How to Do Hashtag Research on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn

What are Hashtags and Why Should You Use Them?

Hashtags are words used on social media sites and preceded by the # symbol that are searchable online. They have no spaces between words and are not case sensitive. You can add a hashtag at any point in your post and it will become a link to a collection or grouping of posts that share the same hashtag.

For example, here’s a Twitter search on the hashtag #MondayMotivation, which is often used to post inspirational quotes and messages. On LinkedIn, you can follow hashtags and see all posts that include that hashtag. On Instagram, where hashtags are most prominent, a search on the same hashtag takes you to the Explore page for #MondayMotivation. There you see the top posts that use that hashtag. Hashtags also work on Facebook, but haven’t become as popular as on the other networks, so I’m going to focus on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn today.

Why should you use hashtags? They broaden your reach. When you search a hashtag, it doesn’t matter whether you follow or are connected to the poster, you see the post because it’s grouped together with…