We all know that hashtags make a difference on Instagram, in fact, they make your content a LOT more discoverable and increase engagement. Of course, there’s more to a good post than a load of hashtags, but on a post for the main feed, hashtags are really good. But what about Instagram Stories? Of course, you can add a hashtag to a story (in fact, there’s a specific ‘sticker’ you can use for hashtags if you like!), but what if you want to add more than one? Won’t it make your Story a mess? There’s much debate about whether to include hashtags in the first comment or caption on the main feed… and a lot of that is down to aesthetics. So why on earth would you plaster a pic in them? Well, there’s a way you can add hashtags to your Instagram Story without making it look a mess. It’s simple really… you hide them. And that’s the subject of today’s blog – how to hide hashtags on Instagram Stories.

Why add a hashtag to an Instagram Story?

Well, we’ve talked about how hashtags makes you more discoverable, but the thing is, this also works for Stories. Now, word of caution… well, not exactly caution. If you use a hashtag (sticker or underlined) is MAY appear on the corresponding hashtag page. It may not. But if you don’t add a hashtag, the chances of it being featured on the relevant hashtag page are zero. If you can add it, and hide it (if you like), there’s a better chance of you increasing your reach. Or you don’t. And you definitely won’t get featured on the page…

So, if you do add a hashtag and you do get featured, it may appear on the hashtag page in the Story but at the top. If you’re not sure what I’m taking about, follow these steps…

• Open Instagram on your phone
• Press the magnifying glass
• Click on the search bar at the top
• Select ‘Tags’
• Type in your desired hashtag and tap
• And you’ll see a page with lots of pics… at the top there’s a circle with the Instagram colours framing it – that’s where you may appear.

How to hide a hashtag on Instagram Stories

We know that Instagram is a visual platform. So if you spend a lot of time creating beautiful images for your Story, you might not want to slap an ugly hashtag over them? Maybe? Worry not… you can hide them…

So, it’s worth noting that in order to be considered you need to either use a hashtag sticker (more challenging to hide, but you can change it to be a bit less obvious!) or you put the # and start typing and then select the hashtag you want from the bottom of the image. This underlines it and makes it a hashtag in this way. Now, if you opt for this, it’s much easier to hide.

I’m sure there are lots of ways to hide a hashtag, but the one I use (and I find the easiest) is to use the colour match tool (you know where you pick what colour you want the text to be?) and just change the colour of the hashtag to match a bit of the background of your image. You might need to shrink it down (especially if your photo has lots of colours and shades), but it’s easy, it works, and it’s done.

Of course, when you want to use a hashtag to direct someone (like #linkinbio) or you don’t mind using one that’s visible because it adds to what you’re doing, the stickers are good, or just pick a colour that contrasts with the background so people can see it and click if they like?

I’ve been using this function for a while now and have seen some Stories do really, really well… and this is the only thing I have done differently…

Have you tried hiding a hashtag? How do you do it?

If you liked this- download my free PDF guide all about Instagram Stories – click the image below.

…you might like these blog posts too…

PODCAST – Let’s talk about Instagram Stories

Behind the different types of Instagram Stories

How to use Instagram Stories (and stop them taking over your life)