Hey there!
So you want to use hashtags on Instagram but don‘t want them cluttering up your profile? I get it.
Too many messy hashtags crammed in the caption can make your posts look spammy and weird. But eliminating hashtags completely does more harm than good for your Instagram growth.
Not to worry – in this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you the best methods to keep hashtags hidden on Instagram while still reaping all the benefits.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
- Why hashtags are critical on Instagram
- Clever ways to hide hashtags in your posts
- Tips for creating branded, effective hashtags
- How hidden hashtags still help your engagement
Let‘s get started!
Contents
I know some people think hashtags are annoying. But the truth is, they‘re incredibly helpful for growing your Instagram account when used properly.
Here‘s why you need to use hashtags on Instagram:
Increased Discoverability
Hashtags make your content searchable and discoverable to new users who don‘t follow you yet. People search specific hashtags to find posts about topics they‘re interested in.
Without any hashtags, your content can only be seen by your existing followers. So you miss out on the chance to reach a wider audience and get more engagement.
Help With Instagram Algorithm
Instagram‘s algorithm surfaces posts it thinks will be most interesting to each user. Relevant hashtags signal to the algorithm what your post is about.
Posts with appropriate hashtags tend to get pushed higher in hashtag search results and the general feed. One study found posts with 11+ hashtags get significantly higher engagement.
Analytics and Tracking
You can use Instagram‘s analytics to see which hashtags perform best and resonate most with your audience. This allows you to refine your strategy over time.
Specific branded hashtags also let you track user-generated content and engagement around campaigns, events, or products.
Branding and Community
Unique branded hashtags related to your business let followers share content and experiences about your brand. This helps strengthen your brand identity on Instagram.
Niche hashtags around interests, hobbies or identities also let you connect with specific communities.
So in short, eliminating hashtags altogether prevents Instagram growth. But most people don‘t want enormous hashtag dumps cluttering up their captions either.
That‘s where hidden hashtags come in handy!
Here are some of my favorite tricks to keep hashtags out of sight while still reaping the benefits:
One super easy way to hide hashtags is to put them in the first comment on your post rather than the caption.
Simply create your caption, post your photo or video, and immediately comment with your relevant hashtags.
This allows your beautiful caption to shine while still getting your hashtags indexed properly behind the scenes for discovery.
The first comment will still be visible right underneath your post so the tags are noticeable if anyone is looking for them. But they won‘t clutter up the main caption area.
I‘d recommend keeping hashtags in your first comment to 5-10 max. Anything more starts to look messy again.
Pros of First Comment Hashtags:
- Keeps caption clean for better aesthetics
- Hashtags remain visible and searchable
- Very simple and easy to implement
Cons:
- Hashtags not seen in main feed preview of post
- Need to remember to add comment quickly before others comment
2. Use Line Breaks
Another great option is to hide hashtags by adding line breaks between your caption and hashtags.
Here‘s how:
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Write your normal caption text and end with a period or emoji.
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Hit return on your keyboard twice to create a line break.
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Add your hashtags on new lines after the break.
The post preview on your profile grid will cut off after the line break, hiding the hashtags from immediate view.
Pros:
- Completely hides hashtags for a clean look
- Lets you create longer, more in-depth captions
- Very easy formatting
Cons:
- Hashtags only visible if users tap to expand caption
- Precise formatting needed to avoid deleted line break
You can also hide hashtags using the "periods" or "dots" trick. This works the same way as line breaks to push the hashtags out of sight.
Here are the steps:
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Write your caption and end with a period as usual.
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Hit return and add a single period. Hit return again.
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Repeat, adding single periods with a return after each.
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Once the periods have created enough line breaks, add your hashtags.
The periods will push the hashtags beyond the "more" link so they won‘t clutter up your grid preview or main caption.
Pros:
- Totally hides hashtags for a clean caption
- Gives you lots of flexibility with long captions
- Very simple to implement
Cons:
- Hashtags not immediately visible
- Need precision when formatting to avoid deleting the periods
You can also seamlessly blend hashtags into your caption text to make them less obvious.
Try mixing some relevant hashtags into the middle of your caption like this:
Caption text…We had so much fun #atthisplace last week! I can‘t wait to go #backagain…more text
Sprinkling a few hashtags into your text helps break them up so they‘re not as noticeable.
Pros:
- Hashtags blend in with your text naturally
- Adds formatting variety to your captions
Cons:
- Hashtags still visible if someone is looking
- Can disrupt the flow of your caption
Adding emoji between your hashtags can help visually break them up so they‘re less prominent.
For example:
Caption text…[emoji] #hashtag1 [emoji] #hashtag2
You can also put emojis between every few words in a longer series of hashtags.
The emojis add some visual interest that helps the hashtags blend into the rest of your text.
Pros:
- Makes hashtags blend in more
- Adds fun visual flair
Cons:
- Hashtags still somewhat noticeable
- Can make caption too long or messy
6. Create Your Caption in a Text Editor
Typing your perfectly formatted caption directly on Instagram can be tricky. The app sometimes ends up deleting extra spaces, periods, or line breaks.
To avoid issues, I recommend first creating your caption with all your hashtags in a text editing app like Notes, Evernote, or Google Docs.
Do all your formatting there with your line breaks, periods, and emoji. Once it‘s ready, copy and paste the full paragraph into Instagram.
Pros:
- Allows you to perfectly format before posting
- No need to worry about Instagram deleting your spaces
Cons:
- Involves an extra step
- Formatting can still shift slightly
To maximize the benefits of hashtags – even hidden ones – you need to use strategic relevant hashtags tailored to your brand.
Here are my top tips for creating effective hashtags on Instagram:
Only use hashtags directly related to your content, audience and niche. Random or overly broad hashtags won‘t necessarily help people find your posts.
For example, if you‘re a makeup artist, you could use hashtags like:
Look up which hashtags are currently popular in your industry. But also find less-used niche hashtags where you‘re more likely to be discovered.
Display Purposes and other hashtag research tools can help you find the right balance.
Come up with your own branded hashtags that followers, customers, and fans can use to share experiences about your brand.
This helps increase word-of-mouth marketing and user-generated content.
For example, if you launched a new collection called "Summer Sunset," you could encourage people to use #SummerSunset from your brand.
Use a combination of broader hashtags and specific niche ones.
For example, mixing #foodie (broad) and #glutenfreebaking (niche) targets both general audiences and your specifics.
Keep your hashtags as short as possible – ideally 1 to 3 words max. Super lengthy hashtags are difficult to read.
Avoid using banned Instagram hashtags like anything related to illegal activites, dangerous behavior, hate speech, etc. Make sure to cross-check any hashtags against Instagram‘s banned list.
In general, I‘d stick to about 5-10 mixed hashtags per post maximum. Too many more starts to look spammy again.
By taking the time to create branded, relevant hashtags tailored to your audience, you‘ll see great results even with your tags hidden!
Now that you know how to hide Instagram hashtags, you might be tempted to just get rid of them altogether. But that would be a mistake!
Here are a few key reasons you should never eliminate hashtags completely:
Limited Audience Reach
Without any hashtags, the only people who will see your content are those who already follow you. You‘ll miss out on wider audience reach and discovery.
One study found posts with hashtags had over 2.5X more engagement than posts without. That‘s a huge missed opportunity!
Lower Engagement Rates
Numerous studies have found posts with strategically optimized hashtags tend to earn higher engagement in terms of likes, comments, and shares.
On average, you‘ll notice lower engagement rates overall if you dump hashtags completely.
Less Instagram Algorithm Benefit
As mentioned earlier, relevant hashtags signal value to Instagram‘s algorithm. Eliminating them means your posts might not get pushed out as widely by the algorithm.
No Analytics Insights
With hashtags, you can use Instagram analytics to see which perform best and learn more about your audience‘s interests. No hashtags means no tracking insights.
Weakened Brand Identity
Branded hashtags help reinforce branding and allow followers to share your brand identity. Without them, you lose out on this benefit.
While hidden hashtags have advantages, eliminating hashtags altogether harms growth. Stick with a small number of well-optimized tags.
Top Hidden Hashtag Tips
Here‘s a quick summary of my top tips for hiding hashtags successfully on Instagram:
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Put 5-10 max hashtags in the first comment rather than the caption. Keeps your grid pretty!
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Use line breaks (return button) or periods to push hashtags out of caption view.
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Mix a few relevant hashtags seamlessly into your caption text.
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Use emojis creatively between hashtags to blend them into your caption.
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Always prep your caption with formatting in Notes or Evernote before posting.
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Research the best hashtags for engagement in your niche.
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Create branded hashtags followers can share.
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Don‘t eliminate hashtags – just hide them!
This is a very common question. A lot of people worry that hiding hashtags somehow stops them working or makes them undiscoverable.
The good news is, hidden hashtags absolutely DO still work!
As long as you have your hashtags typed somewhere in the caption or first comment, Instagram‘s algorithm will index and surface them properly.
So even if the tags are hidden behind a "more" link or dots, they are still fully functional. Your content will be discoverable in searches and hashtag feeds.
This means you can enjoy increased visibility and reach to untapped audiences while keeping your caption aesthetic intact. It‘s truly the best of both worlds for engagement and branding!
The Risks of Shadowbanning
One quick note – you need to be careful about excessive hashtag dumping or bot usage on Instagram, as it risks getting your account shadowbanned.
Shadowbanning is when Instagram secretly limits your reach without you knowing. Your profile and posts will seem normal to you, but they won‘t show up for anyone else.
This is often triggered by behaviors that seem "spammy" to Instagram, like posting too frequently, using thousands of hashtags, or automated posting services.
So while hashtags are important, make sure to use them judiciously. Hiding excessive hashtags that clutter up your posts can help avoid shadowbanning risks. Moderation is key!
Key Takeaways
Let‘s do a quick recap of the key tips:
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Hiding your hashtags keeps your Instagram profile looking aesthetically pleasing while allowing you to still use them.
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The best ways to hide hashtags include line breaks, periods, first comment, emoji, and text editors.
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Never eliminate hashtags completely – just use 5-10 effective hidden hashtags per post.
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Hidden hashtags STILL work to increase engagement and reach new audiences.
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Create branded, targeted hashtags tailored to your niche for success.
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Balance broader hashtags with niche hashtags for the best results.
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Avoid hashtag dumping or automation that risks shadowbanning.
By creatively implementing these hidden hashtag tips, you can keep your Instagram profile looking its best while enjoying all the algorithmic and engagement benefits of hashtags!
I hope this comprehensive guide gave you all the tools, tips and insider advice you need to start hiding your hashtags successfully on Instagram.
As always, feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
