What comes to mind when you hear the word “hashtag?” Before 2007, it was known as nothing more than just a hash or pound sign symbol (#). However, if you ask anyone today, their first thoughts go straight to social media.
If you are still unaware as to what it is, it is a hashtag sign with a word or phrase following right after – #example. Hashtags are quite popular on social media outlets, such as Twitter and Instagram, but they are also recently paving their way into the hearts of other networks, such as Pinterest.
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Wouldn’t it be terrific if you could just type a word, press enter, and be directed to a numerous amount of content that was dedicated to that specific word? What if you wanted to also see the most relevant content relating to that word?
Well, welcome to the world of hashtags and their ability to reach users that are interested in your content. If you are wondering how this works, it is because hashtags are keyword specific. For example, if you wanted to look up healthy food recipes, one way of looking it up is by typing #heathyfood and it will then direct you to items that are linked to it. This is why hashtags have become popular on social media outlets. It helps users to easily discover new content and it allows you to have easier access to a larger audience. It is a way of self-promotion and having visibility to be known to a wide range of an audience.
Hashtag Strategies in 2019
There is more to a hashtag than just typing a word. Just because a hashtag is used, it does not mean automatically receiving tons of views. It is important that when creating a hashtag, you choose tags that are relevant to your content. For example, if you share a photograph of a dog, you do not want to post #kittens. It has nothing to do with the original post and so people will not be interested in it since it was not what they were looking for. By being aware of all of this, it allows users to:
- Have interaction in real-time with a wide range of audience, which includes fans and influencers
- Strengthen the subject matter
- Connect with other individuals who are intrigued by the specific topic
- Execute a social media campaign to create a focus on brand mindfulness
- Be aware of current trends and their patters on a daily and weekly schedule
- Discover UGC (user-generated content)
On Pinterest, hashtags are used in order for content to gain a Pin. A Pin is a source of information that users create and share with the hopeful intention that other users will Pin (save) it to their own accounts in a loop of constant sharing. When content is created, a user will use the description box and type “#” and follow with a word or phrase that is relevant to it. If a user wants to change the keywords later, they are able to do so by editing the Pin description.
2019 Hashtag Tips
In the end, there are a few tips to remember when creating successful hashtags and they are that they are often:
- Short and simple
- Not overdone with the number of hashtags used
- Easy to remember
- Relevant to your brand
- Concentrated to one message
- Unique and original
Should you Edit Old Pins?
We’ve done it for our top Pins, and we think they’ve shown more growth. We hope this article inspires you to take some time and create your own Pinterest hashtag strategy. Put in the work once and then you can paste them over and over again. A little automation / reusing the optimized content will make it worth the time and effort (hint: check out Tailwind).
