Hashtag mechanics differ by platform. Instagram, TikTok, and X all use hashtags as primary discovery surfaces; LinkedIn uses them lightly; Facebook largely ignores them. Strategy should be platform-specific, not generic.
The most common mistake is volume: stuffing 30 unrelated hashtags into a caption. Modern platforms penalise this behaviour and reward focused, relevant tagging. 3–5 well-chosen tags typically outperform 20 generic ones.
Reusable, niche-specific hashtag sets are a sustainable approach. Branded hashtags (your company's hashtag), community hashtags (the niche you operate in), and 1–2 broader discovery hashtags is a reasonable default pattern across most platforms.