How to Use Hashtags and Trends on Instagram to Attract Organic Followers
Instagram remains one of the strongest platforms among creators, brands, and influencers. As competition intensifies, posting is no longer sufficient.
Sometimes, to attract organic followers, you need a clever approach, particularly in hashtags and trends.
We, MoreThanPanel, will take you through hashtags and trends on Instagram to attract organic followers to reach as many people as possible. Keep reading!
Why Hashtags Still Matter in 2025?
The algorithm of Instagram has changed with time. Although hashtags were intended to be used for general discovery, nowadays they are more for categorizing and relevance. Instagram SEO experts argue that it works better to use 3-5 highly relevant, community or niche-specific hashtags than putting 30 generic ones on a dump.
It has been found that hashtags assist Instagram in understanding the nature of your post. They still aid in discoverability, and can help your content go to the Explore page.
Understanding the Instagram Hashtag Landscape in 2025
Instagram now incorporates hashtag information with additional indicators such as engagement and context. For example, appropriate hashtags and significant captions work best.
It has clearly advised creators to reduce the number of tags. Numerous reputable sources recommend 3-5 hyper-relevant hashtags, as opposed to utilizing the entire 30-tag limit.
Using too many or too few hashtags or switching the same group of hashtags is a waste, as it might be viewed as spam or irrelevant by Instagram.
Types of Hashtags to Use on Instagram
The mix of various types of hashtags is important to create an effective Instagram hashtag strategy that can be used to organically grow:
Trending Hashtags: The hashtags should be relevant to the existing viral moments, events, or seasonal themes.
Niche Hashtags: Industry and community specific (#VeganRecipes, #DigitalArtistLife, etc.).
Branded/campaign Hashtags: Your brand’s unique hashtags assist you in building and monitoring your own community.
Location-based Hashtags: Helpful when you want to reach a local or a regional market.
How to Find the Appropriate Hashtags?
The discovery of the appropriate hashtags is essential. Emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Even a balanced combination of 15-20 different types of hashtags can be part of a hashtag strategy.
Search on Instagram to get similar tags.
Search third-party tools such as Hashtagify or IQHashtags and use the best low competition Instagram hashtags.
Conduct competitor and influencer analysis in your niche to find useful tags.
Pro tip: The more relevant the hashtags used are, the more effective it is to use 3-5 in a post. Hashtags may be overused with 30 generic hashtags that decrease engagement.
How to Monitor and Manage Hashtag Performance?
Track post reach and participation of each hashtag.
Switch hashtags so you don't get tired of the algorithm.
Focus on hashtags that bring targeted traffic, not just high impressions.
Fact: The use of a combination of niche and trending hashtags can result in 3 times greater engagement than using generic popular hashtags.
Mistakes to Avoid While Putting Hashtags
Including irrelevant hashtags in the content can cater to the wrong audience and decrease the interaction.
Excessive hashtags on a post.
Using popular hashtags only.
Repeated usage of the same hashtag.
All about Instagram Trends
Instagram trends are based on the interests of users at the moment, whether it is a viral challenge or a seasonal event. The relevance of trends is that they utilize timeliness, which enhances the visibility of the content.
Examples of trends include:
Viral challenges (#DanceChallenge2025)
Events during seasons or holidays (#Ramadan2025, #SummerVibes).
Trends in the industry (#AIContentMarketing, #DigitalMarketingTips).
Fact: Posts that go around the trending content have the potential to have up to 20% more reach than regular posts.
How to Identify Trends
You can find trends using:
Explore tab: Discover what is on Reels and posts.
Instagram Search: Enter the keywords in the search box and read the associated tags.
Social Listening Tools: Social listening tools, such as Brand24 or Hashtagify, track a trend in real time.
Monitoring Influencers: Keep an eye on what trends influencers in your niche are pursuing.
Plan and Create Trend-Based Content.
Keep up with a trend but put your own spin on it.
Relevant trending hashtags will improve discoverability.
Make captions interesting and educational to increase interaction.
Example:
In case of a trending Reel about summer recipes:
Trend hashtag: #Summer2025
Specific hashtags: healthy eating, vegan recipes.
Mistakes to Avoid While Following Trends
Being on all the trends, even when that is not relevant to your audience.
Leaving your niche and trending with broad hashtags only.
Publishing trend-based information without studying traffic.
The inability to monitor what trends make viewers followers.
Trick: When growing in the long run, focus on trends that are important to your brand and audience.
5 Ongoing Instagram Hashtags and Trends in 2025
1. AI-Generated Content
Reels and AR filters, as well as unique graphics, are being created in large numbers with the help of AI tools. This tendency enables creators to work quickly and stay creative at that. Some of the popular hashtags are: #AICreatedCharacters, #SyntheticStorytelling, and #KlingAIArt. The participation in this trend makes it more visible among creative and tech-savvy audiences.
2. Extended Reels
Longer short-form videos are the buzzing trend since Instagram supports the use of micro-series or episodic content. Hashtags such as the name #MicroMovies and the name ReelMagic are in widespread use.
The Reels will be considered to retain the attention of the viewers and enhance the interaction by providing a more enriched content experience.
3. User-Generated Content (UGC)
Producers and artists invite users to post their personal content. This improves sincerity and confidence, and real-life experiences are presented in the form of posts.
UGC assists in enhancing community interaction and spurring active organic follower boosts.
4. Nostalgia & Vintage Filters
Retro aesthetic, throwback, and color-graded material are very trendy. Hashtags will be such as #ThrowbackVibes and #RetroAesthetic. Nostalgia is emotional and makes it share and comment more.
5. Social Commerce/ Shoppable Content
Instagram Shops and artificial intelligence-driven shopping experiences will keep increasing. Trends and business opportunities are mixed, popular hashtags such as #ShopOnInsta,#ScrollToBuy, #EcoLiving2025, etc.
Conclusion
Hashtags enhance discoverability, whereas trends enhance relevance and interaction. With the help of each of them, performance monitoring, and targeting the content that will appeal to your customers, you can sustainably grow your Instagram follower base.
Hopefully, you will be able to use hashtags and trends on Instagram to attract organic followers. Best of luck!
