Once upon a content calendar, hashtags were everything. #MondayMotivation, #SuccessMindset, #GrowthHacking. Sprinkle a few into your caption and voilà, you were doing digital marketing. But times have changed. Now, hashtags read more like filler than strategy. The platforms have moved on, the algorithms have evolved and your strategy should probably follow suit.
So, if your content is still relying on hashtags to do the heavy lifting, it’s time for a new playbook.
Here’s what’s changed: most platforms have quietly pushed hashtags into the back seat. Instagram? The Explore page is driven by AI and user behaviour. LinkedIn? It prioritises keywords and engagement. TikTok? It’s serving content based on what people actually watch, not what they hashtag. Even Twitter (sorry, “X”) is more interested in who you follow than whether you wrote #Leadership.
Hashtags don’t hurt, but they’re not doing much.
What to Do Instead:
- Say what you mean. Literally.
Your caption is searchable. Your hashtag? Less so. So instead of writing “Big day! #Strategy #Teamwork”, try something with actual substance:
“We just wrapped a strategic planning session for FY26. Here’s what surprised us and what we’re shifting next quarter.”
Think like a human and write like one, too.
- Tag Like You Mean It
Tag your collaborators, clients, locations and partners. It’s a simple way to extend your reach and show you’re not posting into a vacuum. At Brilliant Logic, we’ve seen tagged posts on LinkedIn consistently outperform untagged ones. In some cases, driving four times more impressions and double the engagement. Why? Because tagging turns a post from a monologue into a networked conversation. When you tag, you’re telling the algorithm, “Hey, this content matters to more than just us.” And LinkedIn listens.
It creates a visibility ripple. The post starts appearing in the feeds of people connected to those you’ve tagged, indicating relevance. The results aren’t magic. They’re momentum.
- Use the toys the platform gives you
LinkedIn’s document posts, Instagram collabs, polls, carousels and Shorts aren’t just gimmicks; they’re algorithm-friendly formats that the platforms are actively rewarding.
- Instagram carousels consistently outperform single image posts due to increased swipe-based dwell time, which signals engagement to the algorithm, resulting in higher reach, saves and comments.
- Instagram collab posts allow two or more accounts to coauthor content that appears on each profile, expanding reach across each collaborator’s network while consolidating engagement.
- On LinkedIn, formats like document posts and polls remain valuable, especially given algorithm shifts in 2025 that prioritise expert-led engagement, longer content consumption (i.e. dwell time), and meaningful comments over superficial reactions or hashtags.
Put simply: when you lean into features, the platform treats your content as more valuable and gives it a push.
- Speak in search terms
Social platforms are now mini search engines. So ditch the fluff. Instead of #fitspo or #wellnessjourney, write “group Pilates classes for beginners in Woolloomooloo.” Specificity wins.
- Prompt real interaction
Instead of an impersonal hashtag, ask a question someone might actually respond to. Instead of: “Growth mindset activated! #Leadership #LearningEveryDay”. Try: “What’s a lesson your team learned the hard way and how did it change your approach?”
One of those gets engagement. The other gets… polite silence.
So, Are Hashtags Totally Useless?
Not entirely, but they’ve gone from lead role to background extra. These days, hashtags are most useful when they serve a specific function, not as a visibility strategy.
- Campaign tracking
Need to group posts under a campaign? Hashtags like #YourCouncilYourSay make it easy to monitor engagement and keep content connected across teams and contributors.
- Community challenges and moments
Hashtags still work when they’re part of a bigger movement like #PlasticFreeJuly. They act as a rallying point, not a reach driver.
- User-generated content
Running a competition or asking people to share their own posts? A hashtag gives them a way to join in and gives you a way to find and feature their content.
“Tag us and use #BrilliantOnShow to be featured in our highlights.”
Just don’t expect it to work as a standalone strategy. Hashtags are a support act, not a strategy.
The Bottom Line
If you want visibility in 2025, skip the spammy hashtags and focus on smart, engaging, algorithm-friendly content. That means:
- Clear, specific captions
- Platform-native formats
- Actual value for your audience
Need help getting there? That’s what we do.
At Brilliant Logic, we help businesses drop outdated tactics and show up in the right places, in the right way. Just smart content that plays nice with the algorithm and your audience.