Knowing what hashtags are is one thing, knowing how to make them work for your church is quite another.

In these tips, we’ll help you ensure your hashtags are effective, clean-looking, and Insta-friendly.

Need some hashtag basics to get you started? Check out our deeper hashtag dive at Instagram Hashtags for Churches.

Click here for the video version of this post!

Hashtag Tip #1: Research Tag Options

Researching hashtags for apps like Instagram or TikTok does not need to be a complicated or expensive process.

In fact, “researching” could really just mean looking up others in your niche or location and seeing what hashtags they are using.

An important aspect of this is looking for a mix of tags:

• Location-based tags
• Denomination-based tags
• Topic-based tags

Consider reviewing the social media activity of other people of faith who you look up to. They may have additional tags that could be helpful for your community to use to reach your audience.

Hashtag Tip #2: Tag in the Comments

One easy practice which helps keep your posts clean-looking is to post your hashtags in the first comment of your Instagram post.

No, this is not necessary to do.

Yes, your hashtags will still work like normal if you do this.

Keeping your post caption uncluttered will help your readers focus on what you want them to focus on – the copy and image.

Sometimes hashtags can be distracting and look messy. Adding your hashtags to the caption will keep your post clean.

Hashtag Tip #3: Mix Up Your Hashtags

As we mentioned in our original hashtag article, you need to mix up your use of hashtag sets.

What does this mean?

This means if you create a set of hashtags (perhaps in the “Notes” folder of your phone or another app) for easy access, you should create multiple sets.

If you consistently post the same set of hashtags, Instagram is going to quickly assume you are a bot. Unfortunately, when Instagram thinks you are a bot, your posts start to be seen less and less.

Prevent this from happening by compiling 3-5 separate sets of tags that you can draw from. OR just adding hashtags manually with every post you make.

Whatever you do, be sure to keep in mind Tip #1 by researching the hashtags you decide to use before you use them.

Now it’s your turn!

We brought the knowledge, now it’s your turn to put it into action. Keep your hashtags looking clean, well-researched, and adequately mixed. 

And while you’re at it?

Be sure to follow us on Instagram! We’d love to get to see what you’re up to so be sure to say hello!