What a hashtag is
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the # symbol, which many social networks turn into a clickable label. Clicking it usually shows other posts that use the same label. In effect, it is a simple way to tag a post with a topic, an event or a community.
That is all it does at its core. It connects posts to a theme and can help people looking for that theme find them. It does not unlock extra audiences by itself.
What hashtags can do
- Group posts around a topic or event. A conference, a local festival or a club’s regular meet-up may have its own tag, which makes posts easy to find in one place.
- Help people search. Some people browse tags to find content on an interest.
- Signal context. A tag can tell a reader and sometimes a system what the post is about.
- Support campaigns. A branded tag can collect contributions from a community, although it only works if people choose to use it.
- Organize your own content. A consistent tag for a regular series lets you and your audience find earlier posts.
What hashtags cannot do
Adding more tags does not guarantee more reach. Whether a post is shown to people depends on many factors, most of which you cannot see or control, including how a network’s feed ranking works and how it changes over time. Practices that appeared to help in the past may stop working after platform changes. A post that is dull or unclear will not be rescued by a long line of tags, and a very popular tag can bury a post among thousands of others.
Tags are also not a substitute for strong writing. They work best as a small addition to a post that already does its job. This sits alongside the question of organic reach, which is influenced by far more than labels.
How many is reasonable
There is no number that works everywhere, and recommendations vary by network and over time. A cautious rule of thumb is to use a small number of relevant tags, often between one and five, and to check the guidance of the place you are posting. Some places discourage heavy tagging, and a long block of tags can look spammy to readers and may be treated poorly by systems that detect spam.
Fewer, more specific tags are generally better than many broad ones. If a tag does not describe the post, leave it off.
Choosing tags
- Relevance first. Every tag should describe the post’s content, the event or the community it belongs to.
- Check what the tag already means. Search it before using it. A tag may be used for something unrelated, offensive or about an entirely different subject. Look at the top posts and recent posts.
- Mix broad and specific. A very broad tag is crowded. A narrow one, such as a local place or a particular topic, may connect you with a smaller, more interested group.
- Keep a short list. Maintain a note of tags that have fit your content so you do not need to invent them each time. This works well alongside a content calendar.
- Avoid unrelated trending tags. Attaching a post to a trend that has nothing to do with it is often seen as spam and can look tone-deaf, especially if the trend relates to a tragedy or news event.
Writing them clearly
- Capitalize each word in multi-word tags, for example “SmallBusinessSaturday,” which is easier to read and is announced more clearly by screen readers. This is one of the points under accessible posts.
- Avoid long strings that are hard to read or type.
- Skip punctuation and spaces, which usually end the tag.
- Place tags where they are readable. Putting them at the end of a post, or a couple within a sentence, tends to read better than scattering them throughout. Do not let tags interrupt the meaning of your sentence.
- Do not repeat the same long block on every post. It looks automatic.
Branded and campaign tags
A tag specific to your business, event or campaign can help gather posts in one place. Check that it is not already in use for something else, make it short and easy to spell, and explain how to use it. People may use it in ways you did not intend, so be ready to watch the tag. Also, do not assume people will adopt it; the way things spread online is unpredictable, which is the subject of viral luck. If you run a giveaway or contest that involves tags, rules on promotions and disclosures vary by place and network, and the guidance on social giveaways is worth reading first.
Common mistakes
- Adding many tags unrelated to the content.
- Using a tag without checking its meaning.
- Relying on tags instead of a clear caption.
- Copying the tags used by large accounts regardless of fit.
- Using sensitive-event tags for promotion.
Review lightly
Look back every month or two at which tags you used and whether they seem to connect with relevant posts or conversations. Treat any pattern as a hint rather than proof, because differences in post timing and content make it hard to isolate the effect of a tag. If a tag is not clearly helping, drop it.