How to Use Hashtags Properly: A No Nonsense Guide to Reaching a Broader Audience the Right Way

OK, here is the deal: just as there is a right and a wrong way to spell a word, there is a right and a wrong way to use a hashtag. Although, I am a firm believer that most things are not simply black and white, hashtags come pretty darn close to the two-color scale.

That being said, I have put together an easy-to-follow guide to using hashtags appropriately.

Let's start with the basics:

What is a hashtag?
A hashtag is the new and improved pound sign (#) symbol. In social media it is followed by a word or phrase relating to the overall post. For example, if a photo is posted of a camel on Wednesday an appropriate hashtag might read #humpday.

What are hashtags used for?
Hashtags brings users to a feed that is populated with posts that all use the same hashtag. The purpose of this is to create a thread with posts only relating to a particular trending topic. Another purpose of hashtags is to help your message reach a broader audience than your current following.

Recap: proper hashtag etiquette includes using a few hashtags (3-5) relating to the topic, however it is not appropriate to include hashtags that have no relation to the topic in hopes of reaching a larger audience. Posts with an unnecessary amount of hashtags end up looking cluttered and are annoying to others who see them. This is not an example of using social media strategically and in most cases these posts will actually be skipped over.

Now, let's get to the guidelines:

Keep it simple.
Again, only hashtag words that are related to the post. If the post has nothing to do with having a good night or going to sleep, don't hashtag #goodnight. Hashtags only work if they are relevant.

Keep it short.
Using any more than 5 or 6 hashtags gets to be too much, and that is a generous number. If you are using them strategically, you shouldn't need that many anyway. Nothing is more annoying than an entire paragraph of hashtags. It's unnecessary.

Mix it up.
Make it easier for users to read by including the hashtags in a sentence like the following:

I can't wait to see #BlakeShelton sing on #TheVoiceFinale tonight! 

Posts like this flow easier than listing one hashtag after the other and they look less like spam. 

Hashtags can be a great asset to social media, but only when used properly!