Instagram: the use of hashtags in 2024

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From 2016 to 2021, we were garnishing each Instagram post with a dozen hashtags. These tags allowed our posts to categorize themselves directly on the social network, so they could be seen by the right target audience.

It's 2024, and Instagram best practices have changed. For the past two years, hashtags have no longer been overused. We explain.

How to choose the right hashtags on Instagram?

The hashtag really has two purposes: to bring engagement, and to identify the nature of your post.

Generally speaking, studies agree on the importance of using only hashtags directly related to your publication, but also to your target audience. Forget about "instamood" and other generalities used by the average person. Your hashtags must be specific. In this sense, you need to put yourself in your consumer's shoes. What are the hashtags that refer to them, and what keyword searches are they likely to use to find you? While answering these questions, make sure that the hashtags you choose are used enough. If only a few hundred posts are categorized by that hashtag, the engagement generated may not live up to your expectations. On the other hand, if it categorizes thousands of posts, then it's certainly worth adding it to your publication.

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How many hashtags should I use?

Although it's possible to add up to 30 hashtags on Instagram, a 2023 AgoraPulse study reveals that posts including between 1 and 6 hashtags get more impressions than posts that include more.

Instagram in 2024: towards a limited number of hashtags?

It seems thatInstagram wants to limit the number of hashtags. For the past few days, some users have been receiving notifications from the social network when they try to add more than five hashtags. The reason for this is that IG is working to slow down the number of spam campaigns.

As we explained earlier, hashtags are tags that list your posts by category. With marketing automation software, it's possible to automate the sending of hashtag-targeted messages. Instagram hasn't always been particularly fond of automating actions, which, as marketers and communicators, frankly bugs us.

The most important thing to remember about this update is the importance of using the right hashtags and not exceeding the required number of hashtags per publication. If Instagram forces us to use no more than five, then using more doesn't make much sense.