In recent years, social media platforms have shifted towards relying more heavily on their own AI-powered content algorithms and less on user-generated hashtags for content categorization. These newer algorithms generally prioritize the duration of a user’s time spent engaging with specific content, allowing the platform to gather data each time a user is active online.
With these new algorithms, hashtags are taking the hit. In 2022, Adam Mosseri, CEO and President of Instagram, directly stated that hashtags do not have any bearing a creator’s reach, and in 2025, Instagram no longer allows users to follow specific hashtags. Moreover, TikTok recently implemented a five hashtag limit to user-generated content, and they were recently banned from promoted posts on X.
In this evolving digital landscape, how does a brand maintain its relevance, particularly when it can no longer depend on content-specific hashtags to foster engagement? Here are Washingtonian Custom Media’s top three tips to help you navigate this new era of hashtag-less social media.
1) Focusing on Social Keywords
Instagram’s July 2025 announcement that Google would begin indexing its public posts signals a significant shift for social media visibility. This change ushers in a new era where targeted keywords within captions, alt text, or video screen text will become more influential than hashtags for community building. This is especially true as users increasingly rely on large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for discovery, alongside traditional search engines like Google.
To maximize the benefits of this transition for your brand, your organization needs to be strategic and focused in its choice of associated keywords. The most effective approach is to integrate these words or phrases in a way that reinforces their specific connection to your brand, which is particularly important when considering how user-generated content will affect your brand’s ranking in platforms like ChatGPTand other LLMs.
2) Opting into Trends
Another effective method for boosting organic traffic involves strategically engaging with public trends that align with your organization and brand identity. A recent widespread tactic sees many brands adopting a casual, more individual-like persona when commenting publicly, moving away from traditionally discreet and professional online behavior.
While this approach carries a risk of backfiring, necessitating a dedicated internal team or external organization for monitoring and responding, it also offers a powerful opportunity for users to feel a greater sense of connection with large companies. Duolingo provides a compelling case study, demonstrating the impact of this strategy; their use of casual memes and direct user engagement helped them grow their user base significantly, from 40.5 million to over 116 million.
Additionally, utilizing trending sounds or audio clips in your content is a powerful strategy, particularly on platforms like TikTok, as it can significantly increase the visibility of your post in the feeds of users who frequently interact with content featuring that specific audio. This engagement-driven approach is key for building your brand’s reach and enhancing consumer awareness.
3) Maintaining Consistency
Many creators speak of the benefit of posting often — and they’re not wrong. Regularly producing niche-specific content will consistently attract consumers with similar interests, expanding the bounds of your engaged audience. Ultimately, maintaining content and post consistency within your brand will yield the most favorable algorithmic results.
The digital and social media team at Washingtonian exemplifies this effort, consistently producing clear, reliable, and relatable content. They successfully blend vibrant photography of our city with engaging headlines about local news. This strategy has resulted in a significant following of over 376,000 and generates hundreds of likes for each post.
Still struggling to establish your organization’s social media presence? The next logical step may be to engage an external team. WCM is ready to help you redefine your brand’s online identity and significantly elevate your social media presence. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can assist you.