Are we leaving hashtags in 2025?
Remember when hashtags dominated Instagram? Not anymore.
For years, brands and creators relied on long lists of hashtags to boost visibility, squeezing in as many as they could to reach as wide an audience as possible.
But Instagram has officially shifted away from this approach. The platform has now limited hashtags to a maximum of five per post and has communicated again that hashtags are not a major driver of content discovery.
This change highlights something important: discovery on social media is no longer about shortcuts. It’s about strategy, relevance and strong content.
Instagram’s algorithm now focuses more on:
Content relevance
Keywords in captions
Engagement signals (saves, shares, comments)
While hashtags still have a role, they’re no longer the primary way users find new content. Instead, Instagram is reading your words, not just your tags.
This means still using hashtags, but strategically. Choose up to five highly relevant hashtags and ensure the rest of your caption is rich in keywords that reflect your services.
With hashtags no longer doing the heavy lifting, here are three ways to get your content discovered by a wider audience.
1. Write like you want to be found
Your captions matter more than ever. Use clear, natural language that explains what your content is about, who it’s for and why it’s useful. Think keywords, not buzzwords. If someone searched this topic on Google, would your caption make sense and answer their question? If yes, you’re on the right track.
2. Create content people actually want to keep
Discovery now comes from how valuable your content is. If it’s useful, interesting or solves a real problem, people will save it, share it and spend more time with it… and that’s what gets it pushed further.
3. Be consistent and intentional
Random posting leads to random results. Consistency helps platforms understand who your content is for and when to show it. Stick to a few clear topics, post regularly and make sure your message stays aligned. The clearer your focus, the easier it is for algorithms (and people) to find you.
Social Media Copy Now Appears in Google Searches
And if you didn’t know already, as of July 2025, social media posts now appear in internet search results. This is a major shift. Your Instagram post is no longer just social content; it’s now searchable content. This means a greater opportunity to increase visibility far beyond social media alone. And with AI, the information you share online could also be appearing in the likes of Chat GPT.
If your captions aren’t optimised, you’re missing out on potential traffic, brand awareness and conversions.
We’re here to help!
If you’re feeling stuck with your social media or any part of your marketing, we’re here to help. We’re a PR and digital marketing agency based in Dundee with over 20 years' experience in helping businesses reach their audience in the right way. Get in touch and let’s chat.
