Hashtags used to feel like magic fairy dust. You sprinkled a few on a post and poof, thousands of people saw it. Then the algorithm changed sixteen times, and we all collectively whispered, "Are hashtags still a thing? Do I use all 30? Does this one make me sound cool, or like I'm trapped in 2013?"
If that's you, same. 🙋🏻♀️ And here's the part I want you to hear first: if you've ever posted something you loved and it got crickets (not even your mom hit like), the platform simply didn't know where to file it yet. Hashtags are one of the ways we teach the platform what your post is about and who should see it.
So grab a coffee and let's walk through how to use hashtags today, step by step, without the tech talk or the influencer jargon. You'll know exactly what to do by the end, and none of it involves losing sleep.
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✨ Jump to StrategyWhat is a hashtag, really?
A hashtag is a searchable label that tells a platform three things: what your post is about, who should see it, and where to file it. That's the whole job.
Think of Instagram or TikTok as a giant library (but with more dancing). Your hashtags are the subject tabs that help the right people find your post without you having to chase them down one by one.
Do hashtags still matter?
Yes, though every platform now treats them differently. Hashtags won't make a post go viral, and they were never really magic. They give the algorithm context, and every platform handles that differently:
- Instagram leans heavily on AI content recognition now, so hashtags are context clues rather than rocket fuel.
- TikTok doubles as a search engine. People type in tutorials, reviews, and questions, and hashtags help your video show up.
- LinkedIn treats hashtags like categories.
- Facebook mostly ignores them outside of promotions and niche communities.
- Pinterest uses them lightly.
- X uses them for events, trending topics, and conversations.
So hashtags still earn their spot, but they're one piece of a bigger discovery picture that includes your caption keywords and what you actually say on camera.
How do you find the right hashtags?
The right hashtag is relevant to your post, actually used by your audience, and sitting in the middle range of popularity: big enough to matter, small enough to be found.
Here's the part everyone skips because it sounds tedious. I promise it's painless. On Instagram, tap the search icon, tap Tags, and type in your idea (something like #VirtualAssistantTips). Instagram will show you how many posts have used it. You're looking for roughly 10,000 to 500,000. If it says 12 million, that's too big. If it says 47… that's your cousin Carl's personal tag and no one's finding you there.
TikTok shows views instead of posts, but the same principle applies: aim for the middle.
If you'd rather have a tool do the digging, Flick has a clean interface for hashtag research, IQ Hashtags is the analytics powerhouse, and Later keeps it simple if you already use its scheduler. And yes, Instagram still bans some hashtags, even innocent-looking ones, so run your list through the IQ Hashtags banned-hashtag checker before you build a whole set around one.
How many hashtags should you use?
You need fewer than you think. The rumor that 30 hashtags equals success was born in 2017 and needs a respectful burial. Here's the real scoop, platform by platform:
- Instagram (feed and Reels): 3 to 5 highly relevant tags. Instagram now caps posts and Reels at 5 hashtags, and its own guidance says fewer, more targeted tags perform better.
- TikTok: 2 to 5, max. The algorithm cares more about your caption keywords, what you say on camera, and your on-screen text.
- LinkedIn: 3 to 5 professional, topic-specific tags.
- Facebook: 0 to 2.
- Pinterest: 0 to 5.
- X: 1 or 2. Anything more looks like shouting from 2011.
How do you keep your hashtags fresh?
You don't need to reinvent the wheel, just change the hubcaps once in a while. Build three small sets and rotate them by post type:
- Tips and service posts: #SmallBusinessTips #WomenWhoWork #UOSystems #BusinessSimplified
- Story and behind-the-scenes posts: #EntrepreneurLife #StartAnyway #WorkingFromHomeFeels
- Promotional posts: #BookkeepingServices #VirtualAssistantSupport #HireHelp #UnOffice
Keep the sets in a note on your phone so you can copy and paste in seconds. (And if yours is named "Stuff for Insta," we've all been there.)
Don't forget Stories
Here's a change worth knowing: hashtags no longer help people discover your Stories, so you can retire the old trick of hiding a stack of them behind a sticker. Stories are for the people who already follow you now. Save your three to five best tags for feed posts and Reels, where they still do their quiet work, and let your Stories just be you.
The heart of it
Listen. Hashtags aren't about being trendy. They're about being found. By the right people. At the right time.
If you've been afraid to post because it all feels confusing, start anyway. Messy progress beats perfect hesitation every time. And who knows? Maybe one of those posts reaches the person who needed your words most today.
Remember: There's no such thing as a perfect post, just a better one than yesterday. And if you made it this far? You're already doing more for your business than most people who say they'll "start tomorrow."
May your hashtags be relevant, your reach be kind, and your posts never land in the digital abyss next to your forgotten MySpace profile.
So keep showing up.
Laugh at the weirdness.
Post the thing.
🛠 Tools We Use & Love
These are the same resources we rely on inside UnOffice when managing social media for clients.
Flick: helps you find hashtags with the right reach, avoid banned ones, and build reusable sets.
IQ Hashtags: great for checking banned tags, tracking performance, and cleaning up old hashtag lists.
Later: perfect for scheduling, organizing hashtag sets, and previewing your grid layout.
Canva: our go-to for creating branded social graphics, Reels covers, and carousel content.
(Some of the tools mentioned on our website may include affiliate links, which simply means we may earn a small commission, always at no extra cost to you. We only recommend things we truly love.)
💡 How AI can help with your hashtags
AI is built for the tedious middle of hashtag work: the researching, sorting, and tracking that can eat an afternoon. Here are three prompts you can copy straight into your favorite AI tool:
- Research: "I'm a bookkeeper who serves small nonprofits, posting on Instagram. Give me 20 hashtag ideas grouped into three sets (tips, behind-the-scenes, promotional), favoring mid-size tags over giant ones."
- Tracking: "Here are the hashtags I used last month and the reach on each post: [paste your numbers]. Which tags show up on my best-performing posts, and what should I test next month?"
- Captions: "Rewrite this caption so it includes the words someone would actually type into TikTok search: [paste caption]."
Think of AI as a thoughtful assistant who quietly organizes the messy parts of marketing so you can stay focused on the actual work.
If this post made social media feel a little less like shouting into the void, I'd love to keep helping. Come join me in the UnOffice Community for calm, practical help with the systems side of your business, hashtags included.
Join Us in the Community🗂️ The Short Version: hashtags today
- Use 3 to 5 hashtags on Instagram, 2 to 5 on TikTok, 1 or 2 on X. More is not better.
- Choose tags with roughly 10,000 to 500,000 uses: big enough to matter, small enough to be found.
- Build three sets (tips, behind-the-scenes, promotional) and rotate them by post type, with 1 or 2 branded tags like #StartAnyway or #UnOffice mixed in.
- Run tags through a banned-hashtag checker like IQ Hashtags before you save a set.
- Check your reach monthly and swap out what isn't working. Track, don't guess.
Originally published March 2019. Last updated August 2026.
Before you go…
💬 What hashtag strategies have worked for you, and which ones have been total flops? Come share your experience in the UnOffice Community. You never know who you'll help.
