Best Instagram Hashtags by Industry (2025 Guide)

For years, Instagram hashtags were treated like a numbers game: more tags, more reach. In 2025, that formula is outdated. Instagram’s algorithm now rewards intent, relevance and context over sheer volume. That means a post with five precise, industry-specific hashtags can outperform 30 generic ones.

Your team spends hours on hashtag lists, only to see a slight engagement bump, maybe? But no real intelligence, no measurable impact on lead gen, and a lingering anxiety about whether you're missing the next big trend, or worse, using a risky tag.

The problem isn't the effort. It's the strategy. With generative AI and intent-based algorithms, Instagram has become a listening engine. Top enterprises treat hashtags as real-time signals of market sentiment, campaign resonance, and even brand safety. Used this way, hashtags deliver ROI. Imagine a launch where your hashtags reveal which features customers care about most, or a trending tag like #SustainableAI, #CustomerCentricity, #CreatorEconomy, #WellnessAtWork, or #ShopSmall positions your leadership team as voices on issues that matter. This is how enterprises move from publishing to participating, with precision and authority.

This guide is your 2025 participation map. Here, you’ll get the most relevant Instagram hashtags by industry, plus how to align them with strategy, scale, and measurement.

Best Instagram hashtags in every industry

Using the right mix of trending, niche, and evergreen hashtags can dramatically increase reach, engagement, and conversions. But with each industry having its unique audience behaviors, a one-size-fits-all approach only dilutes visibility.

That’s why leading companies are prioritizing branded, campaign-specific, and event-driven hashtags. There are no universal “best hashtags” anymore — the shift is towards customized, personalized hashtags that reflect brand voice and campaign goals.

These approaches speak directly to audiences while strengthening brand identity.

Below, you’ll find hashtags across 13 industries, including recommended post types and real-world examples that show how brands are moving from generic to tailored approaches to maximize visibility and engagement on Instagram.

1. Fashion & beauty

Fashion and beauty thrive on trend cycles and visual storytelling. Here, hashtags serve a dual role: fueling discovery among style-driven audiences and anchoring campaigns to seasonal or cultural conversations. In 2025, they’re driven by sustainability, AI-powered styling, and immersive shopping experiences. Brands can use these tags to segment audiences, amplify influencer campaigns, and integrate AR try-ons for measurable ROI.

Zara integrates campaign-specific hashtags such as #zarawoman and #zaranewin to anchor global campaigns. These tags let the brand sustain engagement after a launch and measure performance across different markets; transforming hashtags into tools for cultural insight, not just visibility.

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Suitable post types:

• Outfit-of-the-day (OOTD) reels showcasing new collections
• Tutorials or before/after transformations with products
• Behind-the-scenes footage from photoshoots or runway events
• Carousel posts highlighting seasonal trend alerts

2. Fitness & wellness

Fitness and wellness brands thrive on community accountability and lifestyle alignment. Hashtags in this space aren’t just about workouts; they’re signals that tie brands to larger conversations on health, mindfulness, and performance. In 2025, they’re driven by AI-powered personalization, virtual training ecosystems, and holistic health trends.

Garmin often uses branded hashtags like #BeatYesterday and #GarminFitness to position its wearables at the intersection of technology and wellness. These campaign-specific tags not only boost community engagement but also provide Garmin with performance insights into how consumers adopt fitness routines globally.

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Suitable post types:

• Exercise tutorials or quick workouts
• Nutrition, meal-prep content and biohacking content
• Mindfulness or meditation reels
• Transformation or progress stories

Read More: Instagram Stories 101 for Brands

3. Food & beverage

Food and beverage is one of the most competitive categories on Instagram, where visual storytelling drives discovery and purchase decisions. The most successful hashtags cluster around lifestyle movements (healthy, plant-based, quick meals), aspirational identities (chef life, gourmet culture), daily consumption rituals (snacking, beverages, desserts), sustainability trends, and immersive dining experiences.

PepsiCo frequently leans into this culture of jumping on seasonal food trends, partnering with creators, or tying campaigns to popular hashtags that already have traction. It’s about meeting consumers where the conversation is already happening.

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Suitable post types:

• Recipe reels and how-to cooking content
• Stylized food photography and plating showcases
• Behind-the-scenes kitchen or R&D footage
• Product or menu launch content tied to lifestyle moments

How can we ensure our hashtags are compliant and brand-safe in a high-risk industry?

In regulated industries, risk mitigation is essential. With Sprinklr’s Instagram Hashtag Manager, you can monitor hashtags by status (active, inactive, registering), ensuring you only use tags that are allowed. Combined with real-time social listening, you can flag emerging negative sentiment or controversial associations, letting you adjust your hashtag strategy mid-campaign to preserve brand safety.

4. Travel & hospitality

For global travel enterprises, hashtags are more about destination management, sustainable tourism advocacy, and data-driven personalization. They signal a commitment to preserving local culture and ecosystems while enabling scalable, personalized guest experiences. In 2025, they are driven by regenerative travel, hyper-personalization via AI, and the blending of physical and digital experiences (phygital travel).

A player like Expedia regularly integrates branded and campaign-specific hashtags into destination promotions, partnerships, and seasonal pushes. This allows them to align with cultural travel moments, without relying solely on broad, oversaturated hashtags.

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Suitable post types:

• Destination guides that double as micro-itineraries
• Immersive hotel or resort tours (360° reels, room POVs)
• Adventure activity highlights
• Sustainability-focused travel tips in carousel format
• Cultural storytelling from local experiences
• Itinerary reels

5. Tech & gadgets

This industry moves at the pace of innovation, and hashtags play an important role in shaping perception. Tags like #AIRevolution and #NextGenTech signal alignment with emerging technologies, while #WearableTechLife and #SmartDevicesDaily reflect the consumer adoption curve. What this really means is that hashtags in tech function as both filters and amplifiers. They filter audiences into interest-based micro-communities (e.g., gadget reviewers vs. startup founders vs. consumers), and they amplify launches, reviews, or trend discussions in a crowded digital space.

Major players like Sony often use branded and campaign-specific hashtags during product rollouts, collaborations, or CES-style showcases, ensuring their content cuts through algorithm shifts and reaches both mainstream and niche tech enthusiasts.

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Suitable post types:

• Unboxing and demo reels that spotlight design + usability
• Tech explainer videos
• Side-by-side product comparisons or reviews
• Behind-the-scenes of R&D and innovation labs
• Timely updates tied to industry events and announcements

What’s the most efficient way to find industry-specific hashtags that actually drive engagement?

Use Sprinklr Social Listening, powered by Sprinklr AI, to track trending hashtags within your niche in real time, monitor engagement metrics, and analyze how your audience interacts with them.

The AI automatically surfaces themes, trends and anomalies from billions of data points, helping you spot hashtags that truly resonate. It can also detect brand or logo usage across visual formats like GIFs, images and videos, giving you a complete picture of where your brand appears organically.

These granular, actionable insights, enhanced by generative AI, help you combine trending, evergreen and niche hashtags for maximum relevance and reach.

GET A FREE DEMO NOW

6. Real estate

In real estate, hashtags are proxies for demand. The high-performing tags split across three categories: lifestyle-driven, transaction-focused, and design-inspired — driven by PropTech innovation, AI-powered property recommendations, and ESG. Together, they drive discovery among potential buyers, signal authority in the market, and extend the life of listings beyond traditional MLS channels.

The real power lies in blending evergreen tags with trend-specific ones. For example, hashtags tied to smart homes, sustainability, and hybrid workspaces are shaping buyer expectations.

Global firms like CBRE often build campaign-specific hashtags into market reports, property showcases, cultural events, or investment content; turning what looks like a social engagement play into a measurable demand-gen lever.

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Suitable post types:

• Virtual property walkthroughs or drone-led neighborhood tours
• Interior design or décor tips
• Bite-sized reels on market updates or investment insights
• Client testimonial reels
• Behind-the-scenes of sustainable building projects

7. Education & online learning

In education, hashtags shape perception around access, innovation, and lifelong learning. In 2025, the most effective tags align with upskilling, learning communities, and edtech innovation. When used strategically, these hashtags help institutions and edtech companies position themselves as thought leaders while signaling credibility in an increasingly crowded digital learning market.

Brands like edX often build campaign-specific hashtags into course launches or partnerships, using them to track engagement across learner demographics and markets. It’s a way to quantify interest in emerging skills and funnel learners into longer-term programs.

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Suitable post types:

• Course highlights or tutorials that spotlight in-demand skills
• Short-form reels breaking down complex concepts into digestible content
• Community-driven posts like success stories and learner spotlights
• Micro-content on study hacks or productivity tips tied to trending skills
• Influencer-led education posts featuring thought leaders

Good Read: How to Find Trending Hashtags for Instagram: 5 Pro Tips

8. E-commerce & DTC

For leading DTC and e-commerce enterprises, the focus has shifted from transactional promotions to building a loyal community and maximizing customer lifetime value. In 2025, hashtags are used to segment audiences, fuel user-generated content (UGC) engines, and create owned communities that reduce reliance on paid ads. The strategy is driven by personalization, community-centric storytelling, and leveraging social proof as a primary sales driver.

For large retailers like Home Depot, campaign-specific hashtags anchor seasonal pushes, helping them measure engagement and sustain visibility long after the ad spend.

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Suitable post types:

• Product launches tied to branded hashtags for tracking impact
• Customer testimonial reels
• Promotional deals or discount alerts
• Lifestyle content that integrates products into aspirational moments

Also Read: Social Media for E-commerce: Strategies to Drive Sales, Loyalty and UGC

9. Entertainment & creators

For entertainment enterprises and creator platforms, hashtags are vital for IP monetization, customer engagement analytics, and forging strategic talent partnerships. In 2025, the focus is on data-driven content investment, global franchise building, and creating structured ecosystems for creator-brand collaborations. Hashtags move beyond visibility to become tools for measuring content ROI, managing digital rights, and identifying high-value creative partners at scale.

MrBeast’s official Instagram account sets the benchmark by seamlessly integrating branded and campaign-specific hashtags for massive viral reach, cross-platform launches, and community engagement at scale.

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Suitable post types:

• Music or video content snippets
• Behind-the-scenes looks of productions
• Creator challenges or collaborations
• Highlight reels of fan moments

How can you tell if your Instagram hashtag strategy is beating the competition?

With Sprinklr Insights, you don’t have to guess. The platform lets you see how your hashtags stack up against competitors by tracking share of voice across 30+ social and digital platforms. You can benchmark performance on follower growth, impressions, engagement rates, and even Reels activity to understand whether your content is resonating more strongly than others.

Beyond numbers, Sprinklr’s AI-powered listening digs into sentiment and topic clusters, so you know not just how often a hashtag is used, but how audiences feel about it. The result is a clear picture of whether your strategy is leading the conversation, or if there’s ground to make up.

BOOK YOUR FREE DEMO NOW

10. Business & entrepreneurship

For established enterprises and investors, the conversation shifts from startup hustle to market leadership, corporate innovation, and global scaling. Hashtags in 2025 are used to signal market authority, attract top-tier talent and B2B partners, and communicate strategic vision to investors. The focus is on ecosystem building, disruptive innovation, and the financial metrics that drive sustainable growth at scale.

WeWork’s Instagram effectively uses branded and campaign-specific hashtags to anchor timely discussions around workplace culture and hybrid team engagement. By collaborating with thought leaders such as Zoom, WeWork amplifies its leadership role in shaping the future of work, fostering community, and delivering actionable insights relevant to business leaders and entrepreneurs looking to scale and innovate.

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Suitable post types:

• Bite-sized frameworks (e.g. “3 things I learned scaling from 0–1M users”)
• Short-form storytelling that doubles as thought leadership
• Case study breakdowns on growth, funding, or market entry
• Business tips carousel posts

Learn More: 5 Benefits of Instagram Collab Posts for Brands [+How to Use It]

11. Health & pharmaceuticals

The health and pharmaceutical sectors rely on accuracy, patient trust, and cutting-edge research communication. Hashtags capture areas such as AI-powered diagnostics, telemedicine, digital therapeutics, clinical updates, wellness education, and public health initiatives. Enterprises leverage targeted hashtags to segment professional audiences, align with compliance standards (FDA, EMA), demonstrate R&D leadership, and engage healthcare professionals (HCPs) and informed patients with scientific rigor.

Pfizer uses carefully vetted hashtags to share updates on peer-reviewed research and public health initiatives. This strategy focuses on educating the public and medical community with evidence-based information, building long-term trust, and establishing brand authority while meticulously adhering to regulatory guidelines.

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Suitable post types:

• Health tips and wellness reels
• Announcements of new medical products or trials
• Clinical research highlights
• Patient education content

Read More: Hashtag Analytics: How to Track Hashtag Performance

12. Automotive & mobility

The automotive sector on Instagram has shifted from glossy car photography to storytelling around sustainability, EV adoption, and connected mobility. Hashtags here are about lifestyle, innovation, and cultural cachet. The right tags help brands tap into aspirational communities — luxury buyers, EV enthusiasts, or even adventure seekers planning their next road trip.

Brands like Toyota and BMW actively use campaign-specific hashtags alongside trending mobility ones. For example, Toyota integrates tags such as #BeyondZero and #ToyotaBeyondZero when highlighting EV rollouts, positioning itself within both luxury and sustainability conversations.

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Suitable post types:

• Vehicle reviews or unboxing reels
• Test drive reels with influencer or customer POVs
• Tech explainers — battery life, AI features, autonomous driving
• Lifestyle content — scenic road trips, car camping, mobility hacks

13. Home & interior design

For home and interiors, hashtags are more about anchoring design authority, surfacing trend relevance, and connecting with aspirational homeowners or B2B buyers in architecture, real estate, and furnishings. In 2025, the conversation leans heavily into sustainability, multifunctional spaces for hybrid living, and tech-driven smart homes. Hashtags here work as both discovery engines and campaign markers, giving design firms, furniture brands, and lifestyle platforms measurable traction across audiences.

Design firms like Perkins&Will and lifestyle brands such as IKEA actively integrate campaign-specific hashtags into their Instagram marketing strategy. Perkins&Will often ties posts to urban design or sustainable interiors, amplifying thought leadership.

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Suitable post types:

• Room transformation reels
• DIY décor tutorials
• Trend showcases in furniture or layout
• Seasonal styling tips
• AR-based room previews and AI-driven design recommendations

How to choose the right Instagram hashtags

Hashtags still matter on Instagram, but not in the way they once did. They’re no longer a magic growth hack; Instagram’s algorithm now treats them as one of many signals for content relevance and discovery.

Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, recently explained in a series of videos that ranking is driven less by gaming the system, and more by how well your content aligns with audience interests. Hashtags, when used strategically, can help clarify that relevance.

1. Base your strategy on audience personas

A trending hashtag might look tempting, but if it doesn’t map back to your audience, it won’t drive business outcomes. Instead, design hashtag sets that mirror your key social media personas. For example:

• Good: A B2B SaaS company targeting CFOs might use #CFOInsights, #EnterpriseFinance, #FutureOfWork.
• Bad: Jumping on #MondayMotivation or #TravelGoals only dilutes your brand’s credibility.

Tactical tip: Look at CRM data to understand what topics your best customers already care about. Layer in social listening to catch emerging conversations in your industry. Add behavioral insights, like which posts get saved or shared, to spot the themes that drive intent. That mix gives you hashtags that map to real audience behavior, not just vanity impressions.

Example: Lululemon avoids flooding posts with generic hashtags like #Fitness or #Workout. Instead, it crafts lifestyle-focused hashtags that mirror how its community sees themselves. For instance, #TheSweatLife speaks to active urban professionals, while #TrainWithLululemon targets serious athletes.

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2. Use a layered mix of hashtags

Balance three types:

• Broad: Industry-level (#DigitalMarketing, #CustomerExperience) for awareness.
• Niche: Role- or use-case specific (#CMOThoughts, #CXStrategy) for relevance.
• Branded: Unique to your company or campaign (#SprinklrAI, #YourBrandSummit) for long-term identity.

This way you capture wide awareness while still reaching smaller, high-intent communities.

Take the example of Lululemon. The brand balances visibility and identity by layering hashtags. Posts often mix broad hashtags like #fashion with niche ones like #endofseasonsale, alongside branded tags such as #Lulumelon. This combination helps it capture discovery while building tighter bonds with the performance-driven segment.

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Where Sprinklr helps:

Sprinklr’s publishing interface includes an AI-powered “Recommended Hashtags” feature. When composing a post, it analyzes your content at an industry level, and suggests the most engaging options, across any language. These data-backed recommendations let you fine-tune your mix so posts have a better chance of extending reach and attracting the right audience.

3. Create dynamic hashtag libraries

Hashtags evolve with culture. What worked six months ago may not hit today. Build a living library of pre-vetted hashtags, segmented by campaign, audience, or product line.

• Categorize hashtag libraries (global, regional, campaign)
• Assign roles for social media governance, updating, and compliance review
• Integrate with publishing tools (e.g., Sprinklr), enabling in-flow customizations and AI-powered suggestions
• Use tagging and metadata for efficient reporting and measuring performance
• Leverage automation to flag banned or underperforming hashtags

A dynamic library prevents the “copy-paste” approach and ensures every campaign is aligned to current audience behavior.

Tactical tip: Use Sprinklr or similar tools to track performance of each tag across engagement, conversions, and sentiment. Feed first-party data (from your CRM or customer surveys) into this process to ensure hashtags mirror actual customer language.

Dive Deep: Hashtag Analytics: How To Track Hashtag Performance

For example, #TogetherWeGrow by Lululemon was launched in Asia-Pacific to promote wellbeing and inclusivity. This approach allows it to expand its global identity while tailoring messages to local audiences.

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4. Test, rotate, and measure continuously

Don’t stick with one “winning” set forever. The algorithm deprioritizes repetition, and audiences fatigue quickly.

How to do it:

• A/B test hashtag combinations the same way you test ad creative
• Swap 2–3 tags per campaign, track results in social media dashboards.
• Create quarterly reviews to retire low-value hashtags, and feed winners back into your library

This rotation keeps sets fresh and signals relevance to Instagram’s algorithm.

Lululemon continuously evaluates hashtag performance. It retires tags that underperform and spotlight those gaining traction through community use. By tracking engagement around hashtags like #TheSweatLife, it ensures its campaigns stay relevant and audiences remain engaged.

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💡 How Sprinklr helps:

Sprinklr’s Instagram Hashtag Manager organizes your hashtags into “Topics”, tracks whether each is actively fetching, and even surfaces banned or deactivated ones. Add or retire tags with a simple toggle and audit every change with a timestamped log. It’s your hashtag command center, without any spreadsheet juggling.

LEARN MORE

Maximize Instagram impact with integrated social media management tools

In 2025, hashtags remain one of the few levers on Instagram that can extend reach beyond your followers. But the playbook has changed. Generic, high-volume tags dilute relevance. Real impact comes from curated sets that are industry-specific, performance-tested, and continuously refreshed to reflect shifting customer behavior.

For CMOs, CX leaders, and social teams, hashtags shouldn’t sit in isolation. They belong inside your broader content intelligence framework — a system where every tag is tied to measurable outcomes. That means treating hashtags less as a tactical afterthought and more as part of the data that informs reach, resonance, and ROI.

Sprinklr Social gives leaders the visibility to make that shift. By analyzing real-time audience insights, tracking hashtag performance, and connecting engagement directly to business KPIs, it turns hashtag management into a growth lever.

If Instagram is part of your growth strategy, it’s time to elevate how you approach hashtags. Book a Sprinklr demo and see how your social strategy can deliver visibility, engagement, and measurable business value.