Are Hashtags Still Relevant? Here’s How to Use Them

Hashtags have traditionally been a shortcut to tapping into conversations and communities across social media channels. However, algorithms change, and hashtags are no longer as prevalent or as useful as they once were. Here’s what you need to know about using hashtags in the new social media landscape.

Are hashtags obsolete in today’s marketing strategies?

The short answer: no. Hashtags are still relevant for your social media marketing. However, the way you use hashtags should change; most social media platforms no longer reward hashtags in the same way they used to.

Originally, hashtags could be deployed to get your content in front of a wider audience. Content platforms would reward the use of hashtags by boosting your post, taking cues from your hashtags to show it to interested users. “Whether it was trending topics on X (formerly Twitter), niche communities on Instagram, or challenge tags on TikTok, hashtags could easily put your content in front of thousands of people outside your follower base,” wrote MeetEdgar, a social media scheduling tool.

That dynamic has changed. Today, social media platforms may actually penalize posts with excessive or irrelevant hashtags. Understanding how the algorithms currently view hashtags can help you maintain your reach and visibility.

How to use hashtags effectively on social media

The overarching strategy for using hashtags in 2025 is to use them like search engine optimization (SEO) keywords.

“While hashtags will not guarantee virality, they still help with long-term discoverability and search placement,” wrote MeetEdgar. “They help platforms understand your content and make it more discoverable in search results, explore feeds, and recommended post sections.”

Just like keywords, social media platforms reward posts with fewer, better hashtags. Look for hashtags that have these characteristics:

• Industry-specific.
• Relevant to your brand.
• Searchable.
• Niche to a community. 

Certain platforms will penalize posts that have too many hashtags, which look spammy and cluttered. Hashtags with lots of characters can also be a problem. Ultimately, it helps to be targeted and methodical about what hashtags you choose to use.

“Keep track of which hashtags have worked well on previous posts. Review your most popular posts and identify any trends in the hashtags you used,” wrote the American Marketing Association. “If specific hashtags consistently appear in your top-performing posts, make a point to include them in your future content.”

Hashtags still help your brand’s visibility, engagement, and overall success. That’s why it’s crucial to stay up to date with each platform’s treatment of hashtags.

Platform-by-platform guide to using hashtags

The social platform X popularized hashtags early on. Today, X has changed its position. “Elon Musk has publicly discouraged using hashtags, going as far as saying people should 'just use words,’” reported the Content Marketing Institute.

While X’s current owner might not be bullish on hashtags, the platform’s official guidelines say using relevant hashtags can support content discoverability. Hashtags are still searchable. However, the platform recommends limiting the number of hashtags per post to two.

Instagram removed the “Follow Hashtags” feature in 2024, but its algorithm still uses hashtags for categorization, niche targeting, and brand building. Instagram permits up to 30 hashtags per post; it recommends using three to five highly relevant hashtags for best results. A review by Later found that 20 hashtags were optimal. Less is more, especially if you’re able to find powerful hashtags that serve your campaign well.

If you’re going to stop using hashtags altogether, Facebook is the best place to do so. Facebook has never really rewarded the use of hashtags on its platform and hasn’t started doing so. Meta’s newest product, Threads, limits users to one hashtag per post. “Tags on Threads are searchable but don’t have the same discovery power as on other platforms,” wrote MeetEdgar.

LinkedIn is the platform where an organized hashtag strategy can prove most effective. “Hashtags help categorize your content, signal relevance to LinkedIn’s algorithm, and make it easier for people following those topics to discover your posts. And yes, people follow hashtags on LinkedIn even if they don’t realize it,” wrote the Content Marketing Institute.

Two or three relevant hashtags work best on LinkedIn.

Finally, TikTok’s hashtags play a huge role in discovery and virality. Most experts recommend using a minimum of three hashtags per post. And, don’t limit your hashtag use to posts only. Adding hashtags to comments can help boost your visibility. “If someone posts about a topic you’re particularly passionate about, feel free to add a few relevant hashtags to your reply. It’s a subtle way to join relevant conversations and get noticed by the right people,” wrote Hootsuite.

Hashtags work best when they are targeted, specific, and used sparingly. Try to find hashtags that are relevant to your community and treat them like SEO keywords: Quality over quantity is the rule. And, bear in mind that each social media channel is different. What works on LinkedIn won’t work on X.

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