Hashtags for Photographers

Alright it’s time to talk about hashtags for photographers. Should we use them? How many? Which ones? All of those questions and more are going to be answered in 3, 2, 1…

So here’s the honest truth. Hashtags on Instagram are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Now, before you run off, can I just say that hashtags carry a LOT of weight when it comes to booking from Instagram.

Odds are, if you aren’t using hashtags it’s because you:

• think they look spammy
• make you look desperate
• you aren’t sure you’re doing it right
• you don’t think its working

But actually, hashtags aren’t spammy at all. Hashtags are like little “keywords” for the Instagram search engine (keywords are special words that people will often search on google in order to find a piece of information). They are what is going to get you seen when somebody types, “Chicago Illinois Wedding Photographer,” into the search bar.

But when it comes to Hashtags… there’s definitely a strategy!

Hashtag Strategy #1-

Use Niche Hashtags. Things like #chicagoillinoisphotographer, #springfieldillinoisphotographer, etc. Use a hashtag for the city in which you serve or want to serve, followed by the state, followed by photography. Use these hashtags every single time! Finding real results with hashtags typically means that we have to use them more than just one time.

Hashtag Strategy #2-

Only post relevant hashtags. Things that describe the location, the product, the type of photo or content you are posting. For example, don’t use the hashtag #illinoiscoffeeshops if the photo you are posting has nothing to do with coffee, a coffee shop, etc.

Hashtag Strategy #3-

Keep the broad hashtags to a minimum. Broad hashtags are the ones that have thousands of posts per minute and are almost impossible to get noticed on, ESPECIALLY BY OUR IDEAL CLIENT.

Example, #weddingphotographer or #foodie or #coffee or #photographer. If we keep the majority of those hashtags to a more narrow or niche category, our instagram will actually start booking REAL clients!

Then we can feel free to sprinkle in just a FEW broad hashtags to boost engagement and reach.

Hashtag Strategy #4-

Use all 30! Instagram let’s you have 30 hashtags per post. Which means there are 30 different opportunities for your post to get seen! Make sure you use ever single one of those opportunities to your advantage.

Hashtag Strategy #5-

Switch it up! Typically I have 2-4 different groupings of hashtags that I will rotate through as I post. Just make sure you keep those recurring niche hashtags at all times.

Put them in a note on your phone and copy & paste them when you are ready to go!

Hashtag Strategy #6-

Use hashtags to get noticed by clients… not other photographers! Don’t use hashtags like #communityovercompetition or #lookslikefilm to try and get bookings. Only use them if they are relevant to your post. Because, remember, our goal is to get seen and BOOKED by our ideal client.

But hey…. i’ve been there too! But if we try to think of hashtags that are relevant to our posts but also ones that our ideal clients will be looking for that is when we will start to notice an increase in bookings from IG. So, instead of putting #communityovercompetition on a wedding bouquet detail shot, try something like, #summerweddingbouquets or #summerweddingbouquetinspo.

Want a free little Hashtag Cheat Sheet?

If you want to dive deeper into Instagram as well as the other Marketing Platforms you should be using, check out my More than Marketing Course!