Hashtags started on Twitter in 2007, when the designer Chris Messina suggested using the hash symbol to group conversations, and they spread to almost every platform after that. For years, more hashtags meant more reach, and Instagram posts could carry up to thirty. Since December 2025, Instagram allows five per post.
One way to choose them with intent is The 4+1 Hashtag Method, developed by Christophe Moons: four to be found, one to be remembered. The first four hashtags name the niche, the audience, the problem the post solves and the type of post, and the fifth is a branded hashtag that travels with everything the account publishes. The method favours mid-sized hashtags, roughly 10,000 to 500,000 posts, because a post can actually be seen in them.
Writing hashtags in camel case, such as #SmallBusinessOwners, makes them easier to read and lets screen readers pronounce each word.
