How to Use Instagram’s Keyword Filters to Discover Trending Niche Conversations in 2025: Mastering Instagram

Last Updated on September 9, 2025 by Val Razo

If you’re using Instagram for business or personal branding in 2025, understanding how to find trending hashtags and niche-specific conversations is critical to increasing your visibility and engagement. With recent updates to the Instagram algorithm, the platform now favors relevant content surfaced through features like keyword filters, Instagram Reels, and the Explore page. These tools help you identify trending topics, discover what’s relevant to your brand, and fine-tune your hashtag strategy.

Whether you’re managing an Instagram account, working in social media management, or growing a brand presence, learning how to use Instagram’s built-in features and third-party tools to analyze hashtags related to your niche can give you a competitive edge. This guide breaks down how to find trending conversations, align them with your target audience, and leverage them to boost engagement and grow your Instagram presence organically.

Understanding Instagram Keyword Filters and Their Role in 2025

How Instagram Keyword Filters Work

As Instagram evolves, keyword filters have become an essential feature for users who want to stay ahead of the curve. These filters allow users to narrow down content by focusing on specific hashtags, phrases, or topics. When you enter a keyword in the search bar, Instagram displays results not just from captions and usernames, but also from content descriptions, Instagram Stories, Reels, and even comments — all influenced by how the Instagram algorithm now evaluates relevance.

Keyword filtering essentially helps you identify hashtags, content types, and conversations that align with your target audience. This is particularly helpful when trying to discover hashtags related to your niche or to gain inspiration for a future Instagram post. Whether you’re a content creator, influencer, or brand strategist, using specific hashtags through keyword filtering can make your content more discoverable on the Instagram Explore page and increase your reach and engagement.

The Evolution of Instagram in 2025 and Why It Matters

In 2025, the way users interact with Instagram has changed significantly. The platform now leans heavily on AI-driven content discovery, using machine learning to serve up posts that are more relevant to your brand’s audience. This means trending topics, popular hashtags, and industry-specific hashtags are surfaced faster and in more personalized ways.

Instagram’s keyword filtering is now more deeply integrated with its algorithm, which considers your behavior, who you follow, what content you engage with, and what hashtags you use. This makes your ability to identify trending content both more precise and more competitive. If you’re not using filters to refine your content strategy, you’re likely missing out on conversations that could boost your engagement rate and increase visibility.

Pro tip: Combine keyword filtering with Instagram Insights to track which hashtags used are delivering the most impressions. This helps you adjust your hashtag strategy to better align with current trends and resonate with the right people.

When I first started using Instagram keyword filters, I realized I was relying too heavily on broad hashtags like #Inspiration. Once I shifted to niche-focused filters, such as #EcoFriendlySkincare or #RemoteWorkTips, my posts reached a far more engaged audience.

How to Find Trending Hashtags and Topics Relevant to Your Niche

Using Filters to Find Trending Hashtags on Instagram

To effectively find trending hashtags, start with Instagram’s native search and Explore page. When you search for a topic or keyword, Instagram now suggests trending hashtags within your niche, alongside related Instagram Reels, Stories, and influencer posts. This is a direct result of Instagram’s ongoing effort to tailor its content delivery to each user’s interests and behavior.

To refine your search, use keyword combinations like "fitness trends 2025" or "eco-friendly fashion hashtags" to pull up content that’s currently gaining traction. These searches will surface popular and niche hashtags alike, allowing you to build a list of tags that match your brand’s tone and goals.

If you’re looking to go deeper, try third-party tools like Hashtagify, RiteTag, or Display Purposes — these platforms analyze usage volume, engagement rate, and trending content related to your entered terms. Such tools help you identify hashtags that have a balance between popularity and specificity, giving your content the best chance to land in front of the right people.

Targeting Trending Topics Relevant to Your Brand

Not all trending hashtags will align with your brand identity, so it’s critical to focus on those that are relevant to your brand and audience. Start by identifying your target audience — what are their interests, values, or challenges? Then look at what kind of Instagram influencers they follow and what conversations are happening in that space.

For example, if you’re marketing sustainable skincare, look for hashtags like #CleanBeauty2025, #VeganSkincare, or #EcoGlow that are gaining momentum. These specific hashtags not only reflect your brand values, but also tap into active communities discussing trending topics you can contribute to.

Using relevant hashtags that speak directly to your niche helps the Instagram algorithm understand your content and surface it to users who are more likely to engage. This results in a higher engagement rate, better reach, and improved discoverability — especially if you consistently post with hashtags related to your niche across Reels, Stories, and static posts.

Boosting Visibility Through Keyword and Hashtag Optimization

Best Practices for Increasing Visibility with Instagram Hashtags

One of the fastest ways to increase visibility on Instagram is by implementing a strong hashtag strategy. Whether you’re crafting a caption for an Instagram Reel or a static post, the right combination of relevant hashtags can help you get your content in front of a wider audience. But not all hashtags are created equal.

Here are some best practices to follow:

• Use a mix of high-volume, mid-range, and niche-specific hashtags to balance competition and visibility.

• Include hashtags related to your niche rather than overly generic ones — these attract a more targeted, engaged audience.

• Avoid using too many hashtags (30 is the limit, but 9–15 is often optimal). Overuse can look spammy and reduce engagement and reach.

• Place hashtags either in the caption or the first comment — both are read equally by the Instagram algorithm.

Pro tip: Use Instagram Insights to evaluate which hashtags are driving the most reach and engagement. Refine your list regularly to adapt to current trends and shifts in your industry.

Finding Influencers in Your Niche to Leverage Trends

Another powerful way to expand your visibility is by identifying and partnering with influencers in your niche. These creators often have highly-engaged audiences and a strong grasp of trending topics within your shared space.

To find influencers, you can:

• Explore the Instagram Explore page and search using industry-specific hashtags

• Use tools like Upfluence or CreatorIQ to filter influencers by location, niche, and audience engagement

• Observe who’s leading discussions on trending hashtags on Instagram, and note their Instagram Stories, Reels, and post formats

By collaborating with Instagram influencers, you can co-create content that highlights your brand while riding the wave of an existing trend. Whether it’s a branded Reel, a shoutout, or a joint Story, influencer partnerships can significantly boost your Instagram presence and improve your engagement rate.

Leveraging Instagram Explore Page, Reels, and Stories

How the Instagram Algorithm Affects Visibility

The Instagram algorithm in 2025 is more sophisticated than ever. It uses AI to assess not just the content you post, but also how your audience interacts with it. Every Instagram post, Reel, or Story you publish is evaluated based on signals like engagement rate, content type, hashtags used, time posted, and how often users engage with content similar to yours.

If you’re wondering why your content isn’t reaching the Explore page, it may be due to low performance indicators. For better visibility, use relevant hashtags, post at optimal times, and engage in conversations using hashtags related to your niche. The algorithm favors consistency and authentic interaction — meaning your Instagram profile must be active and aligned with your target audience’s interests.

Using Reels and Stories to Amplify Trending Content

Instagram Reels and Stories are two of the most powerful tools for surfacing your content to new audiences. When you use hashtags in Stories (either in text or as a sticker), Instagram can categorize and feature your story in hashtag search results and on the Explore page — especially if the tags are part of a trending topic.

Meanwhile, Instagram Reels have their own algorithm and offer a high chance of virality. By jumping on trending audio, challenges, or using popular hashtags, you align your content with what’s trending at the moment. This tactic increases the odds that your Reel will appear in the feeds of users who don’t yet follow you, helping you reach a wider audience.

To maximize your reach:

• Include captions with specific hashtags

• Tag relevant accounts or Instagram influencers

• Use AI-enhanced tools to find top trending hashtags

• Post consistently using both evergreen and industry-specific hashtags

The more aligned your content is with current trends, the more likely it is to appear in search results, gain traction on the Instagram Explore page, and ultimately help you grow on Instagram.

Using AI and Filter Tools to Stay Ahead of Instagram Trends

AI-Powered Tools to Discover Current Trends

In 2025, staying on top of Instagram trends means tapping into the power of AI. The days of manually searching for popular posts or guessing which hashtags will perform best are over. Today’s top marketers and influencers are using AI-powered tools to analyze engagement data, detect trending hashtags, and uncover current trends tailored to their niche.

Tools like TrendTok Analytics, Later, and Flick use machine learning to analyze real-time Instagram activity. These platforms help you:

• Track hashtags related to your niche

• Discover trending topics in your industry

• Forecast which tags are gaining momentum

• Identify specific hashtags with the highest engagement rate

By using these tools in combination with Instagram’s built-in keyword filters, you can quickly identify hashtags that are not just popular, but also relevant to your brand and likely to resonate with your target audience.

Pro tip: Use these insights to plan your Instagram content calendar 1–2 weeks in advance. This ensures you’re always posting content that aligns with what Instagram users are currently engaging with.

I tested posting the same Reel twice — once with generic hashtags and once with hashtags related to my niche that I found through filtering. The second Reel received 3x more engagement and landed on the Explore page.

Filtering for the Most Relevant and Top Instagram Content

Keyword filters are especially powerful when used to monitor the performance of content within your niche. You can search by hashtags, topic keywords, or even usernames to surface posts that are getting traction among audiences similar to yours.

Want to know what’s working? Filter by hashtags like #TopInstagram, #TrendingNow, or tags specific to your niche. This will show you popular Instagram posts and influencers in your niche who are leading the conversation. Then, reverse-engineer the format, timing, and hashtag use of that content to craft your own version that can boost your engagement and help you get your content seen.

These filtering tools are especially useful for:

• Discovering trending hashtags on Instagram

• Finding related hashtags that expand your reach

• Monitoring what competitors or influencers are doing

• Ensuring your posts align with your brand’s message and tone

By combining smart filtering with AI analysis, you’re not just reacting to trends — you’re strategically leading your way through them.

Conclusion

Mastering how to use Instagram’s keyword filters in 2025 is about more than just spotting trending hashtags — it’s about building a strategy that helps you consistently connect with your target audience. By combining keyword filtering with AI-powered tools, tapping into Instagram Reels, Stories, and the Explore page, and refining your hashtag strategy, you can dramatically improve your visibility and engagement rate.

Whether you’re working with Instagram influencers, testing out specific hashtags, or aligning content with current trends, the key is to stay flexible. The Instagram algorithm evolves quickly, and so should your approach. Focus on hashtags related to your niche, create content that resonates with your community, and use the right filters to ensure your posts are always relevant to what’s trending.

With these best practices, you’re not just keeping up with Instagram in 2025 — you’re setting yourself up to grow on Instagram and stay ahead in your industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can SEO improve Instagram marketing in 2025?

SEO isn’t limited to websites anymore — it now applies to Instagram marketing as well. Optimizing captions with Instagram hashtags, using related hashtags, and writing keyword-rich bios helps Instagram’s algorithm understand your content better. This increases chances of appearing in Instagram search and on the Explore page, improving your overall visibility.

What makes a post achieve high engagement on Instagram?

A high engagement post usually combines eye-catching visuals, a strong caption, and the use of trending hashtags that feel relevant to your Instagram feed. Posts that encourage interaction — such as questions, polls in Instagram Stories, or calls to action — tend to perform better. Consistency also matters: posting on the Instagram app often signals reliability to both your audience and Instagram’s algorithm.

Should I use Instagram ads or focus on organic hashtags?

Both strategies work, but they serve different purposes. Instagram ads are ideal for quick growth, reaching a wider audience beyond your current followers. Organic growth with hashtags and trending topics, however, helps you build credibility and long-term trust. The most effective strategy often combines the two: run targeted ads while also using using related hashtags to keep your organic reach strong.

Can YouTube channels help with Instagram growth?

Yes — cross-promotion with YouTube channels is a proven way to build your audience across platforms. For example, adding your Instagram handle in YouTube descriptions, mentioning your Instagram feed in videos, or sharing highlights as Reels can drive traffic between the two. This multi-platform approach increases your reach and gives the Instagram algorithm more signals that your content is valuable and it’s trending.

How many hashtags should you use on an Instagram post in 2025?

While Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, using the maximum isn’t always the best approach. In 2025, most social media experts recommend using 9–15 carefully chosen hashtags for better results. Focus on using related hashtags that are specific to your niche, a few popular Instagram hashtags to boost visibility, and 1–2 industry-specific hashtags that signal expertise. This mix helps balance reach with relevance, which the Instagram algorithm values when ranking your content.

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