Are Hashtags Still Relevant?
The hashtag (#) was introduced by Chris Messina in 2007 to organize social media posts and improve searchability. According to Lifeware, Twitter adopted clickable hashtags in 2009, and, since then, hashtags have become common across platforms like Instagram and Facebook. They help categorize content, boost engagement and have supported social movements such as #IceBucketChallenge and #COVID19.
The short answer is yes, hashtags are still relevant, but only when they are used correctly. As hashtags have evolved, their role has changed. Their purpose is no longer to “hack” the algorithm to make a post go viral. Instead, they are now meeting their intended purpose of categorizing content and improving searchability.
Once a business identifies the hashtags that boost visibility and help land content on the Explore Page, they can unlock new opportunities (Later Blog). The Explore Page curates posts, videos and stories based on a user’s interests and engagement history. It uses algorithms to deliver personalized recommendations.
By leveraging these hashtags, businesses can discover user-generated content (UGC) related to their brand. Reposting relevant UGC is a powerful way for an organization to continue to build trust, encourage engagement from an audience and showcase the company’s community involvement. Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram utilize different hashtag strategies to support their content.
On LinkedIn, using a small number of relevant hashtags can yield significant benefits. According to a 2024 Statista report analyzing over 2,000 LinkedIn posts, the ones that used between one and three hashtags achieved the highest average engagement, with approximately 14.7 likes per post.
The posts that didn’t use any hashtags averaged about 10.8 likes, while posts with more than six hashtags dropped to 8.4. This data shows us that professionals who are using LinkedIn respond well to relevant hashtags, but overusing them makes the content seem less credible. For example, a post about leadership development might perform better with #Leadership and #CareerGrowth rather than with a dozen loosely related tags such as #job or #work.
Hashtags also improve discoverability. The strategic use of one to three well-chosen hashtags on LinkedIn ensures that an organization’s content surfaces in search results and topic feeds without appearing as “spam” or annoying to users.
The same principles apply to Facebook. According to best practices from Sprout Social, users should avoid using spaces in multi-word hashtags. Instead, businesses can capitalize the first letter of each word (e.g. #ThrowbackTuesday). Symbols such as percentage signs (%) or special characters should be avoided because they can break the hashtag.
While hashtags don’t always need to relate directly to a brand, aligning them with trending topics or relevant conversations can enhance reach. Users can also naturally incorporate hashtags into sentences for better flow and readability. For example, one could say, “Krakoff Communications wishes you a #HappyFourthofJuly.”
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Hashtag usage on Instagram is declining due to keywords and algorithms playing a key role in increasing content visibility. Although Instagram’s CEO claims, “Hashtags are dead,” they are still significant for finding a community related to the conversation. According to Sprout Social, users should place hashtags within the caption or in the first comment and aim for 3-5 relevant hashtags per post.
Commenting the hashtag underneath a post on Instagram, rather than using it in the post copy, gives the feed a cleaner and more aesthetic look. According to Recurpost, accounts with under 100K followers, particularly those with 50K–100K followers, tend to get significantly higher reach when hashtags are placed in the comments of a caption.
Individuals should use Instagram’s analytics to see which hashtags bring the most reach and engagement. Refine the strategy based on what works. A consistent hashtag strategy not only enhances the reach of your posts but also strengthens an organization’s overall social media presence.
Visibility Over Virality
Hashtags have surely matured. Their purpose has shifted from helping viral reach to helping content get discovered by the right people. Hashtags can still drive meaningful engagement across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram when they are used in the right way. The key is to prioritize relevance and quality over quantity.
By adapting the hashtag strategy to match the current trends of the industry, a brand can enhance its visibility to stay part of conversations and make its content easier to find.
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