Hashtag Strategy: How Brands Use Hashtags in 2026

In the social media landscape of the early to mid-2010s, hashtags served as a discovery engine. Now, their role has changed, and the CEO of Instagram has said hashtags don’t significantly impact reach. Hyper-personalized algorithms automatically show users the content that’s most likely to capture their attention. But that doesn’t mean hashtags are fully a thing of the past. 

Whether you’re just tagging products on Instagram or trying to grow a niche following on TikTok, hashtags help connect your content to the people most likely to care about it. Read on to take a deeper look at how you can use hashtags to support your broader social media strategy.

What is a hashtag strategy?

A hashtag strategy is a method for using relevant hashtags to get your social media posts in front of your target audience and build a community on Instagram. A hashtag strategy focuses on choosing specific and relevant hashtags that align with your content, your audience, and your goals, rather than adding a random mix of popular hashtags to every post.

At their core, hashtags categorize content on social media platforms like Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook. They signal to social media platforms and users what your post is about, and they help you connect with niche communities. When used well, hashtags help your posts travel beyond your existing followers to reach a wider audience that’s already interested in your category. 

Strategy matters more than volume. When hashtags served as a discovery engine, a “more is better” approach was common, but in December 2025, Instagram announced it would set a five-hashtag limit per post. 

Instagram said that using too many irrelevant or generic hashtags could actually hurt your content’s performance. The goal then isn’t to use more hashtags—it’s to use the right hashtags. That means combining niche hashtags, branded hashtags, and community hashtags in a way that matches how your target audience actually discovers content.

Types of hashtags

Here are the different types of hashtags to consider for a successful hashtag strategy:

• Branded hashtags. These are unique to your business. They could be your brand name, tagline, a product name, or an ad campaign slogan. A strong branded hashtag can help build recognition, encourage user-generated content, and create a consistent thread across your social media presence. Examples include: #JustDoIt, #PressReset, #ShareACoke.

• Niche hashtags. These target specific communities or interests within your industry. As opposed to broad hashtags, niche hashtags help you reach a smaller audience that’s actively searching for content like yours. Here are some examples: #SustainableSkincare, #MinimalistHomeDecor, #HandmadeCeramics.

• Community hashtags. These are shared by groups of users with a common interest or identity. They help you spark conversations with people who are already connected to the topic and help you join existing discussions and trends. For instance, you might use hashtags like these: #Bookstagram, #CleanTok, #SmallBusinessOwner.

• Trending hashtags. These reflect current social media trends or viral moments. While they can help expand reach to a broader audience, you should only use them when they’re relevant to your content, since Instagram says irrelevant hashtags can hurt your content’s performance. Here are a few examples: #SummerStyle, #HolidayGiftGuide, #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt.

• Location hashtags. These help surface your content to users in a specific geographic area. They’re especially useful for brands with a physical presence or companies targeting regional markets. These are just a few examples: #NYCBoutique, #MadeInLA, #TorontoEats.

• Product or category hashtags. These describe what you sell using relevant keywords your audience might search. They help your Instagram post reach users actively looking for similar products. Here are some examples to consider: #LeatherToteBag, #OrganicTea, #CustomJewelry.

• Event hashtags. These are tied to specific campaigns, launches, or moments in time. Brands often use them to organize content and drive visibility around promotions or collaborations. These are some common ones you might see: #BlackFridayDeals, #SpringLaunch, #NYFW2026.

• General hashtags. These broad, high-volume tags can increase visibility, but they’re highly competitive. Here are some examples: #Fashion, #Beauty, #Ecommerce. 

Whichever types of hashtags you choose, remember to follow Instagram’s advice and use targeted over generic hashtags to improve your post’s performance.

Are hashtags still important in 2026?

Hashtags are still important in 2026, but not in the same way they used to be. As social platforms rely more on AI algorithms and user behavior tracking to surface content, hashtags are no longer a primary growth lever on their own. 

In 2024, Elon Musk asked users to stop using hashtags on X. The same year, Instagram removed the ability to follow hashtags. Plus, when Instagram users search for a specific hashtag now, they’ll see posts recommended specifically for them. This means creators can’t simply add a hashtag to gain potential reach in search results.

Today, using SEO on Instagram and other social media platforms can surface content more effectively than just adding hashtags. Social media SEO involves optimizing your bio and adding important keywords to captions.

That said, hashtags still play an important role by helping brands categorize content and encourage user-generated content (UGC). For example, you might run a promotion with a certain hashtag and encourage customers to tag their posts with that hashtag, too. 

The important thing is to avoid overused, irrelevant hashtags and focus on deploying a more distinctive, branded approach. 

For instance, KraveBeauty founder Liah Yoo says on Shopify Masters that they can also be a tool to encapsulate your brand ethos. Her hashtag #PressReset didn’t just organize content; it became an actionable rallying cry to build a community around her brand’s shared values with consumers. Now, any KraveBeauty customer can post UGC about their own makeup routine with #PressReset in their caption, leading other users outside the company’s orbit toward opportunities for conversion.

How to build your hashtag strategy

Here’s how to craft a winning hashtag strategy that actually drives user engagement and reaches the right audience:

Consider your target audience

Before you look for hashtags, define who you’re trying to reach and what your content is about. Your target audience determines which relevant hashtags will actually work—because hashtags only perform when they match how people are already searching and engaging.

For instance, the magazine Tennis in Photographs already has an SEO edge. Typing in “tennis photos” in the Instagram search bar surfaces its account as a top result, no hashtags required. It uses hashtags to double down on what makes it unique, while chasing a few broader trends as well. 

#tennistyle, #magazinecover, and #tennisfashion each carve out the brand’s niche and relevance to its target audience. 

Research hashtags directly on each platform

You’ll receive a valuable hashtag suggestions from the platforms themselves. Just craft your caption and hit the “#” key to see what’s recommended. In addition, pay attention to patterns in how creators write their own post captions, as well as which posts generate strong user engagement. Search a core keyword, tap into top-performing posts under that hashtag, and note which related and relevant hashtags consistently appear across high-engagement content.

Don’t reinvent the wheel

Instead of starting from scratch every time, create a few go-to hashtag groups based on your content types (e.g., product posts, educational content, UGC). This creates consistency, saves time, and reduces the temptation to use irrelevant hashtags just to fill space.

For example, SmartSweets utilizes the branded hashtags #kicksugar as a slogan and #sweetfish as a product name callout in this post and plenty of others. It’s also hopped on the popular #costcofinds community hashtag to tap into a market who’ll be hoping to buy its products in bulk at the eponymous wholesaler.

Use event-based hashtags

A unique hashtag tied to a product launch, a fan meetup, or a trade show can help organize content and encourage participation. Brands use this approach to collect user-generated content and build momentum around a release.

Dossier Perfumes hosted an event in Aspen, Colorado, at an ice skating rink. It tagged this and other posts during that period with #DossierTakesAspen, so users could click on that hashtag to see all the brand’s promo material about the event at once. The hashtag also gave users who attended the event the ability to post their own photos with the tag, grouping themselves with everyone else who did the same.

Test and track what’s working

The only way to find what works is to test different hashtag combinations and track results. Over time, this helps you gain valuable insights into what your audience responds to. Hashtags aren’t static: They evolve with your content, audience, and broader social media trends.

Pay attention to which posts bring in the most new followers and create the most meaningful engagement. Social media analytics tools allow you to build a data-driven hashtag strategy that supports both growth and conversions.

For instance, Instagram Insights and TikTok Creator Analytics show which posts and hashtags are driving reach and user engagement, while Shopify’s built-in analytics connects that activity to real outcomes like traffic and sales. Tools like Shopify’s integration with Shops on Instagram and Shops on Facebook let you see how tagged posts perform, while third-party platforms like Later, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social (which integrate easily with Shopify workflows) can track hashtag performance and compare results over time.