Sunset photos are widely popular for sharing on Instagram, which means finding the right sunset hashtags to use for your photo is crucial. Naturally we ALL want our photos to be seen by more people and for our accounts to grow. Utilizing hashtags is just one way to get your photo seen but you have to be strategic in your planning.
When selecting sunset hashtags, the first thing you want to note is that every hashtag should not have the word “sunset” in it. You need to look at what kind of photo you are posting, where is it the photo taken and various elements of the photo that can also be included in your hashtag search.
You can use up to 30 hashtags per photo and I suggest picking them wisely. Here is my thought process on hashtag selection:
- Out of 30 available hashtags, no more than 15-20 should have a use of over 500,000 – when you pick hashtags that have been used this many times or higher, it means it is being used a lot and your photo can get buried very quickly, however, you should still use them JUST IN CASE! A lot of companies like Travel and Leisure have high hashtag values but that is how you get featured on their page, so it may be worth it to use it if you have a truly incredible photo.
- You need a healthy mix of hashtags to use for your photo. For example: you have a sunset photo of you and your significant other on the beach in Hawaii. You need a selection of sunset hashtags, couples hashtags, beach hashtags, Hawaii hashtags, and travel hashtags. The goal is to touch as many bases as possible for maximum exposure. This was a variety of people will find your content, not just people looking for sunsets.
- What I strongly discourage is using hashtags that do not fit your photo. For example: if your photo is of a family sailing at sunset, using #dametraveler will not get you featured on their account at all and it does not fit the type of people who should be using that hashtag, AKA women in the distance in their travel photos. That would be a waste of a precious hashtag and you don’t want to waste any of them on purpose.
- Look at what re-post pages fit your photo and see if they have a hashtag that they use to find photos to share on their feed.
Things I would avoid:
- a lot of the major travel pages ONLY pick photos that are crazy good and typically these photos have been shared across multiple pages. You have to be really honest with yourself and ask if you think your photo is up to par with these extremely talented photographers and editors.
- using all hashtags that are in the millions of use.
- NOT using all 30 hashtags with your photo.
While sunset hashtags can certainly help people find your photos and get you noticed by other accounts, utilizing hashtags is only one part of the photo sharing process. You can tag up to 20 accounts on the photo itself. This is very crucial that you only tag pages you want to re-post and that fit their aesthetic. If you are sharing a sunset photo it would not be wise to tag @Foodandwine. Why would a food page share your photo? There is certainly a methodology to this and you really need to look at the page you are tagging and ask yourself “has a photo like this ever shown up on the feed and how often?”
Below I have created several scenarios to place sunset hashtags into your photos. Feel free to copy and paste where you think they fit your photos or tweek/replace some of them. These hashtag blocks will have the full 30 allotment and will be very specific to the photo type. So be careful when highlighting and copying and make sure you have the right block to use.
Sunset Hashtags: Maximizing Exposure on Instagram
Below I am setting up various photo options and below them you will find sunset hashtag blocks you can use for them. Of course feel free to swap some out for ones you love and trust, just make sure they fit the photo.
Beach Destinations
For the above photo, this was taken in Hawaii. So I will put together a selection of sunset hashtags that fit both the photo, location and elements within the photo. Additionally, I tagged brands and re-post pages in Hawaii that could share the photo (like the tourism board and Hawaiian Airlines).
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #hawaiianairlines #lethawaiihappen #hawaii #hawaiisbestphotos #hawaiivacation #hawaiianlife #hawaiitag #beachsunset #sunsetonthebeach #sunsetatthebeach #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #reflection_shots #IG_reflections
The sunset hashtags for this photo will be slightly different. If you look at this photo and the one above it, the main difference is the lack of reflections in this post, so we would not use those hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #hawaiianairlines #lethawaiihappen #hawaii #hawaiisbestphotos #hawaiivacation #hawaiianlife #hawaiitag #Oahulife #beach #beachsunset #sunsetonthebeach #sunsetatthebeach #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue
Sunset with Girl
Below are two different types of photos with women as a focus with the sunset. For the image with one woman, she has a shot of getting re-posted on a lot of female travel pages because her photo fits the criteria. The photo with the group of women is not one that is re-posted on the same pages as their focal point is typically one woman per photo.
Be careful of the sunset hashtag blocks for each photo as they are different and based on the content.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #beach #beachsunset #sunsetonthebeach #sunsetatthebeach #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #summerlife #summersunsets #summersunset #girlsquad #girlstrip #beachbabes #summergoals #friendsforlife
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #beach #beachsunset #sunsetonthebeach #sunsetatthebeach #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #sheisnotlost #dametraveler #darlingescapes #wetravelgirls #travelgirlsgo #girlsabroad #femmetravel #journeyofgirls
Sunset Landscape
These next group of sunset hashtags will vary by photo primarily based on location. Since each photo is in a different location, I sourced local and regional hashtags to suit each one in addition to their block of sunset hashtags.
The above photo was taken in Provence, France in Europe. After targeting sunset hashtags, I looked for re-post pages, Europe hashtags, France hashtags, and local hashtags in Provence.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #france_holidays #france_vacations #francephoto #visitprovence #myprovence #igersprovence #europe_pics #tlpicks #iamatraveler #veryTandC #fodorsonthego #europe_greatshots
The photo above was taken in the desert in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area of Arizona. For this photo I gathered sunset hashtags, desert hashtags, Arizona hashtags, etc.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #visitphoenix #scottsdaleaz #arizonaliving #scottsdale #myphx #arizonalife #explorearizona #see_arizona #conquerarizona #desertvibes #bestinthedesert #desertphotography
Plitvice National Park – Croatia
The above photo was taken at Plitvice National Park in Croatia, in Europe. For this photo, sunset hashtags, Croatia hashtags, re-post pages, and Europe hashtags were targeted. Please keep in mind, some of these hashtags are specific to Plitivice National Park.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #europe_pics #tlpicks #iamatraveler #veryTandC #fodorsonthego #europe_greatshots #croatiafulloflife #croatiatravel #croatiafullofnature #plitvicelakes #plitvicenationalpark #instacroatia #croatia_lovers
Tha above photo was taken in Salzburg, Austria in Europe. For this specific photo I have sunset hashtags, Europe hashtags, Austria hashtags, autumn hashtags, and Salzburg hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #vacationlife #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #europe_pics #austria_memories #austriavacations #instaaustria #365austria #myaustria #salzburgaustria #visitsalzburg #autumnlove #autumnvibes #autumnlover #autumncolors
Sunset Wedding
This photo was taken during sunset on a beach for a wedding. For this type of photo, I searched for sunset hashtags, wedding hashtags, beach hashtags, and couples hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #sunsetonthebeach #beachsunset #weddingwire #radlovestories #bridesrealweddings #huffpostido #earthcouples #travelmoments #travelwithlove #couplesthattravel #traveltogether #buzzfeedweddings #couplesgoals #couplestyle
Sunset with Hands
Since this photo was taken in the winter during a sunset but there are not many visual clues other than a heart, the hashtag sections here are: sunset hashtags, winter hashtags, and love hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #sunsetaddict #sky_capture #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #winterstyle #itscoldoutside #winterdays #wintersun #sunnywinterday #winterphotography #snowseason #snowscape #winterwonderland #winterdays #instalove
This photo was taken in the summer during a sunset but there are not many visual clues other than a heart, the hashtag sections here are: sunset hashtags, summer hashtags, color hashtags, and love hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #sunsetaddict #sky_capture #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #instalove #summerlife #summersunset #summersunsets #summergoals #summertimes #summerfeels #warmdays #finallysummer #officiallysummer #summerisfinallyhere
Sunset with Family
For this photo, hashtags that were gathered were: sunset, summer, family, and colors.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #skieshunter #familygoals #familyphotoshoot #familylook #familyweekend #familyaffair #familyvibes #familymoments #sunsetonthebeach #sunsetatthebeach #finallysummer #summersunsets
Sunset Architecture
City Skyline
The focus of this Los Angeles, California sunset was: sunset hashtags, California hashtags, Los Angeles hashtags, and skyline hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #losangelesworld #losangeleslife #losangelesgram #losangelescity #californialove #california_igers #californiatrip #californiadream #californiavibes #laskyline #skylinephotography #skylines #skieshunter
Paris, France
Since this photo was taken in Paris, France during sunset, the hashtags of focus were: sunset hashtags, Paris hashtags, France hashtags, Europe hashtags, and large re-post pages.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #france_holidays #france_vacations #francephoto #europe_pics #tlpicks #iamatraveler #veryTandC #fodorsonthego #europe_greatshots #parisfrance #parisparis #paris_focus_on #parislovers
Prague, Czech republic
This incredible photo was taken in Prague, Czech Republic and the hashtag blocks for this were: sunset, colors, architecture, Europe, Prague, Czech Republic, and major re-post accounts.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #europe_pics #tlpicks #iamatraveler #veryTandC #fodorsonthego #europe_greatshots #pragueworld #praguetoday #praguearchitecture #visitczechrepublic #igersczechrepublic #architecture_best #architecture_lovers
Venice, Italy
Since this sunset photo was shot in Venice, Italy, the hashtag groups of focus are: sunset, Venice, Italy, Europe, architecture and colors.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #architecture_best #architecture_lovers #venicecanals #veniceitaly #venicesunsets #visitvenice #visitvenezia #venicegram #italytravel #italy_ig #italylovers #italyphoto
New York
This sunset was taken in New York, so the hashtag blocks used were: sunset, architecture, colors, New York, and summer.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #architecture_best #architecture_lovers #newyorkgram #newyorktrip #newyorkworld newyorktravel #newyorkigers #newyorkphoto #newyorklove #summerlife #summerfeels #finallysummer #summersunset
This photo was taken in New Hampshire, so the hashtag blocks picked were: sunset, colors, New Hampshire, New England, architecture, and summer.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #architecture_best #architecture_lovers #curbed #newhampshirelife #newhampshireliving #newhampshireoutdoors #igersnewhampshire #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newenglandsummer #mynewengland #summersunset #finallysummer
Sunset Couples
For this romantic sunset shot, I focused on sunset hashtags, couples hashtags, beach hashtags, and some color hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #sunsetonthebeach #beachsunset #radlovestories #earthcouples #travelmoments #travelwithlove #couplesthattravel #traveltogether #couplesgoals #couplestyle #couplestravelgoals #travelmoments #travelcouple
This classic car shot with a couple focused on sunset hashtags, couples hashtags, colors hashtags, and car hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #radlovestories #earthcouples #travelmoments #travelwithlove #couplesthattravel #traveltogether #couplesgoals #couplestyle #couplestravelgoals #travelmoments #travelcouple #awesomecars #classiccarsdaily
For this fall sunset photo of a couple, I focused on sunset hashtags, couples hashtags, autumn hashtags, and color hashtags.
Please remember if you have a photo like this and it is not autumn, to take those hashtags out and replace them with something else. Maybe summer hashtags or whatever season fits.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #acolorstory #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #radlovestories #earthcouples #travelmoments #travelwithlove #couplesthattravel #traveltogether #couplesgoals #couplestyle #couplestravelgoals #travelmoments #travelcouple #autumnlove #autumncolors
Sunset Winery
The shot above was taken during the fall at a vineyard in Virginia. For this photo the following were gathered: sunset hashtags, Virginia hashtags, wine hashtags, and autumn hashtags.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #winerylovers #winewinewine #wineo #winetravel #vineyardviews #vineyardlife #loveVA #virginia #virginiaisforlovers #visitva #autumnvibes #autumnseason #autumnlover #autumncolors
Sunset with Pets
The only thing more photogenic than a sunset is an animal with a sunset! Whether you are playing with your animals or just photographing animals in the wild, these photos stand out and are cute. The gram loves them. For this photo, this is a personal pet (not a wild one) and the hashtag selections will include: sunset hashtags, beach hashtags, summer hashtags, cat hashtags, etc.
#sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach #sunset_pics #sunsetlover #sunset_love #sunset_hunter #sunset_madness #sunsetoftheday #sunsetchaser #chasingsunsets #skyonfire #colorsky #ihavethisthingwithcolor #justbehue #howihue #summerlife #summersunset #summersunsets #sunsetonthebeach #beachsunset #sunsetatthebeach #cats_of_the_world #catsdaily #lovelycats #catsofinstagram #catslife #aniamlworld #animalshots #animalplanet
Santorini
Feel free to steal these sunset hashtag blocks for your own photos. I love sharing my favorite tips with you guys and this will help take the guess work out of sunset shots for you, or so I hope. I did all the research and found what I think are the best sunset hashtags and additional add-ons for each style of photo.
Additional Information:
One of the common questions I get asked about using hashtags is whether to use them in the post or as a comment. Neither myth has been debunked on what works best, but I know I get a lot of views from hashtags consistently and I put them in the first comment. So that is what I would recommend. When selecting travel hashtags or food hashtags, just keep in mind that ALL your hashtags should not be generic and with millions of use.
As for what pages to tag in your photos, and you can tag up to 20, I highly suggest you use them all for maximum gain, it is going to depend on the photo.
Some of the pages I always tag for sunsets are:
@cntraveler
@acolorstory
@townandcountry
@anthropologie
@sunsetmag
@sunset
@beautifulmatters
@departuresmag
@suitcase
@passportbyforbes
That is 10 pages to get you started – just make sure your content actually fits what they would post. You should look for loca tourism boards and local re-post pages as well. Additionally, tag the company who makes your camera and whatever you used to edit with. Never know when they will re-post.
I hope you find these helpful <3
Pins for Pinterest:
