Instagram is the social media platform of choice, capturing the attention of millions every day. With a staggering 1.3 billion posts shared per day and more than 200 million businesses on Instagram, most brands struggle to make their mark. The missing link? Effective hashtag analytics.
Without hashtag analytics, you miss out on valuable insights into audience preferences and trends and limit your chances of standing out.
Let’s dive into the nitty gritty of Instagram hashtag analytics, covering everything from tracking hashtag analytics to its limitations and tools.

Do Hashtags Work on Instagram?

Yes.
Instagram hashtags are essential for discovering content. They help users categorize and find posts related to specific topics. Using relevant and targeted hashtags in your post captions and comments, Stories, and Reels is the best way to get discovered.
Hashtags on Instagram improve the visibility of your posts, reach a wider audience, and attract engagement from users outside your followers list.
It’s possible to use 30 hashtags, but don’t get carried away. Too many hashtags can look spammy and hurt your reach, so keep it to 3 to 5 for the best results.

Does Instagram Have Hashtag Analytics?

Instagram does not have built-in hashtag analytics for standard users. Instagram business accounts (used mainly by businesses and creators) have access to basic insights, including the performance of their posts and interaction with hashtags.
From the native app, you can track metrics such as reach and impressions but not an in-depth view of your hashtag campaigns.
Although Instagram tracks general posts performance, it doesn’t track hashtag performance specifically or which hashtags are trending. You can get a breakdown of postings—like which hashtags get the most mentions and which posts get the most likes or comments by using a dedicated analytics tool.

What Do Instagram Hashtag Analytics Track?

Instagram analytics track a few key metrics to help you understand hashtag strategy effectiveness.

Impressions from Hashtags

This metric shows how often users have seen your post as a result of searching for or following a hashtag you used. It gives insight into the visibility gained through hashtags.

Post Reach

This metric shows how many unique users have seen your post. Although it’s difficult to accurately measure how many users saw your post through hashtags, noting which hashtags were used can give you some clues.

Post Engagement Rate

This measures how many likes, comments, and shares your post gets. A high engagement rate indicates that your content is resonating with your audience.
By analyzing these metrics you can identify hashtag performance patterns and trends, pinpoint effective keywords, and refine hashtag strategies.
When it comes to hashtags, there are no magic numbers. It’s all about understanding your audience and optimizing your strategy accordingly.

How to Track Hashtags on Instagram

Tracking hashtags on Instagram lets you get insights into the performance of your posts and optimize your hashtag strategy. Here are 2 ways to track hashtags.

Instagram Insights

If you have an Instagram Business account, you can access Instagram Insights, which gives you basic stats like impressions and reach.
You can view insights for individual posts by tapping on the “View Insights” option below the post. While Instagram Insights doesn’t offer comprehensive hashtag analytics, it can give you a general idea of how your hashtagged posts are performing.

Instagram Analytics Tool

Third-party analytics tools can help you identify trends, identify hashtag strategies, and optimize your Instagram content for better engagement and reach. These tools allow you to track metrics such as impressions, reach, engagement, and identify the top-performing hashtags, as well as track the performance of specific hashtags.
Several third-party Instagram analytics tools offer advanced hashtag tracking capabilities, including SocialDog, Sprout Social, and Brand24. Unlike Instagram Insights, these tools typically provide more detailed insights and reporting.

Are Instagram Hashtag Analytics Tools Free?

Some Instagram hashtag analytics tools are free, but their features are limited, while others require a subscription or payment. Here’s a breakdown:

Free Versions with Limited Features

Free Instagram analytics tools offer basic features. Typically, free versions have limited tracking capabilities and do not offer advanced features like historical data, competitor analysis, or custom reports.

Paid Subscriptions

Certain Instagram analytics tools offer a paid subscription plan that unlocks additional features and functions. These paid plans often include advanced hashtag tracking, audience demographics, engagement metrics, and more. Depending on the tool and the level of access you need, these subscription plans vary in price.

Free Trials

Many Instagram analytics tools offer free trials of their premium plans, letting you test all their features before signing up. After the free trial period ends, you’ll need to choose a subscription plan to continue using the tool.
If you want more advanced features and comprehensive insights, invest in an Instagram hashtag analytics tool that’s tailored to your budget and needs.

Free Instagram Hashtag Analytics Tools

Here are 3 of the best hashtag analytics tools that you can try out for free:

Instagram Insights

Instagram Insights is native to Business and Creator accounts, providing basic metrics on post performance and audience demographics.
It is accessible through both the mobile app and the desktop. Click the hamburger menu icon and select “Insights” directly or tap the Professional Dashboard button and select “See all” to see your Instagram metrics in detail.
While Instagram Insights does not provide comprehensive hashtag analytics, it does provide some data on impressions, reach, and engagement. By analyzing likes, comments, shares, and saves, you can gauge the effectiveness and relevance of hashtags used in your posts.

BrandMentions Hashtag Tracker

BrandMentions is a social monitoring tool that tracks hashtags for free. It allows you to manage social media profiles and sources for measuring and analyzing online sentiment.
The hashtag analysis feature in BrandMentions lets you easily track how your hashtags are performing. It lets you track and monitor metrics such as reach, engagement, and sentiment analysis. However, you will need to purchase the tool if you need more detailed reports.

Brand24

Brand24 is primarily used for monitoring the online mentions of your brand, but it can also be used for hashtag tracking. It tracks hashtags on Twitter, Instagram, and other social networks and shows hashtag volume trends.
Aside from tracking hashtag campaigns, it also measures social media reach and counts posts using hashtags. Utilizing Brand24, you can discover which social media profiles use specific hashtags to gain the most influence. In addition, you can download raw data for deeper analysis later and track hashtag activity in real time for a fee.

The Limitations of Using Free Instagram Hashtag Analytics

Although free Instagram hashtag analytics tools can provide valuable insights, they have limitations.
Most free tools are limited to basic analytics and do not offer advanced features, restricting in-depth analysis and comprehensive insight into hashtag strategies. A free tool may also limit your ability to track multiple accounts, posts, or hashtags, which can pose challenges to managing multiple accounts or posting frequently.
The lack of historical data makes it difficult to identify long-term trends in free tools. In most tools, users are restricted to individual account analysis, rather than benchmarking their accounts against other companies. Several customization options are also limited to reports and dashboards, restricting the ability to customize analytics.
Lastly, free tools often use less accurate data sources and sampling methods, making their results potentially less reliable. For accurate and comprehensive insights, businesses and marketers may need to invest in paid solutions to access advanced features and gain access to advanced features.

The Best Instagram Analytics Tools for Tracking Hashtags

Listed below are 3 of the best analytics tools for tracking hashtags on Instagram:

SocialDog

SocialDog is an all-in-one social media management tool that offers trusted hashtag analytics features to brands of all sizes, plus Facebook and Twitter marketing.
It provides a detailed dashboard for monitoring your account’s key numbers, such as followers and followings. You can track engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and reposts by post type on its detailed post analytics. It also helps determine the best time to post for maximum engagement by time of day analytics.
Its media analytics allow you to track the performance of posts with images or videos. You can also create and schedule content in advance, saving time and ensuring reliability, with SocialDog. Moreover, it supports multiple user accounts, allowing collaboration and easy management of up to 10 social media accounts.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social provides enterprise marketers with social media management and monitoring tools. Its cross-channel social listening features allow you to analyze topics, hashtags, and keywords from a contextual and qualitative perspective.
This tool provides intuitive and visual reports on how your content performs on various social networks. In addition to providing detailed insights into audience demographics and engagement patterns, it also assists in data-driven decisions. Social listening and analytics are the core strengths of Sprout Social, helping businesses understand their audiences better.

SocialPilot

SocialPilot is a powerful analytics tool that allows you to track hashtags and schedule content. SocialPilot provides a wide range of tools and abilities for maximizing the effectiveness of Instagram, including a content planner, letting you schedule posts and communicate with your team, develop campaigns, track analytics, and more.
It also delivers time-saving capabilities by allowing you to schedule posts in advance and manage everything from one dashboard. You can analyze engagement metrics, track hashtag performance, and optimize their hashtag strategy to increase reach and visibility.

Conclusion: Track Your Hashtags With an All-in-one Instagram Analytics Tool

Instagram hashtags are undeniably effective in gaining more exposure for your account. Gradually, they’re becoming more essential to increasing Instagram’s user engagement. Plus, Instagram constantly updates its platform with new features, making hashtag monitoring an essential part of your strategy.
Without detailed and timely Instagram hashtag analytics, it gets challenging to evaluate your campaigns and optimize your approach.
Investing in a reliable all-in-one Instagram analytics tool like SocialDog makes it easy to track your hashtag efforts and monitor results. Whether you opt for free or premium tools, choosing a comprehensive solution like SocialDog streamlines your analytics and makes Instagram marketing easier. Get a 7-day free trial to unlock the full potential of your Instagram strategy.