Hashtag
💡 We apply this in: social media strategy →What is a hashtag?
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#), written without spaces, that turns text into a clickable, searchable label on social media. Tapping a hashtag groups together every public post that uses it, making content discoverable beyond your own followers.
First popularised on Twitter, hashtags are now central to Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and others as a way to categorise content and join wider conversations.
What hashtags are for
- Discoverability: they expose your content to people searching or following a topic, not just your existing audience.
- Categorisation: they organise posts around themes, events or campaigns.
- Community and trends: they let you take part in trending conversations and reach engaged niches.
- Branded campaigns: a unique branded hashtag can rally a campaign and make user-generated content easy to track.
Best practices
- Relevance over volume: a few well-chosen, specific hashtags beat a wall of generic ones.
- Mix reach and niche: combine broad tags with narrower ones where your audience is more likely to engage.
- Keep them readable: capitalise each word (#SocialMediaMarketing) for clarity and accessibility.
- Match the platform: norms differ — Instagram and TikTok reward more tags than LinkedIn, where one or two is plenty.
In short
A hashtag is a simple tool with real reach: used with intent, it extends your content to the right audience and ties campaigns together. Used carelessly, it just adds noise. Talk to us about getting more from your social presence.