TIL Instagram drops your posts if you use the same hashtags more than 3 times

I always thought rotating hashtags was just a rumor people made up. Last month I ran a test on my account where I used the exact same set of 15 hashtags on 4 posts in a row. The first 2 got normal reach around 500 views each. The 3rd post got about 150 views and the 4th only got 30. I saw this tip from a data guy on Twitter who tracks algorithm changes. Has anyone else noticed a drop with repeat hashtags?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_west19d ago

Last year I tested this myself and blew up my engagement for a solid week. I had a set of 30 hashtags I used for travel stuff and after the 4th post I got like 12 views. My mom was the only one who liked it and she only did that because I texted her. The algorithm definitely punishes you for being lazy with hashtags, which is honestly fair because I was being lazy. Now I just rotate 3 different sets and sprinkle in a few random ones that fit the photo. Seems to work better for me.

smith.parker19d ago

Not quite, @amy_west - the algorithm actually flags reposting identical hashtags faster than that.

the_paul18d ago

That bit about your mom being the only one who liked it after texting her got me, because I had almost the exact same thing happen. I used to be one of those people who said "ah, it's all luck anyway, hashtags don't matter that much." But I ran the same test with my photography account. Three posts with the same tags, first one hit 400, second one hit 200, third one barely cracked 50. My buddy who runs a car page told me the same thing happened to him with his shop photos. So yeah, you convinced me. I was wrong. It's real.