TikTok can be a fantastic place to grow your business, especially if you’re trying to appeal to the younger Millennial and Gen-Z crowd. But with over a billion users, the competition is stiff. By knowing how to use TikTok properly, you can be ahead of all this competition and then some.
One way to be like this is by mastering hashtags. TikTok’s hashtags are a powerful tool for growing the algorithm. You can increase the number of TikTok likes by quite a bit and find the target audience you’re looking for. So let’s explain what hashtags are, how they work, and how to use them properly.
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What Are Hashtags on TikTok?
If you’ve used any social media website in the past 15 years, you probably know what hashtags are. They’re words or phrases written out as one string of characters with the “#” symbol preceding. Hashtags have been so iconic that few people remember that symbol being referred to as anything else.
Hashtags are vital for a person if they want to find content that fits their interests. Hashtags can be broad, such as for hiking, or they can be used for niche fandoms. If you want your content to be noticed, hashtags can help you find your target audience.
Besides helping you find your niche, there are hashtags designed to make your posts viral. For example, some people may #viral their videos. It can help with boosting the content, getting it in the algorithm, and helping you grow your account. While this is not a guaranteed way to viral fame, some believe it to help.
Hashtags were initially formed on Twitter, which made them easy to click on to find out who else was using them. Many other websites also started utilizing hashtags, and they’ve become a staple of many social media platforms. To this day, they’re a valuable tool in helping you discover content and helping your audience discover you. Instead of it just being Twitter (now “X”) though, it’s used on Instagram, TikTok and other popular social media sites to boost people on the explore pages.
While most people understand hashtags and their usage, few know how to use them properly. They may spam hashtags on their posts or use as broad hashtags as possible. Then, they are surprised when their reach is not that good. Finding and using hashtags is all about strategic research. Let’s explain by looking at popular hashtags versus niche.
What are Popular Hashtags on TikTok?
These refer to hashtags that have many followers or hashtags that are currently part of a trend. Popular hashtags tend to be short, vague words or words intended to get an algorithmic boost—for example, #love, #viral, #memes. If you only use these hashtags, you won’t go too far unless you get lucky.
Instead, looking for what’s trending in your industry would be best. You can figure this out by using the Discover tab. This tab will give you the most popular trending hashtags today, which you can use to influence your content. You can jump on the current trends, dances, memes, and other viral sensations in many ways while staying true to your brand.
Niche Hashtags
These are hashtags relating to your niche. If you’re using a TikTok account for a business, you probably have a specific niche you’re catering to, and by researching what that niche is, you’re primed for success. With that said, how can you research your niche? It’s easy.
Go to the search button, and type keywords related to your niche. For example, if you’re selling gaming chairs, you may order “gaming chairs.” Of course, you can get a little more specific, for instance, “Cheap gaming chairs.”
This search will give you an idea of what hashtags your competition and target audience use. When you go to the “Hashtags” section, you can get an idea of hashtags related to whatever keyword you use. You can also see how many views the hashtags have.
With niche hashtags, finding the right balance between having views and not being too overcrowded is crucial. You can find your audience quickly when you’ve found the perfect hashtag and continue to use it. Your account starts to get associated with that tag.
To search even further, click on the hashtags you’re interested in and see the content posted. This content can give you an idea of what you should post on your account and what hashtags to use.
Branded Hashtags
These are hashtags associated with a specific brand and one that you may want to integrate with all your posts. At first, they may not bring much results, but as your business grows, they are an excellent way for people to find your content and content from your fans.
You want a branded hashtag that is catchy, original, and fits your brand. For example, Coca-Cola used the #ShareACoke hashtag, which is catchy, memorable, and gives you an idea of their brand.
It’s not something you want to think of immediately; it may require a bit of trial and error, but once you find it, use it as much as you can.
What Are Hashtag Challenges?
Hashtag challenges present a task that a TikTok user will do. If you know anything about TikTok, the users here like their challenges, and not all of them are dangerous, contrary to what you’ve heard. Most challenges are harmless fun.
Hashtag challenges are both something you should participate in and create. Your brand doing hashtag challenges shows that you’re not afraid to be more personable, and you can add your unique flair to the challenge. On the other hand, you can create your own hashtag challenges and use them to promote your brand and your product.
Other Types of Hashtags
There are many types of hashtags on TikTok. You may use a tutorial hashtag to show people how to use your product. Meme hashtags can show that you have a sense of humor, while infographic hashtags may showcase your brand in a fun way.
You can use personal hashtags to express childhood memories and tie them into your brand. You may use hashtags dedicated to celebrities to express your opinion about the latest gossip about them. Overall, the amount of hashtags on TikTok is limitless, and by knowing them all, you can utilize the best one according to your situation.
Tips to Do Your Best on TikTok Using Hashtags
Now that you have an overview of TikTok’s hashtags let’s look at some tips.
Quality Over Quantity
TikTok lets you use up to 30 hashtags. That’s quite a lot, and you may be tempted to use precisely 30. However, don’t do it. It’s a lot of work, and TikTok may penalize your account because they feel like you’re spamming.
We recommend 3-6 hashtags as the sweet spot. Use a few niche hashtags, and perhaps go a little broader. You can pepper them into the description and caption. In addition, your description and caption should have some keywords for further discoverability.
We should mention that this number is not carved into stone. You can experiment with using fewer or more hashtags. Just don’t be too spammy with them. For example, some accounts will spam the most popular hashtags, which not only feels fake but is considered bot behavior by some.
Don’t Be Afraid to Look at the Competition
Like any other social media website, TikTok is one where you’ll want to study your competition. You should look at accounts offering a similar product or service to yours and see what they are doing. You may want to use their hashtags or similar tags and make content that will captivate their audience. When looking at the competition, ask yourself what they’re doing well, what they could improve, and what you can bring.
Always Research
TikTok is a constantly evolving platform, not just monthly but every week. Sometimes, daily. There may be hashtags that work well one day, but you’re not getting anywhere from them the next. But that’s the nature of the beast. If you don’t stay up-to-date, you will fail with your reach or look like a square because you’re late to a challenge.
It can be stressful to research this, but it is rewarding. If you have the budget, consider hiring an expert to help you out.
Pay Attention to Analytics
On TikTok, you want to look at what hashtags are working best. Your analytics can give you an idea of which hashtags are working and which aren’t. Use the hashtags that work, and replace the nonworking ones with tags that may be better in your favor. You should also check analytics weekly, as they can change.
It’s Not Just Hashtags
A combination of things can make your video a success. Using keywords in the description, using a trending song, and creating quality content are some ways that you can grow. It would be best if you utilized all the discoverability tools TikTok has to offer in a way that will guarantee your success.
Remember, There is No Overnight Success
TikTok is a platform where you may feel discouraged quickly. This is because you’ll be bombarded with content that has thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of views and likes. In some cases, it feels like they did nothing to gain fame. However, many kept trying until they found their audience or eventually made the viral video that gave them success.
If you give up quickly, you may not reach the audience you could have reached. So keep trying, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and you will find your audience.
Conclusion
Hashtags can be a powerful tool on TikTok. While hashtags originated on Twitter, TikTok has been utilizing them to make your posts reach even more content than ever. That’s why we recommend you use hashtags on all your content. Finding the right hashtags can take a good while, but when you do, you’ll be able to reach an audience like never before.
We hope this article was helpful. Now that you know more about hashtags on TikTok, we recommend experimenting with some and seeing how well they go for you. Good luck!
