Ditch the hashtags: How to use Instagram as an author.

Hashtags are officially irrelevant. Here's what to do instead.

If you’ve been using Instagram for any length of time, you’ve probably been told to use hashtags to get seen on Instagram. But it’s official, gone are the days of using #amwriting, #bookstagram, #writerlife to reach readers and other writers.

Hashtags are irrelevant.

Instagram has shifted almost entirely away from hashtags as a tool for discovery. The platform now behaves much more like a search engine than a social network, and if you want to actually be found by your target audience, you need to stop using hashtags.

The CEO, Adam Mosseri, has often been quoted as saying hashtags don’t have the power users think they do. They’re primarily used for categorisation and occasional search use. But if you want your content to be discovered, you need to focus on these four simple things.