Let’s be honest: most of us don’t really think about the hashtags we use. The Clapper team is guilty of it, too! It’s the last thing a lot of creators consider in a post, and they often end up using generic tags or reusing the same ones. Many of us just tag the genre of content we create, look at what’s trending, or tag a community we’re part of. And you can forget about optimizing hashtags to see what works best!
While there may not be a “right” way to use hashtags, not considering how they can be used is…well, wrong. They’re the unsung hero of community-building and content creation, and spending a little time optimizing hashtags can make a world of difference. In today’s article, we’ll be talking about how to use hashtags and how you can optimize your hashtag usage.
A (Quick) History of Hashtags 📜
The first hashtags in social media were used as a way to either group posts together or create a new channel for similar information. The category idea quickly took off, with other users adding tags to their own content. This encompassed current events or keywords at first, but eventually evolved into their own beast.
In the 2010s, creators began using hashtags as a sort of secondary caption. Instead of posting a picture of their coffee and just using #coffee, creators might use #morningfuel, #ihatemondays, #coffeeoverlife, #coffeeobsessed, or #coffeeloversunite. People used this new iteration to infuse even more fun and personality into their social media.
Hashtags continue to change and evolve, and so should the way we use them should. Luckily, optimizing hashtags and finding the best way to use them for yourself is a lot easier than it seems.
How to Use Them 🤔
Modern hashtags have a variety of uses. They’re more than just a way to categorize videos or tag information. Creators can use hashtags in different ways, matching them to their style as a content creator or the content they create. If you have the room, you may also find that mixing styles and approaches is successful. Finding the best fits for you is key to optimizing your hashtag usage.
Below are some of the ways we’ve noticed (and recommend) creators use hashtags.
Categories 🗂️
Think of this like genres! What categories does your video fit into? A fitness creator posting a vlog of their day might go with #fitness, #workoutroutine, #healthyeating, #wellness, to name a few. Try to think of the best categories for your video and target those in your tags. This makes it easier to find on a search.
Keywords 🗝️
This would be keywords related to your video. They might not be the exact category they fit into, but they’ll still feature somehow! Let’s go back to the fitness creator example. Since they’re showing their daily routine, they might choose things related to their day. #armday, #whatieatinaday, #gymmotivation, or #gymclothes. Maybe these aren’t things the video is focused on, but they still appear and are relevant to their content.
Trending or Hot Topics 🔥
There’s nothing wrong with following trends or posting content that fits into the hot topic. This could be something trending in your community, or something trending all across social media. Keeping up with (and taking advantage of) these trends is ultimately a good thing! Use trending hashtags to try new content, to join in the conversation, or just help you stay up to date with what’s popular.
Communities 🪢
A lot of creators will use hashtags to tie their content into a community. Going back to our fitness example, if our creator is a woman, she may use #fitnessgirl and #gymgirl as a few tags. She may even tag her specific workout routines in her videos. Just like categories, it puts your content into things people might be searching for and makes it easier to find.
Plus, if you’re trying to join or engage with a community, using their hashtags will make it much easier! They’ll be able to find your content and engage with it on purpose.
Campaigns and Events 🎟️
Many creators use hashtags to link them to a specific campaign or event. This can be to share updates or experiences, or to literally participate in a contest or event.
Awareness and Promotion 🎗️
A lot of creators will use hashtags as a way to raise awareness or promote something. This could be a cause or movement that they’re part of or discussing (breast cancer awareness, ending child hunger, etc) or a brand they’re partnering with. Just like we mentioned before, you want to make sure your content actually fits with this, otherwise it will just be white noise.
Mood or Emotions 🤠
Many creators use tags to put a little humor into their captions, or to better articulate how a situation makes them feel. Someone ranting about a situation might use #angry or #upset, but a comedian posting some stand up clips might use #darkhumor, #lol, or something related to the bit.
How Do I Optimize? 🤓
Now that you have an idea of what you should use, let’s get into getting the most out of your hashtags. Because you may find that several categories fit your hashtags best, but you want to see which to target. Here are a few ways that you can optimize and check for best uses!
Focus on Relevance 🔍
Some content creators will tell you to use any hashtag that you can. Even if it barely relates to your content, there’s this idea that the more you use the more you’ll attract. That isn’t always the case, and we recommend only using hashtags that are relevant to your content. This way, you’ll be targeting a few communities that would really resonate with your content instead of a wide group that might not have any interest in it.
Limit the Number 🧢
This goes hand in hand with the tip above. Don’t overload your caption with a plethora of tags. For one, it looks spammy and can turn your audience away from liking. But it also spreads your content really thin, meaning it might not be as impactful as content targeted for a few niches and communities.
Create Your Hashtags ✏️
Many creators are staring their own branded hashtags. It’s easy – literally all you have to do is type it out! This helps to gather all of your content (or content made by followers and your audience) under one hashtag. Because it’s a hashtag, it has the potential to spread even further than your videos and increase brand awareness. And people who see the hashtag and want to learn more about it will have a bank of content to access.
Learn About Platforms 🎓
Each platform will have its own algorithm and it’s own system for using hashtags. Spend some time learning about the platform you’re using and how it categorizes or promotes hashtags and their content. This may take a little digging, but knowing how each platform prioritizes will help you optimize your hashtag usage.
As an example, Clapper’s algorithm isn’t really changed by hashtags. Your FYP will recommend you videos based on their content or style, not on the tags the creator uses. Hashtags are used to find similar content or engage with specific communities. You can learn more about Clapper’s hashtags through Hashtags 101.
Track Community Trends 📈
Keep an eye on the hashtags popular in your community. If you start to see new ones cropping up, take a look at them and see if you can incorporate them into your content. They’ll still fit your niche and what you create, but since they’re trending, it’s likely more (and new!) people will see your content. Plus, it never hurts to to know what’s popular and adjust your content accordingly.
Literally Run Some Tests 🧪
The best way to optimize is to run a few tests and compare the results! Try out some different hashtag categories and combinations and see which perform the best for your content. Make sure that you clearly define what you’re looking for in these tests. Are you wanting your followers to go up? Or just see what gets more engagement? Or are you just generally testing the waters? That’s fine, too! Just understand what knowledge you want to get before you begin.
The easiest way to test (though it might be annoying for your followers, so use caution) is to post your content several times, changing the hashtags each time. Don’t change the caption, the song, or anything else: try to post them on the say day, around the same time, and with a different set of hashtags. You can compare the engagement and performance of each and easily see which meets your goals.
Final Thoughts 🧡
Optimizing hashtags and how you use them do more than just help you target the right audience. The process will make you think about the genres and styles you create in most often. This will help you develop a brand or identity as a creator – or at least narrow down the options!
But hashtags really are the unsung content creation hero. Optimizing them and finding the right hashtags for you can make a world of difference. They help you connect to other people, find new communities, and can add more context and personality to your posts.
However you think best to use them, continue to optimize your hashtags and how you use them. Social media is ever changing, and hashtags are constantly evolving. Take the time to understand their changes and how to use them to your advantage.
#youwontregretit