Of course there is a # and a word or phrase, but the question still comes up. “How do I write and use a hashtag?” is a two fold question. There is the question of which punctuation, and the other is about how to use them. Here are some tips for both.
Punctuation
- Don’t use puncutation in your hashtag phrases. For example, if you have an apostrophe (Example – #Terry’s), the hashtag will show up as #Terry. It will drop everything off before the punctuation.
- No punctuation in front of the hashtag. !#Help will make the #Help hashtag unusable, and won’t create a search.
- Run your words together. The hashtag ends where there is a space. #Breathe Comfortably will only show #Breathe as the hashtag.
- Capitalize each word. This is the way to make your hashtag more readable. #breathecomfortably reads better as #BreatheComfortably
How to Use Hashtags and Other Tips
- Make up your own hashtag and ask others to start using it. #360WebDesignsTips is an example of one that we can use. It works best if you suggest others add this tag in their own tweets for promotion
- Sentences should be broken up. For example:”The Children’s Book conference is in Berkeley” should read something like this – The #ChildrensBookConference is in #Berkeley
- Limit your number of hashtags. Seven should be your limit even though they allow something like thirty in Instagram. The statistics say that using too many hashtags lowers engagement and could turn users away. Two to three will give you best results.
- The @ symbol before a Tweeter’s handle will tweet that person directly. @AnnetteFrei is my handle, so try it out and let me know if this article has helped you.
There are lots of articles out there about hashtagging. Here are just a few:
Tips From 13 Experts on Using Hashtags in Facebook
Writing Your Hashtags – Why They Are Not Working
2018’s Instagram Hashtags Rules
Has this blog helped you? Leave me a comment! Share on your social media.
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