Instagram announces that we only need 3-5 hashtags on posts
Out of everything Instagram has announced this year, their post on the Creators account on Monday 27th September 2021 probably cames as a shock to most of us. A few weeks ago, Instagram’s founder Adam Mosseri said that adding hashtags to our captions instead of the comments is better for discoverability (finally, an answer!). But in an unexpected pivot, the Creators account said that we actually only need 3-5 on our posts to get the best out of our reach.
Here are Instagram’s Hashtag Dos:
Do use hashtags that are relevant to the theme of your content.
Do check which hashtags your fans already use and follow
Do mix well-known and niche hashtags to broaden your discoverability.
Do use specific hashtags so your fans can easily search for your content. You can even create your own!
Do keep the number of hashtags between 3-5.
And here are Instagram’s Hashtag Don’ts:
Don’t use hashtags that have nothing to do with your content (eg. #explorepage).
Don’t use overly generic hashtags - these will make it harder for people to discover your content due to the volume of other people using the hashtags
Don’t use too many hashtags - adding 10-20 hashtags will not help you get additional distribution.
Things to keep in mind
The Instagram Creators account also stated that content itself and the way people interact with your posts can affect distribution more than hashtags. They also encouraged us to think of hashtags as a tool that provides context about our posts and supports delivering content to people who are interested in a particular topic.
How to use Instagram hashtags going forward
If you’re feeling confused or frustrated about this new announcement, you’re not alone. A lot of what we knew and preached about hashtags has seemingly gone out of the window! But don’t take it personally - this new change suggests that the algorithm has changed to favour the relevance of hashtags over the quantity. And in a way, it kind of makes sense, with more and more people using the app every day and multiplying the amount of content we see everyday.
If you’ve already curated your perfect groups of 30 hashtags, worry not! You don’t need to let your hard work go to waste. Just divide your 30 hashtags by 6, so you have lots of mini hashtag groups of 5 niche, specific, and focused hashtags for your posts. In a way, that kind feels less daunting, doesn’t it?
How do you feel about Instagram’s new announcement about hashtags? I’d love to hear.
And if you’re still having trouble finding the right hashtags for your posts and your brand, may I recommend the Inclusive Hashtag Collection? It’s a product I’ve curated with over 2500 hashtags across categories and niches, designed to help you discover your audience of fanatical followers. Let me know what you think!
