Using Hashtags on Instagram vs. TikTok
Everything you need to know about hashtags, right this way!
Let’s talk hashtags.
You know what they are (metadata tags used on social media to categorize posts) but not everyone understands the strategic value behind hashtags. Some may even roll their eyes at an excessive use of hashtags or find them tacky (we’ll talk more on how to effectively use hashtags later), but the truth is that hashtags are a great way for you to grow your profile and reach new audiences.
Two of our current favorite social media platforms, Instagram and TikTok, incorporate hashtags into their discovery algorithms, but the function hashtags serve is rather different across the two platforms. Thus, your hashtag strategy will vary across these two channels.
Here is how hashtags are used on Instagram and TikTok so you can employ them strategically and grow your audience:
How To Use Hashtags On Instagram
How Do Hashtags Work On Instagram?
On Instagram, hashtags function as a discovery tool. Because your home feed is made up of accounts you already follow, it can be a bit difficult to find new accounts. Hashtags are a crucial way to get your content to new audiences, and adding the right tags will help your content appear on the “Explore” tab on Instagram.
What Are Some Things To Keep In Mind When Using Hashtags?
You can use up to 30 hashtags on an Instagram post and 10 on an Instagram story, so don’t be afraid to tag the max, so long as the tags are relevant to what you are posting.
Use a mix of popular and narrow hashtags for best results. A popular hashtag would be #fashion, since it’s very general and applies to millions of photos. #PolkaDotDress is a more specific tag that will bring up fewer results, but your post won’t get lost among thousands of other posts the way it might when just tagging #fashion. When you start typing in a new tag, Instagram will show you how many posts have that tag, so you can see how popular or niche different hashtags are.
Think what keywords you would search for to bring up your post; what category or categories does your post fall under, and who are the communities of users that you want to reach out to with your content?
Don’t use meaningless hashtags like #followforfollow, #likeforlike, or anything along those lines. These hashtags are not descriptive of your content and do nothing to attract users who are interested in the topics you share on your profile. You are much better off using tags that are relevant to your content.
We like to add hashtags as a comment (see an example here) under our posts so we can utilize all 30 tags without our post looking cluttered and busy. For Instagram stories, you can add tags and make the text really small, then hide them behind a GIF or sticker if you want to use the power of hashtags without cluttering your story post.
Have more questions on finding the best hashtags? We love this guide from Later!
How To Use Hashtags On TikTok
How Do Hashtags Work On TikTok?
Unlike Instagram, your TikTok “For You Page” does show you content from accounts you don’t follow. Here, hashtags function as a curation tool to tell the “TikTok algorithm” what types of videos interest you, and in turn help personalize your “For You Page” to showcase the content it thinks you will like. For example, if you like a video tagged #Beauty, you will see more beauty-related content appear in your feed.
What Are Some Things To Keep In Mind When Using Hashtags?
Your caption space is very limited on TikTok, so using specific and targeted hashtags is key.
Research the tags that successful creators use to know which tags to add to your videos. You can also search different tags to see what types of content appears. Ask yourself if your video fits with the other content, and if viewers of other videos under the tag would enjoy your video as well. This will help you narrow down your key hashtags.
Take advantage of trending hashtags when applicable. Video trends are a big deal on TikTok, and creating your own take on a popular trend could help you go viral and grow your following. However, you should not use popular hashtags just to use them. More on why in the next bullet point:
As with Instagram, overly-generic hashtags like #FYP won’t help you in the long run. Tagging #FYP (aka #ForYouPage) may share your content to more users initially, but will appeal to fewer users who see it, so your engagement on the post will be low and future videos may appear to fewer accounts as a result.
Need more guidance on TikTok hashtags? We love this explainer from Influencer Marketing Hub!
Do you use hashtags on your social media posts? Comment below with your #1 tip!