Hashtags Without the MythsLesson 3 of 5
Broad, mid, niche
Not all tags shout the same
Not all tags are equal. One shouts across a stadium; another whispers to its crew. You need both — in the right dose.
Broad brings eyes, niche brings the hit. Without a mix you either drown in the ocean — or nobody looks for you.
Three types of tags
Meaning scaleBroad
oceanHuge topic: #fitness, #food, #beauty. Plus — Lots of eyes. Minus — You’re a drop in the ocean
Mid
balanceTopic gets more specific: #homeworkout, #healthybreakfast. Plus — Balance of reach and fit. Minus — Needs to match the meaning
Niche
your crowdMicro-community / local: #londonrunning, #gelnailebeginners. Plus — Warm, targeted audience. Minus — Smaller “wow” numbers
How to build a set
For 5 slotsFor 5 tags, a good mix looks like:
- 11–2 niche — your niche / city / audience format
- 22–3 mid — the post’s topic
- 30–1 broad — one “ocean” max
Don’t: five oceans (
#love #instagood #photooftheday…).
Don’t: five ultra-niche tags nobody searches.Mini set example
Post: “home workout, no equipment, 15 minutes”
- Niche:
#homeworkout - Mid:
#athomeworkouts,#fitnessathome - Broad (one):
#fitness - Optional format:
#reels— only if it’s actually Reels and the format matters
Why mix
The point of the mix: the algorithm and people get what you’re about, and you don’t drown in billions of other posts.
Check yourself
Which set is usually the weakest?
Explanation: A pile of broad tags barely brings targeted traffic and looks like spam. A mix of niche/mid (+ one broad max) is clearly smarter.