Here’s how to track hashtags on Instagram:
Tracking Instagram hashtags is one of the best ways to stay ahead of industry trends. After all, by monitoring the right hashtags, businesses can uncover emerging topics, track competitor activity, and engage in relevant conversations.
But that’s not all!
If you monitor hashtags on Instagram, you will start discovering user-generated content (UGC), measuring campaign performance, finding influencers interested in your niche, and even managing potential PR issues before they escalate.
But how do you track Instagram hashtags? Can you do it automatically?
Well, it’s easy to track them, and I’ll show you how to do it. Plus, ye,s you can do it automatically, provided you have the right tool for the job!
Let’s dive in!
What are hashtags on Instagram?
Hashtags on Instagram are keywords or phrases preceded by the hashtag symbol (#) that categorize your content and make it discoverable (like on other social media platforms). They help users find posts related to specific topics, trends, or communities.
As such, hashtags are a powerful tool for businesses looking to increase their visibility, reach new audiences, and engage with customers.
Whether it’s a branded hashtag for a marketing campaign or a trending industry hashtag, using the right ones can significantly boost your content’s reach.
Instagram allows hashtags in post captions, comments, Stories, and Reels, making them a key part of content discovery. However, simply adding hashtags isn’t enough—you need to track them to understand their impact and optimize your strategy.
Up next, let me show you how to track Instagram hashtags automatically, which is as easy as tracking all your Instagram mentions from the same platform.
Read more:
How to track Instagram hashtags automatically?
Due to the lack of native Instagram tools for tracking hashtags, the best option for any user or brand is to use a third-party social media monitoring tool.
EmbedSocial is one such option, which serves as both a complete social media aggregator and social listening software for any business. Best of all, it has direct API integration with plenty of other platforms, including X, Google, TikTok, etc.
If and when you decide to track your Instagram hashtags the right way, setting up the process via EmbedSocial is very easy, as it only has a few steps:
Step 1: Create your EmbedSocial account and log in
Before getting started, create a new EmbedSocial account, which only takes a few minutes. If you prefer, you can begin with a 7-day free trial—no payment is required if you cancel before the trial ends, and you’ll have full access to all features.
Step 2: Add a new Instagram #Hashtags source
Now you have to add your Instagram hashtag as a source so that EmbedSocial can pull all posts tagged with that specific hashtag.
Navigate to ‘Sources’ (left ribbon menu) → ‘Add new source’ (top-right corner), and then find #Hashtags posts.
Next, you will only need to write your hashtag and click next, so the system can start aggregating the posts containing that hashtag:
Step 3: Find all trending hashtags under ‘All Posts’
Next, tap ‘All Posts’ to view all the tagged posts collected by EmbedSocial. If needed, use the dropdown menu to manually select posts with the correct hashtag:
Step 4: Tag individual posts (if you need to)
This is the time when you can pick and tag individual hashtagged posts that you would like to come back to in the future or separate into a different group:
Step 5: Export all your posts for further analysis
Once you find everything you need, you can export your posts into a .xls, .csv, or .tsv to conduct your hashtag analysis manually.
To do so, tap ‘Reports’ from the left ribbon menu, choose your Instagram hashtag source and file type, then press ‘Download report’:
Step 6: Use ChatGPT for Instagram hashtag analytics
Finally, if you’re short on time, you can use ChatGPT’s hashtag analytics tools to summarize the exported file containing your hashtagged posts instead of manually reviewing the spreadsheet. This allows you to get a snapshot of customer sentiment in under a minute:
Bonus step: Embed your Instagram hashtags right away!
Lastly, you can seamlessly embed your Instagram hashtag feed on any of your websites using EmbedSocial! Simply create your Instagram widget, copy the embeddable code, and paste it into your website builder on the desired page:
Note: You can embed Instagram mentions along with your hashtagged posts.
Read more:
How to track Instagram hashtags via the native app?
Instagram allows you to track hashtags manually within the app, but it has limitations. Here’s how to do it step by step:
Search for a hashtag
Open Instagram, tap the search icon, and type the hashtag you want to track. A list of related hashtags will appear—select the one you’re interested in:
Follow a hashtag
You can tap the Follow button on a hashtag page to see related posts in your feed. However, Instagram does not show all posts from followed hashtags consistently:
Engage with posts
To make the most of hashtag tracking, interact with relevant posts. Like, comment, or follow accounts using the hashtag to increase engagement and visibility:
Monitor hashtag usage manually
Since Instagram doesn’t offer automated hashtag tracking, you’ll need to check back regularly. Keep an eye on how the hashtag evolves over time and note any trends.
As you can see, while Instagram’s native app allows basic hashtag tracking, it’s still limited, and businesses needing deeper insights should consider using a dedicated tracking tool like EmbedSocial. With it, you can scale your social media listening for multi-location brands.
5 best practices for tracking Instagram hashtags
When tracking Instagram hashtags, take a strategic approach to gain valuable insights and maximize your engagement.
Here are five best practices to help you with that:
Choose relevant hashtags
The key to effective hashtag tracking is selecting hashtags that align with your business and audience. Using overly broad hashtags like #love or #fashion will get lost in the crowd, while niche hashtags help you reach the right people.
📌 Example: A fitness brand selling yoga mats tracks #yogaflow and #yogalife to find potential customers posting about their yoga routines instead of using generic hashtags like #fitness.
Monitor both branded and unbranded hashtags
Your branded hashtag helps track direct mentions of your business, while industry-related hashtags provide insight into broader market trends. Monitoring both gives a complete picture of what’s happening in your niche.
📌 Example: A coffee shop tracks #BestBeansCafe (their branded hashtag) to engage with customers posting about their visits, while also following #coffeelovers and #morningbrew to discover what coffee trends are gaining popularity.
Engage with hashtagged content
Hashtag tracking isn’t just about monitoring—it’s about engaging. Liking, commenting, and sharing user-generated content builds relationships and strengthens brand loyalty.
📌 Example: A skincare brand notices a customer posting a glowing review under #SkincareRoutine and leaves a thoughtful comment, turning a one-time customer into a loyal advocate.
Analyze hashtag performance regularly
Tracking engagement metrics for your hashtags helps refine your social media strategy. Pay attention to which hashtags drive the most interactions and adapt your content accordingly.
📌 Example: A fashion retailer sees that #SustainableStyle gets more engagement than #EcoFashion and shifts their content strategy to focus on the better-performing hashtag.
Use a hashtag-tracking tool
Instagram’s built-in search has limitations, so using a dedicated hashtag tracking tool helps automate data collection, monitor multiple hashtags at once, and gain deeper insights.
📌 Example: A marketing agency uses EmbedSocial’s social media listening tool to track multiple client campaign hashtags, collecting performance data in one place instead of manually checking each hashtag on Instagram.
How can your brand or business benefit from Instagram hashtag tracking?
Tracking Instagram hashtags isn’t just about following trends—it’s a strategic way to grow your brand, engage with your audience, and optimize your marketing efforts:
- Discover trending hashtags—stay ahead of industry shifts by identifying emerging conversations and popular Instagram hashtags in your niche;
- Find user-generated content (UGC)—easily locate posts where customers mention your brand and repurpose them as social proof to build credibility;
- Measure campaign success—track branded hashtags to analyze how well your hashtag contests are performing and adjust strategies based on engagement data;
- Improve audience engagement—engage with posts under relevant hashtags by liking, commenting, or resharing to increase visibility and build brand loyalty;
- Identify influencers—spot potential brand ambassadors who frequently use hashtags related to your business and collaborate with them for partnerships;
- Monitor brand reputation—detect both positive and negative conversations about your brand by tracking hashtags associated with your products or services;
- Enhance local marketing efforts—track location-based hashtags to reach potential customers in specific regions and strengthen local SEO.
By leveraging hashtag tracking, your brand can gain valuable insights, strengthen customer relationships, and maximize visibility on Instagram.
Conclusion: Master Instagram hashtag tracking for better insights!
Ultimately, tracking Instagram hashtags is crucial for staying ahead of industry trends, monitoring brand mentions, and engaging with your audience more effectively.
However, instead of manually following hashtags, sign up for a dedicated tool like EmbedSocial to automate your monitoring tasks and get the info you need sooner! Plus, you will be able to organize all your UGC social media content in one place!
You can easily get insights into customer behavior, emerging topics, and campaign performance by choosing relevant hashtags, engaging with user-generated content, and analyzing performance regularly—a great way to strengthen your brand.
So, if you want to take your Instagram hashtag tracking to the next level, sign up with EmbedSocial. Then, it’s simply a matter of organizing your hashtagged content.
Start tracking today and make data-driven decisions right away!
FAQs about tracking Instagram hashtags
Can you track hashtags on Instagram?
Yes, you can track hashtags on Instagram using the platform’s search feature, but it has limitations. For more advanced tracking, businesses use third-party tools like EmbedSocial to monitor hashtags, analyze engagement, and gather insights.
How to track tags on Instagram?
You can track hashtags by searching them in Instagram’s Explore tab and following relevant ones. However, for a more efficient approach, tools like EmbedSocial allow you to monitor multiple hashtags automatically and collect posts in one place.
Can you track hashtags on Instagram stories?
No, Instagram does not provide a direct way to track hashtags on Stories. While you can add hashtags to Stories, they don’t appear in hashtag search results like regular Instagram posts. To monitor Stories using specific hashtags, you’ll need to manually check accounts using them or use a third-party tool like EmbedSocial for broader tracking.
How to check if a hashtag is taken?
To see if a hashtag is in use, type it in the Instagram search bar. If it appears in the suggested results, it means it’s being used. You can also check the number of posts under the hashtag to gauge the hashtag popularity. Aim to use a mix of popular and niche hashtags.
Can you see how many people follow a hashtag on Instagram?
No, Instagram removed the ability to see how many people follow a hashtag. However, you can gauge its popularity by checking the number of posts using the hashtag and monitoring engagement trends.
How do I know if my hashtags are working on Instagram?
You can track your Instagram hashtag performance by checking the reach, impressions, and engagement of your posts using Instagram Insights. If a post with a specific hashtag gets higher visibility, it’s a sign that the hashtag is effective.
What is the 3 hashtag rule?
The 3 hashtag rule suggests using only three highly relevant hashtags per post instead of the maximum limit of 30. This approach focuses on quality over quantity, improving discoverability without looking spammy.
How many Instagram hashtags can you monitor per business profile?
The number of Instagram hashtags you can monitor per business profile depends on the tool you’re using. Instagram’s native app doesn’t offer built-in hashtag monitoring, but third-party tools like EmbedSocial allow businesses to track multiple hashtags at once. The exact limit varies based on the plan and API restrictions.
