Prepare to be #hashtagged mercilessly. Facebook is starting to suggest the use of hashtags as a way to increase post reach.
Hashtags pretty much exist on every social platform we use these days. Love them or hate them, they are an unavoidable part of being active on social media. But they matter more on some platforms than they do on others.
For example, not using a hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok might be a major mistake if you’re trying to get discovered, whereas, on Facebook, things are not so black and white. Many people swear by them – others think they’re useless. I am personally annoyed by them.
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Either way, I’m preparing to get more annoyed soon, as Facebook is starting to emphasize the use of hashtags to users. Some users are starting to see a tip prompt that says, “You can improve your reach by adding hashtags to your posts.” Well, it doesn’t get clearer than that: Facebook is now promising extra reach when you use hashtags in your posts.
Word of advice, though, if you intend on doing this properly… Start testing very relevant hashtags first, and make sure not to overdo it. I would say 3-5 hashtags are more than enough on any post, even on hashtag-heavy platforms like Instagram. You can always expand this number, of course.
Facebook’s seemingly sudden promotion of hashtags isn’t actually so sudden. Apart from encouraging users to take part in hashtag challenges, recently, it also heavily promoted the use of the #SupportSmallBusiness hashtag to let people show their love for small businesses.
Facebook is not innovating here. It rarely does so these days, anyway. The social network is following the trend that hashtags have a tendency to increase engagement and help users rally around their common interests or concerns – and is determined to use that trend to its advantage.