The hashtag myth
For a long time, hashtags were seen as the holy grail of organic reach on Instagram. The theory was simple: more hashtags would help you reach a larger audience. However, the data tells a different story. Research shows that successful Instagram Reels often contain no hashtags, and that posts with fewer than 10 hashtags perform much better than posts with more hashtags.
The new algorithm from April 2024
Since April 2024, Instagram has adjusted its algorithm, drastically changing how hashtags work. Previously, hashtags made your posts more visible to a wider audience. Now, your organic reach is limited to a small percentage of your followers. If you use hashtags, half of your potential reach is effectively wasted on followers of those hashtags. And here is the problem: most of these followers are not real people, but bots.
Why do people still use hashtags?
The original purpose of hashtags was to categorise content and help users find relevant posts. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, has even suggested that hashtags could be integrated with Instagram's search function, giving them some value for small accounts with fewer than 5,000 followers. These accounts can benefit from the limited but targeted exposure hashtags offer to reach their target audience.
The perspectives of Instagram and creators
From Instagram's perspective, the core of its algorithm is simple: keep users on the app for as long as possible. Content that holds attention and prompts interaction is promoted. This makes using irrelevant hashtags counterproductive, as they attract the wrong users, leading to lower engagement.
From the creator's perspective, it is all about meaningful interaction. Imagine creating a post about photography but using hashtags such as #FcBarcelona. Followers of this hashtag are probably interested in football, not photography, and will ignore your post. As a result, Instagram will not promote your post further, leaving it unable to achieve its intended reach.
What to do and our conclusion
If you have a large account (more than 5,000 followers), you do not need to worry about hashtags. Focus instead on the quality of your content and viewing figures. For smaller accounts, up to five targeted hashtags can help you get picked up by Instagram’s algorithm. However, avoid excessive hashtags, as this can limit your reach through bots and irrelevant followers.
Although hashtags were once essential for increasing your reach on Instagram, they now play a much smaller role. The recent changes to Instagram’s algorithm highlight the need to focus on content that truly resonates with your audience, rather than relying on hashtags. Instead of wasting time finding the perfect hashtags, invest that time in creating engaging and valuable content.
In short, hashtags can help, but they are no longer the magic solution they once were. Focus your energy on what really matters: creating content that appeals to and engages your audience.
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