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Instagram is a great platform to share your travels, photography, and connect with others who share similar interests. But if you want your posts to get seen by new people, using hashtags is crucial. In this post, I’m going to share my favorite nature hashtags for Instagram along with my hashtag strategy and helpful tips for increasing your reach.
Are hashtags still relevant on Instagram?
Yes, it’s true that Instagram has significantly decreased organic reach because they want you to pay, but it’s far from dead. Hashtags still play an important role in getting your posts seen by more people, and more importantly, by people who are not already following you.
To illustrate this example, here is a screenshot of my post analytics without hashtags and with hashtags to show you how powerful they can be.
The post to the left used hashtags and reached almost 10,000 more people, of which almost half were directly from hashtags.
But, choosing the right hashtags does require some strategy.
Slapping on #travel isn’t going to get you very far because this hashtag has been used over 587 million times, meaning your post is going to be on the ‘recent’ tab of #travel for about .01 seconds. And the chances of making it to the top posts are slim to none unless you already have a huge following or your post blows up.
Your goal should be to make it to the top section of that hashtag, as this is the best way for others to discover your account. And the way to do that is by choosing the right-sized hashtags, which I cover in more detail below.
Why should you use hashtags on Instagram?
As you can see from the example above, hashtags can have a powerful impact on your reach on Instagram. By not using hashtags, you are missing an opportunity to gain new followers!
Plus, hashtags help Instagram categorize your content. The better the app knows what you’re all about, the more likely it is to show it to people who may be interested through the discover and explore pages.
How many hashtags should you use?
There are so many opinions as to how many hashtags you should use on a post. The only definite answer I can give you is not to use over 30 hashtags, as this is the maximum Instagram allows. If you use more than 30, you risk your post not being seen at all.
Some people say that using 30 hashtags is spammy and that you should only use 5-8 of the most relevant hashtags on your post. While others swear that 21 works best for them.
The most important thing is that your hashtags are relevant to your post content. Don’t put hashtags just for the sake of getting to 30; otherwise, that’s going to confuse Instagram and the people searching. But if you can find 30 relevant hashtags, then there’s no harm in using them. Each hashtag is a chance to get put on the explore page!
Experiment with using different amounts of hashtags and see what works best for you.
Should you include hashtags in the post or the first comment?
For years I was putting my hashtags in the first comment rather than in the actual post because I found it more aesthetically pleasing. However, Instagram has recently said NOT to do this anymore.
They specifically say in the fourth slide, “for a post to be found in search, these keywords and hashtags in the caption, NOT search.” I tested this out, and my posts do not appear in hashtag search if I put them in the comments anymore. So only put them in the caption!
How to find relevant hashtags for your Instagram post
The free way to find hashtags for your Instagram post is on the platform itself. When you’re typing in the caption, you can just put #topic and suggestions will come up, or you can use the search bar to find relevant hashtags.
A much easier and quicker way to find hashtags is by using a hashtag app. I use Hashtag Smart. It’s a paid tool, but the time it saves me searching for hashtags is well worth the cost.
You type in a keyword, and the app will bring up a list of possible hashtags that you can quickly copy to put in your post.
What size hashtag should you use?
Your goal should be to make it to the top section of that hashtag, as this is the best way for others to discover your account. And the way to do that is by choosing the right-sized hashtags that have similar engagement to yours in the top posts.
First, figure out the average engagement you are getting on your posts using an engagement calculator.
Then look at top posts for that hashtags to see what the average engagement is. If the top 9 posts have similar engagement to your average, then this is a great hashtag to use!
For example, if I search the hashtag ‘travel’, I can see that the top posts on the explore page are getting over 6,000 likes. I get about 350 average likes on my posts, so the chances of me getting into the top posts using that hashtag are meager.
You want the top posts to have similar amounts of comments/likes to the average you get. Looking at other smaller hashtags related to travel I see that the top posts are getting around 200-300 likes per post, so this is a much more appropriate hashtag for me to aim for.
I use a mix of small, medium, and large hashtags to give my post the best chance of being seen by more people in case the engagement is higher than usual. So I choose hashtags where I know it’s guaranteed to be seen in the explore page, a few where it’s a possibility, and a handful where it’s slim but possible.
Looking at hashtag size and engagement on Instagram is a lengthy process, which is why I recommend using an app like Hashtag Smart. When you create the list of hashtags, you can use the ‘analyze’ feature to see the average likes/comments quickly and then eliminate any that are too out of reach.
Should you repeat the same hashtags in each post?
No. If you use the same hashtags repeatedly, Instagram will see this as spammy and potentially shadowban you (which will kill your reach).
You should always tailor your hashtags to what you are posting about, whether that’s the location or topic you are talking about. It’s okay to use a couple of the same hashtags, but you should always be experimenting with new ones.
Nature and Adventure Hashtags For Instagram
As promised, here are some examples of hashtags you can use related to hiking, mountain, nature, wildlife, adventure, and travel. These are the topics I post about most often and hashtags I have used before!
I’ve compiled a list of hashtags of various sizes that you can feel free to copy and use in your posts. However, as I’ve mentioned throughout this post, you should choose hashtags suitable for the size of your account/engagement AND that are relevant to the content.
Be sure to take the time to do your own research to maximize your hashtag’s performance and account growth.
Nature Hashtags For Instagram
#nature #naturebrilliance #natureelite #naturebeauty #naturehub #natureofinstagram #naturecaptures #natureinfocus #naturegood #naturelovers_photogroup #naturelover🍃 #natureloversofinstagram #amazingnaturepics #naturephotoshoot #naturepictures #nature_seeker #natureloverforlife #naturepicoftheday #worldofnature #naturehippys_ #natureaddictsun #natureshooters #natureseekers #naturephotograpy #naturephotograph #natureloversgallery #nature_obsession #natureinspired #naturetattoo #natureworld
Hiking Hashtags
#hiking #hikingtheglobe #hikingtrip #hikingadventure #hikingaddict #hikinglove #hikingworldwide #hikingviews #hikingtime #hikinggear #hikinglifestyle #hikingvibes #hikingphotography #hikinggirl #hikinglocations #hikinglovers #hikingfun #hikingbangers #hikingtherapy #hikingphotos #hikingismytherapy #hikingisfun #hikingislife #hikinggram #hiking_lifestyle #hikinglife #hikingtrail #hikingday #hikersofinstagram #hikingtrails
Mountain Hashtags
#mountainlovers #mountainview #mountainlove #mountainstories #mountaingirls #mountaintrip #mountaintime #mountaingram #mountainslovers #mountainporn #mountainviews #mountainsview #mountainscapes #mountaingirl #mountainsarecalling #mountainsphoto #mountaintop #mountainslover #mountainhome #mountainscape #summit #mountainlifestyle #mountainsarecallingandimustgo #mountainadventures #mountainaddict #mountainvibes #mountainhiking #mountainshotz #movingmountains #mountainadventureschool
Wildlife Hashtags
#wildlifeconservation #wildlifephoto #wildlifelovers #wildlifeperfection #wildlifephotos #wildlifefriend #wildlifeshots #wildlifesafari #wildlifeseekers #wildlifecentral #wildlifepictures #wildlifepage #wildlifephotographic #wildlife_seekers #wildlifeaddict #wildlifepics #wildlife_shots #wildlife_captures #wildliferescue #wildlifeofinstagram #wildlifeprotection #wildlifephotograpy #wildlife_aroundworld #wildlifeig #wildliferefuge #wildlifelover #wildlifewednesday #wildlifesanctuary #wildlife_photography #wildlife_vision
Best Travel Hashtags For Instagram
#travelworld #travelcommunity #travelnoire #travellifelove #travellife✈️ #traveltheworldtoday #worldexplorer #welivetotravel #traveltheworld🌍 #traveltheworldwithme #traveladdicts #dreamingtravel #globefocus #awesome_globepix #nextdestination #mytravelstory #happytraveller #travelmoments #wanderingsoul #wanderlusttribe #travelnowlifelater #wandertheworld #travelovers #travelphotoshoot #travellifestyle #amazingtrips #travellover #exploringtheglobe #wonderfulplaces #worldtraveler
Adventure Hashtags
#adventuretravels #adventuretraveler #adventuretime #adventureculture #adventureseeker #adventurevisuals #adventurethatislife #adventureenthusiasts #adventureworld #adventureiscalling #adventurestartshere #adventurelife #adventureawaits #adventureph #adventureisoutthere #adventuretogether #adventureanywhere #adventurelover #adventuregirls #adventuretrip #adventureinspired #adventureday #adventurephotographer #adventureseekers #adventureofalifetime #adventuregram #adventuremore #adventurealways #adventuregirl #adventureclub
Travel Repost Hashtags
These hashtags have a double benefit because if you use them, you have the chance to be reposted on large travel accounts like Lonely Planet and CN Traveler.
#TravelStoke #theculturetrip #passionpassport #lonelyplanet #bbctravel #justgoshoot #theglobewanderer #wearetravelgirls #adventureculture #travelawesome #welivetoexplore #travelandlife #igshotz #artofvisuals #iamatraveler #beautifuldestinations #femmetravel #tlpicks #travelanddestinations #travelawesome #radgirlslife #wonderful_places #theglobewanderer #worldnomads #schooloftravel
I hope this post helped you discover new nature hashtags and understand why they are so important to Instagram growth. If you aren’t already, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram!
Need some inspiration for your next Instagram post? Check out these quotes and captions:
- Hiking Captions for Instagram
- Mountain Captions and Quotes for Instagram
- Inspiring Quotes about Waterfalls
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