How Do Hashtags Work on TikTok?

/

Over the past few months, I’ve been diving deep into TikTok as a content creator and researching the questions that spark my interest along the way. Last month, I investigated optimal posting times and how often you should post. This month, I’ve been wondering about how the heck hashtags work on TikTok. Are they important? Effective? In the past, I’ve wondered the same thing about Instagram. While hashtags don’t tend to make or break your social media presence, they can be useful. 

Why TikTok & Hashtags Matter

As I’m sure you’ve witnessed, TikTok has been growing rapidly. The monthly active user stats may shock you–they’ve nearly caught up to Instagram! TikTok currently has over 1 billion monthly active users. Instagram boasts 1.4B and Facebook has 2.9B. 130M of those 1B are in the U.S. Also worth noting: if you think TikTok is just for Gen Z, that’s fine…but know that Gen Z will have 74 million people in it in the U.S. by 2023, making it the largest generation of all. Now that’s a marketing segment you likely won’t want to miss out on!

Just like on Instagram, hashtags can help you get in front of new eyeballs. Some people will search by hashtags or specific topics, and the hashtags you use help you come up in those search results. People can also follow hashtags just like they do on Instagram. 

In general, hashtags function similarly to SEO for websites. What keywords would someone search for to find you online? On TikTok? Brainstorming along those lines is a great place to get started! Most importantly, the algorithm recommends content to people based on captions, hashtags, and the data they have on each individual user’s interests and preferences. Selecting relevant hashtags can help your content reach the people who want to see it most!

Using Hashtags Effectively: The Dos

  • To start researching hashtags, scope out what others are doing. Watch plenty of videos on your For You Page. Investigate what others in your industry are doing–competitors and influencers alike. You can also search for topics in your niche (without hashtags) to get a sense of what hashtags are related to your field. All of these activities can give you a sense of what may or may not work for your own hashtag strategy.

  • Similar to Instagram, it’s helpful to select hashtags that balance each other out–some larger, more popular hashtags and some smaller, more niche hashtags. Aim for three of each! This helps you be active in both the popular places where lots of people are hanging out online, and the more niche spaces where your people may be spending their time.

  • Develop a branded hashtag that your audience can use! You can use it on all of your posts or a specific series of posts, and your followers can too. It’s a great way to build an online community. When developing a branded hashtag, be sure to keep it short and easy to spell.

  • There’s no right number of hashtags to use, but as a rule of thumb, try starting with 1-3 on the low end, or up to 6-8. Keep it simple!

Using Hashtags Effectively: The Don’ts

  • Be careful not to use too many hashtags! You’re limited to just 300 characters in your TikTok caption (far fewer than Instagram’s maximum of 2,200 characters!). That 300 character limit includes hashtags, so be thoughtful. You don’t need to add 50 hashtags to be successful. It’s about quality over quantity.

  • About those “#fyp” and “#foryoupage” hashtags…they may not be as effective as you think. People throw them on videos hoping it’ll get them featured on the For You Page, but it’s unclear if TikTok actually cares about that poke you’re trying to give them. One study (that was relatively casual and imprecise) concluded that #fyp and #foryoupage do not increase views. I don’t think that’s the best study ever (her account was small and only used for testing, so it’s likely not as relevant as if this was tried by a larger account that posts more consistently), but it’s a decent indicator. More importantly, focusing on popular and niche hashtags that will actually help you get discovered is likely more effective than slapping on the generic #fyp and #foryoupage.

  • Since things move quickly on TikTok, it’s unfortunately pretty easy to be late to the party, and no one wants that! Don’t use an outdated hashtag or attempt a challenge that no one is doing anymore. You’ll wind up looking out of touch.

  • If you run out of space, you can add additional hashtags in the comments section…but you may not want to. TikTok doesn’t weight hashtags in the comments section as heavily as hashtags in the caption, so they’re not as effective. And, they may be messy or distracting to your followers when they pop into the comments section to say hello!

What else do you need to know?

A few final things:

  • Once you’ve done your research and determined what hashtags work best for you and your brand, save them in the notes app so you can easily copy and paste when you need them. It’s a real time saver!

  • You can’t add, remove, or edit hashtags after you’ve posted your video. Unlike on Instagram and Facebook, you can’t edit a post once it’s live. Be careful as you curate your hashtags and post your video.

  • Social media is constantly changing, and that’s especially true with TikTok. Figuring out your hashtags is not a one-and-done exercise! Keep experimenting and tweaking as you go. When you experiment, try using just one hashtag per post and see how that affects your results. That way, it’s easier to compare how each video with each different hashtag is performing.

Is there anything else you’ve learned about TikTok hashtags through your own TikTok use? I’d love to hear! Message me to share your thoughts–@servemethesky.

For more social media insights, check out my unboring email newsletter.