Scroll through any social media platform and you’ll likely encounter a sea of hashtags. Hashtags have been a core part of social media since 2007 when blogger and Google developer Chris Messina first proposed the concept. Chris took to Twitter to suggest using the pound symbol and a keyword to help categorize content. The idea stuck.
Hashtags enable users to quickly search and identify topics and discussions of interest. While hashtags remain an integral part of the internet experience, they’ve evolved from a basic organizational shortcut to a bonafide social media marketing tool. Today they aid in product discovery and helping businesses expand their reach.
How to use hashtags on social media platforms
Hashtags (keywords preceded by the “#” symbol), allow brands to make their content discoverable by topic. Here’s how to use hashtags on five of the biggest social media platforms:
X (Twitter)
X—formerly known as Twitter, and the birthplace of hashtags—can be the trickiest place to use hashtags given the platform’s 280-character limit. This constraint requires careful hashtag usage, with one to two hashtags per post being ideal for engagement. You can place hashtags anywhere in your posts, shares, and comments.
There are a few different approaches for using hashtags on X. One is to create your own branded hashtag and consistently use the same hashtag to categorize your content over time. Another is to leverage a trending hashtag to generate buzz and integrate your brand into the conversation.
Apple, for example, used #AppleMusicReplay to announce its personalized 2024 year-in-review music report, inspiring users to share their top artists and most-played albums using the hashtag.
One of the most successful branded hashtag campaigns on X was Coca-Cola’s 2015 #ShareACoke campaign, which promoted personalized cans and bottles. The hashtag helped increase the company’s sales by 2% in the US, reversing a decline in product consumption.
You can use LinkedIn hashtags across several of the platform’s features, including business page bios, posts, articles, and comments. The company recommends limiting hashtags to five per LinkedIn post in order to keep posts focused.
For the best engagement, LinkedIn suggests using a mix of general or trending hashtags alongside niche hashtags aligned with your business or audience to broaden your reach. Gucci, for example, uses a mix of multiple hashtags, including celebrity name hashtags and its niche #GucciGift to gain traction for a new campaign on LinkedIn.
You can use hashtags across all Instagram content, including user bios, Instagram stories, and captions for single-image posts, carousels, and Reels. Instagram posts allow for up to 30 hashtags, but there is such a thing as too many hashtags, which can look spammy to social media users. Ultimately, less is more—Instagram’s @Creators account recommends three to five hashtags per post.
While you can embed hashtags anywhere in a caption, it’s best practice to position them at the end or add them separately in a comment. Here, Allbirds uses hashtags to promote a Marriott Bonvoy sweepstakes to drive more users to the post.
TikTok
Like Instagram, TikTok hashtags are clickable links used to categorize content and enable users to search posts by hashtag.The platform’s 4,000-character limit per post allows for plenty of experimentation, but it’s best to keep it to five or fewer.
Monitor the Discover page for trending hashtags and look for opportunities to incorporate TikTok trends into your brand posts. For example, FashionNova posts videos showing the same product on different body types with popular hashtags like #ootd and #styleinspo to enhance searchability and engagement.
YouTube
YouTube hashtags are typically placed in a video’s title or description to help users discover content on particular topics or keywords. Aim for between three to five per video and avoid using more than 15, as YouTube may mark you down for spammy behavior.
Brands like ColourPop use hashtags to promote new product lines in its Swatch Party videos and cosmetic tutorials. Hashtags like #crueltyfree and #chromeshadow help users easily discover ColourPop content.
How to use hashtags in your social media strategy
Here are three tips for identifying the right hashtags to build brand awareness:
Use a mix of popular and niche hashtags
Trending hashtags can be an easy way to expand your reach by placing your brand within established communities. Niche hashtags help you connect with specific segments of your target audience.
If you run a direct-to-consumer plant business, for example, you might start by using generalhashtags like #HousePlants, #PottedPlants, and the popular #entrepreneurship tag.
Keep tabs on competitor and trending hashtags
Trends can be fickle, and hashtag trends are no exception. What’s buzzy this month may die on the vine next month. To stay on top of what’s driving engagement in your industry and among your competitors on each platform, use social listening tools like Hootsuite, Brandwater, or Meltwater, which allow you to track trends and competitor performance.
Track your hashtag engagement
Check in on your hashtagged posts to see how they’re performing. Analyze click-through rates per social media post to identify the most effective hashtags.
How to use hashtags FAQ
What is the three-hashtag rule?
The three-hashtag rule recommends that brands use three relevant hashtags across three main categories:
What is the purpose of a hashtag?
Hashtags categorize content so posts about specific topics are easier to search on a social platform. They have many purposes from organizing around a specific cause to cultivating communities and audiences around shared interests. For brands, hashtags connect with consumers and expand product visibility to broader audiences.
Are hashtags effective on social media?
When employed correctly and strategically, hashtags can be very effective on social media. While your approach will vary depending on your brand and its goals, a successful hashtag strategy can help get content in front of new audiences and even generate viral posts.
