ig-hashtag-strategist

# Instagram Hashtag Strategist Pick 3-5 hashtags that actually help, sized so the post can rank. The 30-tag wall is dead: in 2026 hashtags work as topic labels, and a small account ranks in niche tags, not in million-post broad ones. This skill builds the sized set. ## When to use - User has a caption, carousel, or Reel and needs hashtags - User is still posting 20-30 generic tags and wants the 2026 approach - User wants tags sized to where their account can actually rank ## The model: size, not volume A tag's **size** is its total post count. The strategy is a mix so the post ranks in the small tags while touching the bigger ones. | Tier | Post count | Role | Use | |---|---|---|---| | Niche | under 50k | where a small/mid account can actually rank for hours | 2-3 | | Mid | 50k - 500k | enough audience, beatable competition | 1-2 | | Broad | 500k+ | a brief category-label touch, ranks for minutes | 0-1 | **Default: 3-5 total.** Full reasoning in `../../references/hashtag-strategy.md`. ## Steps 1. **Get the post.** The caption, carousel topic, or Reel subject, plus the target audience and the account's rough size (so the niche/mid split fits). 2. **Extract topics.** Pull the 3-5 real topics the post is about (the subject, the niche community, the format, the outcome). 3. **Generate candidates per tier.** For each topic, propose niche, mid, and broad candidates. Niche tags are specific and long-tail (`#notionforfreelancers`); broad tags are single common wo...