Best Hashtags for TikTok: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

The best hashtags for TikTok can boost your branded content to wider audiences, net you more followers and better engagement. How? Here’s your guide to TikTok hashtags.
Fanbytes | Best hashtags for TikTok: the ultimate TikTok hashtag cheat sheet

In 30 seconds:

  • The best TikTok hashtags will ensure your content is seen by the audiences you want, and potentially supercharge your account engagement.
  • When you’re deciding what hashtags to use, there’s a lot to consider: what hashtags get the most likes on TikTok? What hashtags do your target audience use? Which are relevant?
  • Using the best tiktok hashtags to go viral means answering all those questions, and more. Here’s the ultimate cheat sheet to make things simpler.


Hashtags are an important feature of all social media platforms, and that’s true of TikTok as well. 

With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok is the home of huge potential new audiences – if you can reach them. That’s where hashtags come in. 

One of the best ways of categorising posts, the best TikTok hashtags make it easy for users to find content that’s relevant to them. TikTok hashtags are a vital way to make sure your content gets seen: without TikTok hashtags, brands must be more reliant on other aspects of the TikTok algorithm and TikTok SEO strategy, as well as audience interactions (such as likes and shares) to expand the reach of their posts.

Likewise, hashtags are very useful for interested TikTok audiences. They’ll search for specific hashtags to find content they’re interested in that they may not have already seen on their For You Page (FYP).

And since TikTok users are able to follow hashtags, they can amplify brands’ reach way beyond their own TikTok profile’s follower count. TikTok hashtags can get you directly into your potential target audience’s line of sight.

For these reasons, it’s important for brands to get comfortable using hashtags if they want their accounts to grow. 

How do TikTok hashtags work?

TikTok hashtags work similarly to those on most other social media sites. When you create a video, you can add them to the captions of your TikTok posts, where they will become clickable links to a content hub of all videos tagged with the same #hashtag. 

Something social media marketers often don’t realise is that, unlike Instagram hashtags, TikTok hashtags also work outside of the caption. This is helpful as TikTok captions do have a 100-character limit. Add hashtags in your TikTok bio, or even in your in-video text: TikTok’s algorithm is sophisticated enough to pick these up too.

In this article, we talk you through how to find and use the most popular TikTok hashtags, and also how to create your own, new hashtag. But for more in-depth information and how-to guides on these subjects, check out the below articles:

The best way to use TikTok Hashtags

There’s a strategy to using hashtags well. Before you get started, brands on TikTok should consider the following advice:

1. Find the relevant hashtags

On TikTok, niche communities often create their own hashtags, which keeps relevant content grouped together and easy to find. Hashtags like #FoodTok, #BookTok and #SkinTok are all examples of these niche groups’ hashtags. 

TikTok hashtags can also reflect intention. Many TikTok users use TikTok hashtags to learn more about subjects they are interested in, or improve their lives. DIY and ‘hacks’ are popular, so check if there are any relevant #hackrelated hashtags in your field.

Knowing the broad popular TikTok hashtags is useful – but nowhere near as useful as labelling your videos with specific hashtags that are relevant to your audience. The more time you spend in your TikTok community, the more you’ll find relevant hashtags that your audience will recognise.

2. Check others’ posts

Not sure where to get started? Find your competition on TikTok and see which hashtags they’re employing in their social media strategy to pick up audiences of engaged users. You don’t have to use the exact same hashtag strategy in your social media marketing, but understanding their tactics will provide a good foundation for your own posts. 

Another great way to spot the best TikTok hashtags is to look at influencers in your niche. TikTok influencers live and breathe TikTok day-to-day and will be the most up-to-date on the latest hashtags that are relevant to their audiences. You can bet they’ll be using them in their TikTok videos and TikTok captions.

Want to learn how to find relevant influencers in your niche? Check out our article on how to find influencers here.

3. Understand the hashtag

Once you’ve spotted a hashtag that is popular in your niche, or amongst your target audience, it’s time to make sure you can use it to your best advantage.

When you discover a popular hashtag, it’s important to establish how people are using it. Tap the hashtag and TikTok will take you to a page that’s a collection of all the videos that use it. What’s helpful here is that the most popular videos will be right at the top. Watch them! Establish what they have in common, then make sure your own video has the same hallmarks – while still offering something original and fun.

This is how you’ll make a video that your niche audience likes – and how you’ll end up at the top of TikTok’s hashtag page.

Many hashtags are related to memes on TikTok. They may even include the words from sound memes. Check whether the TikTok hashtag is being paired with a specific trending sound and use this in your content, if you can.

4. Capitalise on influencer marketing

We’ve mentioned TikTok influencers further up: that’s because influencers are your golden ticket to a winning TikTok hashtag strategy. TikTok hashtag trends can move really fast, but they are also a great way to grow your audience in a targeted way. TikTok influencers are masters at using hashtags as they naturally spot them early on, and know how to use them to create content their followers will like.

But you don’t have to just copy influencers to win at using TikTok hashtags. Employing an influencer marketing strategy can also be a great route to secure the attention of valuable eyeballs.

Brief an influencer on a campaign and its target audience, and give them an idea of the kind of hashtags you’re interested in. Then give them creative freedom to use these – and maybe add their own suggestions. Outsource your hashtag ideas – after all, there’s a reason TikTok influencers have grown their large audiences on the app.

Another way you can use influencer marketing to supercharge your hashtag strategy is to use them to help spread a new hashtag that’s directly related to your brand. Read on to learn more…

5. Create a custom hashtag

Many brands have created their own hashtag to group their content together – and give audiences and influencers a label to use when creating content of their own relating to your products. This use of niche hashtags is a great way to establish a community-feel around your brand output on TikTok – and the jumping off point for a Branded Hashtag Challenge.

How do you create your own trending hashtag?

Knowing how to create a viral hashtag on TikTok can lead to a huge bump in views, followers, and user engagement. 

Not all hashtags are the same, though: many never get picked up, and are basically useless. How can you make a great new hashtag that goes viral, and then turn that virality into brand success?

There are a couple of methods brands can use to create a viral hashtag. The most well-known is to start a TikTok hashtag challenge. Hashtag challenges reflect Gen Z’s preference for participation, since they heavily encourage community recreation. They’re treasure troves of User-Generated Content (UGC) too, which makes them especially worthwhile for brands looking to explode their reach.

 

Collaborations with influencers will also supercharge any new hashtag you create. You’ll pick up enhanced brand sentiment if you can create a hashtag that taps into what users enjoy about TikTok: fun and creativity.

Want to learn more? We wrote in detail about how to create a new viral hashtag on TikTok👈

Is creating your own TikTok hashtag worth it?

Short answer: yes. 

Long answer: Creating a new TikTok hashtag that goes viral is difficult, but if you manage to create a trend that your audience loves, it’s incredibly valuable. It creates a sense of community as everyone uses the hashtag to talk about your brand. This is especially alluring for TikTok’s majority Gen Z audience, who are the loneliest generation. If your hashtag strategy makes them feel like they are part of an exciting conversation, they’ll fall in love with your brand.

New hashtag trends and branded hashtag challenges show your audience how to approach your brand’s page

Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. How easy is it to discover your branded content? The main hashtags are often busy, and you’ll be competing against other users all vying for the same attention. Creating a more specific, but engaging, hashtag element will place your brand in the centre stage. This a great TikTok hashtag strategy takes thinking like a creator – and usually, working with TikTok influencers – to get them off the ground.

it’s by creating your own hashtag, or co-opting a growing hashtag at the perfect time, that your brand stands the biggest chance of signalling to a large audience who you are, and what you offer

Consider how best to highlight your brand’s offerings when creating your hashtags. The right hashtags will be clear, fun, and encourage that audience the participation that Gen Z is so fond of. 

How to find & use viral hashtags on TikTok

Using trending hashtags can be your ticket can earn you enormous exposure. We wrote in detail about how to use existing viral hashtags here👉

The “Discover” tab used to be a great way to discover TikTok trends, as it showed the top TikTok videos that use trending audios, respond to viral challenges, and/or use the top TikTok hashtags that are trending. But TikTok has got rid of the Discover tab, so what should brands do now?

One alternative to spend more time on TikTok. This means you’ll be able to see when new hashtags are getting used. But if you’re after more visibility – including the best time to post – we have a better solution.

Bytesights is our industry-leading tool that finds the trending hashtags on TikTokbefore they get huge. That means that your brand can get in on the ground level, and establish yourself at the beginning of a trend and gain massive exposure as more people discover the hashtag trend, rather than get lost in the noise after too many people have joined in.

Get in touch to learn more about how Bytesights can enhance your TikTok marketing campaign.

Best hashtags for TikTok in 2022

The best TikTok hashtags for your specific brand will be different for every brand. Read the sections above to get a good idea on how to find the best TikTok hashtag for your particular strategy.

A useful tactic is to combine more niche, relevant TikTok hashtags with some of the biggest and best TikTok hashtags to get more exposure. The biggest hashtags on TikTok so far this year are:

  1. #fyp
  2. #tiktok
  3. #foryoupage
  4. #viralvideos
  5. #funnyvideos
  6. #duet
  7. #trending
  8. #love
  9. #memes
  10. #cute
  11. #comedy
  12. #followme
  13. #repost
  14. #savagechallenge
  15. #tiktokchallenge
  16. #new
  17. #music
  18. #recipe
  19. #workout
  20. #artist 

These hashtags can provide a great place to start. But remember, the purpose of hashtags is to effectively label your content and direct it at relevant audiences. If your brand only ever uses the most popular, generic hashtags, it’s likely you’ll miss out on reaching your most valuable targeted audience. 

The right hashtags for you might be smaller, but have more engaged followings.

How to follow hashtags on TikTok

The best TikTok hashtags for your brand will put you in eyeline of your target audience. Once you’ve browsed the popular hashtags, it’s a good idea to follow hashtags. 

Once you find a hashtag, click it to access the hashtag’s page. Then select the option to follow. You’ll start to see more videos tagged with these hashtags appearing on your “For You Page”, making it even easier to understand what kind of videos get promoted by the TikTok algorithm

Lessons for brands

Effective use of hashtags can spell the difference between users finding your brand, or your content remaining in the shadows. Once you’ve established which hashtags your target audience regularly uses, you can even begin creating your own offshoots, and becoming a trendsetter yourself. 

Just remember: social media is ultimately a conversation, not a monologue. Hashtags are important because they enable interactivity, and help users add to your brand’s voice – but you have to make sure you have the content ready to keep the followers you attract engaged. 

Your TikTok hashtag strategy is one step in a funnel that ultimately leads towards sales, but also brand community and loyalty. Set yourself up for success by celebrating what TikTok users love about hashtags, then use them to encourage your audience to stick around.

With 83% of Tiktok users creating their own videos, you’ll be surprised at just how far your TikTok hashtag strategy can go.


A good hashtag strategy can boost your brand visibility online, and catapult your TikTok content to new heights. For more TikTok hashtag advice, read on: 


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