How to Use Hashtags

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Updated: April 15, 2019

Explore this Article Understanding Hashtags Reviewing Hashtag Rules Using Hashtags Questions & Answers Related Articles References

This wikiHow teaches you how to use properly hashtags in your social media posts, as well as what hashtags are and what they do.

Part 1
Understanding Hashtags

  1. 1
    Know what a hashtag is. A hashtag is a word or phrase constructed after a pound sign (#). Hashtags serve to categorize a post so that when a site use clicks on or searches for your specific hashtag, they can view any posts associated with the tag.
    • For example, taking a picture of your food and writing "#meatloaf" would potentially add your photo to your chosen website's collection of meatloaf-based posts.
  2. 2
    Understand what a hashtag does. When you add a hashtag to a post, other people will be able to see that post if they search for that hashtag. This means that finding often-searched hashtags and using them in related posts will likely increase the number of people who can interact with that post.
  3. 3
    Make a list of sites on which you can use hashtags. Since hashtags serve the same purpose on every site that supports them, using them becomes a matter of choice of website rather than function. Some popular sites include the following:[1]
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Tumblr
    • Pinterest
    • Google+
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
  4. 4
    Consider your own reasons for wanting to hashtag. Some possible uses include the following:
    • Marketing - Use your brand name, catch-phrase, or a product's name (or all three) as hashtags to promote a marketing post.
    • Joining a trend - If your favorite social media platform has a public dialogue based around a trend, adding your opinion with the trend's hashtag (e.g., "#election") will give you a chance to have your voice heard.
    • Increasing post audience - As mentioned previously, hashtags increase the likelihood that people you don't know will see your post. Especially on Instagram, adding hashtags to your posts will increase the number of people who "like" or comment on them.

Part 2
Reviewing Hashtag Rules

  1. 1
    Don't use spaces or punctuation in hashtags. Since you'll use spaces to differentiate between hashtags, all of the words in your hashtags will be clumped together. The same logic applies to punctuation, so never use any apostrophes, dashes, or underscores.
    • For example, the hashtagged version of the phrase "I like trains" would read #iliketrains.
  2. 2
    Keep your hashtags short. The longer your hashtag is, the less likely it is to be discovered.
  3. 3
    Make sure your hashtags are relevant. Posting a picture of an old phone with the hashtag "#iphone8" or something similarly misleading may be humorous, but it can also get your account suspended for spam.
  4. 4
    Use pre-existing hashtags. Most social media accounts have a list of currently trending hashtags displayed somewhere on the home page (Twitter, for example, displays trending hashtags on the left side of the home page on the desktop site), though you can also use hashtags from product ads or follow your friends' examples.
  5. 5
    Try not to use too many hashtags in one post. Depending on the social media account, the metric for "too much" will vary (Instagram hovers at around 30 per post, while Twitter should only contain a few). If your post is 90 percent hashtag, there's very little room left for substantive commentary--which, after all, is the point of hashtagging.

Part 3
Using Hashtags

  1. 1
    Open your social media account of choice. Since hashtags function similarly on all supported platforms, the account you choose is really up to you.
    • Keep in mind that hashtagged posts on private accounts won't show up in public searches.
  2. 2
    Create a new post. Remember that you'll want to make sure the post is relevant to the hashtag you plan on using.
    • On Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, your hashtags will go in the description area below your visual post (e.g., the photo or video).
    • Tumblr posts require hashtags to go in a separate section of the post (not the body). You'll see a tag section at the bottom of the "New Post" template.
    • You can also use hashtags while commenting on most posts.
  3. 3
    Type in your hashtag. To do so, you'll type a # sign, then type in the word or phrase you wish to hashtag without any spaces or punctuation.
  4. 4
    Publish your post. The hashtag will turn into a clickable link in your post. Now your post is discoverable by people searching for that hashtag.
  5. 5
    Click other people's hashtags. Doing so will take you to your selected hashtags' pages, where you can view the public discussion occurring around said hashtags.

Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I set up my own hashtag for my company?
    Community Answer
    Yes, of course! I would recommend brainstorming with your coworkers to find out the best hashtag for your company.
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    Tips

    • Try using hashtags ironically for a laugh once in awhile.
    • Hashtags work on the following social networks (and many more):
      • Some internet forums
      • YouTube/Google+
      • Instagram
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • TikTok
      • Tumblr

    Warnings

    • Refrain from using controversial or offensive hashtags if you want to avoid abrasive comments.

    Article Info

    This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

    Categories: Twitter | Facebook

    In other languages:

    Português: Usar Hashtags, Italiano: Usare gli Hashtag, Español: usar hashtags, Русский: использовать хештэги, Deutsch: Hashtags benutzen, Français: utiliser des hashtags, Bahasa Indonesia: Menggunakan Tagar

    Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 19,180 times.
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