Hashtag
A keyword prefixed with # used on social networks to categorize content and make it discoverable in search and topic feeds.
What is a hashtag?
A hashtag is the # symbol followed by a single keyword (no spaces) — #productivity, #sourdough, #smallbusiness. Click it on most networks and you see every public post that used the same tag. They're how strangers find content outside their immediate follower graph.
How they actually work
Each network treats them slightly differently:
- Instagram: up to 30 per post; 5–10 strong ones outperform 30 generic ones
- TikTok: 3–5 highly relevant tags; over-tagging dilutes signal
- LinkedIn: 3–5 industry-specific tags; the algorithm uses them for topic classification
- X / Threads: 1–2 max for readability
- Facebook: minimal direct impact; mostly cosmetic
- Pinterest: not hashtags — Pinterest uses keywords in the description instead
Picking good hashtags
Mix volumes. Use one or two high-volume tags (millions of posts) for ceiling reach, then 5–8 medium-volume tags (50k–500k posts) where you can actually rank. Niche-specific tags often outperform broad ones because the audience is more targeted.
TryPost's hashtag generator gives curated, hand-picked sets per niche — not AI-guessed lists — so you can copy a balanced set in one click.