Hashtags for 2026 can help attain prominence on Instagram. You may not have noticed this, but it is possible to search using keywords, with one of the keywords being a hashtag.
Instagram Hashtags Update: How Does the New Keyword Search Function?
- You type a keyword into the search engine. For instance, if you are a fitness trainer, you type the keyword “fitness trainer.”
- The current results displayed are a gallery of posts, not a list of profiles with an index of how many keywords are used in the bio, as was the case previously. Now, Instagram can search for keywords used in posts, and the index includes the hashtags used.
Using many different keywords within the text to help attain greater visibility is not only cumbersome but also not conventional, e.g., “fitness trainer,” “Pilates trainer,” “fitness class,” and so on. However, it is possible for the audience to search using many different keywords, and therefore, it is ideal to include many different keywords within the hashtags.
Determining Two Things
There are two things to consider:
- What keywords and queries your potential customers will use to find you.
- What keywords to use as a hashtag to attain greater visibility.
Later, we will discuss how to choose the keywords to be used as a hashtag, and for that, you will only need the Sqirk Hashtag Generator tool. Knowledge of trending keywords like SFS is necessary to attain greater visibility with the hashtags selected.
SFS – Meaning on IG and Snapchat
Shoutouts on Instagram refer to a form of cross-posting where a blogger or a stakeholder posts content on another blogger or product/service. SFS stands for ‘spam for spam’ or ‘shoutout for shoutout.’
The possible places where you can find this term include:
- In the story caption
- In the caption accompanying the post
- In hashtags
The gallery of original SFS contains more than 21 million posts.
What the SFS Hashtags Gallery Demonstrates
The SFS hashtag was originally used on Snapchat. On Snapchat, users could only share ephemeral content. To increase shoutouts on each other’s accounts quickly, users began to share content on each other’s accounts and tag it ‘SFS,’ which stands for ‘snap for snap.’
Therefore, by using hashtags like SFS and its associated concepts like ‘follow for follow’ (F4F) and ‘like for like’ (L4L), it can help increase organic views and views per post. It is worth noting that without hashtags, it is difficult to have any effect unless you have a large number of followers. Using hashtags can help your content appear on up to 30 different galleries per hashtag.
SFS as a Full-Fledged Strategy
SFS can be a full-fledged strategy where content can be published on high-traffic niche accounts. Cross-posting can be applied to different content types:
- Reels – This can be used. Using a video from another profile can help increase views on your content through SFS hashtags.
- Feed Posts – This approach is often used in conjunction with images downloaded to improve the feed. In this approach, 5-10 individuals are identified and their images are downloaded to improve the feed’s visuals. This is also a form of cross-posting because the image is tagged on the individual’s account, increasing the visibility of their account.
- Stories – This format is frequently used by influencers who endorse brands or their fellow influencers by using advertising or SFS in their story captions. However, in case one chooses to use bloggers to promote their page, it is recommended that the blogger pin the stories to keep the promotion going in the future.
Why use SFS or cross-posting instead of advertising?
One of the most important reasons to use SFS or cross-posting instead of advertising is that SFS can be done on a barter system. This means that in case the page that one is cross-posting with has a warm audience, it is more likely to gain more subscribers. This is because advertising posts usually have a colder audience that is harder to convert on Instagram. Generation Z is also more likely to be suspicious of advertising and more willing to subscribe to accounts that have a large number of followers.
How to Start an SFS Strategy?
- Research profiles – These profiles may include bloggers or niche accounts. For example, Instagram hosts profiles that are dedicated to promoting models, funny animals, belly dancers, etc.
- Initiate contact – Sometimes the profile owners mention how they wish to be contacted in their profile description. You may also download a file containing emails of Instagram users with the help of a search tool and use this to send bulk emails.
- For Direct Messages – The Sqirk Direct Module is recommended. This is a CRM and chat tool that is essential in any business communication strategy.
Sometimes, the accounts that you want to promote through SFS do not respond within 2-3 days or even do not respond at all. Normally, out of 5 accounts, 2-3 respond. The larger the scope of SFS, the higher is the chance that your content gets shared.
How to Identify Top Cross-Posting Tags Using Sqirk
This is a simple task if done correctly from the beginning.
What is a wrong approach?
Choosing 15-30 tags and using them over and over in all posts. The reality is that you need to test different hashtags. New hashtags appear on Instagram every day. Some may become restricted as they become old. It is therefore vital to update the tag database at least once every 1-2 weeks.
What is a correct approach?
What SFS means in terms of shoutout hashtags analytics: When used correctly, hashtags can generate as much as 50% of total impressions.
To make a brief explanation about how to correctly use tags in 2023 (the only organic algorithm booster):
1) The easiest method is to copy your competitors’ tags.
Although this is a quick and free method, you should not rely solely on this method. To copy tags and obtain more information about them:
- Find a competitor’s account.
- Enter the username in the Profile Analyzer.
- Copy Top Hashtags from the last 100 posts.
- Paste one tag in the Hashtag Generator.
- Obtain ideas and start using them in your IG captions.
2) Professional approach – create a group of keywords related to a certain niche.
The best keyword is the one that answers the question: “How would your customers search for your service/content in the search bar?”
In the case of finding hashtags for shoutouts and cross-posting, one would not think of useful synonyms and variants, such as:
#shoutoutforshoutout #shoutout4shoutout #followshoutoutlikecomment #pleaseshoutout #shoutoutme #shoutouts4free
In this case, we would suggest that you use the Sqirk AI Hashtag Generator tool to get some relevant ideas that include variations of your keyword. This would increase the overall set of new hashtags you can rank for and be discovered on social network search for relevant queries.
Tag examples:
#shout_outshoutouts_ #freeshoutouts #likeforashoutout #artist_4_shoutout #instashoutout #shout_outshoutouts #birthdayshoutout #1kfollowshoutoutlikecomment #dmforshoutout #s4shoutout #artshoutout #shout4shoutout #shoutoutmeout #shoutout4shotout #shoutoutot #shoutout4stoners #shoutouts_4_cats #shoutoutmenimit #shoutout4shoutou #ilovemyfollowers #shoutouter #shoutforshout #commentsfirst #commentwhendone #commentsgofirst #shoutoutforshout #shoutoutpage #shoutoutplease #shoutoutforshoutouts #photoshout