Hashtag etiquette

Most businesses throw hashtags on with no plan, and it shows. 

Feeds are crowded, so brands reach for hashtags to stand out.

Used well, hashtags put you in front of new people. Used badly, they put you in the wrong conversation. 

Before you start throwing hashtags around like rice at a wedding, consider your goals, audience, strategy, and the social media platform you’re using. 

Let’s take a closer look at hashtag etiquette 👇

Consider your platform

Hashtag usage can vary greatly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or any other social media platform. 

Important: Instagram now allows up to five hashtags on a post or reel, so choose the five that matter most.

Common hashtag etiquette 

While the rules do certainly vary from platform to platform, there are some best practices to follow that will apply to hashtag etiquette and strategies:

Don’t string too many words together

While certain circumstances might require multiple words (#FirstWorldProblems), your hashtags should be punchy, concise, and easy to read. Your goal, especially if you’re creating branded hashtags, should be to make your hashtags easy to rewrite and repost. If you must use longer hashtags, then make sure you capitalise each word to make it easier for the reader. #ReallyNeedToThinkAboutShorterHashtags

Don’t tag every word 

Tagging every word makes you look like you have nothing better to do with your time, and whilst you don’t, the world doesn’t need to know that. 

Keep an eye on trending hashtags 

Social media is all about trends. Whether you are setting them or following them, you need to know what is trending.

Tip: Most social media platforms have a trending page, so make sure you check in regularly. 

The biggest hashtags (#love, #instagood, #photooftheday) are so crowded your post is gone in seconds. Niche and local tags put you in front of the people who care.

Proofread your hashtags 

This should already be a no-brainer in your workflow, but you must proofread all your content, including your hashtags. Not only are misspelled hashtags bad hashtag etiquette, but they’ll also make your business look unprofessional. 

Your hashtags must be relevant to your content 

Let’s imagine that you’re a business that sells artisan honey. The goal of your hashtag strategy isn’t simply to reach as many people as possible, right? While you can certainly throw out as big a net as possible to catch the right fish, the better practice would be to throw your net into the ocean area where the fish you want spend their time. 

A business selling honey has no place in #shoes. 

Keep your hashtags fresh 

Look, we know how easy it is to use the same hashtags for everything you post on social media, but this is bad hashtag etiquette. On the surface, consistency is nice. It’s clean. We get it. However, consistency can also be a bit boring, and after a while, you’ll start to notice a dip in reach. Look for trends, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different hashtags. 

Do you have a hashtag strategy?   

Trial and error is fine, as long as you write down what you tried and what happened. 

When it comes to hashtags, you need to think about where you’re posting them, how many you’re posting, what you want them to achieve, and so much more. You can’t keep track of everything if you don’t have a plan and some form of analytics. 

Your goal is to reach more people interested in your content, so you need to measure the effectiveness of different hashtags. 

Further reading

Here are some excellent resources for understanding how to use hashtags and hashtag etiquette on some of the world’s most popular social media platforms: 

• How do I use hashtags on Facebook?
• How to use hashtags on TikTok to boost your content
• LinkedIn hashtags in 2026, from Sprout Social

Final thoughts 

Hashtags are a small thing. Get them wrong and they do real damage; get them right and they do real good. 

Pick tags for the platform, the audience and the goal. Check them. Change them when they stop working.

A few good tags beat a wall of lazy ones.

Already have a hashtag list but no plan behind it? Get Coffey Talk for the occasional social changes that matter to WA tourism and hospitality, or start an enquiry for a strategy.