Use Hashtags to Grow Your X Following

Hashtags can be a powerful tool in your social media arsenal, bringing you to the attention of your target audience, expressing solidarity, and helping to grow your following. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to use Twitter hashtags effectively, which results in a senseless bundle of hashtags slapped onto their posts.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at X hashtags, what they are, and why they’re important. We’ll also discuss how to use hashtags on Twitter effectively so they’re a benefit rather than a problem.

What Are Hashtags and Why Are They Important?

First, let’s discuss hashtags as a whole to give you some insight into the process.

What Are Hashtags?

Hashtags are a form of metadata tag or a way of categorizing posts into groupings that make them easy to find.

Each hashtag is a keyword or key phrase preceded by a pound or hash sign (#). Hashtags work by classifying posts with the same topic or subject together, allowing platform users to search for and discover content that may interest them.

For instance, if you post poetry on X with the hashtag #poetsofx, then other X users can search for that hashtag, allowing them to find your work (and that of other poets) easily.

Why Are Hashtags Important?

Hashtags are an important part of the social media scene since they offer a whole array of different benefits. Some of the benefits hashtags offer to social media users include the following:

  1. They help increase your reach and visibility by making your posts discoverable to a wider audience. Many social media users stumble across people’s work simply by discovering a hashtag that looks interesting and clicking on it.
  2. Hashtags can also help you to attract your target audience by making it easier to connect with people who have an interest in your topic or niche.
  3. Hashtags can help spark engagement or open conversations around certain topics by raising awareness about them or making it easier for people with mutual artists to find posts where they can interact with one another.

Risks of Using Hashtags

Is using hashtags beneficial? Absolutely. But, using irrelevant, excessive, or nonsensical hashtags may hinder rather than help you.

The main risk behind using too many hashtags or using hashtags that aren’t appropriate to your post, is that it can make your content appear spammy and unattractive to users. Even search engines may penalize your posts for spammy hashtag use.

The other consideration is that using hashtags that don’t accurately reflect your content can be misleading to users and damage your authenticity and credibility.

All in all, hashtags are a powerful tool that can help increase visibility, engagement, and your ability to connect. However, as with any tool, using it wrongly can be damaging. Always ensure that you use accurate hashtags and not in a spammy way.

Finding the Right Hashtags: A Masterclass

While hashtags are undeniably useful and can make a significant difference to your overall strategy on X, choosing the right ones can feel overwhelming. Even the X trending hashtags can be so numerous that they don’t offer much help in this regard.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at how to choose the right hashtags for your posts.

Step 1: Identify Your Niche

The first thing you need to do before you can start winnowing out all the wrong options and find the right ones is to decide exactly what you’re representing and who your target audience is.

This means answering questions like:

  • Who are you trying to reach (your target audience)?
  • What is your goal and intended message?
  • What do you want readers to do? I.E., purchase a product, use a service, or just connect authentically.

Once you understand your niche, your goals, and your established brand voice, you can choose hashtags that will resonate with your target audience while staying true to your chosen brand identity.

Step 2: Influencer and Competitor Research

Once you’re sure about your niche, you can research influencers and competitors in that niche. This will help you to determine which strategies and hashtags are working well for them.

The key here is that while you can borrow from other people and brands in your niche, you can’t adopt their identity and brand persona. Use only hashtags and strategies that suit your brand identity and image.

Step 3: Use Research Tools

When you’re trying to get ahead, it’s important to use every device at your disposal. Having a useful tool to help you in your search for hashtags is vital.

RiteTag is one such tool that can help you find the right hashtag. It’s a free Chrome extension that analyzes your content and suggests relevant hashtags. It analyzes metrics like popularity and competition.

RiteTag Tool

This tool is like a magic wand, identifying relevant keywords quickly and linking you to trending topics that are related to your niche. With this straightforward approach, you can quickly and easily enhance your hashtag strategy.

Step 4: Keyword Magic

Once you’ve determined your niche and related aspects, it’s time to use research tools and search engines to identify relevant keywords. Perhaps you’re a bakery that specializes in sourdough bread.

By using tools like Google Trends and Keyword Planner, you can identify relevant keywords like #sourdoughstarter, #artisanalbread, or #breadbaking.

Step 5: Trending Topic Tracker

At this point, you’re ready to shift from discovery to tracking. Leveraging trending topics that are relevant to your niche and brand is an excellent way of finding hashtags for your posts.

For instance, if Black Poetry Month is trending and you run a group for black poets, using #blackpoetrymonth to showcase poetry your group has written makes perfect sense.

The important thing is to use only the topics that are really relevant to you. Don’t hop on trends when they have nothing to do with your brand.

Mastering Hashtags on X (Twitter)

Thanks to its 280-character limit, X demands that you use hashtags wisely and strategically. Here are some top tips for using hashtags more effectively:

Always Prioritize Relevance

When choosing hashtags, always choose relevant options that are directly related to your content and target audience. Irrelevant hashtags can detract from the power of your posts, confuse readers, and prove that you’re not trustworthy.

For example, if you’re tweeting about famous authors like C.S. Lewis or J.R.R Tolkien, you could use the #Inklings hashtag since both authors were members of this group. However, if you were to use the #HorrorAuthors hashtag, it would be inappropriate.

How Many Hashtags Should I Use on Twitter (X)?

X allows up to 42 hashtags per tweet, but using one to two tags per post is much better. When you use too many hashtags, it actually makes people less likely to read your posts. Not only does it make your posts seem spammy, but it makes you seem less authentic.

Mix Things Up

If you want the best possible results, it’s good to combine popular hashtags with more niche options. For instance, the #writerslife hashtag may be fairly common, but you could use the #WritersOfNY hashtag to narrow it down to a target audience in your city of New York.

As a final reminder, remember always to choose only relevant trends and hashtags for your posts.

Conclusion

It’s readily apparent that there are many advantages to effectively using hashtags on X. The key is to use them with restraint rather than spamming your posts with them.

Along with using tools like Twenvy, which help you gain followers quickly and easily, hashtags are only one way of increasing your reach and connecting with more followers.

With the simple techniques offered in this article, using hashtags is quick, easy, and effective. Try it for yourself and watch your number of followers grow.

Maddie Schultz
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