Hashtags help increase a post's visibility and put content in front of a targeted audience, even if they haven’t connected with you. This can translate into more engagement, improved networking, and more customers for your business.

This article covers how to use hashtags to increase the reach of your shared content.

Hashtags

A hashtag (#) is a symbol that connects social media posts to other posts on the same subject or trending topic.

Posts that contain a hashtag receive a 22% higher click rate and a 63% higher engagement rate than those that don’t.

So how do you use them?

The most popular hashtags are sometimes not always the best hashtags to use. Try thinking of the topic of the article being shared and if it's being searched. For instance, #socialselling or #personalbranding are topics that aren't too broad yet aren't too niche. See below for examples. 

Here are examples of the reach, exposure, and activity you can gain from adding a relevant hashtag to your share.