How Many Hashtags Should You Use for Each Social Platform
Marketers know the value and power of hashtags on social media. Hashtags are best known for their ability to connect posts and conversations through clickable links and show your content to others' feeds, even to those who don’t follow you – yet.
Now that we've established the importance of hashtags, how do you know the right number of hashtags for each social media platform? There seems to be no definite guide about this, so we created one – and you’re reading it now.
In this guide, we will cover all major platforms and discuss how many hashtags you can use and where you can use them.
Although hashtagging started on Twitter, Instagram took it to new heights and made its popularity soar among users.
Instagram uses hashtags as a way to categorize and discover content.
When you include relevant hashtags in your posts, it helps Instagram's algorithm to categorize and rank your content, making it more discoverable to your target audience. Hashtags are also used by Instagram to filter content, allowing users to find posts related to specific topics or interests.
Where Can You Add Hashtags on Instagram?
You can add hashtags to your Instagram bio, captions, and Reels. Some users also add hashtags in Instagram Stories.
How Many Hashtags Can You Use on Instagram?
Instagram Bio
As you may know, Instagram limits bio characters to 150, which means you have limited space to add hashtags. After writing the description, if you see that you’re left with some space, add your campaign or branded hashtags there.
Let’s take a look at the official Instagram page of Michael Kors. Note that the company added its branded hashtag, #MichaelKors, to the bio.
Another interesting example is from Adidas, which obviously believes its bio is best reserved for its campaign hashtag, #ImpossibleIsNothing.
Instagram Reels and Posts
When you’re hashtagging on Instagram Reels and posts, the maximum number of hashtags you can use is 30. The same is applicable to comments.
While some believe 11 hashtags should be the maximum, we’ve seen many posts and accounts (including ours – @hashtagexpert) that do well and achieve higher engagement and views with 30 hashtags.
Instagrammers are accustomed to seeing hashtags so there is no problem if you use all 30.
Instagram Stories
You can use up to 10 hashtags in Instagram Stories.
TikTok
Hashtags on TikTok work like they do on other platforms but are not clickable. That doesn’t mean hashtags aren’t useful. By using the right hashtags, you can take your videos to the TikTok For You and Make Your Day feeds.
Where Can You Add Hashtags on TikTok?
With just 80 characters, TikTok makes it difficult to place hashtags in your bio. So the obvious next option is the captions for your regular videos and Stories.
How Many Hashtags Can You Use on TikTok?
Regular Feed Videos
There is no limit to using hashtags on TikTok, but the one constraint is characters. The maximum number of characters allowed has been increased to 2,200; which is now the same as the character limit on Instagram.
Now that there's a lot of space to write a good caption and to also add hashtags, research popular hashtags in your niche, test them out on your own videos, and analyze the performance of those hashtags.
That's because there's a lot of weight on hashtags for ranking your TikTok videos and making them go viral.
TikTok Stories
Want to make your TikTok Stories stand out? Hashtags are the key!
Using relevant hashtags can help your Stories reach a wider audience and get more views.
Stories have the same character limit as regular TikTok videos - 2,200, meaning you don't have to worry about space.
So aim for hashtags that are specific to your Story and don't overdo it with too many hashtags.
Head over to our guide to learn how to create and find trending TikTok hashtags for your videos and their best practices.
And don't forget to use Hashtag Expert to find the best hashtags for your content.
Our app uses powerful algorithms to find the best hashtags to help you reach a wider audience. With Hashtag Expert, you can save time and focus on creating amazing content that your followers will love.
Hashtags have been used on LinkedIn since 2016, but the concept is still new to many users. Here's an informative article that answers many questions about using hashtags on LinkedIn.
The official LinkedIn blogs actively encourage their community members to use and follow hashtags to shape conversations and insights to their feed.
Where Can You Add Hashtags on LinkedIn?
You can add hashtags to your articles, profile description, posts or updates, video captions, and comments.
You can also add hashtags through a new feature called Creator Mode. This feature allows creators to add topics in the form of hashtags and showcase them on their profiles.
How Many Hashtags Can You Use on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn Articles and Posts
There is no official limit to the number of hashtags you can use in a LinkedIn post or an article. We recommend, however, that you limit each post to a maximum five to seven hashtags, with an absolute maximum 10 hashtags.
This is because LinkedIn operates differently from other social networking sites, namely Instagram. To learn more about this and what types of hashtags work best on LinkedIn, we recommend our guide, "How to Increase Your Exposure With LinkedIn Hashtags."
LinkedIn Profile
You can add hashtags to your profile description and there is no limit. But make sure your hashtags don’t make it look cluttered or spammy; less is more in this case.
Another way to add hashtags on LinkedIn and show them on your profile is through Creator Mode. Creator Mode is a new enhancement to LinkedIn’s features. It allows you to add up to five topics in the form of hashtags. These topics are displayed on your profile to show potential followers what you post about most.
YouTube
A lesser known fact for many YouTubers is that hashtags can significantly improve visibility of their videos. Hashtags work like keywords on YouTube – which means they help improve YouTube SEO.
Here's an excellent example of hashtags being used on a YouTube video description:
YouTube videos are shown not only inside the platform, but all across search results on Google. So now comes the next question ...
Where Can You Add Hashtags on YouTube?
Google actively promotes the use of hashtags on YouTube and asks that they be used in titles, descriptions, Shorts, and playlists.
Up to three of the most engaging hashtags will appear by your video title, while the rest will still be in the video description and searchable.
Hashtags in the title and description will link to a results page featuring other videos sharing the same hashtag.
Youtube Shorts
When you add a title to your Short, YouTube will suggest hashtags that are relevant to your content.
These suggestions are based on your previous hashtags as well as past content uploads.
You may notice some of the hashtags have a clock icon next to them - that means you've used them before. And if you remove a hashtag from a previous title, YouTube won't suggest it anymore.
How Many Hashtags Can You Use on YouTube?
According to Google's Hashtag Use Policies, using more than 60 hashtags can lead to limited visibility and/or removal of that video from uploads or search.
Hashtagging on Twitter is nothing new – in fact, it all started there. On August 23, 2007, former Google developer and San Francisco techie Chris Messina tweeted with the very first hashtag that was ever created.
Where Can You Add Hashtags on Twitter?
Hashtags can be added to your profile description, tweets, and comments.
How Many Hashtags Can You Use on Twitter?
According to Twitter, you can add up to 2 hashtags per tweet. However, there is no restriction if you want to add more.
We hope this article has helped you better understand how social media hashtag rules differ from one platform to another, and how many hashtags you should use on each platform.
Now, search the relevant hashtags and run time-bound experiments with different sets of hashtags, collect data, and then decide what works best for your account.
If you don’t know which hashtags are best for you to bring in new followers and engagement, leave that job to Hashtag Expert.
It is, by far, the best hashtag generator tool. Hashtag Expert is a one-stop-destination for hashtags on all social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Try Hashtag Expert for Free!
Get tips and tricks for growing your social media and leveraging the power of hashtags straight to your inbox. Zero spam. We promise.
