5 hashtag strategies that still work on Instagram

From 2018 to 2022, popular wisdom said "use 30 hashtags on every post". In 2023, Instagram itself discouraged it. In 2026, hashtags still matter — but the game is completely different. This post shows 5 hashtag strategies that work in 2026, based on what we see performing across Mais Social clients.

What Instagram's algorithm does with hashtags in 2026

Technical summary of what Adam Mosseri himself explained in 2025 interviews:

• Hashtags are no longer a strong ranking signal for the "following" feed
• They are a strong signal for Explore and Reels
• Very generic hashtags (#love, #food) are practically ignored
• Very niche hashtags (#bahiaecommerce, #brasiliacoffee) still work
• Excess hashtags (20+) can be treated as spam in some cases

Strategy 1: the "3-2-1 rule"

Use exactly 6 hashtags per post, distributed like this:

• 3 specific niche hashtags (10k to 100k total posts)
• 2 community hashtags (1k to 10k posts — where your specific audience converses)
• 1 own brand hashtag (yours, to build a library)

Example: a coffee shop in São Paulo

• Niche: #spcoffeeshop #specialtycoffee #specialtycoffeeshop
• Community: #coffeeloverssp #coffeesp
• Brand: #coffeeshopname

Strategy 2: event or date hashtags

Holidays generate search peaks for hashtags. Take advantage:

• Official dates (Black Friday, Mother's Day)
• Niche dates (Coffee Week, X Professional Day)
• Local events (Festivals, Expos, Conventions)

Use 1-2 event hashtags additional to the 6 from the 3-2-1 rule, but only on relevant posts. Do not force it.

Strategy 3: geographic hashtags

For local businesses (restaurant, salon, clinic, physical retail), geographic hashtags are gold:

• #cityname (#curitiba, #portoalegre)
• #neighborhoodcityname (#pinheirossp, #savassi)
• #category + city (#dentistbh, #salonrj)

These hashtags have lower volume but much higher conversion — people searching for "dentist BH" are at the bottom of the funnel.

Strategy 4: series / pillar hashtag

If you publish recurring content (Tuesday is productivity tip, Friday is recipe), create a series hashtag:

• #seriesname (#tuesdaytips, #fridayrecipes)
• Use the same hashtag every time
• Builds a searchable library and loyalizes audience

Works especially well for creator accounts or personal brands.

Strategy 5: "spy" hashtag for competitor audience

Identify 3-5 direct competitors of your client. See which hashtags they use. Use the same (relevant) ones on the right posts. Reason: the audience following a competitor can discover you via shared hashtags.

Caution: do not use the competitor's name as a hashtag — it becomes spam.

What NOT to do with hashtags in 2026

Do not use 30 hashtags

In 2018 it worked. In 2026, some reports indicate 15+ hashtags are treated as a spam signal in small accounts. Stay at 6-10 hashtags per post.

Do not hide hashtags in the first comment

Popular practice in 2020. Today the algorithm gives the same weight to hashtags in caption or first comment. Hiding becomes pure aesthetics. If it bothers visually, do a line break in the caption before the hashtags.

Do not use unrelated hashtags

"I will use #soccer because it has 100M posts" — terrible idea. Your target audience is not there. Generic hashtags do not convert and confuse the algorithm about your niche.

Do not copy hashtags from foreign creators

#foodie works in the US. Use local market hashtags relevant to your audience's language and region.

How to discover relevant hashtags

1. Go to a direct competitor, open their last 10 posts
2. List all the hashtags they use
3. Cross with the ones appearing in more than 30% of posts (these are the niche "core")
4. Search each on IG and see how many posts they have
5. Pick the ones with 10k-100k posts (the sweet spot)

Hashtags on Reels: same rule, with 1 addition

On Reels, hashtags work the same as the feed (same 3-2-1 rule). But add 1 trending hashtag if the Reels' audio is trending (ex: #trendsongtitle). Extra signal to the Reels algorithm that you are riding the wave.

Real result: how much do hashtags make a difference?

In internal A/B tests we ran in 2025-2026 with Mais Social clients:

• Post without hashtags: 100% baseline (expected reach)
• Post with 6 strategic hashtags: +18 to +28% reach
• Post with 30 random hashtags: +2 to +5% (statistical margin of error)

Conclusion: the right hashtags multiply reach by ~25%. Not the main star, but a real amplifier.

Want to save hashtag groups per client and niche to apply with 1 click? On Mais Social you create hashtag libraries per workspace and the whole team uses the same standard.