How to Use Hashtags on Pinterest

Using hashtags on Pinterest can feel like a moving target, with advice and best practices seeming to change every year. You're not just imagining it. What worked three years ago might not be the best approach today. This guide will give you a clear, up-to-date strategy for using Pinterest hashtags effectively to get your fresh content discovered. We'll cover how they really work now, how to find the right ones, and where to put them for the best results, cutting through the old, outdated advice.

Do Hashtags Still Matter on Pinterest?

Let's get the big question out of the way first: are hashtags even relevant on Pinterest anymore? The short answer is yes, but not in the way they are on platforms like Instagram or X. On Pinterest, think of hashtags as secondary discovery tools, while strong keywords are your primary engine.

Years ago, hashtags were a major driver of traffic. But Pinterest's search algorithm has become incredibly sophisticated. It now prioritizes keywords found in your Pin descriptions, board titles, board descriptions, and even the text overlay on your Pin image. These elements tell the algorithm what your content is about in great detail, allowing it to serve your Pin to the most relevant users.

So where do hashtags fit in? They primarily serve one main function: organizing and ranking fresh, new content. When a user searches for a hashtag on Pinterest, they’ll see a chronological feed of the newest Pins tagged with it. This gives your brand-new Pins a chance to get immediate visibility before the main algorithm has fully indexed and distributed them. Think of hashtags as a small, initial boost, giving Pinterest an extra signal about your Pin's topic right at the moment of publishing.

Keywords vs. Hashtags: The Key Difference

To really master Pinterest, you have to understand this distinction. It's the foundation of a solid strategy.

• Keywords are for long-term, evergreen search. They are descriptive phrases ("modern farmhouse kitchen ideas," "budget-friendly weeknight dinners") that people type into the search bar. High-quality Pins optimized with strong keywords can get surfaced in search results for months and even years.
• Hashtags are for short-term, chronological discovery. They are topical labels (#modernfarmhouse, #mealprep) that help categorize content the moment it goes live. Their impact is greatest in the first few hours and days after you publish a Pin.

Your strategy should be built on keywords, and then enhanced with hashtags as a final touch.

Finding the Right Hashtags for Your Pins

Since the goal is to use a small number of highly relevant hashtags, your research process has to be intentional. Generic or overly broad tags won't move the needle. Here’s how to find hashtags that actually work for you.

The Guided Search Method

The best place to find keywords and hashtag ideas is right inside Pinterest itself. Their search bar and suggestions are a direct look into what real users are searching for.

1. Start Broad: Type a general term related to your Pin into the Pinterest search bar. For example, if your Pin is about organizing a small pantry, you might start with "pantry organization."
2. Analyze the Keyword Bubbles: Notice the colorful bubbles that appear just below the search bar? These are Pinterest's suggested related searches. Terms like "ideas," "diy," "small," and "on a budget" are pure gold. These make for excellent long-tail keywords in your description and can inspire your hashtag choices.
3. Go Deeper: Click on one of the search results and analyze the top-performing Pins. What topics do they cover? More importantly, scroll to the descriptions of the newest Pins. What hashtags are creators in your niche using consistently? This is less about copying and more about identifying patterns.

Use the Pinterest Trends Tool

For timely or seasonal content, the Pinterest Trends tool is invaluable. It shows you what topics are gaining traction on the platform, allowing you to align your content and hashtags with what's currently popular.

For instance, if you see a spike in searches for "coastal grandmother aesthetic" leading into summer, you could create content around that theme and include hashtags like #coastalgrandmother and #summerstyle to ride that wave of interest.

Have a Mix of Hashtag Types

A good strategy involves blending different types of hashtags to reach both broad and specific audiences. Think of it like a funnel.

• Broad/Community Hashtags: These are high-volume, popular tags that an entire community rallies around. Think #homedecor, #veganrecipes, or #digitalmarketing. While your Pin might get lost in the feed quickly, these tags signal to Pinterest the general high-level category your content belongs to.
• Niche-Specific Hashtags: These tags get more focused and speak to a specific segment of the wider community. Instead of just #homedecor, you might use #bohoscandinavianlivingroom or #darkacademiaaesthetic. Instead of #veganrecipes, you might use #veganpastarecipe or #plantbasedbreakfast. This is where you have the best chance of being seen by a highly interested audience.
• Branded Hashtags: This is a hashtag unique to your business, like #YourBrandName or #YourBrandSeries. This is a fantastic way to group your own content, build a recognizable brand, and even encourage user-generated content down the line. It won't bring in new traffic initially, but it's essential for brand-building.

How to Add Hashtags to Your Pins: The Right Way

Knowing which hashtags to use is only half the battle. Knowing how many to use and where to place them is just as important to making them effective without looking spammy.

How Many Hashtags Should You Use on Pinterest?

This is where a lot of the confusion lives. If you see older Pins, you might find them stuffed with 20+ hashtags. That's outdated advice.

The current best practice, as supported by Pinterest's own creator resources, is to use between 2 to 5 highly specific and relevant hashtags per Pin. An absolute maximum would be around 8, but exceeding that offers diminishing returns and can even get your Pin flagged as spammy, which hurts its distribution.

Why so few? Because Pinterest wants to see you use precise, targeted terms. A Pin with #gardening, #plants, #flowers, #garden, #organicgardening, #vegetablegarden is much less clear than one with #vegetablegardeningtips and #organicgardening. Quality over quantity is the goal.

Where to Put Your Hashtags

This is an easy rule to follow: place your hashtags at the end of your Pin description.

Your Pin description should prioritize a human-readable, keyword-rich sentence or two first. This opening statement is extremely important for SEO and for convincing a user to click. It tells the algorithm exactly what your Pin is about in natural language.

After your descriptive sentences, add your 2-5 hashtags. This keeps your description clean, professional, and optimized for both search engines and the user experience.

Correct Example:

Learn how to create a beautiful and productive container garden on your balcony, even if you have a small space. We share our top tips for choosing the right plants and soil.

#containergardening #balconygarden #smallspacegardening #urbangardening

Don't "sprinkle" hashtags throughout your sentences. It makes the text messy and harder to read, and it provides no additional SEO benefit on Pinterest.

A Simple Pinterest Hashtag Strategy to Follow

Ready to put it all together? Here's a repeatable workflow you can use for every new Pin you create.

1. Prioritize Keywords First

Before you even think about hashtags, make sure your Pin is built on a solid foundation of keyword research. Your Pin Title, Pin Description, and the Board it's pinned to should all contain relevant, user-focused keywords.

2. Find 2-5 Focused Hashtags

Using the research methods above (guided search, Pinterest Trends, etc.), find a handful of tags that directly relate to your specific Pin. Strive for a mix:

• 1 Broad Hashtag (optional): The overall category (e.g., #contentmarketing).
• 2-3 Niche Hashtags: The specific topic of the Pin (e.g., #bloggingtips, #seoforbloggers, #socialmediatips).
• 1 Branded Hashtag: Your own tag (e.g., #YourAgencyName).

3. Add Them to the End of the Description

Carefully write your compelling, keyword-rich description. Then, pop your chosen hashtags neatly at the bottom.

4. Pin to the Most Relevant Board

Always remember that the board your Pin is saved to is one of the strongest relevancy signals you can send to Pinterest. Pinning your #veganpastarecipe Pin to a board called "Vegan Dinner Recipes" is far more powerful than pinning it to a general board called "Food."

5. Be Consistent

One or two Pins with a good hashtag strategy won't change your business overnight. The key is applying this consistent process over time to all the new content you publish. As you add more well-optimized content, Pinterest will begin to better understand what your account is about, which helps all your Pins get discovered.

Final Thoughts

Think of using hashtags on Pinterest less like a magic bullet and more like good punctuation, it's a detail that adds clarity and polish to your message, supporting the main content. The real power comes from a foundation of excellent keyword research, high-quality visuals, and consistent pinning. Use 2-5 specific hashtags at the end of your descriptions to give your fresh content a timely discoverability boost and let your rock-solid keyword strategy handle long-term growth.

We know that managing all the moving pieces of a content strategy - from planning Pins to customizing captions and hashtag sets for every platform - can become overwhelming. It’s exactly why we built Postbase. Our visual calendar makes it easy to see your entire content plan at a glance, and our scheduling tool helps you create content once and publish it everywhere without the repetitive busywork, so you can focus more on creating and less on manually copying and pasting.