Stop for a second before reading: Why should you listen to the advice in this article?

This article contains data from our research with the help of some of the most influential persons on LinkedIn. Also from analyzing own data and studying official documents from LinkedIn about this topic. Everything written here is made with the best of my knowledge and belief. The article is constantly updated - so stay tuned and bookmark it if you want!

Note: some of the research was done with the help of inlytics.io - a third party LinkedIn analytics solution.

In this article you will find a complete guide on how to use LinkedIn hashtags the right way.

What Are LinkedIn Hashtags?

Hashtags are keywords or phrases preceded by the symbol (#) that makes them searchable and clickable on any LinkedIn. 

Hashtags increase the reach and visibility of your content on LinkedIn. Like other social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, LinkedIn hashtags assign categories to your posts, profiles, and company pages. 

Typically, users use hashtags to find content to keep up with their industry, find jobs, do competitor or market research, find groups, etc. 

Why Use LinkedIn Hashtags?

LinkedIn is no longer the job-searching platform it used to be—now, it’s more of a professional social media platform where you can network with professionals and brands globally. 

Here are a few reasons you should use LinkedIn hashtags:

• When someone searches for a particular keyword or phrase, LinkedIn's algorithm displays relevant content with those hashtags. By using relevant and popular hashtags, your content is more likely to be discovered by people who are interested in your industry or niche.
• Hashtags can help you connect with other professionals in your industry or niche. By following hashtags related to your field, you can discover new content and engage with other professionals.
• Hashtags help you establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. By sharing valuable content and engaging in conversations related to your field, you can build your reputation and establish yourself as an expert in your niche.

For a better overview I have divided this article into 2 parts:

1. The Right Usage Of LinkedIn Hashtags
2. Manage & Research Hashtags

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Part 1

1. How To Use Hashtags On LinkedIn

First things first: LinkedIn hashtags work. We have analyzed a lot of accounts and put in a significant amount of research and can say that the usage of hashtags will influence your reach and overall engagement.

To help you get the most out of LI hashtags, we answer the most frequently asked questions:

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1.1 How Many Hashtags Should I Add?

A lot of people ask whats the right amount of Hashtags to add?

Will more than 3 hashtags be bad for the reach of my post? From my personal experience I found that adding 1-3 hashtags works well and doesn't look spammy. More than that usually will do more harm than good.

Let's have a look at what LinkedIn recommends:

1. Recommended is using no more than 3 hashtags
2. Don't use spaces, emojis or special symbols
3. Use both, niche and broad hashtags (more on this later)

Remember: LinkedIn wants you to use hashtags, they even tell you to add ones!

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1.2 How Many Followers Should My Hashtags Have?

Depending on whats your topic there are many hashtags out there. Some have more followers than others. So the question to ask is: should I use hashtags with more or fewer followers? What will give me a better outcome?

💡Big hashtags will have a higher volume but you disappear faster from the screen

💡Small hashtags will have less volume but you appear longer on the screen.

LinkedIn recommends you go for niche and broad hashtags for increased exposure.

A concrete strategy could look like this (image below):

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As you can see, there are mainly 2 types of hashtags you should use: broad and niche hashtags.

Broad Hashtags

These hashtags somewhat relate to what your content is about, but on a broad level. It’s advised to pick 2 broad hashtags—one with a couple of million followers and one with a couple of thousand followers. 

For example, if your content is about SEO for B2B SaaS agencies, you can target the hashtag #marketing with millions of followers and #SEOtips with around 14k followers. 

Niche Hashtags

Niche hashtags are more targeted and specific keywords that point to an industry or the type of content you’re publishing. 

For the above example, you can have a niche hashtag that specifically targets the SaaS industry. The hashtag #saasmarketing with around 2K followers. 

Why? This way you will be visible to a large audience for a small amount of time and for a longer time for a smaller, more specific audience. Remember it's always about relevance.

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1.3 How Do I Find Out How Many Followers A Hashtag Has?

It's simple to find out. You navigate to the search bar and type in the hashtag you want to research. For example we search for #linkedintips

Another way to find out is to search our database of 500+ LinkedIn hashtags - freely available here: Hashtag Tool.

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1.4 Can I Use Hashtags To Optimize My Profile?

The short answer is yes.

Here’s how you can add hashtags to optimize your profile:

• Identify the keywords you want your profile to be visible for. Example: SEO consultant, freelance content writer, sales manager, etc.
• Other than your job profile, your profile hashtags could also be about your niche, industry, skill set, or areas of interest.
• Add those keywords in your headline and profile summary. 
• Create content around topics relevant to your hashtags and then use those hashtags in your posts. 

Further reading: 10 Tips To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile In 2022

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Part 2

2. Manage Your LinkedIn Hashtags

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2.1 Follow New Hashtags On LinkedIn

Following hashtags is a great way to keep your feed busy with relevant content you can interact with. To add new hashtags you'd like to follow, go ahead and type it in the LinkedIn search bar as shown above and smack the follow button.

If you want to find new hashtags I suggest you check out the discovery hub. Here you will find a personalized list of hashtags that could be relevant for you.

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2.2 See All The Hashtags You Follow (And Unfollow Them)

From time to time you may want to check out the hashtags you are following right now. To do that you go to https://www.linkedin.com/mynetwork/ and navigate to the left sidebar. You see a link to the dashboard of all hashtags you follow.

This helps you select only what’s relevant to you and your industry and stay relevant on the platform. Keep iterating the list based on what’s useful to you to get a more refined and better quality feed on LinkedIn. 

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2.3 Make a List Of The Most Popular LinkedIn Hashtags in 2023

To stay on top of your content creation game on LinkedIn, it’s important to follow trends—whether in terms of following a new content strategy or following a popular hashtag. 

There’s no way to filter trending hashtags on LinkedIn. However, you’ll find many resources (such as this one) that list a good number of hashtags in many niches and industries. Select hashtags that are relevant to your niche and the content you post, and use them in your profile and content. 

Another way you can find trending hashtags for LinkedIn is by knowing the hot topics in your industry on Google Trends. The topics you’ll find there may not be hashtag specific, but it’ll give you insights about what to search for on LinkedIn to find the right hashtag.

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2.4 Make YOUR Post Trending On LinkedIn

Going viral on LinkedIn is no cakewalk. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible to get your post on the trending for a hashtag. 

You see, trending on LinkedIn can be awesome for 2 reasons:

1. You are seen by a lot of people that might NOT know you today
2. Your engagement will rise because of the interest of the people following this hashtag

Here are some tips to become a strong contender for LinkedIn’s trending section:

• Observe the trends within your connections and the hashtags you follow. Notice what kind of content they’re posting—are videos or images giving them more reach, or are text posts working better?
• Follow a strict engagement regime where you engage with your target audience before posting your content and then after posting it. This way, you stay on top of their minds, and your content appearing on their feed makes things even more better. 
• Engage with people and content that you see for hashtags you follow—make you more discoverable. 

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2.5 Create A Hashtag Bank For Future Reference

Instead of moving down the rabbit hole of hashtag research every time you create new content, it’s better to have it all stored and organized to use as and when required. 

Use Google sheets or any other mode of data storage to create a hashtag bank for your LinkedIn content creation. Source a mix of popular hashtags, niche hashtags, geo-targeted hashtags, content-specific hashtags, and personal hashtags, along with the number of followers in each category, and create your personal repository of hashtags. 

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2.6 Identify Content That Generates Results

Identifying and redoing successful posts based on their similarities, hashtags, and writing topics, will rocket your reach and ultimately help you do more business.

The best way to do that is by analyzing your content in-depth or with the help of AI. LinkedIn itself provides basic insights, but to dig deeper to get real valuable insights you need a third-party tool like inlytics.io.

What you get:

• You will see exactly what works and what doesn't
• You will be able to track multiple LinkedIn Accounts (for agencies, LinkedIn coaches or companies)
• Get Weekly/ Monthly/ Quarterly reporting (comming soon)
• Heatmap data of your content performance
• Action able insights from within your data and more.

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2.7 Add LinkedIn Hashtags To Your Company Page

You can add up to 3 hashtags for your company page. To do that move to your company page on LinkedIn, navigate to the pen icon, then click on hashtags as soon as the menu opens.

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Maximize Your LinkedIn Reach With Hashtags

As LinkedIn continues to evolve and refine its algorithm, staying on top of hashtag trends, and best practices will be essential for staying competitive and maximizing your impact on the platform.

By following the tips and best practices outlined in this guide, you can effectively research, select, and use relevant hashtags to enhance your content's reach and engagement.

Remember to prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to hashtags and to continually monitor and adjust your hashtag strategy based on performance metrics!

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