In our last blog post, we emphasied on the importance of cracking the hashtag code for social media channels. In response, we also received several queries asking us to share best practices for writing content for social media using hashtags.

It is a healthy content marketing practice to use hashtags accurately, to be able to harness their full potential.

Read this before you begin writing the next copy of your social media post or any content for digital media:

• How many: Limit the number of hashtags in social media post captions. Overloading a post with hashtags can be annoying for readers and may even drive away potential customers. Also, not every post needs a hashtag—your post won’t be rejected if there are none. Pro Tip: Instagram allows only 30 hashtags per post. Exceeding the limit? Your reel might get posted without a caption—without any warning! You'll only realise it after posting, leaving you wondering where it went.

  
  

• Creative copy for social media: Avoid stuffing your creative copy with too much content or hashtags. Follow the 80%-20% graphics-content rule. Editing on image isn’t that simple.

• Capitalise Each Word: Proper nouns will always be in First Letter Caps.
  Eg: #YashrajFilmsStudios #ChefRanveerBrar #KunalKapurKitchen #BollywoodAdda

• #Research: Best practice would be to research about your topic before writing #s. Check what’s trending, because it will help you to identify not only what’s “in” but also prompt you to think of something unique and unpredictable. Use #s wisely.

• Hash memorable tags: Alliteration or rhymes are memorable. Wordplay: think of non-dictionary words or word combinations. To add the fun factor.
  Eg: #TrendingTuesday #SleepySundays #MovieMarathon #LazynLethargic #MonsoonComeSoon #LetsGetWet #Digipreneur #Womanpreneur #Desiglobal

What not to do while writing hashtag content on social media Click To Tweet

• Avoid ##

• No repetition of any hashtag words. The repeated word won’t get hyperlinked.

• Stuffed up: #Don’t #stuff the #caption of #your #post with #s. Think. Plan. Write.

• Trending vs untrending: Many times trending #s are used to talk about non-trending topics. Avoid that.

• Use language incorrectly. Be mindful of punctuation, grammar and vocabulary, because once you begin writing your text, after the #, there will be no auto correct or right word suggestion. Hence do not depend on autocorrect to correct your hashtags.

• Special character: Do not type special characters / punctuations right after #. However, if need be, you may add punctuations characters immediately after the word without space.

• Too spacious for comfort: Do not give space right after #. Attach your words to each other and attach the first letter of the first word to the #WithoutAnySpace. Only if you write it correctly will it identify and link a URL or hyperlink, else not.

Stay tuned to our blog channel for more updates on content writing/marketing trends, social media trends, creating content copies and images for different channels, content writing tips and much more. Also for a quick referral that’s visually appealing, we shall soon publish an interesting version of Dos And Don’ts of Hashtags.
Cheers!