Did we ever really understand hashtags?
I don’t think anyone really ‘got’ hashtags. We used them because everyone else was doing it.
#sandwich, #holiday, #instagood – random tags that didn’t always say much about the post itself.
But we told ourselves they mattered.
Back in the olden days, they helped the algorithm work out what we were posting about. They made us feel like we were giving our content a fighting chance to be seen.
On TikTok, they became another way to categorise and ride trends.
Do event hashtags still work?
I’ve often used hashtags at conferences and even asked other people to use them. But unless there’s one of those snazzy live feeds (RIP Twitter) on screen pulling posts together, I’ve never really worked out the point.
They can group content under one tag, but unless attendees are actively searching or the organiser is pushing the conversation, the impact is pretty limited.
Hashtag stuffing
Some people go all in. Thirty hashtags vomited under every post or jammed into the first comment. Everyone has their own magic secret formula. Use the broad ones. Use event ones. Use every single one you can find.
But now the hashtag is hooked up to life support.
Why hashtags are dying on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok
Platforms have moved on:
- Instagram scrapped the ability to follow hashtags in 2024 and reduced their weight in the algorithm
- LinkedIn now deprioritises hashtags, advising just a handful if any
- Facebook data shows posts with fewer, more relevant hashtags perform better than those stuffed with them
- TikTok has introduced a five-hashtag limit and recommends just two or three relevant ones
Sophisticated algorithms replaced hashtags
Algorithms have got clever. They can read the words in your captions. They can ‘hear’ what’s in your videos. They track engagement, watch time and shares. They don’t need you to tag #coffee or #holiday for them to know what’s going on.
One of my own TikToks proved it. I mentioned my daughter’s name ‘Bethan’, and suddenly I had hundreds of Bethans across the world popping up in my comments. The algorithm picked up the name and did the work (please note that I wasn’t trying to target Bethans).
Are hashtags completely dead?
Not quite. There’s still a place for:
- Niche hashtags that target specific communities
- Branded hashtags for campaigns (if someone does something with them!)
- Event hashtags to tie content together
But the glory days of hashtag stuffing are done. It looks spammy and a bit desperate.
What to do instead of hashtag overload
- Write clear captions that include natural keywords people might search for
- Focus on content quality, early engagement, and watch time
- Test posts with and without hashtags to see what works best
- Use no more than 2–5 highly relevant hashtags when they add value
The hashtag had its era. It taught us a lot. But social media has moved on. Algorithms are smarter, audiences are savvier, and we don’t need thirty hashtags to prove our point anymore.
Now it’s about writing intentionally and letting your content – and the algorithm – do the work for you.
#thanksforthememories
