A Simple Guide to Effectively Use Social Media Hashtags in 2024

Hashtags used to be all the rage. A few years ago, you would see social posts on every platform peppered with them. The popular strategy was to use as many hashtags as possible, both within your text and at the end. In fact, it was recommended that a post have at least 30 hashtags to be able to gain any traction at all. It was kind of like splatter painting–toss a bunch of hashtags at your post and hope they end up finding the right people. You may have noticed, however, that hashtags on social media look different in 2024.

Over the years, search engines and platforms have started focusing more on quality content and less on the quantity of keywords and hashtags being used. They have developed ways of determining which content is most valuable to others and which is just trying to game the system. That’s as it should be–we want people to find the best content out there, not fluff that was able to trick its way in front of users.

This means hashtags need to be used in a more intentional way, using only hashtags that are relevant to the subject of your content. Additionally, each platform has their own best practices on using hashtags. It can be a lot of information to keep track of, so we’ve put together this little guide for you!

General Hashtag Guidelines

No matter what hashtags you use or where you use them, there are a few general guidelines to follow:

• Only use letters in your hashtag, not punctuation or special characters. Punctuation will make the hashtag unclickable, rendering it useless in search.
• Keep multiple words together without a space. For ease of reading, you can capitalize the first letter of each word to distinguish them from one another.
• Use hashtags that are relevant to your post and brand, and avoid random hashtags that have nothing to do with your content.

Best Practices for Social Media Hashtags in 2024

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram

Hashtags on Instagram are still important, as they help the app categorize content so the most relevant posts come up in a search. Instagram itself recommended using 3-5 hashtags per post, and gave some other tips on how to be successful with hashtags, including:

• Using a combination of popular and more specific hashtags 
• Staying away from hashtags that have nothing to do with your content (like the names of celebrities or locations that are irrelevant to your post)
• Using niche hashtags so people can easily find you
• Keeping your hashtags relevant to the topic of your post

Instagram also highlighted that the interactions with your post are more important than the hashtags you use. Hashtags are one tool in the toolbox, but make sure the content itself is valuable, interesting, and encourages engagement.

A popular practice on Instagram has become to put hashtags in the first comment as opposed to in the post itself. This practice works well, and it also still works to include the hashtags in the actual post if you prefer.

How to Use Hashtags on Facebook

Facebook users seem to have moved away from hashtags, but hashtags actually do still have value there. That said, the fewer hashtags the better on this platform, and they look best incorporated into the sentences of your post. Sometimes, only one hashtag is needed, and you definitely don’t need to hashtag every post. The best hashtags to use here are ones specific to your brand or a campaign you are part of.

How to Use Hashtags on X (Twitter)

X, formerly Twitter, has seen the best results for hashtag use. This is likely because, unlike Instagram and Facebook, X is a place where your individual posts can be part of larger conversations. The best way to join these conversations is by using hashtags. People looking to be part of a specific conversation will search the hashtag and find all the posts involved, including yours.

Because hashtags are used so intentionally on X, you want to make sure only to use the hashtags that alert the right users to your content–the right users being the ones who are following the conversation about that topic. While other platforms can also work this way, it is most prevalent on X.

That said, you also want to make sure you know the full history and context of a particular conversation hashtag before jumping in, just in case you’ve misinterpreted it. You want to make sure your contribution makes sense and is in the right tone for that conversation.

Stay Relevant on Social Media

At Thump Local, we always stay up to date on best practices in all elements of digital marketing, including different aspects of social media. If you are looking for more reach and engagement online, our expert team can help you get there! Hashtags are just one of several strategies that can grow your business online. Reach out to us with any questions and to learn about our full suite of services!