How To Increase Organic Reach by Hashtag
#IWantToSkyrocketMyReach, amirite?
While hashtags have been consistently changing recently and can vary greatly by the platform's algorithm, hashtags are still important and can still be a source of organic reach on many social media platforms.
How To Build An Effective Hashtag Strategy
Know your platform
When we look at hashtags by platform, we will see a variance in a lot of factors. The main one is, how many are used on each post. And while we always recommend doing your own research and trials to see how it will work best on your account, these are the recommended amounts for each platform:
How you search, and what people search will vary per platform as well. For example, people on LinkedIn are often searching for professional topics, by industry, or for jobs, whereas, TikTok might be more tutorials and lifestyle content.
Think About Your Target Audience
What is your target audience searching? What keywords do they use? Basically, we want to research them researching...Put yourself in the consumer's shoes and think about what they are searching for to get to you!
For example, if we are a community gym in Tampa, Florida wanting to reach our target audience, we probably aren't going to use hashtags like #coffeeshop or #newyorkcity. Chances are, these aren't what our audience is searching for when they are looking to find brands or companies like us.
Add Variety
When we say variety, we mean (1) switch up your hashtag sets and (2) create a set out of hashtags with varying amounts of posts.
Switching up your hashtag sets once in while is never a bad idea! This can help you continue to reach new audiences and gain more visibility in different categories. Plus, if you are using the same hashtags on every post, there's a good chance that the algorithm will think it's spam content and likely won't favor it.
When you search or select a hashtag, you'll be able to see the number of other posts using the same hashtag. The number of other posts can tell you if it's a popular hashtag. Posts with a high number of other posts might be well-searched words or phrases, but we might not stand out against all the other content. On the other hand, posts with a low number might be less searched, but we might have a better chance of visibility. So, it's best to cover all the bases and use a mix of hashtags with varying amounts of posts (i.e. you might have 1 with 1k, 3 in the 10k-50k range, and 1 with 1M)
Check Performance
Like any strategy, it's not effective unless we check to see if it's working! To check, go to the post and select "view insights." Scroll until you find the Impressions section, and look under "From Hashtags." This will give you the insight you need to be able to tell if this hashtag set is working well with the type of content. This way, you'll know if you should continue to use it or if you need to switch it up a bit.
Want to stay updated on all things social media? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
