For more than a decade, hashtags have been seen as the secret weapon for Instagram growth. Marketers stuffed captions with #love, #instagood, #marketing, hoping the right combination would unlock new followers and viral reach. But in 2025, that game is over.
Earlier this year, Instagram’s CEO, Adam Mosseri, finally said out loud what many of us had suspected for a while: hashtags are no longer what drives reach on Instagram. In fact, they’ve become almost irrelevant in the algorithm’s decision-making process.
So if hashtags don’t matter anymore, what does? And how should businesses, creators, and agencies like ours at Webilum adjust their strategy to keep growing on the platform? Let’s break it down.
The End of the Hashtag Era
Hashtags have played a central role in discovery. By tagging your post with #travel or #foodie, you could show up in the feeds of people following or browsing those categories. It was never perfect, but it worked — at least enough to justify adding 20 or 30 tags per post.
But Instagram has changed dramatically. Today, the platform relies on artificial intelligence and recommendation engines, rather than hashtags, to determine what users see. Instead of looking at which tags you’ve added, the algorithm studies your actual content, your captions, the words on-screen in your videos, and even what you say out loud in your Reels.
As Mosseri himself explained, hashtags are now closer to “labels” than growth hacks. They might help categorize your post, but they won’t unlock visibility the way they once did.
What the Algorithm Rewards Now
If hashtags aren’t moving the needle, what does? In 2025, Instagram prioritizes three key factors above all else: keywords, engagement, and retention.
First, there’s Instagram SEO. Just like with Google, keywords are becoming essential for discovery. Your captions, bio, and on-screen text in Reels all help Instagram understand what your content is about. A post that clearly states “social media strategy for small businesses” will rank better than one filled with random hashtags.
Then comes engagement. The algorithm pays close attention to how people interact with your content. Comments, saves, and shares — primarily through direct messages — are some of the strongest signals you can send. If people are taking the time to save your post or send it to a friend, Instagram assumes it’s worth showing to more users.
Finally, there’s retention. The longer people watch your Reel or scroll through your carousel, the more valuable Instagram considers your content to be. That’s why short, catchy Reels and carousels packed with valuable insights are performing so well right now.
So… Are Hashtags Completely Useless?
Not entirely. Using a few highly relevant hashtags remains a sensible approach for categorizing content. If you’re posting about digital marketing, adding #DigitalMarketing or #SocialMediaStrategy helps Instagram categorize your content correctly. But spamming 30 unrelated hashtags won’t help anymore.
Think of hashtags as seasoning — a pinch can enhance the flavor, but adding the whole jar will ruin the dish.
How to Grow on Instagram in 2025 Without Hashtags
The future of Instagram growth lies in quality, clarity, and authenticity. Write captions that are rich with natural keywords. Optimize your bio so people — and the algorithm — immediately understand who you are and what you do. Focus on content that people genuinely want to share, whether that’s educational carousels, behind-the-scenes Reels, or storytelling that sparks emotion.
Most importantly, treat Instagram less like a hashtag game and more like a search engine plus community hub. Growth now comes from being discoverable through keywords and building real engagement with your audience.
