The Relevance of Hashtags in Social Media Strategy: Do We Still Need to Use Them?

For years, hashtags have been a crucial aspect of social media strategy, serving as a powerful tool for categorising content, enhancing visibility, and boosting engagement. However, as social media platforms continue to evolve, so too does the relevance of hashtags—particularly on Instagram, where changes to search algorithms and content discovery are transforming the landscape.

The Evolution of Hashtags

Hashtags emerged as a simple yet effective means to enhance content discoverability on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. They enabled users to categorise posts, engage in trending conversations, and reach a broader audience. For brands and creators, mastering hashtags was crucial for building a following and gaining traction within their niche. However, as social media algorithms have become more sophisticated, the role of hashtags has started to evolve. Instagram, in particular, has been gradually shifting away from relying on hashtags to determine how content is surfaced and discovered.

Are Hashtags Still Relevant

The short answer is yes, but not to the same extent as before. Hashtags can still enhance discoverability and connect your content with niche audiences. For platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, hashtags continue to be a useful tool for categorising content and engaging in conversations around specific topics.

However, on Instagram, the relevance of hashtags is increasingly diminishing. The platform’s algorithm now extracts keywords from various elements, including:

Captions: Instagram’s search capabilities have expanded to incorporate general keywords within captions, making it easier for users to find content related to specific topics, even without the use of hashtags.

Video Content: Speech recognition technology enables Instagram to extract keywords from audio within Reels and Stories.

Engagement Metrics: The way users interact with your account, such as through comments, likes, shares, and saves, plays a substantial role in content visibility.

How to Adapt Your Strategy

If you’re relying solely on hashtags to boost your content, it may be time to rethink your approach. Consider the following tips:

Focus on Keywords: Optimise captions with relevant keywords and phrases that clearly convey the theme of your content.

Improve Engagement: Actively engage with your audience through comments, DMs, and responses to enhance visibility.

Leverage Video Content: With Instagram’s emphasis on Reels and Stories, creating video content that includes spoken words with relevant keywords can improve discoverability.

Use Hashtags Strategically: Rather than cramming posts with 20-30 hashtags, concentrate on a smaller, curated selection of hashtags that genuinely relate to your content.

To summarise

Hashtags aren’t obsolete, but their role in social media strategy—especially on Instagram—has evolved. Keywords, content relevance, and authentic audience interaction are increasingly important in determining how content is discovered and prioritised. Brands and creators must adjust their strategies accordingly to maintain visibility and effectiveness in the ever-evolving social media landscape.