Hashtags may feel like an old-school tactic in today’s social media landscape but when used strategically, they remain one of the most effective tools for expanding reach, boosting visibility, and joining relevant conversations.
From branded campaigns to community engagement, hashtags help your content become discoverable by the right audiences—especially those who don’t already follow you. But not all hashtags work the same way across platforms. To get the most out of them, your strategy needs to be platform-specific.
Let’s talk about how hashtags function on today’s key platforms and how to use them effectively as part of your social media strategy.
LinkedIn: Professional Discovery
On LinkedIn, hashtags serve as powerful categorization and discovery tools. Users frequently follow relevant professional and industry-based hashtags, and posts using those tags can appear in their feed—even if they don’t follow your Company Page.
Key Benefits:
- Boosts visibility among niche audiences
- Positions your brand in key industry conversations
- Improves B2B targeting and audience relevance
- Increases engagement from users outside your network
Pro Tip: Stick to 3–5 relevant hashtags per post. Focus on industry-specific or topic-relevant tags.
Meta (Instagram): Discoverability & Community Building
Instagram is one of the most hashtag-driven platforms. Users regularly explore hashtags through search or the Explore page, making them a key tool for visibility. Hashtags help connect your content with the right audiences.
Key Benefits:
- Expands reach beyond your existing followers
- Attracts new followers with aligned interests
- Enables participation in cultural trends and awareness campaigns
- Drives branded campaign visibility
Pro Tip: Use 5–15 hashtags per post. Mix broad, niche, and branded hashtags, and make sure they are highly relevant.
Meta (Facebook): Limited Use but Strategic Value
Hashtags could be especially used when unifying campaigns across all Meta platforms and optimizing posts for better search visibility.
Key Benefits:
- Organizes content across themes or campaigns
- Supports discoverability through Facebook Search
Pro Tip: Use 1–3 hashtags and only when they clearly support the message, (e.g., campaign theme, awareness, or event).
TikTok: Algorithmic Visibility & Trend Participation
Using the right hashtags is key to success on TikTok. They help guide the algorithm in showing your content to the right audience and connect your video to larger trends or niche communities.
Key Benefits:
- Drives visibility via the For You Page (FYP)
- Increases engagement through trending challenges and themes
- Organizes content into TikTok-native communities (e.g., #BookTok)
- Supports campaign tracking and user-generated content
Pro Tip: Use a combination of trending, niche and broad hashtags. TikTok users favor real, relatable content over heavily branded messaging.
Strategic Hashtags Still Deliver Impact
Across platforms, hashtags remain a low-effort, high-impact way to amplify your content, connect with new audiences, and support your marketing goals. When used wisely, they can deliver real, measurable results. Drop us a line to learn how Simple Search can help elevate your social presence with a smart, impactful hashtag strategy!