How To Use Hashtags On Social Media

Do you know how to use hashtags on different social media platforms? Well, you have landed in the right place. 

In this post, we are going to discuss how to use hashtags on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok. 

A good social media strategy is incomplete without the use of top hashtags.

This post will tell you about what hashtags are and how they can be used on different platforms.

What does a hashtag mean?

A hashtag is actually the pound symbol which is commonly known as an octothorpe. This symbol was used to mark numbers in the past, but today its purpose has changed in the digital world. 

Today hashtags have become a way to connect topics, events, themes, or a trending conversation to a specific post or piece of content. 

“The hashtag was first used by Chris Messina on Twitter, and the purpose of it was to connect group-related tweets together. Ever since its first use, the use and reach of hashtags have grown.“ 

How do hashtags work

Today hashtags are not only used on Twitter but on almost every social media platform. Some important things that you need to know about hashtags are:

• Hashtags would always start with #. They would only work without spaces, other symbols, and punctuation. 
• Hashtag content can only be seen if your social media account is public. Hashtags used on private posts would not be seen by people who are not following you.
• The best hashtags are the ones that are short and easy to remember.
• The hashtag should always be specific and relevant to the post on which they are being used.
• Using multiple hashtags is not good, as it looks like spam. You need to limit the number of tags you use.

Types of Hashtags

Hashtags are of different types. You can find more than dozens of different types of tags being used on social media but there are only three main types. Here in this section, we have discussed them in detail.

Brand Hashtags 

Brand hashtags, as the name tells us, are the ones that are used by brands and businesses. These are permanent and would rarely change. Brand hashtags must have three features. 

They need to be catchy, concise, and also unique to the brand using them. Usually, the tagline of a company is its brand hashtag. If you’re looking for professional assistance in developing a compelling brand identity and effective brand hashtags, consider partnering with a reputable branding agency in California. You can take the example of Coca-Cola and its brand hashtag #shareacoke.

The subcategory of brand hashtags is campaign hashtags. These are the ones that are created specifically to introduce or promote a specific campaign. For instance, unique hashtags can be created by brands to promote summer sales or Christmas deals.

Content Hashtags

Content hashtags are quite commonly used, and their main purpose is to engage a specific group audience. 

For instance, if you are posting content about Coffee, then you can easily boost the reach of the post by adding relevant hashtags to your content, like #coffeetime, #coffeelovers, #coffeeholic, etc. 

By using relevant and specific hashtags, people can easily drive organic traffic to their social media posts. 

When using content hashtags, it is very important that you only use terms that your target audience would commonly search for. 

Before selecting hashtags for your post, you need to think like your audience. 

Trending Hashtags

These are the most interesting types of hashtags. These are not only interesting but also quite tricky to use. 

Trending hashtags would involve terms and topics which are globally trending, so if your content is related to that particular topic or event, then you can use these kinds of tags. 

Such as on christmas you can use hashtags like #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor etc  to boost your posts.

It is important that you do some research on active trends before you use a trending hashtag in your post, as it can also backfire in case it is irrelevant. 

Also, you might upset certain groups of people by using a tag related to a specific event.

How to Use Hashtag On Social Media?

If you want to know how to use a hashtag more effectively, then you need to read this section. 

Here we have listed some simple and helpful tips for using hashtags on Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and also TikTok.

How to Use Hashtags On Twitter?

On Twitter, when you add # at the beginning of a word or phrase, it would automatically generate a hashtag. 

When you add a hashtag to one of your tweets, it will automatically club with all tweets that use the same tag. 

Usually, hashtags are added in tweets to add context to a certain topic and to help people understand it in an easier way.

How to Find Trending Hashtags On Twitter?

Trending hashtags on Twitter are actually the tags that are popularly being used or are viral. If you use trending hashtags, then you can easily drive a lot of traffic to your tweet. 

Now, if you want to find trending tags, then you need to visit the “What’s Happening” header on the right side of the screen. 

You can also find trending tags in the Explore section of Twitter. From the explore tab, you have to select the ‘trending’ option, and you will see all the trending tags on Twitter. You can also use online hashtag research tools for this purpose. 

How many hashtags to use on Twitter

A tweet cannot be more than 280 characters, so you have to manage your content as well as hashtags within the same character limit. 

Now you must know that Twitter doesn’t recommend a user add more than two hashtags per tweet. But if you want to use more, then there is no restriction if you don’t exceed the character limit.

Related: How To Clear Twitter Cache To Speed It Up

How to Use Hashtags On Facebook?

Hashtags on Facebook can be used in posts or in the comments section. Usually, the purpose of a hashtag on FB is to group content with respect to a topic or news event. 

Generally, tags on FB are used to drive more traffic to a post. To reach an audience with hashtags, just make sure you have a public account.

How to Find Trending Hashtags On Facebook?

An easy way to find trending hashtags on Facebook is by searching by the keyword in the search bar of FB. 

You will find the top-used hashtags in the search results. You can also search for the trending hashtags for Fb on Google. 

There are also online tools that can help you find the top used or trending #tags for FB.

How many hashtags to use on Facebook

There is no such limitation to the number of hashtags on Facebook, but the ideal number is two to three per post. 

The number of hashtags you can use in a post also depends on the type of post and page. The core idea is not to overstuff hashtags. 

Overdoing it would look spammy, and you would lose the audience instead of getting engagement.

How to Use Hashtags On LinkedIn?

People use hashtags on LinkedIn to get views on their posts. Not only this, but you should also know that hashtags can help users build connections. 

Just make sure that the tags you are using in your posts are relevant to the industry you belong to. 

An important point that you need to know is that LinkedIn is a professional platform, so the hashtags you add to your posts should also be professional & formal.

How to Find Trending Hashtags On LinkedIn?

Using trending hashtags on LinkedIn would surely help you get more views. You can find the trending tags by searching manually on the search bar with a relevant keyword or topic idea. Such as #officelife #beinghuman etc..

 You can also find the trending LinkedIn hashtags in the “news and views” section on your home page. 

How many hashtags to use on Linkedin

The optimal number of hashtags that you should use in a LinkedIn post is one to five. Using more than five hashtags would simply ruin the quality of the post, so it is best that you use less than five #. 

How to Use Hashtags On Instagram?

Here is how to use hashtags on Instagram to gain followers:

Instagram is a different platform, and it majorly accommodates visual content. Still, you can see that hashtags are commonly used here.

You can include hashtags in the captions of your Instagram posts, Reels, Stories or comment section of your post.

The main purpose of a hashtag on Instagram is to drive traffic and increase followers. 

Try not to use excessive amount of hashtags. But if you must use more than 5 hashtags, try to hide your Instagram hashtags so that your posts or reels don’t look spammy or messed up .

How to Find Trending Hashtags On Instagram?

You can search for the trending hashtags in the “tags” tab of Instagram. You can find it in the explore section. One can easily find relevant and trending hashtags from this tab. 

You can also find the trending hashtags for Instagram with the help of an online hashtag research tool. 

How many hashtags to use on Instagram

The optimal number of tags that you should include is 5 to 7. Here you must know; you cannot add more than 30 tags in a post/video or even in the comment section. 

How to Use Hashtags On Pinterest?

Usually, Pinterest is used as a content discovery tool, but you must understand hashtags can also be used on this platform, especially when you are using it for business. 

When you add #tags in the description of new pins, they will appear in the top search results. The main purpose of using hashtags on Pinterest is to get discovered by the target audience.

How to Find Trending Hashtags On Pinterest?

There are two ways to find trending hashtags on Pinterest. The first way is by using the search bar. You just have to search for a hashtag that is relevant to what you are looking for. In the drop-down search results, you can see the popular hashtags which are being used by people. The other method is by using a hashtag research tool.

How many hashtags to use on Pinterest

In a Pinterest description, the ideal number of hashtags that you should use is two to four. One should not use more than four tags as it can make the pin confusing. 

How to Use Hashtags On TikTok?

TikTok is a relatively newer social media platform as compared to the ones that we have discussed above. Still, you can see that hashtags can be found everywhere on this platform. The hashtags on TikTok are used in the video descriptions as well as on the discover page. 

How to Find Trending Hashtags On TikTok?

Finding the trending hashtags on TikTok is the easiest. You can easily find trending tags on the discover page. Not only can you find the most popular hashtags on discovering, but you can also find the accounts that are using them. You can also find hashtags that intrigue you in the search bar of TikTok.

How many hashtags to use on tiktok

On TikTok, it is best that you use a combination of niche and trending hashtags to boost the viewership of the video. The optimal number of hashtags you should know to use in a caption must not be more than five. Three to five hashtags are optimal. 

Why we use hashtag? (Few Reasons to Use #Tags)

If you are wondering what is the purpose of hashtag or why are hashtags helpful, then you should understand that using hashtags is actually an easy and effective way of connecting groups that are searching for specific content/products and even services. 

These hashtags can be used for about anything. There are no such restrictions as to which type of tags can be used.

Here are some important reasons why are hashtags important and why you should use them on social media platforms.

• Hashtags can increase your engagement with your followers. They are a great way to generate leads and engagement. Social media posts can get a lot of boosts because the use of hashtag.
• New brands can easily build brand awareness by using branded hashtags. This is one of the most effective ways of promoting a business.
• Another reason to use hashtags is to show support for social issues. You can create posts/content related to issues that need to be addressed with social hashtags, for example, #StopHate. 
• Hashtags can also be used in order to add context to a social media post. You can use hashtags on social media to make them relevant to a certain trend. There is a limited character limit for a social media post so sometimes using hashtags is the best way to give context to the post.
• The most popular reason, in our opinion, to use hashtags is to target a certain set of audiences. People today use hashtags to find brands, so it is best that you cash this opportunity.
• And lastly, you can use a hashtag to disclose sponsored partnerships with brands as well as influencers.

6 Tips on how to write a Hashtag

Writing effective hashtags is very important. The key point is to always write a hashtag that is specific to your post or the interest of your target audience. 

You have to do some research for this purpose. Here we have collected 6 important tips that can help you on how to make hashtags more effective.

1. Use Hashtag Research Tools

If you have never tried using hashtags before, then it is best that you use hashtag research tools such as Inflact. These tools are quite cost-efficient and easy to use. Moreover, they can provide you with relevant, precise, and personalized hashtags for any social media platform of your choice. 

You just have to enter a keyword that is relevant to your post in the tool and select the platform for which you want the tags.

All of these tools are quite easy to use and are considered to be best for generating hashtags for different kinds of social media platforms. These are commonly used by bloggers and social media users.

2. Keep It Simple

A very important tip to remember is that you need to keep your hashtags simple. The simpler hashtags you use, the more understandable they will be for your target audience. 

Experts always advise that hashtags must be short, simple, and readable for the audience. Lengthy hashtags are often hard to read, which is why it is important that you keep yours concise.

If the hashtag you are using is difficult to understand, then you will see that users will skip your post instead of engaging with it. The ideal length of a hashtag is ten characters.

3. Know Your Target Audience

As we have mentioned earlier, the core reason to use a hashtag is to grow audience and engagement on a social media post. Well, you have to make sure that you know your target audience before you search for the relevant hashtags. 

You cannot just use any trending or popular hashtag in your post. You have to make sure that the tag you are using is relevant to your post’s content and aligns with the interest of your target audience. 

4. Research Your Competitor

Whenever you are using a hashtag on social media platforms, it is important that you research your competitors. Competitor research is very important as it helps you find out what kind of tags they are using and the response they are getting on those posts. 

You can learn about the best hashtags to use and the ones that you need to avoid. You can also use social media tools to spy on your competitors if you don’t want to do it manually.

5. Learn from Pro Influencers 

Today you can see that influencers are playing an important role in marketing businesses. If you want to use a hashtag on social media platforms, then it is best you search for influential accounts that are related to the niche you are targeting. You can find out the successful hashtags that are being used by them.

6. Identify Successful Hashtags from Past Posts

If you have been using hashtags in the past, then it is best that you analyze your old posts. You can easily find posts that were successful in the past and got the most engagement. Utilizing the same tags in relevant posts would surely help you boost your new posts.

Hashtags To Avoid – Why Are Some Hashtags Banned On Social Media Platforms?

Now that you know how to use different hashtags on social media platforms, it is important to note that not all hashtags are ideal for use in your posts. There are some hashtags that are banned by different social media platforms.

The reason why a hashtag might get banned by a social media platform is that users report it as a flag or spam. Usually, hashtags that are posted along with inappropriate content are banned for users to use them. 

Now using banned hashtags once in a while might not affect your account. But if you are using dozens of flagged hashtags, and that too on different occasions, then there is a very high chance that your account is going to get banned.

So the best policy is to avoid all the banned hashtags on whichever social media platform you are planning on using them; when you search for a hashtag on a social media platform and get a message that this particular hashtag is currently hidden, then it means that it has been reported and is currently banned.

You can also find out banned social media hashtags with the help of online research tools!

Takeaways

In this post, we have discussed important details about how to use hashtags on social media platforms like Fb, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and TikTok. If you haven’t been using hashtags in the past, then it is time that you start using them now, as they are more useful today. 

You can easily generate leads and increase engagement on your posts with the help of hashtags. Many individuals and businesses are making their social media presence strong with the best #tags.

1. Three to five hashtags are enough per post or description. Using too many tags can have a negative impact on some platforms.
2. Always keep your hashtags short and simple so that they can be memorable for the audience.
3. Don’t be obscure while using hashtags. Only use common ones that can be found by users.
4. Always use specific hashtags that are also relevant to the video or post you are adding them with.
5. Never try to force hashtags in every post, or you will lose the value they bring.
6. Hashtags don’t only help you drive traffic, but they can also make your posts visible to your competitors.

You need to keep all these things in mind while using a hashtag in any of your posts on different social media platforms!

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