(Image source from: Bloomberg)
Instagram announced on Friday that it will limit how content can be discovered on its site. It is putting a cap on the number of hashtags that can be added to a Reel or post. The company, owned by Meta, states that using fewer and more focused hashtags can greatly aid creators in getting their content seen and performing better, instead of cluttering posts with many general hashtags. This decision is to stop misuse of this feature. Hashtags have been a part of Instagram since 2011, and it is said that they help people find content. The company believes this feature helps posts show up more often in topic-specific searches, trending lists, and suggestions based on algorithms. Users were allowed to add up to 30 hashtags to a post, but that will no longer be the case. Through the Creators account, Instagram revealed that starting today, only five hashtags will be permitted in a Reel or post.
“We find that using up to five specific hashtags, instead of many general ones, can enhance both your content's performance and users' experience on Instagram,” the company mentioned. It encourages creators to be more deliberate with their hashtags and to pick ones that relate closely to their content. For instance, Instagram pointed out that beauty creators should use hashtags relevant to beauty to attract users who are interested in that type of content. General hashtags like reels or explore, which are often used, do not actually help the content show up in the Explore feed and elsewhere. Instead, these could negatively impact how well the content performs, the company indicated.
This change comes after a report from earlier this month that suggested Instagram was trying out a limit of three hashtags per Reel or post. A message reportedly appeared while adding a hashtag, informing users that only three hashtags were allowed.
Instagram leader Adam Mosseri has already stated that hashtags “don't work”, explaining that they are no longer the main factor affecting reach or visibility on the platform.
