What’s the deal with Instagram hashtags? There has been so much debate over this topic in the past year. We went from using 30, to being told to use 8-12, and then being told to use 3-5. In this blog post, we’re breaking down which is the ideal strategy and why.

Instagram’s algorithm has changed, and with algorithm changes comes a change in how we use its features. At the end of the day, as much as we resent these changes, adapting will only benefit us. Instagram doesn’t care if you don’t conform, they will just not push your content out. To succeed, we must adapt, so if you’re still using 30 hashtags, keep reading!

You may have recently noticed that there are more and more **“suggested posts” on your feed** (see image as an example). This is another attempt for Instagram to mimic TikTok, as TikTok’s feed, also known as the **“For You page"**, rarely shows you content from who you follow, rather they only show you new accounts.
This also means that Instagram’s algorithm has become more specialized in categorizing content via keywords, in order to show your content to users who are interested in it. For example, if you are an interior designer and you use keywords such as interior design in your content, Instagram will pick that up and show your content to users who engage with content that uses the same, or similar keywords. The same goes for every industry.
How does this tie into hashtags? Keywords that help you become more visible to your target audience relate to the **keywords you use on Instagram**;
(1) in your graphics or Reels,
(2) your captions and
(3) your hashtags!

Chances are, that if you have sets of 30 hashtags, they are pre-planned and full of words that relate to your industry, your niche or your location. While that was a strategy that worked well in the past, it’s not a strategy that we recommend based off of the current algorithm. Those words probably don’t relate to the specific post you are making, and furthermore, the more hashtags you use, the more you are confusing the Instagram algorithm, and as a result, it will not categorize your content efficiently and therefore, not push it out as a ‘suggested post’. Whereas, if you use 3-5 hashtags that are related to your industry and the specific post that you are making, you have a much better chance of Instagram categorizing your post efficiently and pushing it out to your targeted audience.

I know you’ve been told to look at the number of posts associated with the hashtags, for example, using hashtags with under 200k posts; however, in this case with the current algorithm, it doesn’t make a difference. It solely related to the quality of the keyword you are using and whether it’s related to your post.

If Instagram ever gets rid of the ‘suggested posts’ feature (because at this rate, we never know what will change & when), consider using more hashtags, potentially around 8 in total, and try to use ones that have under 500k posts associated with them.