Should you even be using hashtags in 2025? if so, how many hashtags, where should you post them and why are influencers and people with huge Instagram accounts ignoring them and still succeeding? These and many more questions will be answered below … and it’s all changing because of the TikTok-ification of Instagram.

Why did Instagram start out with hashtags?

When Instagram was new – about 15 years ago, give or take – hashtags were used to find other accounts that shared similar interests. I used the likes of#jj_minimalism from Josh Johnson to find my first online photographer friends and wonderful photography that was shared daily. The JJ hashtags had strict ethics on supporting other accounts with likes and comments. Good times!

Since then, hashtags and their communities have given way to an emphasis in followers and in the last few years, Instagram has moved to an interest-based, algorithm-powered feed similar to TikTok. While followers are still important, they’re becoming less so. The shift away from hashtags was also, in part, a response to spammers stuffing more popular keywords with their spammy posts.

So now what? Is there any point in using hashtags?

Absolutely use them! Hashtags now help Instagram identify the topic of posts and who they’re for, so it can send posts – especially Carousels and Reels – to the right people on their explore page and as recommended posts – sharing the most relevant content for each person – a personalised feed. This was confirmed by Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri in an Instagram Story in February 2025. He said to ‘use them if it’s helpful for you to describe what you’re describing and connect to related content – not as an engagement hack.”

In other words, hashtags can help your posts be seen by strangers, like hashtags originally did, but they work in a different way. Instagram also looks at the rest of your caption to help identify relevant content (as best we know), so hashtags aren’t working on their own, but they’re an easy way of sending strong messages about your content.

Hashtags work well on Reels, Carousels and other grid posts.  They don’t ‘work’ on Instagram Stories, because those appear only in the feed of your existing followers.

How many hashtags should I use on Instagram?

Use as many hashtags on Instagram as it takes to show what your post is about and who it’s for. Technically, you can use up to 30 hashtags, but it’s unlikely you’ll need that many. Hashtags help with discoverability – you appearing on the explore page as suggested posts and coming up in the results when someone searches for your post topic. And appearing in these places is a new success metric on Instagram, as the important of followers decreases.

Hashtags become more important if you don’t post often, so there are fewer posts for Instagram to learn what your content is about and if you post about wildly varying topics.

Why don’t some accounts use hashtags and still seem popular?

Influencers and accounts with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers tend to post VERY regularly about the same few topics. This means two things: one, hundreds of posts gives Instagram a huge amount of data about content those accounts regularly share and two, Instagram has a lot of data about the interests of followers. These two factors allow instagram to pinpoint with some accuracy, potential people who are likely to enjoy posts from these accounts.

With smaller accounts that post fewer times, there’s simply less data, both in terms of follower commonalities and often in content topics.  Using hashtags can help Instagram be sure what your content is about and therefore, which accounts your posts should be shown to.

Where should I use hashtags?

Put hashtags in your post, to help Instagram know who to show your post to. Posting hashtags in comments doesn’t help Instagram know more about your post.

IN SUMMARY: 2025 is the year of using a descriptive number of hashtags in your captions to help Instagram know the topic and audience of your post. This allows Instagram to share it with people it knows will be interested in your posts, based on their past engagement. Using descriptive hashtags also helps you appear in Instagram search results.

NEED MORE HELP WITH INSTAGRAM + YOUR SOCIALS?

I’ve created a social media marketing planner and calendar – Speedy Socials Kit – that keeps all your ideas, captions and image links in the one place! Click the image below to find out more. 

Creating an Instagram carousel – the grid posts with multiple photos/videos – can be a challenge and yet the upside is so high: greater engagement, content that serves your audience and is perfect for sharing and saving. Here’s what you need to know about creating a carousel for your business that gives you the most saves, likes and shares for your time. There’s even a free PDF checklist at the end of this post you can download.

WHAT IS AN INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL POST?

Carousels are a collection of multiple photos, graphics or videos in one grid post. Viewers swipe through from right to left on the screen to view each slide, one at a time. Carousels are the same as regular posts in other ways including captions, the ability to share, comment, like and save. Instagram introduced them early in 2017 as an ad format, extending that to all users soon afterwards. They have a graphic on the top right of the first slide in the feed, showing this post has multiple slides.

INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL SIZE + RATIO

Your Instagram carousel size can be anything from a square to a 4:5 ratio vertical, as long as they have matching dimensions. If you try adding photos or videos of different sizes, they will crop to the same ratio as your first slide.

That said, in January of 2025, Instagram changed the Instagram grid from square to rectangular. Therefore, it’s recommended that your carousels are 4:5 ratio, to make the most of their appearance in the grid. Be aware that the sides of the first slide in your carousel will be slightly cropped, so make sure that any important elements such as text are not too close to the edge. The cropped size of your carousel’s first slide in the feed is 1015 pixels x 1350 pixels. 

Instagram carousel dimensions

In pixels, a 4:5 ratio for Instagram is 1080 pixels wide by 1350 pixels high. This format takes up the most amount of screen space available, so is the best format for impact in the scroll. You can also use horizontal images or videos up to a 1.91:1 ratio, which is 1080 pixels wide by 566 pixels high. This is not as good a format because it takes up so little space in the feed, which means it’s easy to scroll past without noticing it. If you want to keep your images wide and narrow, you could use a photo or graphics editor to add white space above and below your image, helping it stand out in the feed. Videos can last up to 60 seconds and need to be smaller than 4GB.

HOW TO CREATE AN INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL + POST IT

1. Tap the + sign on the top right, next to the menu.
2. Tap the post option (with a grid icon).
3. This will bring up the ‘Recents’ album. Navigate to another album if needed and tap the multiple photo option.
4. Tap on the photos or videos you want to include in your carousel, in the order you want them to appear.
5. Tap ‘Next’ on the top right of your screen. Select any preferred filter options.
6. Write a caption, adding tags and other details as you would for a regular grid post.
7. Tap ‘Share’ on the top right of your screen!

How to create a carousel inside Facebook Business Suite on desktop

1. Navigate to Creator Studio inside Facebook (find it in the options down the left of your screen on a desktop). This assumes you have a Facebook page attached to your Instagram account.
2. Create a new post and upload your carousel slides. They will automatically display in the order you uploaded them.  You can drag and drop the slides into a different order if needed.
3. Add your caption and hashtags to the text area. Add your location, if wanted.
4. Schedule or publish your post. There’s also an option to save as a draft.

You can also create and schedule carousels inside third party apps such as Planoly and Later.

WHAT ENGAGEMENT DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE?

According to Social Insider, Carousels have an average engagement rate per post of 1.92%, compared to 1.74% for images and 1.45% for videos. The engagement rate increases when 10 or more carousel slides are used and other studies suggest that carousel post engagement rates are even higher than this.

WHY DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE MORE ENGAGEMENT?

There are multiple reasons why carousel posts receive more engagement. One is time spent to see all of the post: looking at multiple photos or videos simply takes longer than looking at one. Another reason for increased engagement with carousel posts is that Instagram can show your post multiple times in the feeds of your followers.  If the first slide doesn’t stop the scroll, Instagram may show the second or third slides, to encourage swipe-throughs to the rest of the slides. This increases the chances of followers engaging with your post.

There’s also the fact that a post with multiple photos or videos is more likely to contain more value than those with a single slide, especially if you know your followers well and cater to their interests. This might be photos of a product and multiple details, a variety of styling for clothing or  inspirational quotes on one theme. Regina Anaejionu uses carousels for mini-lessons that lead into her courses for thought leaders. She’s creating huge value for her ideal clients, without even leaving Instagram. If they like what they read, they’re primed to click her bio and check out what else she could offer them.

HOW MANY SLIDES ARE IN A CAROUSEL?

There are up to 20 slides in a carousel. There were originally a maximum of 10 slides in a carousel, but Instagram increased this to 20 in summer 2024, after having had the larger slide numbers available in ads. Although you can share up to 20 slides, most carousels don’t have that many – just as many as you want to share and that you think will be captivating for your audience.

HOW TO CREATE AN INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL + POST IT

1. Tap the + sign on the top right, next to the menu.
2. Tap the post option (with a grid icon).
3. This will bring up the ‘Recents’ album. Navigate to another album if needed and tap the multiple photo option.
4. Tap on the photos or videos you want to include in your carousel, in the order you want them to appear.
5. Tap ‘Next’ on the top right of your screen. Select any preferred filter options.
6. Write a caption, adding tags and other details as you would for a regular grid post.
7. Tap ‘Share’ on the top right of your screen!

How to create a carousel inside Facebook Business Suite on desktop

1. Navigate to Creator Studio inside Facebook (find it in the options down the left of your screen on a desktop). This assumes you have a Facebook page attached to your Instagram account.
2. Create a new post and upload your carousel slides. They will automatically display in the order you uploaded them.  You can drag and drop the slides into a different order if needed.
3. Add your caption and hashtags to the text area. Add your location, if wanted.
4. Schedule or publish your post. There’s also an option to save as a draft.

You can also create and schedule carousels inside third party apps such as Planoly and Later.

WHAT ENGAGEMENT DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE?

According to Social Insider, Carousels have an average engagement rate per post of 1.92%, compared to 1.74% for images and 1.45% for videos. The engagement rate increases when 10 or more carousel slides are used and other studies suggest that carousel post engagement rates are even higher than this.

WHY DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE MORE ENGAGEMENT?

There are multiple reasons why carousel posts receive more engagement. One is time spent to see all of the post: looking at multiple photos or videos simply takes longer than looking at one. Another reason for increased engagement with carousel posts is that Instagram can show your post multiple times in the feeds of your followers.  If the first slide doesn’t stop the scroll, Instagram may show the second or third slides, to encourage swipe-throughs to the rest of the slides. This increases the chances of followers engaging with your post.

There’s also the fact that a post with multiple photos or videos is more likely to contain more value than those with a single slide, especially if you know your followers well and cater to their interests. This might be photos of a product and multiple details, a variety of styling for clothing or  inspirational quotes on one theme. Regina Anaejionu uses carousels for mini-lessons that lead into her courses for thought leaders. She’s creating huge value for her ideal clients, without even leaving Instagram. If they like what they read, they’re primed to click her bio and check out what else she could offer them.

INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL IDEAS

Multiple photos or videos can show many aspects of one product or idea or you can tell a story in bite-sized chunks spread across the slides. Curiosity is key here – make sure at least some of the information is shared in later slides, so viewers swipe all the way through your slides.

• Carousel posts can act as cornerstone content for your feed, providing valuable information for your ideal audience. This can include:
• User generated content, possibly with a cover image, so they fit your feed’s aesthetic.
• An introduction to a product or service
• A list of tips
• A range of testimonials
• Transformations: showcase ‘before’ and ‘after’ your service or product
• Tutorials
• Features on others in your niche
• Your origin story.

INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL TEMPLATES

Instagram carousel templates help you create a set of cohesive slides which work together, without taking hours or needing a professional designer. This also allows you to concentrate on choosing your words and images or graphics carefully, to tell the story that best works for your business.

I’ve created multiple carousel templates for free online design tool Canva. You can find the templates here.  Canva templates can be swapped out to your own brand’s colours and fonts in seconds, ready for your own text and photos or video.

Hopefully, you now have all the details you need to create your own engaging carousel on Instagram!

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