[FAQ]

Right then, I’m hoping someone can give me a straight answer on this because the advice I’m seeing is all over the place. For years, the mantra was to use all 30 hashtags to maximize reach, but lately, I’m seeing huge accounts using only a handful, maybe 3 to 5.

I run a small online shop from the UK, and I want to make sure I’m following the most current best practices for 2025. I don’t want to leave reach on the table by using too few hashtags, but I also don’t want my posts to look spammy or get penalized if the algorithm has changed its preferences.

What’s the actual consensus now? Is it still a numbers game, or has it shifted to quality over quantity?

[Jeff Bullas]

This is the most debated topic on the platform, so it’s a great question.

Quick Answer: Forget the old advice of using all 30. The strategic number for 2025 is 3 to 5 highly relevant, specific hashtags placed directly in your caption.

The algorithm has completely changed; it’s now a search engine that prioritises the text in your caption and alt text, so hashtags are for context, not a numbers game.

For years, the accepted strategy was to use as many hashtags as possible to maximise the chances of your content, be it an image or a video, being seen. That era is over. Instagram’s algorithm now reads and understands your content, so a wall of 30 hashtags, especially if they are generic, looks spammy and can even hurt your post’s performance. The new strategy is about quality over quantity. Think of hashtags as SEO keywords that support your text-based caption. Your focus should be on using 3 to 5 hyper-specific tags that accurately describe your post and what your target audience is searching for. Always place these hashtags in the caption itself, not the first comment, as this is now critical for helping the algorithm index your post correctly.

Cheers,
Jeff

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