Learning About Hashtags

 

From left to right, my boss Old Scratch, me, and my sibling Marco A. Shatter. This is what the kids were wearing the first time I went to college, my how times have changed.

I absolutely love hashtags! I feel as though they are the only way to get your posts out to a broader audience.

I just about always use the maximum number of hashtags allowed, which on Instagram is 30.

You're much more likely to see me on Instagram than you will any other social media platform. My work is mostly visual, and I love the ease of just posting a picture, and letting that image convey your message. 

Take this image for instance, it both conveys that I'm a person interested in broadening my intellectual horizons and a complete and utter absurdity. I dare you not to be intrigued.

Today, we're going to examine how other Instagram users impliment hashtags.

First up is my new friend Death Space Podcast @deathspacepodcast I just met them this morning.

They run a podcast on the psychology of death, grief and the human experience. It's a fascinating ride through history and the collective human psyche.

Their Instagram boasts 1050 followers, which makes them a small to medium sized podcast. However, it is significant to note that they only follow 486 users. This makes their likes more valid, in that they are not simply reciprical or follow for follow.

Follow for follow was a common practice on Instagram around 2016, and it still pops up today. People wanted to bulk their numbers in the hopes of becoming an influencer (that opportunity opens up around 10K followers.) 

People would conduct follow trains, in which you'd get a message with about 100 usernames. You were expected to follow every one, and they would in turn follow you. Sometimes this was done with a post that just said F4F, and everyone who liked it had the expectation that all the other users liking that same post would follow one another.

I know, because I was a follow train hobo back in the day. The problem is, when you hit 7500 follows, you can't add anymore. The followers you had slowly dwindle off, because they too have hit this ceiling and need to make room. Since you were never interested in one another's content anyway, there's no incentive to stay.

The problem is, if you have 10k followers, and only get about 30 likes per post, it becomes obvious that your followers are not engaged.

I should also mention that Death Space only started posting as of February 26th this year. That means they have had significant growth over 8 months. Their Instagram technique seems to be working for them.

They use a few hashtags consistently #death (of course) #greif, but each post has unique hashtages relating to the subject at hand. 

Take their latest post about the Viking warrior Sigurd The Mighty. They include hashtags such as #history, #medieval which will draw in the more erudite history buffs. 

They also throw in #medievaltimes, like the restaurant. This bridges the gap between scholarly historians and people who just enjoy the aesthetic and ambiance of that era. Both could potentially enjoy their podcast.

Sigurd died from an infection, inflicted upon him by the severed head of his enemy Mael Brigte "The Bucktoothed." 

While swinging from Sigurds saddle, one of Mael's teeth caught Sigurds leg and scratched him. Sigurd eventually died from the infection rendered by this scratch, as there were no antibiotics at the time.

Given this, Death Space includes the hashtags #antibiotics #modernmedicine 

If these are subjects of interest for you, this strange tale will be right up your alley.

They seem to post every two to three days. Their latest post is two days old. However they are actively liking and adding followers behind the scenes (I know because they just added me today.)

Their quotes tend to get the most likes. These consist of words, in white text on a deep blue backdrop, displaying famous quotes about death, for example:

"From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them, and that is eternity."-Edvard Munch

Their latest post only has 18 likes, but older posts tend to accumulate more, usually in the 90s.

They also have posts which feature audioclips from the show. These are all older, and this have a significant number of views, but don't necessarily have many likes. 

It seems people listen to these, then comment rather than like. These seem to be the most effective as a comment has potential to boost engagement by drawing others into a conversation. 

I've been trying to post more audio clips, but so far, not many comments have been deposited.

I tend to get more comments on selfies, which I always relate to the storyline of my show. I've found I get less vulgar comments when I post a selfie with my husband in it.

Death Space gets quite a few comments on all their posts, and are quick to respond with thoughtful messages. I could definitely try to do this more often.I usually just avoid it or give a thumbs up, because I have a track record of attracting stalkers.

The truth is though, that I've interacted with many more people who haven't become stalkers or obsessive. I just tend to fixate on the negative experiences.

Their hashtags tend to be specific to each episode, but they found me through #podcast.

I've found a lot of people through #podcast, #podcastlife, #podernfamily, #podpeople

My goal is to transform my podcast into an animated series (one day 😢) so next I'm going to look at an animated series.

Bee and Puppycat @beeandpuppycatshow 

Bee and Puppycat is an adorably surreal animated series from @cartoonhangover It tells the story of an unemployed woman, who is yanked out of her humdrum life by the apperance of a curmudgeonly Puppycat. Puppycat transports her to a magical world called "Fishbowl Space" where they have whimsical adventures.

 The show is scheduled to become a Netflix series in 2022. 

I remember the first episode in 2013, and was surprised to see that what I believe to be their official instagram only has 77 posts. 

They have 20.1K followers and follow 24 users. 

This show doesn't really rely on Instagram to bring in its audience. They really don't even use hashtags.

It does however reach new people by sharing its beautiful, pastel strangeness through the images posted on this platform.

Animated clips tend to get the most response. One from February 10th has 7,460 views but only 20 comments.

Another from December 28th 2020 has 10,797 views but only 49 comments.

They don't post that often, most recent post is on September 3rd of this year, and before that July 27th.

A typical post gets upwards of 3,000 likes but rarely over 40 comments. The comments tend to dry up around the twenties. 

I think this show really has an established audience, and their Instagram really just serves to show their unique aesthetic, and animated sensibilities. It potentially draws people in, but I think what helps them right now is the nudge from Netflix. People read about this new series and search online. This Instagram page serves as a nice little introduction, but not much beyond that.

The only place you could find Bee ad Puppycat before Netflix bought the property was on Cartoon Hangover @cartoonhangover, the next Instagram page I'll be looking at.

This page is where people discover independent shows like Bee and Puppycat. They are actively promoting their shows, and thus use hashtags.

They have 1,353 posts, 51.6K followers and are following 322 users. Instagram seems to be an effective way for this company to promote its family of animations.

They don't use a lot of hashtags, and the ones they do use seem to be generic #art #animation #adorable #cartoons #cute

Or they use the name of their company and the name of the specific show featured in their post #cartoonhangover #beeandpuppycat

The shows featured on Cartoon Hangover tend to have a soft, round, pastel kind of aesthetic. It draws influence from Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty, but takes on its own chubby, soft marshmellow aesthetic.

Cute and Adorable are definite descriptors of what you will find on this page. It's a cartoon company, so cartoons, art, and tags like that make sense.

They sometimes hashtag unique characters from a series, but that seems as though it would only be salient if you were already a fan.

They do display a lot of fan art, which is an easy way to get content and make fans feel seen. I'm not quite at the level where people produce fan art for me though. 

I have been trying to tag and reference people in my posts whenever possible. I take pictures when I'm out and about of things I know certain followers like, and post these online. It sometimes shakes a few comments loose, but I'm very bad at engaging with people. Due to this fact, there's very little incentive for anyone to interact on my page.

I'm trying to take note of who comments regularly, and likes my posts. I want to be sure to interact with them as much as possible. I'm starting to compile a list of a few dedicated followers who don't demand my complete and utter attention. 

I used to have a much larger following, but these followers attentions were contingent upon me answering their DMs instantaneously and responding to their every post. I can't keep up with that. I really feel like people online take advantage of the fact that business owners have to reciprocate, and hold them hostage using this against them;

"I posted a picture of my new drawing? Why haven't you commented?"

"I told you I don't like your hair long but you haven't done anything about it? Does my opinion matter at all to you?"

"You need to put my husband in your show, he does a really good Donald Duck impersonation. You should write an episode with Donald Duck!"

and then the whammy

"I wrote you a DM about how bad my depression is and you didn't respond! If I do something to hurt myself, it will be all your fault!" 

It's what eventually caused me to step away from the internet, and why I'm rebuilding from the ground up at moment.

Likewise, Cartoon Hangover seems to now be defunct, having made their last post in January of 2019. Yet they still have quite a number of residual followers. In 2019, they were posting nearly everyday.

I do think that companies like this leave themselves open to fans thinking they can step in and run the show. I see lots of comments on this page demanding they bring back certain shows, or play certain episodes more often.

Its the same mentality of people who start petitions to force entertainers into pandering to their specific demands. This usurps creative control away from the actual creators, and creates a too many cooks scenario, i.e a dumpster fire.

I feel like these animated shows aren't really using Instagram in a way that is helpful to me, so I'm going to check out an independent filmmaker friend of mine Kurt Broz of @wlfkfilms

Kurt wrote a film, Kingsbury Run, that is currently streaming on Amazon Prime for Halloween. It's part documentary, with a spicing of fiction thrown in, to tell the horrific tale of the "Torso Murderer." The aforementioned murderer decapitated 13 victims in 1930's Cleveland, Ohio.

Kurt also has a strong following on his TikTok page. He's a member of #fastfoodhouse, where he plays Jack of Jack in the Box fame. His popularity is bolstered by the fact that his costars are sexy twentysomethings of the feminine variety, who dress like naughty versions of beloved fast food mascots.

He currently has 7037 TikTok followers, 14.7K likes and follows 107 accounts (one of which is mine, but I'm pretty sure that was out of pity.)

On Instagram he has a slightly more modest 990 followers, which isn't too shabby for an independent writer honestly. He follows 386 accounts and has 5,071 posts.

He posts everyday, sometimes twice or three times a day. His last post was 4 hours ago.

His Instagram, which is a mix of memes, short videos, selfies and workout motivation photos. 

I've been following his example and trying to post more workout motivation material myself. I'm gearing up towards talking about my struggles with;

• Metabolic syndrome and the resulting insulin resistance

• Alcohol addiction,

• How so most recovery programs just push sugar on you as a substitute addiction (go to AA, its all donuts and pie)

• And how sugar just holds your addiction in stasis, never allowing true recovery and inevitably starting the cycle anew.

Kurt recently gave up alcohol and recommited himself to health and fitness. I think a lot of people either stopped drinking during covid (me) and realized they were better for it, or drank to excess during covid and are now trying to break free from addiction. 

I feel like his fitness content expresses a very human vulnerability, which causes people to feel a kinship towards him. 

He has also been very honest about his struggles with depression. These things allow people to see him not so much as a faceless writer of a horror movie, or the Jack in The Box on Tik Tok, but as someone who shares their struggles and burdens.

He uses hashtags like #gymlife #workout #fitness #liftweights

I've been using hashtags like #metabolictraining #metabolicsyndrome #cardio #recovery #reclaimingmylife in the same vein.

His posts don't get many likes on his fitness posts, usually around 20, but his Instagram serves as a feeder, directing people to his other projects.

Kurt also shares dating horror stories on his page. These real life fiascos garner around 50 something views and always draw in the comments. They seem to be his most popular posts.

He uses hashtags like #single #onlinedating #datingmemes #relationshipgoals #weirddate

My past relationships both romantic and otherwise have inspired characters in my audiodrama Creeping Wave Radio. Unfortunately, I don't think most of the things I could talk about would be family friendly. 

A big reason I started writing my novel and eventually my audiodrama series was to deal with events in my past in a controllable way. Creating fictional characters also helps me avoid flagging the attentions of my former partners or friends and risking their reappearance in my life.

I do feel like I'd like to make some posts about the inspirations behind certain scenes and characters, but I'd have to be a lot more discriminating in what I shared. 

I've been posting behind the scenes pictures and old photos of my husband (who plays Old Scratch in the series) and me (who plays Napoleon Doom, a version of myself). I use hashtags like #throwbackthursday #creepycouples #podcastlife #scratchandnap (our characters names) #devilsapprentice #mybossisthedevil (on the show, Old Scratch is my boss rather than my husband).

Kurt also shares a lot of pop culture references and memes, which simultaneously place him in the geek culture demographic, and show that he's a fun loving, everyman type. 

He uses hashtags like #oldschoolwrestling #sadmemes #spicymemes #2000snostolgia

I'm not really a geek culture type, but I do post pictures of my travels, which is something I am inspired by. I use tags like #travel #travelgram #travelblogger #diningout #nightlife #onthetown

I've been trying to find a happy medium between creating a relatable, vulnerable yet spunky persona online without falling into oversharing territory.

I sometimes run my posts past my husband, who will offer suggestions like;

"Just say this is a pic from a check up. You're obviously at the Doctors office. If you say you're at the endocrinologist, people are going to start asking questions you aren't ready to answer yet."

"Just let people know you're going back to school, and you're busy. Otherwise they're going to wonder why you haven't posted in two months. People make things up if you let them."

I feel like of al the social media platforms, Instagram is the one I have the least difficulty with. It also seems to be the most difficult one to redirect traffic from, as it doesn't allow links (except in the bio section.)

I used to have my Instagram and Facebook linked and I need to figure out how to do that again. I'm much more likely to post a picture than I am a rant on Twitter, or a blurb on Facebook. Unfortunately, Twitter and Facebook allow links, so they make it much easier to visit a video or website. 

I'm hoping to link Facebook to Instagram again, and schedule my posts through there, so I can make sure people actually click my links and don't just click like.