How excited were you when Instagram announced you can now hashtag emojis? I nearly lost it, and admittedly spent way too long searching all the cutest emojis! As fun as hashtags can be, they’re also super beneficial for boosting your Instagram followers, if done correctly. It’s been a long learning process for me, and I’m still growing, but I can say with ease that Instagram has been the biggest traffic driver to my blog.

Here’s the biggest mistake I made when I first started using Instagram: I never used hashtags.

I thought they were annoying, and I almost felt a little embarrassed tagging each of my photos with copious amounts of random words. But let me tell you: If you’re using your Instagram account to grow your blog or business, you must use hashtags. They’re magical little creatures that automatically publicize your pictures — super valuable! I’ve played with and tested my share of hashtags at this point, so I thought I’d share a few that I’ve found hugely beneficial for my growth and for getting my Instagram out to the right audiences.

First of all, the idea isn’t to simply tag the crap out of your photos with any word that might kind of relate to your photo. Instead, look through each one and decide if your aesthetics and photos match what each hashtag is looking for. Your photo is going to sit among thousands of other creative shots, so you want to make sure it will both fit nicely with the others and stand out, too! That way, potential, new followers will be intrigued to check out your account.

Also? You can use up to 30 hashtags for each photo. I recommend using all of them (because why not?) 😉

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These are my go to hashtags:

1. #flashesofdelight

This hashtag was started by the Glitter Guide account. Anything fun and girly fits well under this hashtag. The Glitter Guide is awesome because they look through the hashtag and pick a few photos to regram throughout the week. This account actually reposted two of my photos, which brought in a ton of new, engaged followers. Even if they don’t repost your photo, if they like what they see, they will literally “like” it, and your photo has a good chance of ending up on people’s “explore” feeds (in other words, a whole set of new eyes on your account!).

Also, on Fridays, The Glitter Guide posts “5 Things To Try This Weekend” on their blog, where they give you a list of five fun weekend activities to do. If you do them and photograph them, tag #GG5things, and they may also regram you there! Not a lot of people use this hashtag, so your chances of getting your photo featured on their account are a little higher.

2. #communityovercompetition

If you follow The Rising Tide Society, you know that they are an incredible community for bloggers and entrepreneurs alike! This behind #communityovercompetition is about putting relationships first, over opportunities. It’s about serving others, lifting others up, and connection.

You can also visit their #tuesdaystogether hashtag for more of the same.

3. #bandotodolist

The Shopbando account is seriously fun. It’s full of life and color, but more importantly, it’s full of community! These girls love sharing their followers’ photos! On Friday’s they post a “ban.do to do list,” which, much like the GG 5 things, gives you a fun weekend activity to try. Try it out, photograph it, hashtag it, and they may regram you! They posted my photo in December and I was actually the most excited, ever. I kind of fan girl over this account, it’s so creative and colorful!

They also use #bandofun to search for photos to regram, so check that hashtag out and see if any of your photos fit that category, too!

4. #thatsdarling

This hashtag was started by Darling Magazine. Darling is easily one of my favorite accounts to follow. All their photos are crisp, clean, and so beautiful! I use this hashtag on just about every photo I post. I’ve gotten tons of new followers just from using this hashtag alone! The idea is to share darling moments in your life, which is fun because it’s such an open-ended concept and you can really get creative! Darling also reposts photos quite often.

Also, check out their #darlingweekend hashtag!

5. #mybeautifulmess

Created by team at A Beautiful Mess, this hashtag is for every creative out there! Their Instagram account is dedicated primarily to regramming their followers’ photos, which is seriously awesome of them! Melyssa had her photo regrammed on there once, too, woohoo! They have a ton of hashtags you can use, their most current one being #abmspring.

Also check out: #abmtravelbug #abmlifeissweet #abmpatternlove #abmmurals

6. #DScolor

Design blog guru, Design*Sponge, has its own hashtag, too! For this hashtag, they look for, you guessed it, colorful photos to share on their account!

7. #pursuitwithpurpose

Lest you forget, MelyssaGriffin.com has its own hashtag, too! Share your hustle so we can cheer you on. This hashtag is perfect for all creatives, bloggers, and business owners.

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Using hashtags can be a little overwhelming at first, but the most important thing to remember is to stay true to yourself. Some, or maybe all, of these hashtags may not really apply to you, and that’s perfectly okay! Poke around, search for hashtags you’re interested in, and see if there are other accounts you can follow that will challenge you and help you grow your community. That is what Instagram is all about, right?

What are some of your go-to hashtags? Have you found any that have significantly helped you grow your own community?

Related: 11 Surefire Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following