How to Find the Best Hashtags for TikTok

Finding the right hashtags on TikTok can feel like guessing a secret password. You know they unlock visibility, but nailing the perfect combination seems impossible. This guide will show you a repeatable strategy to discover the best hashtags for your videos, connect with your target audience, and signal exactly what your content is about to the TikTok algorithm.

Why Your Hashtag Strategy Matters on TikTok

You might have heard that TikTok’s “For You” page algorithm is so powerful that hashtags are irrelevant. That’s not quite right. While the algorithm is incredibly smart at understanding video content, hashtags serve as direct, explicit signposts that help categorize your content and get it in front of the right viewers faster.

Think of it this way:

• For the Algorithm: Hashtags provide immediate context. A video of someone icing a cake with the hashtag #bakingtips tells TikTok precisely what it is and who might want to see it, versus the algorithm having to guess based on visual cues alone.
• For Users: People actively follow and search for hashtags to find communities and content they’re interested in. Using #booktok puts your video directly in the feeds of avid readers, creating an instant connection.
• For You: A solid hashtag strategy helps you analyze what’s working. You can track performance and see which communities respond best to your content, allowing you to refine your approach over time.

Hashtags aren't a shortcut to going viral, but they are a fundamental part of a smart TikTok strategy that builds a loyal audience.

The Three Essential Types of Hashtags

Not all hashtags are created equal. A successful strategy uses a balanced mix of different types to maximize both reach and relevance. For every video, you should think about including tags from each of these three categories.

1. Broad or Trending Hashtags

These are the giants of the hashtag world, with view counts in the billions or even trillions. They are general, high-traffic tags that can give your video an initial burst of visibility in a massive audience.

• Examples: #fyp, #tiktok, #viral, #foryoupage, #trending
• When to Use Them: Sparingly. Use one, maybe two, per post. Because they are so popular, your video can get lost in the noise quickly. But for that initial push, they can be valuable. Their main purpose is to cast a very wide net, but they won't bring you a hyper-targeted audience.

2. Niche or Community Hashtags

This is where the real connection happens. Niche hashtags are tied to specific subcultures, interests, and communities on TikTok. They have a moderately sized audience that is highly engaged and passionate about the topic.

• Examples: #cleantok (cleaning videos), #cozygaming (for relaxed video games), #grwm (a popular beauty community acronym for "get ready with me"), #smallbusinesscheck (for entrepreneurs), #booktok (book recommendations), #midsizefashion (for a specific body-positive fashion niche).
• When to Use Them: In every single video. These are the most important hashtags you can use. They align your content with an established audience that is already looking for what you’re creating. Someone following #cozygaming wants to see your relaxing Stardew Valley clip.

3. Specific or Content-Based Hashtags

These tags are hyper-descriptive and function like SEO keywords for your video. They describe exactly what is happening in the video, what product is featured, or what problem is being solved. Their view counts are usually much lower, but the audience is laser-focused.

• Examples: #howtomakecookies, #photoshoptutorial, #unboxingvideo, #dayinthelifevlog, #falloutfitinspo
• When to Use Them: Always include at least one or two descriptive hashtags. If someone searches for "how to make cookies," using this hashtag makes it far more likely your video will show up. It provides clear, undeniable context for both users and the algorithm.

The Ideal Mix

Most experts agree that using 3 to 5 targeted hashtags per video is the sweet spot. A great formula is:

• 1 Broad Hashtag (optional): For that initial reach. Ex: #fyp
• 2-3 Niche Hashtags: To connect with your community. Ex: #smallbusinesscheck #handmadegifts
• 1-2 Specific Hashtags: To describe your content. Ex: #howtopackanorder #candlemaking

Together, this mix becomes: #fyp #smallbusinesscheck #handmadegifts #howtopackanorder #candlemaking. This strategy gives your video the best chance to be found by a broad audience, a dedicated community, and direct searchers.

A Step-by-Step Method for Finding Your Best Hashtags

Now that you know the different types, here’s how to find the perfect ones for your niche.

Step 1: Get Ideas Directly from the TikTok App

TikTok itself is your most powerful research tool. Start right inside the app.

First, go to the search bar and type in a general keyword related to your industry or content. For example, if you sell plants, type "houseplants." The menu that appears will provide suggestions across "Top," "Users," "Videos," "Sounds," and most importantly, "Hashtags."

Tap on the "Hashtags" tab. You'll see a list of relevant hashtags along with their total view counts. You might find:

• #plantsoftiktok (5.1B views) - A great niche/community tag.
• #houseplants (3.2B views) - Another strong niche tag.
• #plantcare (450M views) - A more specific content-based tag.
• #rareplants (90M views) - A highly specific and engaged sub-niche.

Make a list of these tags along with their view counts. Notice the balance, you want tags with high view counts for reach, but also tags with smaller, more targeted view counts for relevance.

Step 2: Study Top Creators and Competitors in Your Niche

Who is already doing what you want to do successfully? Go find them. Search for users in your niche and identify 5-10 accounts that are consistently creating high-quality content and getting good engagement.

Don't just look at their profiles, dig into their individual videos. Scroll through their top-performing content and see exactly what hashtag combinations they used. Ask yourself:

• Are they using mostly niche tags or a mix?
• Are their hashtags descriptive or broad?
• Did they use a trending hashtag that you could adapt?
• Is there a branded hashtag they’ve successfully popularized?

This isn't about copying their strategy - it's about understanding what resonates within your community. Add any promising hashtags you find to your brainstorm list.

Step 3: Dive Into "Related Hashtags"

When you find a great hashtag, TikTok helps you find more like it. In the app, search for a hashtag you’ve already identified, like #plantcare. When you land on the hashtag page, you will often find TikTok suggesting a list of "Related hashtags" at the very top of the videos. This feature is a goldmine, helping you dive deeper into your niche and find additional tags your target audience follows, significantly improving your content's discoverability.

Step 4: Create and Promote a Branded Hashtag

A branded hashtag is a tag that’s unique to your business. It’s a powerful tool for building brand identity and encouraging user-generated content (UGC). It can be as simple as your brand name or a catchy campaign slogan.

Some examples are:

• #glossier: The skincare and beauty brand uses its name as a hashtag for all official content and to aggregate UGC from creators using their products, which collectively have over 384 million views.
• #chipotlence: Influenced by a TikTok creator, Newt, who ate Chipotle for nearly two years straight, the brand embraced the trend. They launched a campaign with the branded hashtag, created "The Newt Bowl" as an official menu item, and even made "Team Newt" T-shirts, building a powerful community around an organic fan movement.

How to use it: Include your branded hashtag in your bio and occasionally in your posts alongside your other niche and specific hashtags. The goal is to create a hub where all content related to your brand - both from you and from your customers - can be easily found.

Common Hashtag Traps and How to Avoid Them

A bad hashtag strategy can be just as ineffective as no strategy at all. Watch out for these common missteps:

• Using Irrelevant Tags: Putting #taylorswift on your Excel spreadsheet tips video won’t trick the algorithm. It will just frustrate viewers and hurt your video's performance when people quickly swipe away because the content doesn't match their expectations. Stick to relevant tags only.
• Ignoring a Hashtag's Content: Before you use a new hashtag, always click on it to see the type of content that’s already trending there. Sometimes, a seemingly innocent hashtag might be associated with unrelated, inappropriate, or spammy content.
• Using Banned or Broken Hashtags: TikTok occasionally shadow-bans certain hashtags that violate community guidelines. Using them can actively suppress your video’s reach. You can check if a hashtag might be suppressed by searching for it. If the hashtag page shows no content or a message about community guidelines, it's best to avoid it.
• Only Using Saturated Hashtags: If you only use tags with billions of views like #fyp, your content is a tiny drop in an ocean. It will appear for a moment before being buried by thousands of other videos uploaded in the same few minutes. Your best chance to stand out is by dominating in smaller, more relevant niches first.

Test, Track, and Refine

Your hashtag strategy shouldn't be set in stone. The most successful creators are always testing new combinations and learning from their results.

Use your TikTok Analytics to see how people are finding your videos. Head over to Creator tools > Analytics > Content, then click on individual videos and scroll to the bottom of the Video viewers section, which highlights the traffic sources an individual video's views are coming from including searches, hashtags and location tags.

Pay attention to the trends. Does a particular set of tags consistently lead to higher views from the "For you" page? This indicates your hashtag strategy is successfully reaching a new, non-follower audience. Use this data to create more content that resonates with this wider audience, improving the traffic to your TikTok videos.

Keep a simple note or spreadsheet of hashtag "sets" that you use for specific types of videos. You will begin to notice content pillars. Then, note the performance of each video. Over time, you’ll develop a proven set of high-performing hashtags for each style of content you create.

Final Thoughts

Finding the right TikTok hashtags comes down to understanding your audience and the content you're creating. By using a balanced mix of broad, niche, and specific tags, you give your videos the best chance to be discovered by both the algorithm and the real people who make up your ideal community.

Experimenting with different hashtag combinations requires planning and tracking. At Postbase, we designed our platform for modern creators who need an easy way to organize their content. Our visual content calendar allows you to drag-and-drop posts, duplicate what works, and track what performs successfully. This makes it easy to experiment with different strategies and build an effective plan to grow a loyal fanbase, all on one clean, modern platform.