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Social media and marketing are core aspects of brand building and marketing in today's digital environment. With social media users reaching sky-high records, it is easy to see why creators, influencers, brands, and even regular people are primarily seeking how to stand out from the crowd. However, one of the most effective strategies to employ is the use of hashtags. Why? They increase visibility and interaction. Arguably, with the correct hashtag approach, you can win on social media. Now, this guide will show how it's done, starting with asking yourself, “What is a hashtag?” But for more about how you can amplify your presence on social media, head to Framedrop.ai.
This article covers everything around a hashtag, starting with what a hashtag is. It will show you the significance of hashtags, what hashtags to use on Instagram and TikTok, and how to use niche-specific hashtags to target a specific audience. It concludes with some best practices for choosing the right hashtags to boost your visibility, engagement, and reach.
What Is a Hashtag?
Fun fact: what we know as the hashtag today was known once as just the pound symbol (#). But with millions of words added to the dictionary per decade and the evolution of social media to thank, the hashtag now exists—and with great importance. Nevertheless, what does hashtag mean?
Hashtags are clickable keywords on several social networks that group content together. Using hashtags on Twitter (now X), TikTok, or Instagram makes your posts easier to explore. A hashtag makes your content searchable and is indexed upon usage. Like labels, hashtags enable you to connect your content with specific conversations, events, or topics. They are essential in making your content more findable, especially if you want to reach a larger audience.
Why Hashtags Matter
Using hashtags is the simplest and most effective method of boosting your social media presence. Hashtagged content material will, for any brand, more likely land on explorer pages and user search results. This means more impressions, higher engagement rates, and–even more critical to a marketer–a more substantial web presence. With this powerful tool at your disposal, you can confidently navigate the social media landscape and make your mark.
Instagram, for instance, has witnessed those who post at least one hashtag receive 12.6% more average interactions than those who don't. Today, hashtag challenges have gone viral on TikTok, attracting massive attention from businesses and creators. So, if you are considering how to make money on YouTube, TikTok, and other sites, then hashtags are non-negotiables for you.
What Hashtags to Use on Instagram
Hashtags are essential, especially on Instagram. You want popular, relevant ones but not overly competitive. For example, using the hashtag #love with billions of posts is too generalized to bring eyes to your content. Use hashtags like #foodblogger or #fitnessjourney; those are specialized to your niche and connect to your brand or content.
Now, try incorporating long-tail keywords and trending hashtags. Speciality hashtags niche into a more precise demographic while trending hashtags can help your content be seen far faster. You could also learn which hashtags are trending through resources like Instagram's search function.
How to Use Instagram Hashtags Effectively
On Instagram, using hashtags will up your reach and engagement by leaps and bounds. Feel free to add ten or eleven relevant and popular hashtags anywhere on the Instagram Story or Reels for better reach.
What works for Instagram is a mix or balance of popular, location-based, niche-specific, content-related, and branded hashtags.
While you can add up to 30 hashtags in a regular Instagram post, you don't have to use them all. The key is to experiment with different numbers and learn from your experiences. This process of trial and error is not just acceptable but encouraged, as it can lead to valuable insights and improved strategies.
Look for inspiration in other hashtags that influencers or competitors are using. The cool thing about Instagram is the versatility with hashtags–you can try many different types and apply them to posts, photos, and comments to see which ones work the best.
What Hashtags to Use on TikTok
If you are an upcoming TikTok creator, then you’re probably wondering what hashtags to use on TikTok. First, you should know that TikTok's hashtag culture is slightly different. Here, the hashtag trends seem to be ruled by challenges mostly. Knowing what to use on TikTok will help you ride the wave for some of these viral challenges and increase your visibility.
Popular TikTok hashtags to get started with are the For You Page #fyp, which populates a lot of creators who hope their video can make it to the TikTok homepage. In all, your trending hashtags should balance out with more specific ones that have something to do with what you post. For example, where you post cooking tutorials, you can use hashtags like #easyrecipes or #cookinghacks.
How to Use TikTok Hashtags
It isn't just a matter of using only trending hashtags; other tips must be followed to make your TikToks noticed. Here are some tips on how to drive with TikTok hashtags:
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1. Add Hashtags to the Caption
Adding TikTok hashtags to your strategy is simply adding them to your post captions. While there isn't a strict limit, three to five are ideal per post. Too many will negatively impact how far your content reaches, so only use those that apply to your video.
2. Add Hashtags in the Comments
Hashtags aren't limited to captions; adding them in the first few comments in the post works equally effectively. This is handy if you attach long hashtags without bursting the character limit in your caption.
3. Do Not Overdo the Hashtags
Are you asking, “What hashtags should I use on TikTok?” Well, know this. Generalized hashtags like #fyp and #foryou only specify TikTok and provide little to no context to the algorithm regarding your content. You're better off picking more specific, relevant hashtags that indicate what your video is about.
4. Mix With Short-Tail and Long-Tail Keywords
While short-tail keywords drive more traffic, they are not too targeted, while long-tail ones are very niche-specific yet receive fewer views. For example, if your content is cooking, #cooking would be a short-tail keyword and #professionalchef a long-tail keyword. A balance of both is ideal, though.
5. Combine Popular and Niche Hashtags
Only some viewed hashtags are helpful to your content. The actual way to get more viewers and likes on your videos is by using viral and less-viewed but exact hashtags to increase the chances of reaching a targeted audience.
6. Observe the Performance of Your Content
Consecrate some time every week to analyze how your videos are performing on TikTok. Check the views and the comments. Which hashtag performs better? Take this as an indicator when brainstorming your following topics and choosing hashtags.
Hashtags and Social Media Algorithms
Hashtags and social media algorithms go hand in hand. Proper usage of hashtags on platforms like Instagram and TikTok will provide better opportunities for users to appear on the Explore/Discover pages. And that will eventually result in more likes, comments, shares, and followers.
These sites only utilize algorithms that favor content that receives high engagement in a very short period. Hashtags may be the key to driving such engagement in your posts. The intentional use of hashtags will help you increase your content's visibility and keep you ahead of the competition.
Best Practices for Using Hashtags
- Keep It Relevant: Do not use unrelated or overly broad hashtags just because they are popular. Always keep the hashtags relevant to what you post.
- Limit Your Hashtags: While you can post up to 30 on Instagram, it's best to stick with 9-12 well-researched ones.
- Mix It Up: Keep a mix of trending and niche-related hashtags. This can help make sure that broad and targeted audiences view your content.
- Be As Clear As Possible: Consider clarity and accessibility while creating your hashtags. Don't forget the camel case when writing compound words or phrases like eBay, which capitalizes each word's first letter.
Time To Wrap Up
For any marketer or content creator hoping to increase their online presence, hashtags are invaluable. You can increase the reach and engagement of your social media posts by learning what a hashtag is and how to use it wisely.The appropriate hashtag mix will ensure your content reaches the right people, regardless of the platform you're posting on, be it TikTok or Instagram. At the end of it all, your content is just as make sure as the hashtag you attach, and for the best foot forward when it comes to creating the best, Framedrop.ai makes it all easy.
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FAQ
Creating a hashtag starts with typing the "#," followed by a keyword or phrase you want to be tagged immediately, with no space in between. Example: #SocialMediaTips. In this way, you tag your content with a keyword to easily be searched and connected with similar posts.
Yes, anyone can create a hashtag. Just think of a unique keyword or phrase and enclose it with the "#" symbol, then send it out in your posts. If enough people start using it, your hashtag may pick up steam and go viral if it strikes a chord with a bigger audience.
To compose a post starting with a hashtag, first of all, at the beginning of your post, write the "#" symbol, followed by the keyword or phrase. For example, #MondayMotivation, then your content. In this way, the hashtag will be highlighted, and your post will be categorized, and hence, it will be found more easily.