How to Use TikTok Hashtags in 5 Easy Steps

Whether you're an influencer or a marketer looking to build brand awareness on TikTok, hashtags are powerful for reaching your target audience.

While relatively young compared to other social apps, TikTok has quickly taken off. There are over 1 billion users in 2022, and it's likely that number will increase next year.

On TikTok, one vital way to reach new viewers is through hashtags. Similar to other social media platforms, hashtags on TikTok help categorize similar content.

For example, if someone is interested in DIY home improvement projects, they might use the hashtag “#DIY” to find content that answers their questions or inspires them.

So, if you’re wondering, “Should I use hashtags on TikTok?” the answer is yes! The benefits of adding hashtags include:

  • Reaching new viewers who share an interest in your content
  • Building community by creating your own branded hashtag
  • Making it easy to search for and find your content
  • Letting viewers know what to expect from your video

In this guide, we’ll show you how to use hashtags on TikTok to your benefit.

How to Use Hashtags on TikTok

Using hashtags on TikTok is easy. When you finish editing your video and are ready to upload, you’ll include hashtags with your caption. The key is to take a strategic approach to the hashtags you use. Let’s take a look at some best practices.

1. Research Trending Hashtags for Your Video

Before you add hashtags to your next TikTok video, spend a little time researching which ones will help you get more views.

First, look for hashtags that are currently trending. These will help increase your viewership by attracting viewers who follow new trends.

How do you find trending hashtags on TikTok? You can start by heading to the TikTok Creative Center. You'll have to create an account to browse all of the trends, but once you do, you'll find a dedicated hashtag page. According to the platform, this resource will help you "discover new trends on TikTok" with ranking data, analytics, and a trend graph.

You can also use a hashtag finder to search for TikTok hashtags. There are a few different tools available, with many free options like tiktokhashtags.com.

This tool in particular will show you:

  • The number of videos using a specific hashtag
  • Video views associated with a hashtag
  • The most popular hashtags related to your search
  • Videos (that you can view) using a hashtag

2. Find Niche Hashtags That Represent Your Community

As you research, you’ll also want to look for niche hashtags. Using the same methods as above, focus on looking for hashtags that might have fewer views but are highly relevant to your audience.

For example, #DIY has nearly 400,000 posts and billions of views. This will make competing for views difficult.

However, you could add a more niche hashtag, such as #DIYhomedecor, which only has around 570 posts. This will make it easier for your video to stand out.

3. Use the Right Number of Hashtags for Your Video

As you get started, you might wonder, “How many hashtags should I use on TikTok?” While TikTok doesn’t set a limit on the number of hashtags you can use, it's not a good idea to use dozens of them.

And we understand how tempting it is to do the complete opposite — to cram as many hashtags as possible into one post. It's even easier to do so now that TikTok has increased the description character limit from 300 to 2,200. Everyone's been talking about the extra space, including social media consultant Matt Navarra.

But this extra space isn't for adding more hashtags. It's for expanding the description of your video and including relevant keywords so more viewers can discover your content.

So we recommend using three to five hashtags on TikTok videos. They should be a nice blend of niche-related tags and trending tags (that are related to the video) to increase visibility. You can also experiment and try more or less hashtags to see which option works best.

4. Start a Hashtag Challenge on TikTok

Another fun way to use hashtags on TikTok is to start a hashtag challenge. TikTok hashtag challenges encourage your community to create their own videos and contribute to a creative idea.

Here’s how to start a hashtag challenge:

  1. Create a branded hashtag that's original and accurately describes your challenge.
  2. Ask your followers to create a specific type of video with your hashtag.
  3. Engage with followers who create tagged videos.

5. Avoid Hashtags That Are Too Competitive

While you definitely want to capture views through trending topics, stay away from hashtags that are too competitive.

Hashtags such as #ForYou, #ForYouPage, or #FYP are attached to millions of videos. Don't rely on these hashtags to earn you more views, as the odds of your video surfacing when someone searches those hashtags are low.

Instead, use topical trending hashtags that are relevant to your brand, along with a few niche ones. This will help build your following and engage your community.

How to Add Hashtags to TikTok Videos

Now that you know how to find the right hashtags, use the following tips to add hashtags to your videos going forward:

  1. Create your video.
  2. Add your caption.
  3. After your caption, type in # and the text for your tag.
  4. Don’t add spaces or punctuation in your hashtag. For example, “#DIYdecor” not “#DIY[space]decor.”
  5. Post your video!

Can You Add Hashtags After Posting on TikTok?

Once you post your video to TikTok, there is no way to go back and change your caption. This means you cannot edit hashtags within your caption after posting it. So make sure you take the time to review your caption before hitting post.

Can You Put Hashtags in TikTok Comments?

Since there is a character limit for captions on TikTok, some users add hashtags to the comments section. You can put hashtags in your comments. However, there is little proof that this is as effective as the hashtags found in your video caption.

If you want to test out hashtags in your comments, be sure to prioritize the most important hashtags for your video caption and save the less important ones for the comments.

Now You’re Ready! Get Out There and Create

Now that you're a hashtag expert, it’s time to create your next video. Luckily, you don't have to do it alone or start from scratch.

Get famous on TikTok with vidIQ Viral. Our app helps you find trending sounds and music so you can get more views and grow your channel. Download today and get ahead of the next trend.