TikTok Hashtag Strategy to Go VIRAL (Even with ZERO followers!)

Summary

In this informative video, Melissa Laurie, creator of social media genius, shares essential tactics for leveraging hashtags to grow your TikTok account. She explains the purpose of hashtags, which originated on Twitter in 2007, and their role in categorizing content and enhancing searchability on TikTok. Laurie teaches viewers how to strategically select a mix of competitive and less competitive hashtags to maximize video visibility and engagement. She also emphasizes the importance of choosing hashtags that relate to the video content, target audience, and industry. Additionally, she demonstrates how to position hashtags for optimal ranking and introduces the concept of creating branded hashtags to build authority on the platform.

Takeaways

• 😀 Hashtags are crucial for growing your TikTok account and can significantly impact your video's visibility.
• 🔍 Hashtags help categorize your video's content, making it discoverable through TikTok's search functionality.
• 📈 Using the right hashtags can help your videos rank higher in search results, leading to more organic views.
• 🎯 Understanding the purpose of hashtags is essential; they originated on Twitter in 2007 to categorize topics and have since expanded to other platforms.
• 📊 Selecting a mix of competitive and less competitive hashtags can increase the chances of your video ranking on TikTok.
• 📝 When choosing hashtags, consider those that relate directly to your video, your target audience, and how they might search for content.
• 📈 Position your hashtags in a 'triangle' format, starting with the most relevant hashtag and broadening out to less specific ones.
• 🏷️ Creating and using your own branded hashtag can help build authority and increase visibility for your personal brand or business.
• 👀 Including your name or brand as a hashtag can help consolidate views and build a recognizable presence on TikTok.
• 📚 Melissa Laurie, the creator of 'Social Media Genius', offers an eight-week course to support high-performing TikTok content creation and brand growth.

Q & A

What is the purpose of using hashtags on TikTok according to the video?

The purpose of using hashtags on TikTok is twofold: firstly, to help categorize what the video is about, making it discoverable through TikTok's search functionality; secondly, to inform the algorithm about the video's content, which can lead to the video being shown to users who are likely to be interested in that type of content.

Who is credited with inventing the hashtag and why?

Chris Messina is credited with inventing the hashtag in 2007. He was active on Twitter and found that there was no way to categorize topics, so he came up with the idea of the hashtag to solve this issue.

How can understanding hashtags help in ranking a video on TikTok?

Understanding hashtags can help in ranking a video on TikTok by ensuring that the video appears in search results when users look for a specific topic. This can lead to more organic views and help grow the account.

What is the recommended approach to selecting hashtags for TikTok videos?

The recommended approach is to select a mixture of competitive and less competitive hashtags. Aim for four to six hashtags that relate directly to the video, the target audience, and the industry, while also considering how users might search for the content.

How can the search functionality of TikTok be leveraged to find relevant hashtags?

The search functionality can be leveraged by typing in keywords related to the video's topic and looking at the suggested hashtags on the side. This allows users to see the popularity of each hashtag and choose ones that are relevant and less competitive.

What is the significance of using a branded hashtag on TikTok?

Using a branded hashtag is significant as it helps build authority on TikTok and increases the visibility of the brand. It allows users to easily find all related content and contributes to the growth of the account.

How can the positioning of hashtags in a TikTok post affect its discoverability?

Positioning hashtags like a triangle, with the most important hashtags at the start and broader ones towards the end, can affect the discoverability of a post. This structure ensures that the post is associated with the most relevant topics first, which can help it rank higher in search results.

What is the recommended number of hashtags to use on a TikTok video?

The recommended number of hashtags to use on a TikTok video is four to six. This allows for a good spread of competitive and less competitive hashtags, giving the video the best chance to rank and go viral.

How does the TikTok algorithm benefit from the strategic use of hashtags?

The TikTok algorithm benefits from strategic hashtag use by understanding the content of the video and showing it to users who are most likely to be interested in that type of content. This can boost watch time and engagement, leading to the video being shown to more people.

What are the three factors to consider when selecting hashtags for TikTok videos?

The three factors to consider are: 1) Hashtags that relate directly to the video's content, 2) Hashtags that relate to the target audience and how they might search for the content, and 3) Hashtags that relate to the industry.

How can a TikTok video rank in the top positions in search results?

A TikTok video can rank in the top positions in search results by using a strategic mix of hashtags that are relevant to the video's content, target audience, and industry. This helps the video to be discoverable and increases the chances of it being shown to a larger audience.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Understanding Hashtags for TikTok Growth

This paragraph discusses the importance of hashtags on TikTok for increasing video visibility and growing one's account. The speaker, Melissa Laurie, highlights that hashtags categorize content, allowing videos to rank higher in search results, thus driving organic views. She emphasizes the necessity of using a mix of competitive and less competitive hashtags to maximize the chances of ranking and gaining more views. The paragraph also introduces Melissa's background as the creator of 'social media genius,' an eight-week course aimed at enhancing TikTok performance.

05:03

🔍 Selecting the Right Hashtags for TikTok Success

The second paragraph focuses on how to select effective hashtags for TikTok videos. It advises against using only highly competitive hashtags, which can make it difficult for videos to rank. Instead, it suggests choosing a combination of popular and less competitive ones to increase the likelihood of ranking. The speaker provides a strategy of selecting four to six hashtags, using a graph as a guide to ensure a balanced selection. Additionally, three factors are highlighted for choosing hashtags: relevance to the video content, target audience, and industry. An example is given to demonstrate how to apply these factors in practice.

10:05

🏷️ Leveraging Branded Hashtags to Build Authority on TikTok

The final paragraph emphasizes the strategy of positioning hashtags effectively, like a triangle, starting with the most relevant ones related to the video content and broadening out to industry-related tags. It introduces the concept of branded hashtags, which can significantly contribute to building authority and visibility on TikTok. The speaker shares her personal success with branded hashtags and encourages viewers to adopt a similar strategy by creating and consistently using their own branded hashtag. The paragraph concludes with a call to action, directing viewers to another video for further insights on TikTok growth.

Keywords

💡Hashtags

Hashtags are metadata tags used on social media platforms to categorize content and make it searchable. In the context of this video, hashtags are crucial for helping a TikTok video rank higher in search results and reach a wider audience. The script emphasizes the importance of using a mix of competitive and less competitive hashtags to increase the chances of a video being discovered and viewed.

💡TikTok

TikTok is a social media platform known for its short-form videos. It is central to the video's theme as the platform where the discussed strategies for growing an account and increasing video views are applied. The script mentions various tactics to optimize TikTok content, such as using hashtags and creating branded hashtags.

💡Growth

Growth in this video refers to the increase in followers and engagement on a TikTok account. The script discusses how the proper use of hashtags can significantly contribute to growing one's brand or personal account on TikTok by attracting more views and interactions.

💡Algorithm

The TikTok algorithm is the system that decides the visibility and ranking of videos on the platform. The script explains that using the right hashtags can signal the algorithm about the content of the video, leading to better targeting of viewers who are likely to be interested in that content.

💡Branded Hashtag

A branded hashtag is a unique hashtag created to represent a brand or individual, increasing brand recognition and authority. The video script suggests creating a branded hashtag as a strategy to build a strong presence on TikTok, as it helps in aggregating content and tracking engagement related to the brand or individual.

💡Search Functionality

TikTok's search functionality allows users to find content by typing in keywords or hashtags. The script highlights the importance of this feature in helping videos rank higher when the right hashtags are used, thus making the videos discoverable to users searching for related topics.

💡Competitive Hashtags

Competitive hashtags are popular and widely used tags that can be challenging for new content to rank for due to high competition. The script advises using a mix of competitive and less competitive hashtags to balance the chances of visibility and not getting lost among more established content.

💡Views

Views refer to the number of times a video has been watched. The video script emphasizes that using hashtags effectively can lead to an increase in views, which is a key metric for success on TikTok. It also mentions that ranking in top search results can lead to a higher number of organic views.

💡Content Creators

Content creators are individuals or entities that produce material to be shared on social media platforms. In the script, the term is used in the context of selecting hashtags that relate to the target audience, which in this case includes other content creators on TikTok.

💡Social Media Genius

Social Media Genius is an eight-week course mentioned in the script, created by the video's presenter, Melissa Laurie. It aims to provide tools and expert support to help individuals create high-performing content on TikTok and other platforms to grow their brand quickly.

Highlights

Hashtags play a crucial role in growing your TikTok account and can help your videos rank higher.

The video will teach four tactics to use hashtags effectively for more views and brand growth on TikTok.

Hashtags were invented by Chris Messina in 2007 to categorize topics on Twitter, and later expanded to other platforms.

TikTok's search functionality allows videos with appropriate hashtags to appear in search results, increasing views.

Using hashtags helps the TikTok algorithm understand the video's content, showing it to interested viewers and boosting watch time.

Select a mix of competitive and less competitive hashtags to increase the chances of your video ranking on TikTok.

Use a template to ensure a balanced selection of hashtags for optimal video ranking.

Choose hashtags that relate directly to your video's content, your target audience, and how they might search on TikTok.

Include industry-related hashtags to cover a broader search base and increase the video's discoverability.

Position your hashtags in a triangle format, starting with the most relevant and broadening to less specific ones.

Create and use a branded hashtag to build authority and increase visibility for your brand on TikTok.

Using branded hashtags can lead to millions of views and establish a strong presence on the platform.

The video provides a step-by-step guide on selecting the right hashtags and positioning them for maximum impact.

Learn how to rank your video in top positions on TikTok by understanding and applying hashtag strategies.

The presenter shares personal experience and success in using hashtags to grow on TikTok, offering credibility to the advice given.

The video is aimed at content creators and marketers looking to leverage TikTok for brand growth and visibility.

A comprehensive guide to TikTok hashtags that covers their history, purpose, selection, and strategic positioning.

Transcripts

does this happen to you when you're

about to post your Tick Tock video and

you get to the part where you need to

select hashtags and then you just

randomly search and add in hashtags and

you don't really know what you're doing

or what about this you're wondering if

hashtags really do make a big difference

to Growing your account on Tick Tock the

answer is yes hashtags make a huge

difference and they can help your Tick

Tock videos rank in the number one

position in this video I'm going to

share with you all the knowledge that

I've personally learned about growing my

account on Tick Tock with how to use

hashtags to get more views on your tick

tocks and grow your account by the end

of this video you would have learned

these four really important tactics the

purpose of hashtags and how to take

advantage of hashtags to grow your brand

how to select the right hashtags for

your Tech talk videos so that you're not

just randomly selecting hashtags which

have a negative effect on your videos

You'll also learn how to position your

Tick Tock hashtags so that you can get

more views on your videos and find

finally and probably the most important

part is how to create your own branded

hashtag so that you can build Authority

on Tick Tock which a lot of people miss

so make sure that you stick around to

watch that part of the video how does

that all sound just imagine how much

you're going to learn by the end of this

video so let's get into it if you're new

here I'm Melissa Laurie and I'm also the

creator of social media genius which is

an eight-week course that gives you the

tools and expert support to create high

performing tick tocks and reels that

grow your brand fast if you're

interested to learn a little bit more

check out the link below to understand

how to use tick tock hashtags well you

need to understand the purpose of

hashtags and I found this really

interesting so hashtags actually got

invented in 2007 by this guy called

Chris Messina he was just really active

on Twitter and what he found was that

there was no way to categorize topics so

basically he came up with the idea of

the hashtag so it started on Twitter and

then obviously it's just expanded to all

other social media platforms so the

purpose of you using hashtags for tick

tock well there's two reasons number one

it's going to help you categorize what

your video is about and that's really

important because Tick Tock has amazing

search functionality so it means that

people can go on to tick tock and search

for a topic and then if you've used

hashtags in the right way it means that

your video can appear and that's a

really great way to get a ton more views

on your Tick Tock videos let me just

show you exactly what I mean so that

you're clear because this is really

important with how to use hashtags so if

we open up the tick tock app up the top

there you can see the magnifying glass

if we click that that takes us to the

search browser so you can just type in

anything and search for anything but for

this example let's look at tiktok

algorithm so you will see that there's

some of the top performing videos and if

we scroll down a little bit what do you

notice there's me my video is ranking in

one of the top positions when people are

searching for tick tock algorithm and

that's what I want for you what I'm

sharing in this video is going to help

you also rank your video in the top

position and the way to do this is when

you understand how to use hashtags on

Tick Tock in the right way because when

your video ranks in one of these top

positions it means that you're going to

be getting organic views on your videos

this is free views and this is a really

powerful way to grow on Tick Tock this

is what I've done and I now want to

share it with you so you can grow on

Tick Tock as well and really boost your

video views and the second big purpose

of using hashtags is because when you

use hashtags in the right way you can

tell the algorithm what your video is

about and it means that the algorithm

will show your video to people who are

most likely to be interested in that

type of content and that will just also

help you boost watch time which is

another really important metric on Tick

Tock because the more people that engage

with your video and watch your video it

means that the algorithm will show your

video to more and more people okay so

now that we're clear on the purpose of

tick tock hashtags and that you need to

be using Tick Tock hashtags so that you

can get your video to rank in the number

one position and get a constant flow of

video views let's move on to how to

actually select hashtags a mistake that

a lot of people make on Tick Tock is

that they often choose really

competitive hashtags and it means that

it's really hard for your video to rank

so what you want to do is choose a

mixture of competitive versus less

competitive hashtags I'm going to show

you exactly how you do that so if we

open up the tick tock app oh by the way

I have been a little bit sick so that's

why my voice might sound a little bit

croaky in parts of this video but I

really wanted to film it for you so

please bear with me so open up the tick

tock app and if we search for

let's do vegetarian recipes because I'm

a vegetarian and why not so when we

search for vegetarian recipes you can

see that there's hashtags on the side

there so we can select that

and basically what you're looking at is

all the different types of hashtags for

vegetarian recipes

so we can see that vegetarian actually

has

4.8 billion views

that is a very competitive hashtag

meaning that a lot of people are using

that hashtag but it's also getting a lot

of views however if we look at

vegetarian Foodies we can see that's got

16.3

000 views so it's a less competitive

hashtag so now that you know how to

actually search for hashtags and you can

actually see the views so what I

recommend and what I do on my own Tick

Tock profile and also the brands that I

work with is that we select four to six

hashtags and we make sure that we're

selecting competitive but also less

competitive hashtags so that it's giving

the video the best opportunity to rank

on Tick Tock this is a graph that I use

when I am selecting hashtags and it's

ultimately a guide just to keep me on

track just to make sure that I'm not

selecting only really extremely popular

hashtags which are going to be really

hard to rank for the whole purpose of

using this template is to make sure that

you select hashtags that spread across

this template so that you can give your

videos the best chance to go viral and

also rank because just imagine if you

kept selecting only extremely

competitive hashtags then it's going to

be near impossible for your video to

rank on Tick Tock and we don't want that

we want to make it really easy so that's

why I recommend that you select hashtags

that have a mixture of video views so

that you can rank your video on Tick

Tock okay so now that you understand

hashtag competition let's get into

actually how you select the right

hashtag topics for your videos there's

three factors that you need to consider

when you are selecting hashtags for tick

tock so firstly you want to select

hashtags that relate directly to your

video makes sense right but a lot of

people miss this part so make sure you

choose hashtags that relate to your

video next you want to select hashtags

that relate to your target audience and

who you're trying to talk to plus you

want to include hashtags that might be

how someone is actually searching for

this type of video and finally also

include hashtags that relate to your

industry now I'm going to bring this to

life we've actually showing you an

example so if we hop over to tick tock

again and we look at this video here so

this is a video that I posted on Tick

Tock obviously it's me so let's have a

look at the hashtags so this video is

all about hashtags on Tick Tock and what

can you see the first hashtag is

hashtags Tick Tock so that relates

directly to the video because I'm

talking all about hashtags the next

hashtag is how to use hashtag so this

could be how someone is actually

searching on Tick Tock so I want to make

sure that I'm using that search term as

a hashtag you can also see hashtag site

content creators so that's relating to

the target audience and also I'm using

hashtags that relate to the industry

such as Tick Tock marketing so can you

see how using a mixture of different

hashtags that it means that I'm covering

a lot of different bases and I'm also

giving my video the opportunity to rank

before we move into the next part I just

want to recap here because it's really

important so make sure that when you're

choosing hashtags that you choose

hashtags that relate directly to the

video and what your video is about make

sure you choose hashtags that relate to

your target audience and how they might

be searching on Tick Tock remember Tick

Tock is a really powerful search

platform and then finally choose

hashtags that relate to your industry as

well and make sure that you are

referring back to that graph that I

shared previously which is just to make

sure that you aren't just choosing

really competitive hashtags you want to

get a good spread so that your video can

also rank in the number one position and

if we go back to tick tock just for a

moment and we actually search for

hashtags Tick Tock what do you see

there's the video it's ranking in one of

the top positions so by using this

formula you too can get your videos to

rank on Tick Tock and get a lot of

organic views on your videos can you see

the power of this oh I'm so excited for

you okay so how do you actually position

your hashtags so I want you to think

about positioning your hashtags like a

triangle so you want to have your most

important hashtags at the start at the

tip here and then you're sort of you're

going out broader so if we go back to

that example that I shared with you so

we can see that the first hashtag that

I'm using is hashtags Tick Tock so that

relates directly to the video so what I

see work the best is when you use that

first hashtag that relates directly to

what your video is about so if it's

about The Tick Tock algorithm then your

first hashtag should be Tick Tock

algorithm just like I did with this

video here and you can see that it's

ranked in one of the top positions as

well next you can use hashtags that

relate to how your target audience might

be searching and then finally your

industry now you would have noticed

something which is that final hashtag

that you see there which is my name so

this brings me onto branded hashtags and

this is just such a powerful way to grow

on Tick Tock and really build Authority

so if you haven't done this yet create

your own branded hashtag on Tick Tock

whether that's your name just like I

have done here and if you click on my

name you can see that it's got millions

of views and that's a way that I've been

able to build Authority on Tick Tock and

you can do exactly the same you just

need to start and use that hashtag in

all your Tick Tock videos or if you want

to create a branded hashtag for your

brand then do that and then add that to

all your Tick Tock videos this is a

really effective way to get more

visibility on your brand and I've seen

really good results for me personally on

Tick Tock as well so so that's why I'm

recommending you to give it a go as well

if you enjoyed this video then I suggest

that you check out this video here which

is all about the tick tock algorithm I

share a lot of helpful tips as well to

help you grow on Tick Tock thanks for

sticking with me and I'll see you next

time

foreign

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