The death of the hashtag

Once upon a time, hashtag lists were never ending. And for good reason! Instagram posts with 11+ hashtags once saw a 79.5% engagement increase – must’ve been nice.  

 

Over the years, the number of hashtags included in captions has gotten smaller and smaller. Of course, I still see the occasional post with more captions than copy, likely by a user stuck in 2016 who missed the memo. Still, on the whole, established accounts have greatly reduced their usage, or even stopped altogether.

 

This made me curious – especially considering sources like Hootsuite still recommend 3 – 5 hashtags per post. At the same time, others such as Immediate Future swear hashtags are “on life support”. 

 

I’ve personally found that, provided you don’t go overboard with how many you use per post, hashtags don’t hurt performance and simply provide an opportunity to categorise content and create consistency across posts. Consequently my approach has been to continue using 3 – 5 hashtags across all platforms.

 

So with all this conflicting advice, what’s actually the best approach? Let’s get into it…

The Head of Instagram himself, Adam Mosseri, recently confirmed on Instagram Stories that “Generally hashtags are not going to improve your reach. I wouldn’t suggest adding a bunch of them to try to get your post out to more people”. However, he also went on to say “Hashtags help with categorisation, but not distribution”. 

 

I have found in my own work that,while hashtags are not 100% dead, they have definitely lost their power in the algorithm. They are no longer a key driver for reach. 

 

Stacey McLachlan, writer for Hoostuite, tested it herself and found that “Hashtags are out”. She tested 6 different topics, posting about each twice, once with a hashtag-focused caption (and no keywords), and once with a SEO-focused caption. Her results tell us all we need to know.

 

The posts that were SEO-focused achieved a 43% increase in reach, and a 98% increase in likes. This suggests that the Instagram algorithm rewards informative captions with relatable keywords over those solely focused on hashtags. 

 

With this in mind, it’s clear that hashtags now simply play a supporting role. They help to categorise content, signal campaigns, and aid limited hashtag search. However, they should also be paired with keyword-rich captions so the algorithm can properly recognise what your post is about.

So what is the reason for the hashtag decline? Before we dive deeper, it’s important to first establish what a hashtag is…

 

As defined by Oxford English Dictionary, a hashtag is “a word or phrase preceded by a hash sign and used to identify messages relating to a specific topic” on “social media websites and applications.” 

 

As this definition shows, the whole point of hashtags was to identify content. However, AI can now identify content faster through captions and posts alone. If platforms now understand what your post is about without requiring hashtags, should you even include them? 

 

But it’s not just AI – user behaviour is also changing. As research by scheduling tool Sprout Social found, social media has become more of a search engine. 41% of Gen Z users choose social media as their primary search tool, “making social now the #1 place they search”. 

 

This has led to an increase in the use of search-like prompts. This has been echoed elsewhere, with Helen Manchip, Social Media Consultant and Coach at The Social Surgery, noting that “[platforms] now prioritise searchable keywords in captions, profiles, and alt text”. In other words, the actual content of your post influences its performance much more than hashtags will.

Unsurprisingly, hashtags have become far less essential across other major social platforms:

 

• Facebook: Whilst they don’t increase reach like they used to (a common theme), Facebook hashtags can be utilised to create a trend amongst customers. You can construct a feeling of community with a hashtag campaign everyone can participate in. The technique is still viable, even if it doesn’t increase reach like it used to. 
• LinkedIn: According to social media platform Sprout Social,”LinkedIn hashtags are still effective in 2026 when paired with a strong keyword strategy and high-quality content. Their role has shifted from simple categorization to strategic amplification within LinkedIn’s keyword-driven algorithm.”
• X: Elon Musk has banned hashtags within ads on X due to the ‘aesthetic nightmare’ they create. One could argue his wording choice was slightly dramatic, but I agree they can damage the look of a caption. However, according to global advertising and influencer agency Pulse Advertising, using a few hashtags can still help optimise organic X posts.

 

 

Gone are the days you could rely on Instagram hashtags for guaranteed reach. In 2026, best practice looks like this:

 

Algorithm Priorities

 

• To drive visibility in 2026, focus on what platforms prioritise: captions with relevant keywords that drive strong engagement (saves, shares, comments, and watch time).

 

Keywords

 

• Use tools like Semrush to identify relevant, high-volume search terms within your niche, and incorporate these into your bio, captions, and on-post text.

 

Hashtags

 

• Use 3–5 hashtags to label your content.
• Prioritise long-tail keyword relevance over popularity. Irrelevant hashtags, even if they’re popular, can negatively impact reach.

 

Ultimately, hashtags should now be viewed as a supporting tool rather than a primary growth tactic. 

 

While they still help categorise content and strengthen discoverability to a certain extent, platforms now prioritise keyword relevance, engagement, and content quality over hashtag volume. 

 

Brands and marketers should therefore focus on creating audience-first content with strong creative, keyword-led captions, and platform-native messaging designed to encourage saves, shares, comments, and watch time. 

 

When paired with 3–5 highly relevant hashtags, this approach is far more effective for maximising long-term reach and engagement in today’s social landscape.