If you haven’t already heard, Instagram has recently shed some light on how to use hashtags appropriately on the platform, and what you should avoid to get the most out of adding them to your content.
Up until this point, all we really knew was that there was a strict limit of 30 hashtags per post. But now, the recommendation seems to have shifted, and creators are starting to experiment to test the algorithm. 

In this quick video, YouTuber It’s Jonny Keely puts the new recommendations to the test, by posting a similar photo to one that performed admirably from the same location over a year prior. Only this time, instead of using the 30 hashtag limit, he stays within the new guidelines explained here by the official Instagram creators account. His results were quite surprising once he breaks down the metrics using the integrated insights panel between the two posts.

As someone who is active on the platform, and using it for business, I am excited about the new changes because I find it difficult to keep track of the hundreds of different hashtags I use depending on the images I choose to post. I’m also testing these new recommendations out myself to see if my reach is influenced in either way by the updated guidance. I’m also more curious to see what the ramifications will be across the board if everyone starts following suit. Will we still need hashtag optimization websites? What will happen to certain hashtags, like #explorepage and the hundreds of other nondescript, generalized hashtags on the platform? Are they training the algorithm to be able to eventually ignore hashtags and focus directly on the content itself? What do you think?