YouTube Hashtags: What Marketers Need to Know

When I first noticed YouTube hashtags being featured in videos, I thought they looked silly. At the time, I thought hashtags were only useful for platforms like Twitter or Instagram. It wasn't until I clicked on a hashtag under an anime clip I was watching that I realized how useful the tags were.

Clicking on the hashtag helped me easily find other anime-related videos and content creators. And when I started my own channel, hashtags helped users find and engage with my own videos.

YouTube hashtags are a simple but effective way to bring more attention to your videos and boost your channel's viewership. Here's everything marketers need to know about YouTube hashtags.

What are YouTube hashtags?

How to Add Hashtags to a YouTube Video

Best YouTube Hashtags for Your Video

Popular YouTube Hashtags

Hashtags for Gaming Videos

Hashtags for Food Videos

Hashtags for Beauty and Fashion Videos

Hashtags for Entertainment Videos

Hashtags for Educational Videos

Top YouTube Hashtags

What are YouTube hashtags?

YouTube hashtags are keywords preceded by the # symbol. The hashtags are clickable and allow users to easily find related videos sharing the same hashtag. Using a hashtag also allows YouTube creators to categorize their videos with other content that includes the hashtag. Hashtags can also be used to conduct a search in the YouTube search bar.

Ultimately, hashtags make videos more discoverable — benefiting both users and content creators.

In the example below, Today includes #Emmys #Fashion and #RedCarpet for its video "Fashion Hits and Misses From the 2022 Emmy Awards."

Image source

If you click on #Emmys, you'll be taken to a page featuring other YouTube videos using the same hashtag.

Image source

Now you can easily find and click through other videos covering the award show.

How to Add Hashtags to a YouTube Video

Hashtags can be added to a YouTube video's title or description. Just type the # symbol into the title or description then begin to add the topic or keyword you want to be associated with your video. YouTube will then suggest popular hashtags based on what you typed in. From there, choose a recommended hashtag to promote your video with others using the same hashtag, or create one of your own that fits your content.

The hashtags you used will then link to a results page featuring other videos sharing the hashtag.

Best YouTube Hashtags for Your Video

The best YouTube hashtags for your video will depend on its content. For example, if your video features a celebrity, influencer, or public figure, you can use their name as a hashtag. If your video is part of an ongoing series or playlist on your channel, you can include the title of the series or playlist as a hashtag as well.

In the example below, First We Feast uses the hashtags #Hotones, #Lizzo, and #SeanEvans. Hot Ones is the name of the series on the channel, Lizzo is the celebrity being interviewed, and Sean Evans is the host.

Image source

In this example, using #Hotones in the video is great for the channel because clicking on it takes the viewer to a page showing other videos in the web series.

Image source

Hashtags that align with your niche are also best for your videos. For example, if you're a fashion YouTuber then hashtags like #fashion, #outfitideas, or #styleinspo will be most helpful for your videos. If your videos are funny then hashtags like #comedy, #lol, or #comedyskit are solid choices.

To find the best hashtags for your video, look up videos of other creators in your niche to see what tags they are using. Or search words in the YouTube search bar to see what other popular words and phrases come up. TubeBuddy is also a great tool for YouTube content creators and has a feature that allows creators to find keywords and phrases that can be turned into hashtags.

Image source

Make sure you don't use too many hashtags in your videos. According to Google, the more hashtags you use, the less relevant your video becomes. Try to stick to no more than three hashtags per video. If your video contains more than 60 hashtags, YouTube will ignore every single hashtag, and your video may be removed from your uploads or search results.

Your video may also be removed if you're using irrelevant or misleading hashtags. So, remember — not all trending hashtags will guarantee success for your video. If you see a hashtag trending on YouTube, but it's not relevant to your video — just leave it alone.

Popular YouTube Hashtags

Here are some popular hashtags for different kinds of YouTube content.

Hashtags for Gaming Videos

#gamers

#games

#live

#gaming

#gameplay

#youtubegamer

#gamereview

#gamer

#livestream

#gamecommentary

Hashtags for Food Videos

#food

#foodie

#cook

#tastyrecipes

#tasty

#healthyfood

#healthydinner

#yummy

#recipes

#homemadecooking

Hashtags for Beauty and Fashion Videos

#beautyhacks

#skincare

#fashion

#grwm (get ready with me)

#fashiontrends

#makeup

#modeling

#ootd (outfit of the day)

#makeuptutorial

#makeuphacks

Hashtags for Entertainment Videos

#funny

#comedy

#lol

#shorts (for YouTube Shorts)

#live

#skit

#music

#comics

#film

Hashtags for Educational Videos

#teaching

#learning

#education

#funfacts

#science

#technology

#literature

#theory

#school

#videoessay

Top YouTube Hashtags

These are some of the top YouTube hashtags that can be applied to most kinds of videos.

#youtube

#youtubers

#viral

#subscribe

#video

#youtubemusic

#youtubechannel

#youtubevideos

#youtubeshorts

#youtubecreator

Using YouTube hashtags will help your videos find the right audience — leading to growth for your channel. Just remember to always use relevant hashtags and not over-tag your content. If you remember these rules, you'll be able to use YouTube hashtags to your advantage.

Originally published Sep 27, 2022 7:00:00 AM, updated September 27 2022