Thirty hashtags do not make a post discoverable — they make it look desperate. After running social for dozens of clients, we have settled on a simple rule: five to eight tags, chosen with intent, grouped by job.
The three buckets
Every post gets tags from three buckets. Reach tags (large, topical: your industry at its broadest) put you in big rooms. Community tags (mid-size, specific: the niche that actually talks back) start conversations. Branded tags (yours alone) collect your campaign into one searchable shelf.
Research beats guessing
Before we write a single caption, we audit which tags competitors rank under, check post counts (too big and you vanish in seconds; too small and nobody browses), and look at who else shows up. A spreadsheet with fifty candidates narrows to eight keepers.
“Treat hashtags like shelf placement, not confetti. The right shelf beats a hundred random ones.”
Rotate, then review monthly
Platforms quietly deprioritise copy-pasted tag blocks. Keep three rotating sets per content pillar, and once a month check Insights: which tags brought profile visits, not just impressions? Cut the bottom third, promote one experiment into the core set, and keep going.
- Five to eight tags per post, mixed across the three buckets
- One branded tag on everything you publish
- Monthly review driven by profile visits, not vanity reach
Rachel Kim
Head of Marketing at Tidewell Creative. Runs SEO and paid media for 30+ clients.
