How to Find Popular Twitter Hashtags

Finding the right hashtags on X (formerly Twitter) can feel like searching for a signal in a sea of noise, but it's one of the simplest ways to get your content in front of a wider, more relevant audience. This guide provides a straightforward breakdown of how to find popular and effective hashtags using methods built right into X, a few handy third-party tools, and a smart strategy for organizing your tags. You'll learn how to join trending conversations, connect with your target audience, and amplify your message without the guesswork.

Why Twitter Hashtags Still Matter in 2024

In a fast-moving, algorithm-driven world, you might wonder if hashtags are still relevant. On X, the answer is a definitive yes. Unlike platforms where hashtags have become less important, they remain a core part of how content is discovered, categorized, and discussed on Twitter.

Here’s why they are so valuable:

• Increased Discoverability: At its core, a hashtag turns a word or phrase into a clickable, searchable link. Using one allows people who don’t follow you to find your content when they search for that topic or click on the tag from another tweet.
• Joining Conversations: Trending hashtags give you a direct ticket into a larger public conversation. When used correctly, they can expose your brand to thousands of users actively engaged in a specific topic, from industry conferences to cultural moments.
• Building Community: Creating a unique brand hashtag helps you aggregate user-generated content and build a community. Think of it as a digital home for conversations about your brand, products, or campaigns.
• Better Analytics: By tracking your own branded hashtags or specific campaign tags, you can measure the reach and engagement of your marketing efforts much more effectively.

Method 1: Using X's Built-In Features

Before you turn to paid tools, start with the powerful features Twitter already provides. They are free, readily accessible, and offer real-time insights into what’s currently buzzing on the platform.

Check the Trends Section on the Explore Tab

The simplest way to see what's popular is by checking the "Trends" section, located under the Explore tab (the magnifying glass icon on mobile or # icon on desktop). When you open it, Twitter shows you "Trends for you" by default. This custom list is based on your location, who you follow, and your interests.

While personalized trends are helpful, don't stop there. You can customize this view to uncover more relevant conversations:

1. Navigate to the Explore tab.
2. Click on the settings gear icon at the top right of the Trends section.
3. Deselect "Show content in this location."
4. Click "Explore locations" and choose a specific country or city.

This is extremely useful if your target audience is in a different region. Instead of seeing global entertainment news, you can dial in on what's trending among, say, tech professionals in San Francisco or fashion followers in London. Remember: the goal isn't just to find what's popular, but what's popular with the people you want to reach. Don't just jump on a massive trend like #MondayMotivation unless your content genuinely fits the theme.

Use Twitter's Advanced Search

Twitter's standard search bar is good for a quick look, but the Advanced Search is a marketer's best friend for research. It allows you to filter results with impressive detail, helping you find hashtags being used by specific accounts, in specific locations, or during certain time periods. To access it, simply search for anything in the main search bar, and on the results page, click the three dots and select "Advanced search."

Here are a few ways to use it for hashtag research:

• Analyze Competitors: In the "From these accounts" field, enter a competitor's Twitter handle. You can then see which hashtags they use most often and which ones get the most engagement for them.
• Find Influencer Keywords: Do the same for top influencers in your niche. Seeing which tags they gravitate toward can give you great ideas for topics and community-specific hashtags your audience already follows.
• Look for Niche Questions: Use the "Any of these words" field with your keyword and a question mark. For example, search for "social media tips ?" to find real questions people are asking. The hashtags in these tweets are often great indicators of what users in that niche are looking for.

Scan Mentions and Conversations

What hashtags are your followers and customers already using when they talk about your industry or products? Pay close attention to your notifications and mentions. Often, your community is already having conversations using niche hashtags you might not have found otherwise. Monitor the tags used by people who engage with your content – it's a direct line to understanding the language your audience uses.

Method 2: Leverage Third-Party Analytics Tools

While Twitter's native features are great for real-time discovery, dedicated third-party tools offer more depth, historical data, and strategic recommendations.

Go Deep with Hashtag Analysis Tools

Numerous platforms specialize in hashtag analytics. Many offer free or freemium versions that provide valuable insights. Tools like Hashtagify or RiteTag can help you move beyond simply finding a popular tag to understanding its context. Look for features that show you:

• Related Hashtags: Discover a web of related terms that can help you reach a more targeted audience. Instead of a broad tag like #Marketing, you might find more effective niche options like #ContentMarketingTips or #SEOAgency.
• Popularity Over Time: A graph showing a hashtag's usage over the past week or month can tell you if it's a fleeting trend or a consistently used term worth incorporating into your long-term strategy.
• Top Influencers: By seeing who the power users are for a particular hashtag, you can identify potential partners or simply learn from what the most visible voices in the space are doing right.

Use Social Listening Platforms

Social listening tools like Brand24 or Talkwalker do more than just track hashtags. They monitor keywords and phrases across the web, giving you a comprehensive view of conversations related to your industry. You can set up a search for keywords like "best accountant" or "CRM software recommendation" and analyze the posts that appear. What hashtags are people using in these organic, intent-driven conversations? These are often goldmines for content ideas and effective tags.

Method 3: Develop a Smart Hashtag Strategy

Finding hashtags is only half the battle. You need a system for using them effectively and consistently. The best approach is to categorize your hashtags so you can easily pull the right ones for any given situation.

Create Your Hashtag "Buckets"

Think of your hashtag strategy as having several different "buckets" to pull from. This ensures you have a healthy mix of tags that build your brand, target your content, and tap into wider trends. Aim to use one or two from different buckets in a single tweet.

1. Branded Hashtags

These are tags unique to your business. They're not for discoverability, but for brand building and organizing content. Examples include:

• Your company tagline (e.g., #JustDoIt)
• Specific campaigns (e.g., #ShareACoke)
• Events or webinars (e.g., #INBOUND2024)
• User-generated content campaigns (e.g., #ShotOniPhone)

2. Content or Niche Hashtags

These are the bread and butter of your strategy. They describe the specific topic of your tweet and help people interested in that topic find your content. You should build a list of 10-20 of these core terms related to your industry. For example:

• For a coffee shop: #BaristaLife, #SpecialtyCoffee, #LatteArt
• For a software company: #B2BMarketing, #TechStartups, #ContentCreation

These are often evergreen and have stable, engaged communities around them.

3. Trending or Timely Hashtags

These relate to current events, holidays, or viral conversations. They have a short lifespan but can provide a significant, temporary boost in reach. Always check the context of a trending hashtag before using it to make sure it aligns with your brand values and isn't related to a sensitive topic.

4. Community Hashtags

These tags are used by specific communities on Twitter to connect and share ideas. They often include "Twitter" in the tag. Becoming an active participant in these conversations is a great way to build authority and relationships.

• #MarketingTwitter
• #AcademicTwitter
• #TechTwitter
• #WriterTwitter

Best Practices for Using Hashtags on X

• Less is More: Don't stuff your tweets. One to three relevant hashtags is the generally accepted best practice. Overloading a tweet with tags looks spammy and can hurt readability and engagement.
• Use CamelCase: For multi-word hashtags, capitalize the first letter of each word (e.g., #SocialMediaMarketing instead of #socialmediamarketing). This improves readability and accessibility for screen readers.
• Check Before You Tweet: Always click on a hashtag to see how others are using it before you add it to your own content. This quick check can save you from accidentally joining an inappropriate or completely irrelevant conversation.

Final Thoughts

Finding popular Twitter hashtags requires a balanced approach. By combining Twitter's real-time native tools with deeper analytics platforms and a well-organized strategy, you can consistently reach a wider audience, engage in relevant conversations, and build a stronger presence on the platform.

Once you've built your hashtag strategy, the next step is consistently scheduling and analyzing your content. We built Postbase to streamline this entire process. With our visual calendar, you can plan out your posts - complete with their newly researched hashtags - and get a clear view of your strategy. By scheduling your content across all your platforms from one place and using our clean analytics to see what's actually working, you can spend less time guessing and more time creating.