How to Find Popular Hashtags on TikTok

Unlock the right audience on TikTok by finding hashtags that genuinely work for your content. No more guessing, this guide will walk you through actionable methods for discovering popular, niche, and trending hashtags directly inside the app. You'll learn how to build a smart strategy that helps the algorithm - and your future followers - find you.

Why Your TikTok Hashtag Strategy is a Big Deal

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly touch on the "why." Hashtags on TikTok aren't just for decoration, they're organizing tools for the algorithm. When you add a hashtag like #homedecorideas to your video, you’re giving TikTok a powerful signal about what your content is about. This helps it serve your video to users who have shown interest in home decor, DIY projects, or interior design.

Think of it as filing your video in the right digital cabinet so that people searching for that exact topic can find it easily. A good strategy expands your reach far beyond your current followers, putting you in front of a targeted and interested audience that is more likely to engage with and follow your account. Without them, you’re relying solely on the algorithm to guess what your video is trying to say.

How to Find Trending Hashtags Right Inside the TikTok App

You don’t need dozens of expensive third-party tools to start your research. TikTok itself provides all the data you need to find effective hashtags. Here are the four primary methods to use without ever leaving the app.

1. Start with Your "For You" Page

Your "For You" Page (FYP) isn't just for entertainment, it's a living library of what's currently working on TikTok. The algorithm is already feeding you content it thinks you'll like, which probably overlaps with the kind of content you want to create. This makes your FYP a goldmine for hashtag research in real-time.

Here’s how to use it for research:

• Active Scrolling: Scroll through your FYP not as a consumer, but as a creator. Pay close attention to videos that are similar to your niche or style.
• Note the Hashtags: When you see a high-performing video (lots of likes, shares, and comments) that fits your niche, look at the hashtags they used in the caption.
• Look for Patterns: Start taking notes. Are you seeing the same one or two hashtags pop up again and again on successful videos about a specific topic? Those are strong contenders for your own content. For example, if you make cooking content and constantly see #easyrecipe on viral videos, that’s one to add to your list.

This method helps you understand what's resonating with audiences right now, keeping your content relevant and timely.

2. Let TikTok Help You: The "Add Hashtags" Tool

This is arguably the most direct and underrated method for finding popular hashtags. TikTok has a built-in suggestion tool that activates as soon as you start adding hashtags to your caption. It gives you immediate data on a hashtag's popularity (measured in views).

Follow these simple steps:

1. Record or upload your video and navigate to the post screen where you write your caption.
2. In the caption box, type the pound symbol (#) followed by a broad keyword related to your video. For instance, if your video is about planting tomatoes, you might start with #gardening.
3. A list of suggested hashtags will automatically appear, sorted by popularity. You'll see things like #gardening (5.7B views), #gardeninghacks (1.2B views), and #gardeningtips (980M views).
4. Experiment with different keywords. Try more specific terms like #tomatoes to uncover another set of suggestions like #tomatoplant or #growyourownfood.

This tool is excellent for finding both massive, high-volume hashtags and more specific, niche options that can connect you with a passionate audience.

3. Scope Out Your Competition (and Niche Role Models)

Studying other successful creators in your niche is not about copying, it’s about learning what already works so you can adapt it to your own style. Well-established accounts have already done the trial-and-error, so their hashtag usage gives you valuable clues.

Here’s a quick-start plan for competitor analysis:

• Identify 5-10 Key Accounts: Find a handful of creators in your industry or niche who have a strong and engaged following. Don't just focus on massive influencers, look for mid-size creators who are clearly growing.
• Analyze Their Best Videos: Go to their profiles and tap on their most-viewed videos. Study the mix of hashtags they used. Do they use broad tags? Highly specific ones? A combination?
• Find Their Go-To Hashtags: Often, you'll find that successful accounts have a core set of 3-4 hashtags they use consistently on nearly every video. These are their niche-defining tags that you should strongly consider incorporating into your own strategy.

For example, a digital artist might consistently use #procreate, #digitalart, and #artprocess. This tells the algorithm that they are a consistent source of content on that topic, building their authority in that space.

4. Master the TikTok Search Bar

The search bar is your central research hub. While you can use it to find accounts or sounds, it has a dedicated "Hashtags" tab that provides a clean, ranked list of relevant tags for any keyword.

Here’s how to use it effectively:

1. Tap the search icon in the top right corner of the TikTok app.
2. Type in a broad keyword or topic related to your content (e.g., "social media marketing").
3. Hit search, and then select the "Hashtags" tab at the top of the search results page.
4. You’ll see a list of all hashtags containing your keyword, ordered by the number of views. This can reveal less obvious, long-tail hashtags that are still highly relevant. For example, a search for "marketing" might show you #marketingtips (3B views) but also gems like #smallbusinessmarketing (850M views) that might be a better fit for your audience.

Tapping on any of these hashtags will also show you the top-performing videos that use it, giving you even more inspiration for what works well under that tag.

Building a Winning Hashtag Strategy

Finding hashtags is only half the battle. You need a smart strategy for using them. Dropping 10 unrelated viral hashtags onto your video won’t help. Instead, focus on a layered approach.

The 3-Tier Hashtag Mix

The most effective strategies don’t rely solely on giant, viral hashtags. A healthy mix of broad, niche, and specific tags will give your content the best chance to be discovered by both a wide audience and a highly interested one.

A balanced toolkit includes:

• Broad Reach Hashtags (1-2 per post): These are tags with hundreds of millions or billions of views (e.g., #digitalmarketing, #comedy, #getfit). They give you a chance to be seen by a huge number of people, but the competition is incredibly high. Your video won't stay a "top" video using this tag for long.
• Niche-Specific Hashtags (2-3 per post): This is your sweet spot. These are more specific hashtags with maybe millions (or even tens of thousands) of views (e.g., #tiktokforbusiness, #deadliftform, #glutenfreerecipes). Viewers following these tags are highly interested in your topic, which leads to better engagement.
• Branded or Unique Hashtags (1 per post): This is a custom hashtag for your brand, a series, or a campaign (e.g., #JoesCoffeeTips). It allows you to build a community and makes it easy for followers to find all your related content in one place. It’s also great for encouraging user-generated content.

How Many Hashtags is Too Many?

While TikTok allows for a long caption, filling it with dozens of hashtags isn't a good look. It can appear spammy both to users and the algorithm. The sweet spot generally falls between 3 to 5 highly relevant hashtags.

The goal is quality over quantity. Choose a few hashtags that precisely describe your video and target audience. A clear, focused set of signals helps the algorithm do its job better than a scattered mix of 20 unrelated tags.

Final Thoughts

Putting in the time to find the right TikTok hashtags is one of the most effective ways to grow your account organically. By using a mix of in-app research, competitor analysis, and a structured, multi-tiered approach, you can give your videos a real advantage and connect with an audience that's excited to see what you post next.

At Postbase, we believe a great strategy is one you can actually execute consistently. Knowing a dozen hashtag strategies doesn't help if posting still feels chaotic. That’s why we built our visual content calendar - to help you plan your TikToks and pair them with the right hashtag combinations ahead of time. It allows you to see your entire content plan at a glance, schedule your videos for the perfect time, and make sure that all your research turns into real, measurable growth, not just notes on a page.