Hashtag Generator

How many hashtags to actually use

Instagram accepts 30 per post and recommends 3 to 5. TikTok has no separate hashtag field, so tags eat into the 2,200 character caption. Three to five is the working number on both. The block of 30 stopped buying reach years ago, and on Instagram it now reads as spam signal rather than distribution.

Why the mix matters more than the count

• One broad tag for context. You will not rank in it, but it tells the system what the post is.
• Two mid-size tags. Big enough to have an audience, small enough that a good post surfaces.
• Two or three specific tags. This is where a small account actually gets found.
• Tags that match what is on screen and in the caption. Instagram reads all three and a mismatch costs reach.
• No banned or spam-flagged tags. A single one can suppress the whole post.

Hashtags are a search signal now, not a feed

Instagram removed the ability to follow a hashtag in December 2024, which killed the passive hashtag feed. What is left is search: people type a tag or a phrase, and Instagram matches it against your caption, your tags and the text in your video. That makes tags a keyword decision, not a reach hack.

The reach is only worth as much as what you do with it. Pair the set with a caption built around one call to action, and let comment to DM automation handle the replies.