Instagram recently announced they are officially removing the option to follow hashtags this month. This is big news. The ability to follow hashtags has of course been a primary way that marketers and content creators have been discovered and grow their engagement/audience. It’s been especially helpful for small businesses to reach a wider audience than their followers.
So, what does this mean for your business? It reinforces the major changes that we’ve seen across social platforms recently regarding the algorithm prioritizing interests over followers. In a previous blog I discussed in detail how the platforms have changed significantly, showing users content that is more based on their interests and not as much on who they follow.
Therefore, we should focus on creating engaging content that connects with an audience based upon their interests. Instagram’s algorithm is prioritizing “suggested posts” and keyword-based search. Companies should refocus their efforts on creating highly engaging content that provides value (something informative, entertaining, or educational) and encourages the audience to interact with it though reactions, comments, shares, and saves.
The hashtags aren’t going away completely (just the ability to follow certain ones) and will still have a place in increasing discovery. But now SEO-optimized captions with strong keywords will get more attention for your posts. Shift your content to align with this new change and your business can take advantage of it while competitors are still playing by the old rules.