Hashtags were first introduced on Twitter in 2007. Today, they are widely used on Instagram, and are even available on Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok. Hashtags also work on Facebook, but with less effectiveness.

A hashtag is a word or phrase with the # symbol directly in front of it. That symbol links the post to every post that is using that hashtag. The curated gallery of linked posts is updated in real time.

For example: You can create a post with a caption that reads “#backinmyday the # symbol was called a ‘pound sign’.” Your post would then be linked to every post that mentions #backinmyday. Currently, there are more than 48,000 posts on Instagram using that hashtag.

When used properly, hashtags can increase views and engagement to posts. Your next client might be scrolling through the gallery for #denversalon or #weddinghair as you read this post. Being linked to themed galleries also helps a post appear on the Explore section of Instagram.

• Don’t use spaces between the # symbol and the words, or between the words in a tagged phrase.

• When you begin typing a word or phrase with the # in front, a list will appear showing you suggested hashtags and how many people have used that hashtag.

• Instagram has a limit for how many hashtags you can use in one post: 30. Twitter does not have a limit but recommends a best practice limit of only 2.

• Using the @ symbol is a very different sort of tagging. Used for centuries as a shorthand symbol for “at” and “at the price of,” the symbol is also used today on social media platforms as a means for finding and tagging individual accounts. For example, we can be found on Instagram @the.modern.salonstudios

• Scroll the lists below for suggested hashtags for beauty professionals…