This question comes up a lot when discussing social media strategy: Should we include hashtags?

The Origins of Hashtags

Hashtags were originally designed to group conversations on social platforms, making it easier for people to follow specific topics. If you were into motorcycles, searching for #Motorcycles would bring up relevant discussions.

They were a simple yet effective solution—until marketers got involved. Suddenly, everything needed a hashtag, and not always for the right reasons. (Lest we forget Susan Boyle and her, ahem, album party.)

The Decline of Hashtags

As brands and users started stuffing posts with excessive hashtags in an attempt to game the algorithm, the feature lost much of its original purpose. Instead of improving content discovery, hashtags often cluttered posts, making them look desperate rather than strategic.

For a while, many in the industry suspected that hashtags had little to no impact on brand engagement. That notion was reinforced by Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, who stated that hashtags do not significantly influence content distribution or interaction. He made it clear: there’s no magic trick or algorithm hack that guarantees success.

Testing the Impact of Hashtags

We wanted to test that, so we worked with our client Michelin to put this theory to the test. In January, they experimented:

• First half of the month → Posts included hashtags.
• Second half of the month → Hashtags were removed.

The results? Hashtags still have some value—just not as much as you might think.

• On Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), reach and engagement were either unaffected or saw a slight increase with hashtags.
• On Instagram, reach remained the same, but engagement was slightly higher with hashtags.

The Verdict: Should You Use Hashtags?

So, what does this tell us? Well, it’s an unscientific test with inconclusive results—hardly a definitive answer.

However, my advice to clients remains the same: use hashtags sparingly and with purpose. They should serve as keywords to highlight relevant topics, not as a desperate attempt to game the algorithm.

At the end of the day, compelling content and genuine engagement will always outperform a post overloaded with hashtags.