Some things change gradually. Like frogs in a boiling pot, we often don’t notice until it’s too late. And a lot of creators are scrolling their feeds, realizing that hashtags have changed. In some instances, they’ve realized that hashtags are simply gone. Did they change while we weren’t looking? Are hashtags dead?!
Before you write your #eulogy or order #funeralflowers, let’s talk about hashtags in 2025. Because they aren’t dead, they’re just…different. They’ve changed. And the way you use them will have to change, too.
Are Hashtags Dead? 🥀
Back in the early days of social media, you couldn’t scroll your feed without seeing at least one hashtag on every post. They were literally everywhere! Early Instagram users will remember typing out fifteen different tags on every picture. Some were ironic, some were accurate, and some were just silly.
But hashtags have started to fade from social media recently. TikTok no longer has trending ads; Instagram doesn’t recommend them on its explore page. Only Clapper and a handful of other platforms consistently use and highlight hashtags.
So no, hashtags aren’t dead. They’ve just changed.
Hashtags in 2025 🌎
Hashtags have always been a way to search and categorize content. But the originals weren’t as specific and represented a general box that your content fit into. Think of old hashtags like a filing cabinet: they represented all of A-F, not just the C’s. They were also a way for creators to show some of their personality. That’s how we got tags like #justhursdaythings or #mrschementisclassrocks. Not only were they less specific, but you’d use as many as you could on your content.
Rather quickly, hashtags evolved. Instead of using fifteen that may or may not be related to your content, social media experts and influencers are dialing back. They’re now being very selective with their tags. They’ve dialed into a niche, shed their personality, and are only using hashtags that are related directly (or tangentially) to their content. Some creators still use fifteen (or more) tags, but many creators have narrowed their hashtags down to the ten best.
Why the Change? 🤔
Like just about everything else, the best hashtags are about quality over quantity. You don’t want everyone to see your videos, just the people who are interested in that content. This new approach is more targeted and makes sure your content ends up on the right FYP.
Additionally, as social media has evolved, more and more viewers are using it as a search engine. They’re very specific about what they want. Take someone searching “dinner recipes”. They aren’t going to want a post rating Lunchables – they want full dinner recipes! Viewers have gotten more specific about what they want to watch, so creators have to be more specific to accommodate.
That’s why more and more users are thinking about hashtags as search engines.
The Best Way to Use Hashtags ✨
The best way to use hashtags is as keywords or search engine queries. Most viewers don’t think about hashtags unless they’re searching for content. There are two ways you can format your hashtags to fit with this: keywords and queries.
🏷️ Keywords
Keywords are specific words or phrases people use to search for information, products, or services related to their niche. Marketers and copywriters use keywords for websites and blog articles to drive search engine traffic. Using the right keywords will help you reach your audience more effectively.
A perfect example is Amazon listings. You type in black shirt and find products called “Russell Athletic Men’s Dri-Power Cotton Blend Short Sleeve Tees, Moisture Wicking, Odor Protection, UPF 30+, Sizes S-4x”. All of these are keywords, and while they might seem random, they relate to something a shopper may search for when looking at t-shirts.
When creating your content, use your hashtags as keywords. Think of similar words or phrases viewers would type in when searching content like yours. For a creator sharing an easy appetizer recipe, they could use hashtags like “easy recipe, appetizer recipe, easy appetizers, appetizers, appetizer ideas, recipes, recipe ideas, cocktail party”, and so on.
❓ Queries
Queries are similar to keywords; they’re sentences or questions people type into a search engine. Using the right queries in your copy or hashtags can boost discoverability.
Take our appetizer recipe for example. Viewers are more likely to search for “appetizer recipe” than “appetizer”. They’re even more likely to search “easy appetizer” or “healthy appetizer”, and very specific creators might even search “BBQ appetizer” or “best cheese appetizer”. Queries can get even longer, like “best easy Christmas appetizers”.
When you’re writing out your tags, make a few in the form of queries. If you were searching for a video like this, what would you type in? Keep it short, keep it relevant, but think of specific queries that viewers would look for.
Resources 🖥️
We want to be upfront: you may not need resources or software to successfully include keywords and queries in your content. All it takes is a little bit of planning and thinking.
But if you want to really start planning your content and optimizing your hashtags, you can use a few different platforms. Why? They’ll tell you how many people are searching that keyword and how hard it can be to show in the search results. In the office, we use SEMRush, a classic keyword tool for marketers! Neil Patel, a digital marketing expert, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author, created the free keyword search tool Ubersuggest. WordStream is also a free keyword tool.
But you don’t need these resources. You can develop a keyword strategy and find hashtags on your own!
Can I Find Trending Hashtags? 🤓
Yes, there are a few ways you can find trending hashtags. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have abandoned them in favor of trending sounds. Among the major platforms, X still showcases trending hashtags on their explore page.
Also, Clapper still utilizes trending hashtags. Creators can check out our Explore page to find the week’s top tags and hot topics. Hashtags in general are still central to Clapper. And our community loves to use them and engage with them!
Wrapping It Up 🪦
Hashtags aren’t dead. You just have to reframe how you use them. Now, the best ones to use look more like search keywords or queries than actual tags. The key is to think about what a viewer might search for to find your video. What questions will your video answer? What genres of content does it closely relate to? Once you answer those questions, hashtags won’t feel like a thing of the past.
Need an introduction to hashtags? Check out this article!
The Clapper app is a short-form video and Livestream app for creators 17+. Our goal is to give creators a platform to build communities and express themselves freely without judgment and censorship. To learn more, download the app, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.