Skip to content
  • Log in
  • Cart
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Advisory Committee
    • Meet our Coaches
  • Academy
  • Products & Services
    • View all
    • Digital Academy
    • Industry Training & Development
    • Current industry programs
  • News
    • Blog
    • Media
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Log in
  • Cart
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Advisory Committee
    • Meet our Coaches
  • Academy
  • Products & Services
    • View all
    • Digital Academy
    • Industry Training & Development
    • Current industry programs
  • News
    • Blog
    • Media
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
FAQs
Login
  • Log in
  • Cart
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Advisory Committee
    • Meet our Coaches
  • Academy
  • Products & Services
    • View all
    • Digital Academy
    • Industry Training & Development
    • Current industry programs
  • News
    • Blog
    • Media
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Log in
  • Cart
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Advisory Committee
    • Meet our Coaches
  • Academy
  • Products & Services
    • View all
    • Digital Academy
    • Industry Training & Development
    • Current industry programs
  • News
    • Blog
    • Media
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
Freebies
the purpose of instagram hashtags - womans hands holding smart phone searching for hashtags in the instagram app

The Purpose of Instagram Hashtags in 2022: A Guide for Small Businesses

Creating a successful social media strategy requires understanding the purpose of Instagram hashtags. Use our hashtags category guide for your business.
  • Greater returns from social media, Marketing in the digital age
  • 30-day Health Kick 2022, instagram, social media
First published on June 11, 2022
Last updated on May 9, 2023

Instagram hashtags have been a controversial topic of conversation over the years. Our aim is to outline the purpose of Instagram hashtags in 2022 and how you can use them the benefit your business.

This is because hashtags are known by many as a ‘must-have’ strategic element of your content strategy that determines whether your post goes ‘viral’ and is shown on the explore page. Now, while it is important to include hashtags in every single one of your Instagram posts, they serve a different purpose in Instagram’s algorithm in 2022.

The purpose of Instagram hashtags

Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, just announced hashtags don’t affect reach on Instagram! 🤯

He goes on by saying, “they do help us to understand what a post is about, which means it might be more likely to show up in a place like a hashtag page, for instance, but in general, no, I wouldn’t try to think of hashtags as a way to get more distribution.”

How to use Instagram hashtags in 2022

Moving forward, it may be helpful to think of hashtags as a categorisation tool for Instagram rather than a way for you to increase success on the platform.

This is because hashtags are only effective if the people (aka your followers and customers) who engage with your content signal to Instagram that your posts are of high value.

But what does high value mean? For Instagram, likes, comments, saves, shares, tapping through to a profile and time spent on the content signal value.

Hashtags don’t determine value. The content itself does. If your content is great, adds value to your customers and aligns with your target audience’s needs and wants, then Instagram will pick up that users are engaging and spending time with your content, then it will suggest it to more people through the Explore page, top posts on hashtag pages, hashtags people follow, and suggested posts in the home feed.

That’s how hashtags work. They don’t expand your reach from the get-go, they will, however, help you expand your reach if your post is of high value. At the end of the day, it always comes back to your content.

In saying that, we do want you to create a list of relevant hashtags you can refer to when posting content on Instagram. We don’t, however, want you to prioritise spending hours researching hashtags, but rather ensure you’re including the correct hashtag groups in your posts.

Our hashtag guide for small businesses

In the video below, Emily outlines the purpose of Instagram hashtags in 2022 as well as walks you through the 3 different hashtag groups that you should always include in your posts. Emily will also show you where to can find the hashtags that will benefit your business the most.

The number of hashtags to include in your posts has also been another topic of conversation. Instagram revealed earlier this year that you should keep the number of hashtags between 3-5 while others say to use all 30.

We like to meet in the middle and say you should include between 3-10 hashtags, that way you can include a variety of the 3 most important types of hashtags.

  • Your business hashtag – e.g. #yourbusinessname #thegippslandgrazer #thesoycandlecompany #bookkeepingagents
  • Location / industry hashtags – e.g. #scenicrim #visitqueensland #XeroAustralia #AustralianBookKeeper #SocialMediaManager
  • Post-related hashtags – e.g. #organicwine #aussiewildlife #luxuryaccomodation #soycandlesaustralia

Our challenge to you…

Is to understand the purpose of Instagram hashtags in 2022. To do this, use the table below to research hashtags and write them below. You may like to keep them here or keep a copy of them in your Notes app for easy access to copy and paste them into your post captions.

Hashtag categories you should include in your Instagram captions are:

a list of Instagram hashtag groups, a list of instagram hashtag types, the purpose of instagram hashtags using small business examples

Start your 30-Day health kick today

One challenge a day in your inbox, starting today, for 30 days.

Read more and enrol here
Picture of Emily Barry

Emily Barry

These past couple of years, Emily has immersed herself in a world of digital technology, social media and marketing. Em has coupled this experience with her love for helping small businesses grow and make use of their time, money and resources. In these sessions, Em loves to take a hands on approach to provide live demonstrations, tangible results and the most up-to-date information on topics.

Stay informed with Practical Tips so your business stays competitive in the digital world

We’ll keep you current once a month on the latest digital tools and opportunities based on your needs.

Yes please!
  • Industry EOI
  • Policies
  • Terms
  • Industry EOI
  • Policies
  • Terms
Facebook Instagram Youtube Twitter Linkedin
+61 (0)7 3103 6566
[email protected]

Brisbane
Head office

Suite 1,
57 Woodfield Rd
Pullenvale QLD 4069 
Australia

Sydney

Suite 101,
18-20 Victoria St
Erskineville NSW 2043
Australia

Melbourne

11 Yeomans Street, 
Northcote VIC 307
Australia

Adelaide

Level 8, 50 Grenfell St, Adelaide SA 5000 Australia

Agnes Water

139 Bicentennial Dr
Agnes Water QLD 4677
Australia

aboriginal-flag

Our team would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. We acknowledge that the sharing of knowledge has occurred across the lands and waterways of Australia for many thousands of years. As we continue to share stories and support small businesses we try to listen to the knowledge and practice that has always existed here and consider how we can contribute to the preservation of culture and Country wherever we live and work.

© 2021 Navii Pty Ltd ABN: 83 642 080 653 is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Digital Coaching International. All prices are in Australian Dollars.

This project is supported with grant funding from the Australian Government.

We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are a-okay with our terms.

got it