it’s not that you or your brand isn’t captivating; it’s the way the brand’s story is being told isn’t connecting with audiences, growing your community, or creating brand awareness and platform loyalty.

The Fix: Take the time to look at your feed, run an audit, and learn what did well and what didn’t. Ultimately you want to be answering the following questions:

What problems am I solving for my community?
Am I offering substance to the conversation?
What makes my brand unique - and how does that benefit my audience, community, clients/customers?

bottom line:

Hashtags are much more than just a few sprinkles to throw on an Instagram post. They are a crucial ingredient in creating brand awareness, finding and growing your community, and establishing relevancy with audiences.

Learn More About: