The future of hashtags
A reality check for #marketers in #2025
Remember when hashtags were everything? What started as a simple tweet in 2007 by Chris Messina — "How do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?" - would change how we communicate online forever. His idea was brilliantly simple: use # as metadata to help people find and follow specific conversations.
The concept took off. During the devastating 2007 California wildfires, hashtags became the go-to way to track breaking news. Over the years, they evolved into powerful tools for movements (#MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter), breaking news, and brand campaigns. They became the internet's wormholes - connecting conversations across time and space.
But something's changed.
I've slowly come to realize — hashtags aren't what they used to be. They feel forced on brand campaigns, and we don’t get breaking news from hashtags anymore. From a search perspective, they're almost redundant. AI-powered search and algos are getting better at understanding content, and we're seeing a major shift in how people find what they want.
Sure, some brand campaigns still pop off with hashtags. Airbnb's #WhereToNext and Spotify's annual #SpotifyWrapped come to mind. But here's the thing - these campaigns work because they tap into experiences and moments, not because of the hashtags themselves.
Even Elon recently said on X:
When the platform that invented hashtags tells you to stop using them... well, that's pretty telling about where they’re headed.
The platform breakdown
If you're a casual poster, this evolution probably doesn't matter much. But if you're a marketer planning your next campaign on socialhh, here's what you need to know about where hashtags still matter:
Instagram: Still relevant, but only for niche communities. Building a community around #SourdoughStarter or #IndoorPlantDecor? Hashtags can help. Trying to get noticed with #Photography or #Travel? Good luck competing with billions of posts.
TikTok: Basically redundant. People search "easy dinner recipes" not #EasyDinnerRecipes. Your description matters more than your hashtags. Though TikTok still shows hashtags some love in their creator tools, users just aren't clicking through them anymore.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn tried making hashtags happen. It didn't work. Time to move on.
Twitter/X: The platform that invented hashtags just told us to stop using them. That says everything.
What actually works now
If you're still using hashtags on Instagram (because imo that's the only place they matter), here's your 2025 playbook:
Keep it tight: 3-8 targeted hashtags. The days of 30-hashtag dumps are over. Posts with fewer, more relevant hashtags consistently outperform hashtag-stuffed posts.
Think small to win big: Target hashtags with 10k-500k posts. For example, there’s a good chance #Beachtravel (102k+ posts) gets you more engagement than #beach (306M+ posts). The smaller one consistently wins.
Context matters: Try weaving 1-2 relevant hashtags naturally into your first paragraph, then put the rest at the bottom. Instagram's algorithm seems to prefer this over the hashtag dump at the end.
(h/t to this comment with great insights)
So what’s the move for 2025?
Stop obsessing over hashtags and focus on what's actually driving discovery in 2025:
Strong keywords in your captions and descriptions
Clear, searchable titles (especially on TikTok)
Content that sparks genuine engagement
Platform-specific optimization (what works on Instagram won't work on TikTok)
Hashtags are like posting times on social media - everyone used to obsess over '3pm on Wednesday,' but with today's algorithms, it's just not that simple anymore.
While no one ever went viral from the perfect hashtag, plenty of average content has died under a mountain of them. Focus on making something worth sharing - the algorithm will (fingers crossed) handle the rest.