Not using hashtags on social media posts limits potential engagement. Learning how to use hashtags is central to any social media plan. When you add relevant hashtags to posts scheduled with social media tools, you extend reach, visibility, and engagement rate across multiple platforms.
Hashtags act as content labels: they support topic categorization, improve content discovery, and signal algorithms to surface your post. This boosts reach expansion and builds a stronger conversation connection.
If you are still figuring out how to use hashtags on social media, don’t worry. This guide walks you through trending discussions, branded hashtags, and hashtag research tools so you can apply them with confidence. Let’s start with the basics.
What is Hashtag, and how do you use it?
A hashtag is a word or phrase with the pound symbol (#). Learning how to use hashtags means seeing them as content labels. They act as signals for algorithms, showing that your post belongs to a topic categorization. This makes your content discoverable by people searching related hashtags.
Hashtags connect content to trending discussions, expand conversation connections, and improve content discovery. For brands, how to use hashtags correctly means reaching audiences beyond current followers and gaining visibility enhancement
Posting the right content at the right time with the right hashtags enables exponential growth. Learning how to use hashtags well exposes posts to broader groups, drives audience reach expansion, and supports improved online presence. Among the pros of using social media, hashtags stand out as simple yet powerful tools for content discovery and visibility enhancement.
Posts with at least one hashtag gain a 12.6% engagement increase compared to those without. Viral content potential often comes from trending hashtags and hashtag variety used across platforms.
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Twitter introduced hashtags, now common on every social media platform. They only work on public profiles. Hashtags always start with # and cannot include spaces or symbols.
Using hashtags alone won’t secure engagement rate goals. Pair how to use hashtags with strong content creation and consistent posting. Find social media post ideas to develop an effective content calendar for your brand.
Now you know what a hashtag is and how to use hashtags, the next step is choosing the right ones for branded hashtags, location-based hashtags, and seasonal hashtags.
How to find relevant hashtags for social media posts?
Learning how to use hashtags starts with research. Finding relevant hashtags depends on content type and industry. Use three main categories: popular hashtags (100,000+ posts), moderately popular hashtags (10,000–100,000 posts), and niche hashtags (<10,000 posts).
A mix of these categories balances reach expansion and content relevance. For industry-specific hashtags, list 5–10 business topics, then research related hashtags your target audience already uses.
1. Take note of the trending hashtags
Twitter shows trends in its side column, Instagram shows them on the Explore page, and other platforms have similar trending sections. Tools like Ritetag give trending hashtag analysis across platforms. Uploading posts into hashtag research tools generates content-specific suggestions and downloadable hashtag reports. Social media scheduling tools can apply hashtags across multiple accounts.
2. Keep an eye on influencers’ and competitors’ posts
Study hashtags used by competitors and niche influencers. This competitor hashtag monitoring and influencer hashtag observation shows you which tags bring engagement. Record both hashtags and frequency patterns for future posts.
💡 Pro Tip: To grasp social media terminology, check guides on social media marketing terminology. They make learning easier and more practical.
3. Use a hashtag research tool
Platforms like Hashtagify show hashtag popularity metrics, trending relevance, and related hashtags.
Example: searching #MondayMotivation shows overall popularity, weekly shifts, and secondary hashtags connected to it.
When using hashtag tools, enter your main keyword, check suggested hashtags with engagement rates above 5%, review related hashtags, and track competition levels. Medium competition hashtags often deliver stronger visibility than extremely high-competition ones.
4. Use a social media listening tool
These tools track conversations, monitor competitors, and reveal hashtags linked to high-engagement posts. Using insights from social media listening helps refine how to use hashtags in future campaigns.
5. Analyze your past posts
Review which hashtags drove interaction before. If your top posts used recurring hashtags, reuse them in future content. This past post analysis is a direct way to refine your hashtag mix.
Check our Social Media Optimization Tips post for ways to improve your social media presence.
How to use hashtags effectively?
1. Keep Hashtags Short, not Spammy
Avoid tags like #followforfollow or #likeforlike. They look spammy, attract fake interest, and rarely build real engagement.
2. Match hashtags to your content
Always use hashtags tied to your post. Generic hashtags like #marketing or #fashion drown in millions of uploads. Instead, research niche hashtags connected to your content relevance and target audience connection.
3. Use trending hashtags only if they are relevant
Trending hashtags change every day, so knowing how to use hashtags tied to current discussions is vital. Only choose tags that align with your brand, products, or campaigns. Random trending hashtags may boost short-term impressions, but rarely build audience trust.
For seasonal hashtags, like Halloween, relevant tags such as #Halloween2024 or #SpookySeason connect your post with a wider conversation. This trending participation helps your content appear in searches and boosts conversation connections with users already engaging in the topic.
Acting early is a bonus: using trending hashtags right as they rise gives your post visibility enhancement before the trend becomes oversaturated. This timing shows you not only know how to use hashtags, but also when to apply them for maximum audience reach.
4. Create branded hashtags
These carry your brand name or slogan. Branded hashtags track customer engagement, user-generated content, and campaign hashtags. They group contest entries and boost brand recognition each time users share them.
Branded hashtags also build content discoverability by linking giveaways, events, and seasonal hashtags under one searchable tag.
5. Don’t use the same hashtags in every post
Using the same hashtag mix across posts risks algorithm signals flagging your content. Apply hashtag rotation: keep a few consistent hashtags but refresh the rest with new ones.
6. Don’t overuse hashtags
Hashtags expand exposure and content reach. Using branded hashtags adds brand recognition, but stuffing posts with hashtags, even relevant ones, weakens engagement rate.
Each social platform has an optimal hashtag frequency. Passing these platform-specific limits harms engagement rate. Using more than 10 hashtags may reduce reach expansion by 50% or more.
- Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but using hashtags wisely means using 9–10 targeted tags for stronger visibility enhancement.
- Twitter’s character cap works best with 1–2 hashtags per tweet.
- Facebook fits 2–5 hashtags per post for consistent content discoverability.
- LinkedIn has no set limit, but posts with more than 5–6 hashtags risk being flagged as spam.
- Pinterest posts reach audiences best with 2–3 hashtags.
- TikTok favors 4–5 hashtags. Knowing how to use hashtags there boosts reach expansion and can drive viral content potential.
Next, let’s dive into how to use hashtags on social media platforms with examples from Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.
How to Build a Hashtag Strategy for Business Growth
Learning how to use hashtags drives business growth by boosting social media reach. The following steps outline a practical hashtag plan for lasting results:
1. Set Clear Objectives
Decide what you want: brand awareness, more customer engagement, or expanded audience reach. Knowing this guides your hashtag mix and supports content discoverability.
2. Research Hashtags Related to Your Industry
Use hashtag research tools like Hashtagify or check Instagram hashtag pages. This reveals trending hashtags, niche hashtags, and related hashtags used by your audience.
3. Mix Branded, Niche, and Trending Hashtags
Combine branded hashtags (e.g., #YourBusinessName) with niche hashtags and trending hashtags. Branded tags drive recognition, niche hashtags connect you with target audience groups, and trending hashtags boost visibility.
4. Monitor and Adjust
Use analytics tools like Instagram Insights for performance monitoring. Drop hashtags with a low engagement rate and replace them with tags tied to current trending relevance or customer engagement patterns.
5. Encourage Customers to Use Your Hashtag
When you launch a branded hashtag, ask customers to use it in posts about their experiences. This expands reach, grows community building, and adds user-generated content that strengthens brand recognition.
By following these steps, you’ll know how to use hashtags to grow your business. A consistent hashtag mix builds audience reach, supports content discoverability, and drives customer engagement across platforms.
Boost Your Business Reach with the Right Hashtags
Maximize your brand visibility and engagement by leveraging popular hashtags that align with your business goals.
How to Select Hashtags to Maximize Post Reach
To expand post reach with hashtags, do more than add popular tags. Learning how to use hashtags well means applying practical methods that extend content visibility:
1. Use a Tiered Hashtag Approach
For stronger reach expansion, use a tiered hashtag mix:
- 1–2 broad hashtags (1M+ posts) for exposure
- 3–4 moderately popular hashtags (100K–1M posts) for targeted groups
- 3–5 niche hashtags (10K–100K posts) for content relevance
This tiered hashtag approach places content in both high-volume searches and niche feeds.
2. Research Hashtag Performance Metrics
Check hashtag performance metrics before using them. Look for hashtags with a solid engagement rate, not just large post counts. Tags with moderate volume and steady activity often support better content discoverability than overused hashtags, where posts disappear quickly.
3. Rotate Hashtag Sets Strategically
Create 3–5 hashtag sets for different content types. Apply hashtag rotation to avoid algorithm signals that limit reach. Track impressions and engagement to see which sets work best, then refine your mix over time.
4. Leverage Location-Based Hashtags
Location-based hashtags expand local reach for businesses. Pair industry hashtags with regional tags, like #SeattleFoodScene instead of #FoodLovers, to connect with location targeting and reach audiences nearby.
How to use hashtags on major social networks?
1. How to use hashtags on Instagram
Number of hashtags to use: 5-10 relevant hashtags
Learning how to use hashtags on Instagram expands reach beyond followers. Place branded hashtags after a caption, or move them into a comment to keep the caption clean while still gaining visibility enhancement. You can also add hashtags to your Instagram bio for content discoverability.
And for a curated list of the top Instagram hashtags, don’t miss our post on Top Hashtags for Maximum Engagement.
Instagram business accounts include analytics for every post. If impressions from hashtags seem low, refresh your hashtag mix to improve engagement rate.
2. How to use hashtags on Facebook
Number of hashtags to use: 2-5 relevant hashtags
On Facebook, hashtags fit in captions, comments, or group posts. They work well for grouping content in private groups. Since many profiles are private, tracking engagement rate is harder.
Use the URL ‘facebook.com/hashtag/_____’ (include your keyword at the end) and monitor data related to your hashtags.
3. How to use hashtags on LinkedIn
Number of hashtags to use: 5-6 relevant hashtags
On LinkedIn, hashtags can be placed within text or at the end of a post. Since it’s a professional platform, keep hashtags aligned with industry research. Encourage followers to track your branded hashtags for niche insights and community building.
4. How to use hashtags on Twitter
Number of hashtags to use: 1-2 relevant hashtags
Twitter’s character cap means fewer hashtags work best. Insert hashtags at the start for context, in the middle to emphasize a phrase, or at the end for closure. You can also add hashtags in your bio, replies, or retweets for added visibility.
Conclusion
Learning how to use hashtags opens up wide opportunities across social media platforms. Smart hashtag use drives content discoverability, reach expansion, and a higher engagement rate. Consistency in applying these practices supports steady follower growth and lasting visibility enhancement.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to effectively use hashtags on Instagram?
To learn how to use hashtags on Instagram:
– Track insights to see which tags lift engagement rate.
– Research hashtags from competitors and influencers.
– Avoid spammy or banned hashtags.
– Use 5–10 hashtags for optimal hashtag frequency.
-Rotate your hashtag sets instead of repeating the same ones.
2. How to find trending hashtags on YouTube?
Type “#” in the YouTube search bar to see popular hashtags. To refine results, type your topic or keyword. Use 3–5 hashtags at most for content discoverability.
3. How to find who started a hashtag on Twitter?
Use Twitter Advanced Search, set filters to “All Tweets,” and scroll back to the earliest post. Tools like “Who Said It First on Twitter” can also show the first public mention.
4. How to add hashtags on Pinterest?
Hashtags on Pinterest are optional. They may still appear as suggestions in the mobile app when creating a new pin, but desktop hashtag suggestions were removed in 2021. The description text matters far more for search and content discoverability. If you want to use hashtags, add 2–3 at the end of your description. You can go up to 10, but avoid stuffing too many into a single pin.
5. How do hashtags work on YouTube?
On YouTube, hashtags support content discoverability, but most users rely on titles, descriptions, and tags to find videos. Place your keyword in both the title and description for stronger reach expansion. For tags, add phrases closely tied to your video content. For example, if your video is about an iPhone 12 review, use tags like “pros and cons of iPhone 12” or “iPhone 12 camera review”. Then include 5–10 hashtags at the end of the description to improve visibility without clutter.
6. How do you use a hashtag on Facebook?
Hashtags on Facebook have shown mixed results for reach. Early studies found that posts without hashtags sometimes performed better. Later research showed that the issue wasn’t hashtags themselves, but the overuse of irrelevant hashtags, which lowered Facebook reach. To balance engagement rate and reach expansion, keep it to 1–5 hashtags per post.
Dr. Dinesh Agarwal, founder of RecurPost, holds a PhD in Cloud Computing and transitioned from academia to social media innovation in 2013. He built RecurPost into an enterprise-grade automation platform now used by over 100,000 businesses worldwide. Beyond leading RecurPost, Dr. Agarwal shares insights on social media marketing through talks, podcasts, and articles, with a focus on content optimization and algorithm-driven distribution.
