Instagram #hashtags are back in the game!

The location search stories have evolved into a new way of exploring places, people & brands. Instagram has included the search of hashtags (#) in this last update. By staying true towards its old users and the importance of hashtags in discovering media through its platform, Instagram has made this feature even stronger in the story search.

Whenever a user is searching for pictures or videos that use a specific hashtag, stories that are showcasing this specific word are presented in the search. Not only can the user see actual posts from public feeds but also explore stories that have been posted the last 24 hours and the users have written the search word with hashtag.

It is a critical feature for Instagram as it represents its values, and hashtags have been used by users in order to communicate, investigate and promote pictures, videos and visuals.

This is an example of a story that we posted:

We have used the locations of our studio, text and a hashtag (#instagram). From the total 38 views, 3 came from the stories of our studio’s area ‘Nea Erithraia Story’ and 14 came from the ‘#instagram Story’.

Privacy

Users should be more thoughtful about privacy settings. If one has a public profile, then the stories can be shown to anyone who searches a location, if Instagram showcases the story. Users with private profiles will not be featured on these area stories.

If your story has been showcased to a hashtag’s story, then you will be able to see how many times it has showed up and was seen by users. You are not able to see the names of the users who have watched your story, through this new feature. Meanwhile, you are able to see which of your followers have seen your story. This privacy setting gives the will to watch stories of different hashtags and stay anonymous, as the users cannot find who has seen it (for now).

Corporate & Professional Advice

Stories are becoming more important and can work as promotional material.
Be creative both with the content you post. The text, hashtag, location is becoming as important as the visual in order to be featured in public stories.
Plan and organize your stories as you do with your posts. Make a calendar with pictures or attributes of your business that you would like to present. You can save pictures (within the 24 hours you would like to upload them) and use them as posts on Instagram stories throughout the day. This is a ‘cheat tactic’ if during the day, there is nothing interesting or applicable going on in order to be posted.
Make a list of words, phrases and quotes that represent your business in order to inspire viewers or just to be prepared when you run out of ideas. Recently, it is very common with bloggers and celebrities to create and post a story, with a plain black background and a written message with emoji, tags and hashtags.
Understand which hashtags will work best for you. There is a chance the story will be presented worldwide. Is that your goal? Do you need to be more specific with your region in order to attract local customers? Are you using hashtags just to be featured or should the viewer be able to read them?