10/26/2026
Back in 2022, we wrote an entire blog about hashtags.
At the time, using a healthy mix of relevant hashtags was a legitimate part of an Instagram strategy. We talked about researching them, finding the right level of competition and even using around 10 per post.
Fast-forward to 2026 and Instagram now limits posts and Reels to only five hashtags.
So... were we wrong? No. The platform changed.
And that's actually the bigger marketing lesson here.
Social media strategy isn't something you figure out once and continue doing indefinitely. Platforms change. Algorithms change. Search behaviour changes. Features disappear. New ones take their place.
Hashtags still have a role, but the days of adding a giant block of them hoping for extra reach are behind us. With only five available, relevance matters more than quantity. Choose hashtags that genuinely describe the topic, industry, audience or community your content belongs to.
And put more of your energy into the things hashtags can't fix: useful content, strong creative, searchable language, compelling hooks and posts people actually want to watch, read, save or share. Our 2022 hashtag blog is officially a little piece of KV internet history (and a pretty good reminder that good digital strategy has to evolve).
Want to see what hashtag strategy looked like a few years ago?
→ Read How Do I Discover What Hashtags to Use in Social Media? on the KV blog: https://kleurvision.com/how-do-i-discover-what-hashtags-to-use-in-social-media/