Platform features
Hashtag: definition and examples
What is Hashtag?
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the # symbol that categorizes a post so it appears in search results and topic feeds for that term. On short-form video platforms, hashtags are used to signal content type, participate in trends, and make videos discoverable to viewers who do not yet follow the creator.
When you'd use it
- 1When a video covers a topic that has an active search audience on the platform.
- 2When a trend has a defining hashtag and participating in it increases the chance of algorithm distribution.
- 3When a brand runs a campaign and wants all user-generated content to collect under one searchable tag.
- 4When analyzing what content is already performing in a niche before filming.
- 5When a video targets a specific community that regularly uses a known tag to find content.
Example
A cooking creator compared two identical videos posted a week apart. One used 20 generic hashtags including #food and #cooking. The other used five targeted tags: #sourdough, #breadbaking, #fermentation, #homecooking, and #breadtok. The targeted post reached 3x the impressions and attracted a higher percentage of saves.
Use cases
- 1Tagging a tutorial video with the topic hashtag so it surfaces in search results for that skill.
- 2Anchoring a campaign by assigning one branded hashtag to every creator post in the series.
- 3Adding a trending challenge hashtag to a video to increase the likelihood the algorithm routes it to viewers already watching similar content.
FAQ
Should I use trending hashtags even if they do not match my content?
No. Using unrelated trending hashtags may briefly expose the video to a larger pool of viewers, but if those viewers are not interested in the content, low watch time signals will suppress distribution. Accurate hashtags attract a more relevant audience, which produces better engagement signals.
Make on-brand short-form video from the footage you already have.