As social platforms get smarter, many of them have stated that hashtags are not needed to distinguish the content of posts. For some users, hashtags continue to be a method for discovering useful posts. However, as social platform algorithms improve their understanding of what users want to see, hashtags may become increasingly less relevant.
Summary
Hashtag strategy should be tailored for users rather than the social platforms themselves. Users still discover topics in which they are interested through hashtags.
New approaches like Threads’ “topics” (users tag one topic per post) may become more popular. They satisfy the user’s ability to research more into a topic/interest, declutter the post view, and keep spammers from overrunning hashtags with irrelevant content.
Research
Advances in semantic search capacity rendered hashtags unnecessary for helping platforms discover the topics of posts. Here is what the individual platforms are saying about hashtags:
- In December, Elon Musk announced that X’s “system doesn’t need [hashtags] anymore” and that they make posts look less appealing.
- LinkedIn stated that they “consider conversation topics and keywords to help surface relevant information for professionals looking to advance in their careers.” However, some research has shown that hashtags are no longer impacting reach.
- Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, stated that hashtags align users with communities, but the app announced it will no longer allow users to follow hashtags.
- The Threads team implemented a hashtag replacement called topics. Similar to a hashtag, users can click a tagged topic and see related posts. Tags are limited to one per post and the # symbol does not precede the topic word/phrase. If this feature is successful, Meta may roll it out on other apps.
Outlook
We have different recommendations based on different social channels:
- X:
- X has stated its algorithm will naturally connect closely related topics. We recommend only using a hashtag when the post does not specifically mention a highly relevant topic.
- LinkedIn:
- Since LinkedIn still views hashtags as helpful to users, we recommend continuing to use 2-3 highly relevant hashtags at the bottom of posts. When creating hashtags, think of how users may use them for research instead of using them as a branding tactic.
- Instagram/Facebook/Threads:
- You can still include hashtags, but note they may be moving toward topics like Threads.
- Note: As a general rule, we recommend using camel case in hashtags (i.e., use #DigitalMarketing over #digitalmarketing). This helps users read phrases more easily.
Happy strategizing!
