Tagging

 1

Use relevant tags. There are two schools of thought when it comes to using tags - some people believe that you should attach as many tags as possible in order to maximize the amount of people who see their photo, while others believe you should stick to just 2 or 3 relevant tags.

The people who advocate the "less is more" option believe that too many tags can look cluttered, spammy or even desperate. Plus, they believe that using just a couple of the most relevant tags is enough to get all the follows you need.

Which option you decide to go for is completely up to you, as it's just a matter of personal preference. If you do decide to go for just 2 or 3 tags, make sure they're spot-on and relate directly to the picture.

For example, if you post a picture of a sunset, you could say something like "#beautiful #sunset and #sky"

Add the hashtags to the end of your description. That way people will be able to read your description when scrolling though your photos and won't just see a bunch of tags. This will make your account look less spammy.

 2

Use the most popular tags. Another important way to get your pictures noticed is to use some of the most popular tags - these are the tags that are constantly trending and which will help to increase your account's visibility.

For example, if you're posting a picture of an animal or baby your photo will probably get a lot more likes if you use #cute (one of the all-time most popular Instagram tags) instead of tags like #adorable or #sweet - although, if you want you could just use all three!

Some other top tags include #love, #eyes, #nice, #tbt (Throwback Thursday), #beautiful, #girl, #happy, #me, #picoftheday, #instadaily and #follow.

Another trick people use is to post tags that aren't related to their pictures at all, but which are guaranteed to get them a lot of likes. For instance, #justinbieber, #katyperry and #onedirection are all extremely popular tags which people add to their posts in order to get likes and followers - even if their post has absolutely nothing to do with these musicians. This can be very effective - but is also frowned upon by a lot of people.

 3

Use the TagsForLikes app. TagsForLikes is an extremely popular app which speeds up the tagging process and maximizes the number of likes your posts get. It works by allowing you to copy and paste a list of 20 to 30 tags which are popular and trending that day.

To use the TagsForLikes app, download the app, start it up and select "Popular" from the home menu, then choose "Most Popular". You will be presented with a list of tags which are popular that day and geared specifically towards gaining likes and followers.

Copy the list of tags, then open up your Instagram and paste them into the comment box when you're posting a picture. Within minutes, you should see tons of likes and new followers rolling in!

After a couple of hours, you can go back to the TagsForLikes app and select the "2nd Popular" option from the list. This will give you a list of the next most popular list of tags.

Copy these and paste them in a comment beneath the original tags on your picture. You probably won't get as many likes or new followers this time, but you should at least get a few.

You should also consider going back and adding these tags to older photos, giving them a new lease of life!

Try to find popular tags that are relevant to your Instagram account. This will get more likes to your photos from people who may actually be interested in your account.

 4
Create your own hashtag. If you like, you can create your own hashtag, or take one that's not used all that much and make it your own.
For example, if the theme of your account is baking and you love to post pictures of cute cupcakes and other delicious treats, you could make your personal tag #cupcakechick or something similar.
Then you should use this tag on every single one of your photos, in addition to including it in your bio.
If you're lucky, your tag will become popular with others and soon they'll start using it to tag pictures of their own baked goodies!
When this happens, you're bound to get lots of new follows from like-minded people who love baking (or whatever your theme is!).

5

Geotag your pictures. Geotagging your photos means including the location where the picture was taken in the post. Instagram can do this automatically when you enable GPS.

This is a great idea if you're taking pictures in a location that's perceived to be popular or cool, such as a hip new coffee shop, a well-known museum or a fancy restaurant. Other people who have posted pictures from these locations will then be able to see your post and maybe even follow you!

You can also geotag pictures in more general locations, such as New York, Paris or Rome. Thousands of people search for pictures of these locations everyday, so your post will be viewable by people from across the world!

Geotagging also helps to add authenticity to your account, making it more human by emphasizing the fact that you were really there.