How to Use Facebook Hashtags to Boost Your Page Reach

Wondering about Facebook hashtags?

Do hashtags actually help your Page posts, or hurt you?

If you’re looking for the latest on using hashtags in your Facebook posts, here’s what’s happening as of Autumn 2020.

How to use Facebook hashtags in 2020 and beyond

For a few years now, using hashtags on Facebook hasn’t been a thing.

Some people even thought it reduced the reach of posts. But there’s clear evidence now that hashtags have made a comeback.

Facebook itself is even offering you ideas and giving you figures on the use of each one, just like Instagram.

How many hashtags should you use?

With Instagram, the picture is clear. You can and should add all 30 hashtags on Instagram.

But with Facebook, a more moderate approach seems best. Currently, it seems best to add 3-5 key hashtags.

Or if you want, go a bit further and add up to 10-15. But no more.

Remember to track which posts do well and how many hashtags they have to determine the best practice for your audience.

Adding hashtags to old posts

You can also test going back to best performing older content and adding hashtags.

It isn’t worth it if the post didn’t reach anyone to start with. But if there was organic reach or engagements, you could get that story bump effect by adding hashtags.

It can work a bit like someone commenting on the post. The engagement boosts it to the top of the feed.

Particularly, it can be worth trying on video posts. Because Facebook loves video!

Where do hashtags go when you click them?

If you add hashtags, what happens when someone clicks them?

The answer’s a lot like Instagram. Each hashtag has its own page with a chronological feed.

So, if you posted just now, you’ll appear at the top.

But a post from a few days ago will be down the list, if other people have used the same hashtag in the meantime.

That’s as long as you set your posts to public. If you restrict who sees them, they’ll only appear in the feed for people you’ve allowed to see the post.

But Pages post to public anyway so you’re good.

How do you find hashtags to use?

One of the easiest ways to find hashtags is to add the # and start typing a word in a post.

Hashtags will automatically pop up that Facebook thinks you might want to add.

This works on Pages and also in groups.

However, if you do it in Creator Studio, the suggestions also have those post numbers.

Just like on Instagram, you can instantly see how many posts have used that hashtag.

And like on Instagram, you might want to go for that sweet spot. Not too many posts but enough to be seen.

Some users have even seen suggestions appear on posts. Under the update, there’s a ‘browse posts about:’ with the hashtag beside it.

Click this and you see the latest posts with the hashtag in them.

Saw this on Facebook for the first time today— suggesting content filtered by are gory via hashtags ? @MattNavarra have you seen this? pic.twitter.com/UOXZ7mOo8Z

— Brandon Arvay @ #INBOUND2020 (@BrandonArvay) April 24, 2020

Facebook hashtag best practices

Facebook hashtags are definitely worth using, but how do you incorporate them into your strategy?

Here are some best practices to help you see where they fit into the puzzle.

Use Facebook’s suggestions to help choose hashtags

Those suggestions that appear when you start typing?

They are Facebook’s way of saying these are the hashtags it thinks you should use.

Now, while not all of them will work, they are worth considering.

If they are super broad and large, use a couple of those along with some more specific ones.

Create hashtag groups

If you are an Instagrammer, you probably have hashtag groups you use.

Core hashtags, seasonal, regional, that kind of thing.

Well, you can create something similar with Facebook hashtags.

They’ll be smaller groups than their IG versions, but you can still gather together hashtags that work with each other.

Then test different groups and see which work best.

More tips below! Be sure to Pin this for later.

Test some of those IG hashtags

It can also be worth trying some Instagram hashtags on Facebook.

After all, words are words!

If you have ones you see work well on your Instagram posts, try them on Facebook.

You can even do some hashtag research on Instagram to use on Facebook.

The data there is seasoned and more comprehensive, so you get a fuller picture.

Cross-post from Instagram

You can also cross from Instagram with the hashtags present. You’d need to have the hashtags in your Instagram post caption for this to work.

There will probably be more than you’d add to a native Facebook post. But the algorithm knows you have cross-posted so it’ll be fine with it.

Some users have found that IG cross-posted content does better.

Make sure you test and compare on your account to see if this is the case for your audience.

Try creating your own hashtags

Because hashtags create a dedicated page on Facebook now, you can create your own.

The result would be a dedicated page of your content!

Do try creating a branded hashtag or something specific for your blog.

Use hashtags to find content to share

If you’re looking for some content to share with your audience, hashtags can help.

Check the ones you use a lot and see what other content comes up.

If it’s the kind of thing your audience is interested in, share it to your page.

The hashtags you and the shared content use could prompt people to click – then they’ll see the content you created with that hashtag in it!

Who sees your posts with hashtags?

We can’t talk about Facebook and not talk about privacy.

We’re all aware that we need to be vigilant about who sees what in our Facebook lives.

So, who can see the content you post with hashtags?

A lot depends on where you publish the post. For example:

• Hashtag in a post on private personal feed – only the people you allow to see your updates (e.g. friends or specific friends).
• Hashtag in a post in a private group – only the people inside the group.
• Hashtag in a post on a public Page – anyone.

Anytime you want to check the status of a post, click the little icon beside the time stamp.

A globe means ‘public’ while the little group of people means ‘friends’.

Using Facebook hashtags

Using Facebook hashtags is a smart thing to do.

FB’s former reluctance to make them work well seems to have changed.

So, like with Instagram, they are another opportunity to get your content seen.

Remember to test and see which hashtags work best in which posts. Then refine your strategy for the best results.

If you use other social platforms, be sure to check our complete guide on how to use hashtags.

Let us know in a comment: Have you used hashtags in Facebook posts? What were your results?