A Guide to Hashtags on TikTok
If you’re trying to get noticed on TikTok, you need to have a solid hashtag strategy. Trending TikTok hashtags increase your visibility and reach, help you identify competitors and potential collaborators, and can even give you great TikTok content ideas by helping you see what other people in your industry are producing.
In previous posts, we discussed how to use TikTok for your business, the best format and length for your TikTok videos, and the best time to post videos on TikTok. In this post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about using trending TikTok hashtags to grow your presence on TikTok and give your videos a better shot at going viral.
Scroll down toward the end to see how many hashtags you can use on TikTok posts.
Do hashtags work on TikTok?
They certainly do! Just like on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms, hashtags help users share and find content and join conversations about topics that interest them. TikTok users can build communities around hashtags, too.
The best thing about hashtags on TikTok is that thanks to the fact that it’s relatively new and not flooded like other platforms, using the right hashtags can get you much farther than it can on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. You have a much better chance of climbing the ranks for hashtags in your niche.
To add a hashtag to a TikTok post, simply type the hashtag symbol (#) and enter a phrase with no spaces. Check out this post to see how easy it is to add a hashtag to your post:
TikTok hashtag search
To search hashtags on TikTok, open the TikTok app and tap “Discover” on the bottom of the screen. This page will show you previews of videos tagged with hashtags that are trending.
You can scroll through these to find something that interests you, or search for a hashtag using the search bar at the top of the screen.
TikTok hashtag strategy in 2021
So what does it mean to have a TikTok hashtag strategy?
It means using TikTok hashtags in a conscious, calculated way that is most likely to help your content reach your desired audience. As with any marketing strategy, planning your TikTok hashtag strategy starts with defining your goals:
- Who exactly are you trying to reach with this video?
- What would you like them to do when they see it? (Share? Follow you? Make a purchase? Visit your website?)
- Would you rather go for maximum exposure, or target a specific audience more likely to engage with you?
You need to have the answers to these questions to know which TikTok hashtags will be most effective for your post. Popular hashtags are better for reaching a broader audience, while niche hashtags are better for targeting a specific demographic of users who are more likely to be interested and engage with your content in a meaningful way.
Those types of users are more likely to get further along your sales funnel, so they’re generally “higher quality” leads, but sometimes what you need is a broader approach to reach wider audiences.
What hashtags to use on TikTok in 2021
There’s no tried-and-true formula for coming up with the right hashtags on TikTok. The hashtags you should use depend on your goals, the content itself, and what happens to be trending when you’re posting your video.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, these are some of the most popular general hashtags on TikTok as of May 2020 that you can copy and paste:
#tiktok
#foryoupage
#fyp
#foryou
#viral
#love
#funny
#memes
#followme
#cute
#fun
#music
#happy
#fashion
#follow
#comedy
#bestvideo
#tiktok4fun
#thisis4u
#loveyoutiktok
#tiktok
#love
#like
#follow
#explore
#meme
#video
#followforfollowback
In their blog post here, they list more than 120 popular TikTok hashtags organized by category: hashtags for educational content, funny content, friendship-related content, health-related content, food-related content, dance-related content, motivational content, beauty-related content, and craft-related content.
But remember: just because a hashtag is popular doesn’t mean you should use it! Below, we’ll give you some tips for finding, selecting, and using hashtags in a way that will give you the most bang for your buck.
How to use hashtags on TikTok to boost your content
Find relevant hashtags
When you’re browsing content from creators and competitors in your niche, note which hashtags they’re using on their most popular posts. You can also use a hashtag generator tool to find related hashtags.
Mix popular hashtags with less competitive ones
The advantage of popular hashtags is that lots of people are searching for them, but the disadvantage is that there’s so much competition. You’re more likely to get noticed within a narrower niche by using smaller, less competitive hashtags.
Once you rise to popularity in a smaller hashtag, though, you’re more likely to climb up the feed in the larger hashtags. That’s why it’s a good idea to mix it up and use both kinds.
In this post, Boosted used a combination of popular hashtags and also more niche hashtags – like branded hashtags – to get more reach on TikTok:
Follow trends and make sure the hashtags are current
#merrychristmas might be extremely popular in December, but there isn’t really a point in using it in February. Hashtag trends rise and fall, and it’s important to make sure the hashtags you’re using are still current.
Branded hashtags & hashtag challenges
Develop your own branded hashtags to help followers find you. As mentioned above, you can get much further with a branded hashtag on TikTok than on other platforms.
You can even launch a hashtag challenge: a competition where you challenge users to create content (like a dance or a song) and tag it with your branded hashtag. These challenges work so well on TikTok because they get users to inspire each other to create content.
The more, the merrier
Don’t limit yourself to just one or two hashtags — each one exposes you to a different audience. Use as many hashtags as you can!
TikTok limits captions to only 100 characters. That means that you need to keep your captions short and sweet to fit as many hashtags as possible.
How many hashtags can you use on TikTok?
There’s no official limit on the number of TikTok hashtags you can use, but the fact that you can only write a caption of 100 characters or fewer sets a practical limit on it.
You need an absolute minimum of 3 characters per hashtag: the hashtag, a number or letter, and a space. So practically speaking, you can enter up to 33 hashtags in a caption.
You’re unlikely to find single-character hashtags very useful, though! If you do run out of space, there is a way to add more hashtags: the comments.
Do hashtags in TikTok comments work?
Yes, you can add TikTok hashtags to comments, however, adding hashtags to the comments is far less effective than adding them to the caption. So if you must go over your character limit in the caption, make sure to place the most important hashtags there.
Using TikTok hashtags strategically can help you make the most of this platform. With just a little planning and forethought, you can use hashtags to boost your online presence, spread the word about your brand, and gain lots of new followers — some of whom will eventually turn into paying customers.
Action Items:
- Research hashtags in your niche and make a list.
- Fit as many hashtags as you can into your captions.
- Keep an eye on popular & trending TikTok hashtags.
- Consider launching a hashtag challenge.
Looking for niche-specific TikTok hashtags? Here are guides for 14 popular small business niche hashtags on TikTok:
- Fitness hashtags for TikTok
- Yoga hashtags for TikTok
- Nutritionist hashtags for TikTok
- Beauty hashtags for TikTok
- Makeup artist hashtags for TikTok
- Hair stylist hashtags for TikTok
- Real estate hashtags for TikTok
- Florist hashtags for TikTok
- Photography hashtags on TikTok
- Doctor hashtags for TikTok
- Dentist hashtags for TikTok
- Car & auto hashtags for TikTok
- Restaurant hashtags for TikTok
- Bakery hashtags for TikTok
