Using Hashtags on Pinterest Like a Pro

Until recently, using hashtags on Pinterest was confusing and often entirely pointless. For a while, only branded hashtags could be used, and they were only intermittently clickable. But, fortunately for the Pinterest aficionados, hashtags are now fully clickable and the platform is actually moving to encourage their use!

Pinterest has long been a favorite of people gathering ideas for everything from tattoos to weddings, so it presents a unique marketing opportunity for anyone selling just about any kind of product. Now that hashtags form an integral part of Pinterest’s make-up, it’s considerably easier to make sure people are finding your product with the judicious use of this searchable function. But how does hashtagging differ on Pinterest, compared to other social media?

For a quick refresher on our basic hashtag guidelines, read this article.

1 - Don’t use too many hashtags in Pinterest descriptions!

Pinterest allows for up to 500 characters in your image description. That theoretically means you could use as many hashtags as you can squeeze in there. However, the head of content business development at Pinterest, Tiffany Black, openly announced that they are no longer discouraging the use of hashtags, but using too many could penalize you.  Like these articles suggest, use the hashtags you feel are the most meaningful for your content and use them within reason.

2 - Where to add your hashtags on Pinterest

Hashtags belong in the description of your pin, along with any other information you want to include. Again, there is a 500 character limit, so it pays to be as detailed, but as concise as possible. By keeping descriptions and hashtags as precise and relevant as possible, you will help people find you more easily. Also, because hashtags serve as a searchable function, but not as a descriptor, add them after your detailed description.  To read more about using hashtags in your pin’s description, check out Pinterest’s business guide.

3 - Choosing hashtags

One of the new features of hashtags on Pinterest is that you can easily see how many followers certain hashtags have. All you need to do is type in the hashtags you would like to use in the search bar, and see what kind of engagement they are receiving. Go for tags that get plenty of engagement, and also, while you’re searching engagement numbers, make sure those tags are relevant to what you’re pinning.

Be as specific and detailed as possible, and make sure your unique selling points are highlighted. For example, if you sell handmade Christmas ornaments, use the tag #handmade as this is a unique selling point, and make sure you include one the mentions Christmas, festive or holiday - people will search all these terms - and ornaments, or decorations.

4 - Refreshing and updating

It may be tempting to go back and edit the descriptions of all your old posts in an effort to revitalize them and get them more searchable. However, Pinterest does tend to favor more recent pins in their search results. That means it will be far more worthwhile to make sure your current and recent posts are properly hashtagged, to ensure they pop up in the results. Sure, if you have plenty of time on your hands, you can edit your descriptions to include relevant hashtags, but be aware that this may only give you a slight - if any - edge.

What hashtags grab your attention? Tell us in the comments.

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