Hashtags Don’t Work On Instagram | Here’s What Does… - 862

Build Your Tribe | Grow Your Business with Social Media

Brock Johnson

Chalenejohnson, Fitness, Marketing, Copywriting, Listbuilding, Internetbusiness, Onlinebusiness, Socialmedia, Smallbusiness, Internetmarketing, Business, Networkmarketing, Email, Businessdevelopment

4.9 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Brock Johnson explains why hashtags don’t work on Instagram anymore and what actually drives growth in 2026. He’ll break down the recent algorithm changes, data from the latest studies, and insights shared by the Head of Instagram on why keyword optimization and SEO now matter more than hashtags. Brock will walk through the key strategies that replace traditional hashtag use — including Instagram SEO, shareworthy content, hyperfrequency posting, and using carousels and trial Reels to reach non-followers. He’ll also cover how to upcycle posts effectively, optimize your captions and name line for search, and use content variety to keep your audience engaged. Watch On YouTube 👉https://www.youtube.com/@BuildYourTribePodcast/videos 💥Subscribe to the InstaClubHub Newsletter For weekly top trending audios and meme templates to help you grow on Instagram! https://instaclubhub.com/newsletter/ 🤓 Related Episode: Head of INSTAGRAM reveals secrets to GROWING in 2025 Watch: https://youtu.be/b_MGyd8TKdQ?si=wckRJIf4T9-HHwQU Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-tribe-grow-your-business-with-social-media/id910990031?i=1000702036795 Complete Guide To Shareworthy Content | How To Beat The Instagram Algorithm Watch: https://youtu.be/pWNDkFuV0RY?si=tIIepLoPO_cIK9Jj Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-tribe-grow-your-business-with-social-media/id910990031?i=1000708572868 Head of @Instagram For Business Unlocks Secret to Growing in 2025 Watch: https://youtu.be/eg_Ay332RMQ?si=Jy0Hyzk5RymbcbO- Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-tribe-grow-your-business-with-social-media/id910990031?i=1000722937815 8 GENIUS Instagram Carousel Ideas to Get More Followers & Engagement! Watch: https://youtu.be/t7UDk-ItjrQ?si=6H9-c9oVmwD_sxS4 Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-tribe-grow-your-business-with-social-media/id910990031?i=1000717690263 8 NEW Instagram Carousel Ideas To Get More Followers Watch: https://youtu.be/ulebPxBw8Uw?si=zS8gE6Nxw2Bbj4Ij Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-tribe-grow-your-business-with-social-media/id910990031?i=1000733676705 Complete Guide To Growing On Instagram With Trial Reels Watch: https://youtu.be/GPfBBoroS-E?si=QD1xUPfQxPZMpJ2K Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-tribe-grow-your-business-with-social-media/id910990031?i=1000736087646 Connect with Brock on your fav social platform: Brock: Instagram: @Brock11Johnson TikTock: @brock11johnnson

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hashtags do not work anymore.
0:02.4	Here's what does.
0:03.8	Search engine optimization, shareworthy content, upcycling, hyperfrequency, carousels, variety, and trial reels.
0:12.0	Those seven things are exactly what I'm going to be teaching you in today's episode.
0:16.0	Those are the strategies that are most efficient and proven to get results to help you get more reviews, more followers,
0:21.4	and most importantly of all, more customers on Instagram.
0:27.2	But before we dive into those seven strategies, how the heck do we even know that hashtags are
0:31.8	dead? I've been proclaiming that hashtags are dead since way back in 2021, but here are three
0:36.6	examples of proof that show that
0:38.9	hashtags are far less effective than they used to be. Number one, when asked if hashtags are a
0:44.0	reliable way to increase your reach, the head of Instagram said this. They don't significantly
0:48.8	increase your reach on Instagram. Gotcha to popular belief. And besides just saying that to me in our
0:53.6	interview, he has also said that numerous times on his own Instagram stories.
0:57.0	But don't just take his word for it.
0:59.0	The second piece of evidence that I have is that Instagram has been increasingly limiting or even reducing or even completely getting rid of different features relating to hashtags.
1:08.0	Earlier this year, they removed the ability to follow hashtags. So now,
1:12.8	when people make a post using a certain hashtag, that post is no longer eligible to be recommended
1:17.5	on your feed. Additionally, Instagram got rid of the entire recents section below hashtags.
1:23.6	It used to be that when you looked at a hashtag, there were two different categories,
1:27.4	two different feeds below that hashtag.
1:29.4	One was the top, the most popular posts who have used that hashtag, and the other was recent, which showed every single post that was recently made in reverse chronological order using said hashtag.
1:41.0	That was deleted.
	...

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