275+ Instagram Hashtags for Artists

Instagram hashtags are a powerful tool. They can help your posts reach your target audience, get discovered by new audiences, attract followers in your niche, increase engagement, and develop a more positive and recognizable artist brand. They’re also a great way to stay up to date on trending artists, events, styles and marketing all while helping you cut through the digital clutter.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Instagram Hashtags

While the right balance of hashtags can put you in front of your target audience, in order to be successful, you need to be strategic about what hashtags you use and when you use them. Here are a few key considerations:

1. Don’t Overuse Popular Hashtags: Be Specific

Adding the most popular Instagram hashtags to your post doesn't necessarily mean you'll see more interaction. Since hashtags like #art, #artist, #abstract, are so popular, they are being used by millions of people, so your post will most likely get lost amongst the competition.

Narrowing your hashtags to relevant topics around your artist brand, style and even your post type are critical to your social media strategy. The less volume of posts a hashtag has, the more likely you’ll be seen by people who follow them. Consider using a mix of a couple popular hashtags (hashtags with over 500,000 posts) with the majority of hashtags targeting smaller, more niche topics (hashtags with less than 500,000 posts).

2. Avoid Gimmicky Hashtags

Hashtags that solicit likes such as #likeforlike, #followme, #love, don’t engage your followers or add any meaning to your social media post. Unfortunately, these types of hashtags also cause a backlash of spam comments that you’ll be fighting off for days. Using these hashtags can also impact your artist reputation and come off as spammy, don’t waste your precious hashtag space on these.

3. Use All 30 Hashtags, But Don’t Use the Same Hashtags in Every Post

Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags per post. Studies show that the more hashtags you use, the more engagement and interactions you can expect from your posts. However, 30 hashtags for one post doesn’t mean it should be the 30 hashtags for your next post. Your content changes and so should your hashtags. If you’re posting a work in progress photo your hashtags should be different than if you’re posting a photo of your finished artwork or your artwork in a home. Using different hashtag bundles are also a good way to find out which combination works best for which posts. Also, it’s important to note that Instagram’s algorithm may actually penalize you for consistently using the same hashtags.

4. Hide Your Hashtags

A list of hashtags are not a very attractive element and can take away from the overall aesthetic of your post and sentiment of your caption. Hide your hashtags either in a comment, immediately upon posting, or in the caption by adding 3-5 line breaks of punctuation.

5. Use Hashtags in Your Story

You can also use up to 10 hashtags in your Instagram stories. If you use all 10, try to hide them by blending them into the background. Choose the same colour for your hashtag text as your background and make them very small.

Types of Hashtags for Artists

As mentioned, your hashtags should change with your content. Consider the relevance of these categories when choosing the right hashtags for your post.

1. General Art (i.e. #art_spotlight)

There are many hashtags within this category that have a high density and low density volume of posts. They are also all encompassing which means they will work well with nearly all of your content.

2. Inspiration & Creativity (i.e. #creativityexplode)

Your posts are not just about being an artist they are about showcasing and encouraging creativity.

3. Community & Business (i.e. #worldofartists, #shoplocal)

These hashtags are great for encouraging support amongst artists. It is also great way to gain recognition in the small business community and those supporting small businesses and artists.

4. Interior Design & Home Decor (#apartmenttherapy)

This group is arguably your clientele. Your artwork should be visible amongst those looking for interior design inspiration. Consider using these hashtags when posting in-situ photos of your work.

5. Events (i.e. #ArtistProject)

Are you part of an upcoming event, show, market? Make sure to inquire about the appropriate hashtags to help drive people to your booth.

6. Artistic Style & Medium (i.e. #abstractors_anonymous #fluidartdaily)

Every style of art and medium used has their own set of niche hashtags. This is a great way to build your artist brand and identity and to connect with artists doing similar work.

7. Localization (i.e. #NYCart)

Local hashtags are a great way to target audiences in your area or an area that your next show or event is in. Also consider researching hashtags of local art/business/community blogs, publications and magazines for increased visibility.

8. Personal Hashtags (#johnsmithart)

Branded hashtags help you build a community specifically around your artist brand. This can be your name, name of your business or a specific product.

9. Brand Hashtags (#goldenpaints)

Most brands promote specific hashtags for artists to use in their posts. This is a great way to get attention from your favourite brands and potentially a repost from their larger audiences.

Using Instagram hashtags is an integral part of a strong social media strategy. Following best practices, you can increase your follower count and boost the number of buyers coming from Instagram. 

275+ Instagram Hashtags to Help Grow Your Following

Over the last 5 years I have been curating a list of hashtags covering all the categories above. Every single one of my posts is a combination of 30 of these 275+ hashtags for artists. This isn’t just a list of the obvious - it’s a fine-tuned list of niche hashtags I have spent hours and hours researching and testing and that has helped me gain over 127,000 followers.

In this bundle you’ll receive:

A downloadable PDF sent to your inbox with nearly 300 hashtags for artists across these categories:

• General Art
• Inspiration & Creativity
• Community & Business
• Artistic Styles
• Interior Design & Home Decor
• Mediums
• Videos/Tutorials
• Localization

New hashtags are being created and gaining momentum every day, so you’ll also receive an updated list whenever there are new additions.