One of the best ways (which I don’t have time to practice what I preach) is to comment on other people’s content and those tend to follow back and do the same. There are people who curate certain keywords which is why I use them. I did an experiment once where I uploaded without any hashtags and then later added some in and I got a lot more likes with hashtags than without.

I put my photos on flickr. I also relax the license so that anyone can use with attribution. As a result, my photographs are used all over the world, on websites, brochures, news stories YouTubes, etc. I get a kick out of searching my name and seeing so many of the photos turn up. Most of what I shoot are botanicals, birds and food so generic content. I work for a land grant, cooperative extension university so sharing is engrained in my thinking. Meta has ruined Instagram by the way! IG is mostly a shopping network now with a little photography thrown in. You have to hashtag the heck out of any photo for it to get any exposure!