How to Use Hashtags on Social Media (Updated for 2026)

In this blog, we’ll explore how to use hashtags on social media in today’s changing landscape. You’ll learn what still works, what no longer matters, and how to use hashtags more strategically across different platforms.

We’ll also introduce social media management tools such as Hookle that can help simplify your overall social media strategy, including planning and using hashtags more effectively.

Table of Contents

1. Choose Hashtags Based on Density

2. Use Niche and Custom Hashtags

3. Don’t Over Use Hashtags

4. Keep an Eye on Trending Topics

5. Build Communities and Encourage Engagement

6. Test and Monitor Hashtags

7. Create Engaging Hashtags With AI

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Hashtags are short words that can still have a surprisingly big impact when used correctly. Research shows that posts with relevant hashtags, especially when placed naturally within captions, often receive higher engagement than posts without hashtags.

Hashtags help signal what your content is about and connect it to topics your audience is already interested in. Their main purpose is to improve discoverability and help the right people find your posts more easily.

Because hashtags can drive traffic to your profile, they remain an important part of social media marketing. In this guide, you’ll learn how to use hashtags more effectively and strategically to elevate your small business.

Are Hashtags Still Relevant in 2026?

Hashtags are still relevant on social media, but their role and meaning have clearly evolved. They no longer work as simple reach boosters on their own, as modern algorithms prioritize content quality, relevance, and engagement signals.

Hashtags role and meaning have clearly changed

Today, hashtags mainly help platforms understand what your post is about and where it fits contextually. This is why using fewer, more targeted hashtags is often more effective than adding long lists, which can make posts feel cluttered, hard to read, or even annoying to some users.

Hashtags can also be woven naturally into captions instead of being placed only at the end, making posts feel more authentic and readable. When used thoughtfully and in context, hashtags can still support discoverability and help the right audience find your content more easily.

1. Choose Hashtags Based on Density

Hashtag density refers to the total number of posts a hashtag has. The higher the density, the higher level of competition for a specific hashtag.

It also determines the chances of being seen by your target audience.

• High Density: Over 1 million posts - has a lot of competition, difficult to rank high for these hashtags.

• Medium Density: less than 500.000 posts - has lower competition and easier to rank high.

• Low Density: less than 50.000 posts - too specific and less visible than other hashtags.

Where’s the middle ground when it comes to reaching your target audience? We recommend using a combination of both medium and low-density hashtags. This tends to be a sweet spot for many small businesses.

Using both medium and low-density hashtags tends to be a sweet spot for many small businesses

Now, let's talk about the specific types of hashtags you should incorporate.

2. Use Niche and Custom Hashtags

Here’s what you need to know about the main types of hashtags.

Niche Hashtags

Niche hashtags are used to connect your brand to a specific audience. Essentially, using these hashtags makes your brand visible to people who will most likely engage with your business.

These types of tags are useful for small businesses that want to be seen by a large audience.

For example, if you’re honing in on fitness enthusiasts, the tag #ExerciseRoutine might be too broad.

However, something like #VirtualKickBoxing or #VirtualTraining will attract an audience looking for a specific fitness-related topic. Doing this will narrow the search results and give you a better chance of discovery.

Branded Hashtags

These tags are unique to your brand. They can be your slogan or a phrase that aligns with your business.

The purpose of branded hashtags is to allow your audience to interact with your brand

Branded hashtags can also be connected to specific products, services, or marketing campaigns. The purpose of branded hashtags is to allow your audience to interact with your brand.

For example, the linen brand Brooklinen uses the hashtag #MyBrooklinenStyle to increase brand awareness and encourage customers to share relevant content.

Event Hashtags

Event hashtags are used to drive attendees to local retail locations and other businesses. It also helps to boost engagement.

For example, the social lounge BarLouie used the hashtag #TokyoOlympics to encourage locals to stop in and watch the Olympic games at their bar.

3. Don’t Over Use Hashtags

As we've learned so far, hashtags are powerful tools that can get your brand noticed. But using them too much can have the opposite effect. Research has shown that going overboard with hashtags could cause less audience engagement.

To ensure you use the perfect number of hashtags for each platform, we’ve made a quick cheat sheet:

• Twitter: Because of the low character count requirement, use no more than 2 hashtags per tweet.

• Facebook: No more than two hashtags - one medium-density hashtag and one niche hashtag specific to your brand.

• Instagram: This platform permits up to 30 tags. However, a sweet spot for small businesses is between two and nine hashtags. Hashtags are extremely important with Instagram Reels.

• LinkedIn: There are no limits for hashtags on this platform, but we recommend using no more than five tags. Otherwise, the LinkedIn algorithm could flag your posts as spam.

4. Keep an Eye on Trending Topics

Trending hashtags are topics people are currently buzzing about. They’re usually centered around major news stories or viral content.

You can use this hashtag to contribute something valuable to the conversation. If your post is generic, it’s going to get lost in the sea of other posts.

If you use a trending hashtag, be sure to create something interesting. People will more than likely share a genuinely informational post. And the more shares, the greater brand awareness.

If you use a trending hashtag, be sure to create something interesting

To find trending hashtags, take a look at Twitter's “Trending Now” column. This will give you an idea of what people are currently talking about.

When you spot a hashtag you want to use, go through some of the top tweets and identify how you can add value to the conversation.

5. Build Communities and Encourage Engagement

You can use hashtags to target and interact with a specific community to grow your brand’s visibility. You can also build a micro-community with your own followers.

An example of this would be Lululemon’s #TheSweatLife. Lululemon started a community that encourages fitness lovers to relax, recharge, and connect through exercise. More than 1 million people have used this hashtag and shared how they stay active and live a healthy lifestyle.

To find community-oriented hashtags, research which hashtags your target audience is using when they mention things related to your brand.

Also, you want to give your audience a reason to use your hashtag. For example, you can have your followers use a hashtag for a chance to have their posts reposted.

6. Test and Monitor Hashtags

If you have a business profile, you can see how effective your hashtags are. You can use this data to enhance or improve your hashtag strategy to get more views and post clicks.

You also analyze hashtag performance with websites like Hashtag.org, Trendsmap, and Hashtagify.

It’s crucial to continuously track, experiment, and test which hashtags attract new followers and garner profile visits.

7. Create Engaging Hashtags With AI

If you’re a busy business owner, staying consistent with posting and coming up with effective hashtags can be challenging. This is where AI-powered tools like ChatGPT or Hookle can make a real difference. These tools help generate relevant hashtags and content ideas based on your post and audience.

With Hookle, you can manage all your social platforms and Google Business Profile in one place. It goes a step further by creating AI-powered posts with hashtags and publishing them to all your channels in just one click. The built-in hashtag manager also makes it easy to save and reuse your most frequently used hashtags.

Hookle creates AI-powered posts with hashtags and publishes them in one click

With AI handling the heavy lifting, you can save time and focus on creating quality content that truly resonates with your audience.

Don't just take our word for it - try it yourself. Download Hookle for free today and simplify your social media and hashtag management in one place.