Hashtags are smaller than they were, and they still do two things: tell the network what a post is about, and put it in front of people who follow the topic rather than the account.
Three sizes, mixed
- Two or three big ones — the topic, as everyone names it. High traffic, short life.
- Three or four medium — the niche, the technique, the material. Where you can actually be seen.
- Two small — your city, your own series tag. Almost nobody, but the right nobody.
How to find the medium ones
Open three accounts you admire in your field and read their tags across ten posts. The ones that repeat across all three are the vocabulary of your corner. Type each into the search and look at what comes up: if the top posts look like yours, keep it.
Keep a list per subject
One set for each of your three or four subjects, saved somewhere you can paste from. Rotate a couple each month so the same block does not sit under every post.
Put them at the end of the caption, after a line break, or in the first comment — either is fine. What is not fine is a caption that is nothing but tags.