What the Heck Are Hashtags and How Do I Use Them?

Whether you’re new to social media or you’ve been following along with it for a while, you’re probably wondering what hashtags are and how you can use them effectively. You may have asked yourself, “What the Heck Are Hashtags, and How Do I Use Them?” In this article, I’m covering those questions and so much more!

What The Heck Are Hashtags, and How Do I Use Them?

Hashtags assign topics to your posts, status updates, and articles. Using the pound sign # (or hash) on a social network {think Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and even Facebook}, turns any word or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link, allowing you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. That means if you wanted to post about your visit to NYC as I did above, you would include #NYC in your status update to join the conversation. Click on any hashtag to see all the posts that mention that topic/subject in real time.

How to Format Your Hashtags

First, you should know that you don’t want to use spaces – even if your hashtag contains multiple words. But you want to differentiate those words using upper and lower case. For example, Pen Island would look better and make much more sense as #PenIsland than #penisland, don’t you agree?  Uppercase letters won’t alter your search results, so people searching for #abc will get the same results as people searching for #ABC.

Numbers are supported, so #EasyAs123 works. Sadly, punctuation marks are not supported. So commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks, and apostrophes are out. While at it, skip asterisks, ampersands, and other special characters.

Why Adding Your Hashtags as Comments or Replies is a Bad Idea On Twitter

I recently noticed a brand with a newly hired “social media manager” using hashtags in the comments of their Facebook posts and as replies to their posts on Twitter. Here’s why this is a very bad idea – 

Adding hashtags as a reply to a Tweet rather than including them in your original tweet is generally not considered a good idea for a few reasons:

1. Contextual relevance: Hashtags categorize and make your Tweet discoverable by users interested in specific topics. When you include hashtags in your original Tweet, they become part of its overall context and can help convey your message effectively. Adding hashtags as a reply detaches them from the main tweet, potentially causing confusion and making it harder for others to understand the intended context.
2. Visibility: Tweets with hashtags in the main text have a better chance of being seen by a wider audience. When you add hashtags as a reply, they are not immediately visible to users who see your original tweet. This can reduce the chances of your tweet being discovered and engaged with by others who follow or search for those specific hashtags.
3. Chronological Order: Twitter displays replies to a Tweet in chronological order, making it less likely for users to see and engage with hashtag replies. When someone is scrolling through a conversation, they often focus on the original Tweet and the immediate replies. If your hashtags are buried within replies, they may go unnoticed.
4. Aesthetics and Readability: Including hashtags directly in your Tweet allows for better formatting and readability. Adding them as separate replies can clutter the conversation and make it visually unappealing. Having hashtags integrated within the original Tweet is generally more visually pleasing, helping maintain a clean and organized appearance.

While there might be some exceptions or specific use cases where adding hashtags as replies can be appropriate (such as when engaging in a hashtag campaign or chat-based discussion), it’s generally recommended to include hashtags in your original Tweet to maximize visibility, context, and engagement.

You should also know that the best way to include your hashtags for Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook is within your post – not in the comments or as a reply to your post. That tactic is most widely used for Instagram. However, even that usage isn’t always the best idea. 

Why Adding Your Hashtags as Comments or Replies is a Bad Idea On Facebook

On Facebook, similar to Twitter, it’s generally not a good idea to add hashtags as a reply to a post instead of including them in your original post for all the same reasons –

1. Contextual Relevance: Hashtags on Facebook are used to categorize and organize content, allowing users to discover posts related to specific topics. When you include hashtags in your original post, they become part of the post’s context and help convey your message effectively. By adding hashtags as a reply, you separate them from the main post, potentially causing confusion and making it harder for others to understand the intended context.
2. Visibility: Posts with hashtags in the main text have a better chance of being seen by a wider audience on Facebook. When you add hashtags as a reply, they are not immediately visible to users who see your original post. This can reduce the chances of your post being discovered and engaged with by others who follow or search for those specific hashtags.
3. Chronological Order and Organization: Facebook typically displays comments and replies chronologically, making it less likely for users to see and engage with hashtag replies. When scrolling through the comments section, visitors typically focus on the original post and the immediate comments. If your hashtags are buried within replies, they may go unnoticed, resulting in lower visibility and engagement.
4. Aesthetics and Readability: For the best formatting and readability, include hashtags directly in your Facebook post. Adding them as separate replies clutters the comment section and makes it visually unappealing. Having hashtags integrated within your original post is typically considered more visually pleasing. This maintains a clean and organized appearance.

While there might be specific cases where adding hashtags as replies can be relevant, such as participating in a specific hashtag campaign or engaging in a conversation explicitly centered around hashtags, it’s generally recommended to include hashtags in your original Facebook post to maximize visibility, context, and engagement.

There Are No Presets

There isn’t a master list of hashtags stored somewhere on the Internet. However, you can (and should) search your social networks {and search engines} to see if a hashtag exists around a particular subject or topic. You can even check services like HashAtIt, Hashtagify, and Hashtags.org. Remember, you create a hashtag whenever you add a hashtag/pound sign before a word or phrase. Try it out!

How You Can Use Hashtags

Hashtags are supported on Twitter (where they began), Instagram, Pinterest, and even Facebook. You can use hashtags in many ways; the possibilities are almost endless. However, here are a few ways to use them, along with a few tips.

• Don’t forget, hashtags turn words into searchable links
• Always start with a # and leave out spaces
• Use upper and lowercase to differentiate words
• Use them during conferences and events
• Use them in conversations around specific topics
• Use them for Twitter Chats
• Use them during television shows (#CNN, #GreysAnatomy)
• Hashtags should and can be used within your post or update
• Use them to find like-minded individuals
• Use them to find people discussing the topics you’re interested in
• Use them to create a following for your brand/blog/business
• Use them to complement photos you share on Instagram (This helps you discover new accounts and pick up followers)
• Use them to show off your personality, brand voice or tone
• Use them for fun!

Again, these are just a few ways to use hashtags while using social media. What would you add to this article to help people understand hashtags? How are you using hashtags? Let me know in the comments below!