How to Find Trending Hashtags on Twitter

Jumping into the right conversation at the right time on Twitter can transform your visibility overnight. The simplest way to do that is by using trending hashtags that put your content right in front of a massive, engaged audience. This guide walks you through the exact methods for finding these valuable trends, from the native tools on X to more advanced strategies the pros use.

Why Trending Hashtags Still Matter on X

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." In the fast-moving stream of X, hashtags are more than just labels, they are digital pathways. Using them correctly connects your brand or personal account to larger discussions, events, and communities, giving your content a significant organic boost. Here’s what they really do:

• Increase Discoverability: A relevant trending hashtag exposes your content to users who don't follow you but are interested in the topic. It’s a direct line to a new audience.
• Boost Engagement: People who follow trends are actively looking to interact. Posts with trending hashtags often see higher rates of likes, reposts, and replies because they are caught in the current of what people are talking about right now.
• Show Relevance: Participating in trending conversations shows that your brand is current and connected. It signals that you’re paying attention to the world around you, not just broadcasting your own messages into the void.

Method 1: Finding Trends Directly on the X Platform

Your first and best source for trends is X itself. The platform is designed to show you what's currently capturing the world's attention. You just need to know where to look.

Navigate to the "Explore" Tab

The "Explore" tab is your command center for everything trending. It's easily accessible and updated in real time.

• On Desktop: Look for the magnifying glass icon or the "# Explore" link in the left-hand navigation menu. Clicking it will take you to a dedicated page showcasing top trends.
• On Mobile: Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of your screen. This will bring you to the mobile version of the Explore section.

This section is usually organized into tabs like "For you," "Trending," "News," "Sports," and "Entertainment," making it simple to find topics relevant to your niche.

Customize Trends for Your Audience

Global trends are interesting, but local or niche trends are often more powerful for engagement. X defaults to showing you trends based on your interests and location, but you can manually adjust this to gain more specific insights.

Here's how to tailor your trend view:

1. Go to the Explore tab.
2. Click the gear icon (Settings) located in the top-right corner of the Trending section.
3. Here, you can uncheck "Show content in this location." This will switch to global trends.
4. Alternatively, click "Explore locations" to see what's trending in other countries or specific cities. This is incredibly useful for brands targeting customers in different regions.

By toggling between global, "For you," and location-specific trends, you get a much clearer picture of conversations that matter to your specific audience segments.

Understanding Different Types of Trends

Not all trends are created equal. In your feed, you'll see a mix of topics and hashtags:

• Organic Trends: These bubble up naturally from a high volume of users tweeting about the same topic. Think major news events, cultural moments, or viral memes. They often come with a tweet count, like "45K posts."
• Promoted Trends: These are paid advertisements. Brands can pay to have their hashtag featured at the top of the trending list for a 24-hour period. You can easily spot them by the small "Promoted" label underneath.
• Topics with Context: X's algorithm is getting smarter. Sometimes, instead of just a hashtag, you'll see a trending topic with a brief description or a news headline attached. This helps you quickly understand the context behind why an item is buzzing.

Method 2: Using Third-Party Tools for Deeper Insights

To move from a casual user to a social media pro, you’ll want to look beyond X's native tools. Specialized platforms can provide a deeper layer of data and analytics that help you make more strategic decisions.

Why Go Beyond X's Native Features?

While the Explore page tells you what's trending, third-party tools can tell you why and for how long. They offer capabilities like:

• Historical Trend Data: You can see what hashtags were popular last week, last month, or even during a specific event last year. Perfect for planning annual campaigns.
• Related Hashtag Analysis: These tools suggest other hashtags commonly used alongside a trending one, helping you find related niche conversations.
• Popularity and Performance Metrics: Get actual numbers on a hashtag's reach, impressions, and top influencers, so you can gauge its true potential before using it.
• Real-Time Alerts: Some tools let you set up notifications for keywords related to your brand, alerting you the moment a relevant topic starts to trend.

Popular Hashtag Research Tools

While many excellent tools exist, a few consistently deliver valuable insights for hashtag research:

• Trends24: A simple, no-frills tool that shows you a chronological list of trending topics on Twitter for any country over the last 24 hours. It's a great way to quickly see how trends evolve throughout the day.
• Hashtagify: One of the most advanced tools available. You can search for any hashtag and get data on its popularity, related tags, top using languages, and key influencers who are using it.
• Sprout Social / Hootsuite: Comprehensive social media management platforms like these often have built-in trend listening features. Their social listening tools go beyond just hashtags, allowing you to monitor keywords, brand mentions, and competitor activity.

Using one of these tools allows you to look at historical data and patterns, making your hashtag strategy more predictive and less reactive.

Method 3: A Proactive Approach to Trendspotting

The best social media managers don't just react to trends - they anticipate them. This requires shifting your mindset from finding what's already popular to identifying what's about to be.

Follow Industry Leaders and News Outlets

The fastest way to know what people in your industry will be talking about is to follow the people who start those conversations. Create a private Twitter List with:

• Industry influencers and experts.
• Reporters and journalists covering your niche.
• Key news outlets and trade publications.
• Your top competitors (to see what they are talking about).

By regularly checking this curated list, you'll spot emerging topics and hashtags before they hit the main Explore page, giving you a valuable head start.

Tap into Event-Based &, Seasonal Hashtags

Some of the most predictable (and effective) hashtags are tied to specific events. These are easy to plan for and build campaigns around.

• Conferences &, Industry Events: Virtually every conference has an official hashtag (e.g., #INBOUND2024). Participating in these conversations connects you with a highly targeted and engaged group of professionals.
• Holidays: From #Christmas to smaller, fun holidays like #NationalDonutDay, these provide regular opportunities for creative, timely content.
• TV Shows &, Live Events: Did your tweet about the #HouseOfTheDragon finale get tons of traction? That's because thousands of people were searching and engaging with that hashtag in real time. The same goes for major sports championships or award shows.

Create Your Own Branded Hashtag

For major campaigns, new product launches, or fostering a community, creating your own hashtag can be powerfully effective. A good branded hashtag is:

• Unique and recognizable: A quick search should confirm no one else is using it.
• Short and memorable: Make it easy to spell and type.
• Clear: It should ideally relate to your brand, campaign, or event.

Think of #SocialMediaDay or #NikeJustDoIt. Once established, these hashtags become a hub for all user-generated content and discussions related to your brand, effectively creating your own evergreen trend.

Best Practices for Using Trending Hashtags

Finding a trend is only half the battle. Using it effectively without looking like you're spamming or trying too hard is an art. Follow these simple rules to get it right.

1. Check the Context - Always

This is the golden rule. Before you use any trending hashtag, click on it and read the top posts. Understand why it is trending. A seemingly innocent hashtag could be related to a tragic news event, a sensitive political issue, or a social controversy. Jumping in blindly is one of the quickest ways to cause a PR nightmare.

2. Quality Over Quantity

Resist the urge to stuff your post with every trend of the day. A tweet loaded with a dozen hashtags looks messy and desperate. It can also get your post flagged as spam by the algorithm. For most posts, the sweet spot is 1-3 highly relevant hashtags. One popular trend, one niche hashtag, and maybe one location-based tag is a solid formula.

3. Be Genuine and Add Value

Don’t just tack a trending hashtag onto an unrelated sales pitch. Ask yourself: "How does my content add to this specific conversation?" Your post should be a relevant and authentic contribution. For example, if #WorldProductivityDay is trending, a post sharing a genuine productivity tip is a great fit. A post just saying "Buy our stuff! #WorldProductivityDay" is not.

4. Combine Broad Trends with Niche Tags

To maximize your reach and relevance, pair a high-volume trending hashtag with one or two smaller, more specific ones. The popular tag gets you visibility in the mainstream, while the niche tags help you connect with a more targeted, and often more engaged, community.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to find and use trending hashtags on X is a core skill for any marketer, brand, or creator looking to grow their audience. By consistently using the native Explore tab, leveraging third-party tools for deeper data, and keeping an eye on your industry, you can reliably place your content in the center of key conversations.

Once you’ve identified the right hashtags, the next step is building them into a consistent content plan. With our tool, Postbase, I'm able to plug those timely hashtags right into my visual calendar, see where they fit with our other scheduled content, and prepare posts across multiple platforms in one go. It streamlines the whole process, moving our workflow from last-minute reactive posting to smart, proactive planning.