Today’s author needs social media marketing. Hashtags create the ideal portal to bring attention to who and what you are doing.

Hello Cyber Marketing World. By this time, you’ve noticed hashtag happiness on social media on posters, social media postings, even call to actions.

To expand your influence and outreach to reader/viewer readership, include the pound sign (#) in front of words or phrases to designate a specific topic—and noted that phrases are usually combined as one loooooooong word after the # sign.

Do your readers an eyeball favor and use upper and lower case with each word so they will have a clue as to where you are going with your shout-out.

Here’s the NO-NO: don’t put the # sign between every other word in a tweet or update. #Don’t #be #that #person. Learn how to hashtag properly, and take advantage of a powerful social media strategy.

#UnderstandTheHashtag (note the upper and lower case use) vs #understandthehashtag.

It’s not complicated and best to know the purpose of a hashtag before you can get how to use it. Twitter created the hashtag evolution as a way to organize and search content. Many thought it was a fad, but no, it is not. Use started in 2007.

Now you will find common usage of the hashtag on Facebook, Instagram, TwitterX, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Google, and other social media platforms. The hashtag is the way to manage and monitor digital content—it’s how “trending” topics are quickly identified and then reshared.

For publicity and news hounds, it’s the “go to” way to find out what’s happening and who is posting. If you show up in the a stream, you may just be contacted as a source and gain more followers. 

#WhoCanUseHashtags ? 

Everyone using social media should be using hashtags. If you are part of the everyone crowd, you want to be more discoverable! Big brands build hashtags to create and monitor a conversation surrounding a specific topic and their product and/or company name. Individuals use hashtags to either take part in a larger conversation or begin a conversation of their own. I use #AuthorU and #AuthorSuccess often in my postings, along with the social media handles @JudithBriles @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd when I’m referring specifically to my social media streams.

And, definitely hashtag  #YourName and the #TitleOfYourBook when you posting to build influence and recognition for both. 

#TopHashtags

Start using hashtag generators … you can also make up your own … but there will most likely be a limited number of eyes on it until you build up a following. It’s search engine time … Google or use your favorite search engine site and start with a search: Best Hashtag generators. Scroll past the “sponsored” ads and get into your options. You will see some for Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and much more. Many will be the same for each of the platforms … but there is uniqueness within the platforms.

FYI, I use multiple search engine sites–Google, Edge, and DuckDuckGo–quickly becoming my favorite because of it’s privacy features. 

#BasicRules of a Hashtag

When getting started with using hashtags for your own purposes, consider these essential rules:

• Always use the # before your chosen keyword(s).
• Hashtag can be used within a sentence or tagged on at the end.
• Essential #tips for #SelfPub #authors-listen to podcast:
• Do not use punctuation or spaces in hashtags. If there are numerous keywords in a hashtag, #PutThemAllTogether in one fluid phrase.
• Never put characters immediately before the #. For example, it wouldn’t be: author#newbook. Instead, you’d write: #AuthorNewBook
• Use letters and numbers—don’t go solo with just numbers alone. Using all numbers like #1 will not generate a positive search.
• Keep it SHORT! Avoid stringing a lot of words into one hashtag when possible. Use key words that will bring attention from the search engine gods. 
• Don’t overload your hashtag usage–three is a good number. The only time I add more is when I’m supporting an Amazon Bestseller Campaign. 
• Hashtags are your friend. Use them … and definitely, let their force be with you.

Dr. Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. Often, she must roll up her writing sleeves and become a Book Doctor, juicing up storylines and author words. She empowers authors and works directly with authors who want to be seriously successful and has been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the ’80s. Judith is the author of 48 books and 60 book awards including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms, Snappy Sassy Salty: Success for Authors and Writers, and How to Create a Million Dollar Speech. Her personal memoir When God Says NO-Revealing the YES When Adversity and Loss Are Present is a #1 bestseller on Amazon and her historical fiction debut The Secret Journey and The Secret Hamlet. The Secret Rise, book 3 and her first cookbook, Cooking with Judith will be published in 2025. Collectively, her books have earned over 50 book awards. Judith speaks throughout the year at publishing conferences. 

©2025 Judith Briles – The Book Shepherd All Rights Reserved.