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.