Where should you put Instagram Hashtags?

Should you put Instagram hashtags in the caption or the comments of your Instagram posts? This is a never-ending debate with Instagram users. So, in this blog, I am going to break down the pros and cons of both.

If you are a business owner looking to grow online with video, social media and branding make sure you head over to my YouTube Channel for more tutorials and make sure to hit that subscribe button. 

Why put Instagram hashtags in the first comment of a post instead of in the actual caption itself?

Well, the main reason is that it looks prettier. When you put the hashtags in with the caption it can sometimes look cluttered and make it harder for your audience to read the caption itself. 

Some influencers also believe that this boosts your engagement because you automatically have a comment on your post. So that is something to test out on your own account to see if you find this to be true.

But what about the cons of this strategy?

Well, it makes posting a bit more difficult. If you are going to post your hashtags in the comments I would recommend looking for a scheduler that allows you to schedule your first comment as well as your post so that your hashtags go live at the same time as your post. 

If you are wondering what the best scheduler is for Instagram. Make sure to check out this video here all about the two most popular Instagram schedulers.

Why is this important? Well, Instagram’s algorithm starts working as soon as you hit publish, so even if you wait 5 minutes before adding your hashtags to the first comment this can affect your reach. 

Now, what about adding Instagram hashtags in the actual caption of the post?

How can you do this without making it look cluttered?

Well, the key here is to leave space between your caption and the hashtags. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can hit the return key after your sentence multiple times to create a blank space, or you can add asterisks, dots, etc..  

The biggest thing to remember when doing this is to not leave a space after your period before hitting the return key. You need to make sure you hit the return key immediately after your period of the last letter of the sentence otherwise when you post the caption to Instagram it will combine the 2 sections together. 

The reason why I like to add my hashtags to the post itself is that when I am scheduling content later I don’t have to worry about adding the comment, I can format them into the post just the way I like it and not have to worry about it again. 

Overall, it doesn’t really matter where your hashtags are. Instagram doesn’t care whether they are in the caption or the 1st comment as long as they are there at the same time as you post your content. 

Really it is up to personal preference and what is easier for you. I would love to know what you do with your posts and why? Let me know which way is your favourite in the comments below. If you want more help on creating your hashtags make sure to click the link above to download my free hashtag guide.