How to Use X (Twitter) Hashtags: The 2026 Guide to Finding and Using the Right Ones

Are you using X (Twitter) hashtags to maximise exposure for your brand or client's X (Twitter) account?

If you're not using hashtags on Twitter, you could easily be invisible to then audience you’re trying to engage on this platform.

If you’ve got clients that want to stay on X because of their demographics and ideal customer profiles (ICPs) are aligned with the audience here, then you need to keep using hashtags effectively on X.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover how to find and use X (Twitter) hashtags that are relevant to your client's target audience:

TL;DR: How to pick the best Twitter hashtags in 2026

• Use 1-2 hashtags per tweet: 1-2 hashtags consistently outperform those with 3+
• Hashtags now work more as sorting and semantic signals for social SEO and AI search, not just discovery tools.
• Find relevant hashtags using X's own trends panel, SparkToro, GetDayTrends, RiteTag, or Sendible's AI Assist.
• Always check relevancy before using a trending hashtag. Irrelevant tags read as spam and can hurt your account.
• Mix one niche hashtag with one popular/trending hashtag for the best reach.
• Keep branded hashtags short, capitalised, and punctuation-free so they're memorable and easy to spell.
• Layer in industry-specific hashtags (real estate, healthcare, SaaS, fashion, etc.) alongside universal ones like #digitalmarketing or #socialmedia.

What are X (Twitter) hashtags, and why should you use them

What is a X (Twitter) hashtag?

Hashtags originated on X (Twitter) in 2007. Now, hashtags are a normal feature on every other social media platform

A hashtag comprises two parts: the hash symbol — # - sometimes called the pound symbol in the US — immediately followed by a keyword or phrase. Ideally, use capitals for every individual word within the keyword or phrase, otherwise, it could get confusing.

For example, putting the # symbol in front of the words 'Social Media Marketing (without a space) makes it a hashtag: #SocialMediaMarketing.

Why should you use X (Twitter) hashtags?

Hashtags are a handy way to group and categorise tweets, and they help people follow topics they're interested in. Anyone searching for a specific topic can find relevant tweets immediately, without having to scroll through their X (Twitter) feed.

Brands that use the right Twitter hashtags can generate up to:

• 33% more retweets and significantly boost engagement across the marketing funnel
• An 18% increase in message association
• An 8% rise in brand awareness
• A 3% increase in purchase intent (Source:ContentStudio).

This means that you should use hashtags to help people discover and engage with your content.

From #Novice to #Ninja: Your Ultimate Guide on How to Use Hashtags with Finesse

Read the guide

The do's and don'ts of X (Twitter) hashtags

Do these with Hashtags;

• Tweets with 1-2 hashtags still perform better than those with 3 or more hashtags. However, the data marketing agencies used to rely on over specific hashtag performance when checked against volume isn’t as accessible as it was. So, we have to use our social media trends report and scheduling tool to find what works for your brand.
• Use hashtags to explore trending topics. You can either type them in the search bar or click on a hashtagged keyword under the trending post.
• Create a hashtag strategy to ensure consistency. Hashtags will help your client's brand to connect with trending topics on X (Twitter) and the target audience.
• Come up with easy-to-remember branded hashtags. You'll want your followers to use the unique hashtag you created, so making it easy to spell and remember is the two prerequisites you'll need to tick off.
• Use a good mix of relevant and trending hashtags. Start experimenting by combining one niche hashtag with one popular hashtag.

Don’t do the following with hashtags:

• Don't use hashtags in your adverts if you're trying to drive traffic to your website. X (Twitter) found that adverts without a #hashtag or @mention generate 23% more clicks.
• Avoid over-hashtagging. While it might be tempting to use as many of these keywords as possible, this will confuse the algorithm. Remember that tweets should communicate one idea only.
• Avoid over-hashtagging. While it might be tempting to use as many of these keywords as possible, this will confuse the algorithm. Remember that tweets should communicate only one idea.
• Don't make it weird. Hashtags should fit in naturally with the rest of your post. So if your brand's slogan and name don't make sense in that particular post, don't use them.
• Don't use punctuation in a hashtag. For example, #It'sComingHome won't work, although it’s grammatically correct. Use #ItsComingHome instead.

How to find trending and popular X (Twitter) hashtags

There's no point in using a hashtag if nobody is searching for it. To help you find trending and popular hashtags for your tweets, utilise these tools.

1. X (Twitter)

The first place to check for trending hashtags is X (Twitter).

On the left-hand sidebar under your profile, you'll find a personalised list of the Top 10 Trends:

Note: Some of these trends are topics rather than hashtags.

The trends are tailored to you based on your location and who you follow:

If you don't like what you see, you can click on 'Change' to select another location:

Pro Tip: The X (Twitter) mobile app starts with the Top 5 Trends:

But you can tap on 'Show more' to reveal a list of the Top 20:

2. SparkToro

SparkToro is a brilliant tool for finding both trending and popular X (Twitter) hashtags.

The tool itself gives subscribers insights into a bird's-eye view of the websites, keywords, and social networks your target audience uses.

This includes hashtags that your target audience tends to use, which looks something like this when you search for an audience. You can search for your audience by keywords, websites, or even keywords used in their bio.

3. GetDayTrends

GetDayTrends shows you the latest trends from X (Twitter), anywhere in the world. Click on a word or an X (Twitter) hashtag on the map, and you'll get results for that location.

For example, clicking on the word 'Messi' in the US shows the volume of interest in the Argentinian football (soccer) player, Lionel Messi:

Take a look at the UK and click on other football-related phrases because of the current World Cup:

If you are in the social media space, Sendible also conducts its own social media trends report. You can read the 2026 social media management trends report here to see things like the best days to schedule content, which platforms are being posted on, and the top predictions.

4. RiteTag

RiteTag is another excellent tool for checking both trending and popular X (Twitter) hashtags. For instance, when you enter the term 'social media', RiteTag produces two lists.

For instant trending results, use the green-coloured hashtags to get seen now:

For long-term popular results, use the blue-coloured hashtags to get seen over time:

Also useful are the hashtags not to use:

And, if you like visuals, there’s a word map of connections and stats about your selected hashtag:

Using RiteTag, you get the complete picture for each hashtag.

Finding trending and popular hashtags is one thing, but that doesn't mean you have to use them. It depends on how every hashtag fits into your brand’s messaging and Tone of Voice (ToV), and for that, you need to use a social media audit template first.

5. Social media management tool

You can use your Twitter management tool, such as Sendible, to find relevant hashtags for your tweets. While composing a message in our Smart Compose Box, simply ask our AI Assist for hashtag suggestions.

Once you’ve got your X (Twitter) content ready, use a social media scheduling tool to have clients approve your next batch of Tweets, then let them fly.

Which are the most popular X (Twitter) hashtags?

Studies have shown that tweets including hashtags are 33% more likely to be retweeted than those without them.

But which specific hashtags are most likely to help you gain traction on the platform? Hashtags have a shelf-life, but there are certain ones that have remained popular for many years. We’ve included these below.

According to research by Hubspot, the most used and popular hashtags tend to be very general and can be used by most brands. They include:

• #competition
• #influencer
• #influencermarketing
• #fridayfeeling
• #MondayMotivation
• #tbt
• #wcw
• #thursdaythoughts
• #traveltuesday
• #blessed
• #goals
• #vegan
• #fitness
• #science
• #fintech

When deciding which hashtags to include in your posts, remember the rule of relevancy - will your audience appreciate a post based around the subject of this hashtag? This also applies to hashtags that are trending or popular within your niche.

Celebrating holidays on X (Twitter) is a great way to boost brand awareness and connect with your target audience. From holidays such as Valentine's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Halloween, and Christmas, to cause-related ones such as Earth Day, Pediatric Cancer Month, Black History Month, and LGBTQA+ Month

And of course, those big sales such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday; we're sure you'll find the perfect ones to promote your client's brand while strengthening your brand’s relationship with the X (Twitter) community.

If your clients’ brands are also active on Instagram and Threads, it could be worth checking which Instagram hashtags are popular and using them on X (Twitter) as well.

How X hashtags impact social SEO and AI search in 2026

We need to remember that content on X (Twitter) impacts social SEO in 2026 and, therefore, how brands are found in AI-generated answers, and AI search.

A few things to remember about how hashtags are used and support content discovery:

• Likes are private on X. This changes how "relevancy" is perceived. Because of this, users engage differently now, as they aren’t chasing likes, and that means brands don’t need to, either.
• Video Surge: 37% of users are most likely to interact with short-form video on X.
• X’s internal data shows that more than four out of five user sessions include video. And there’s a 35% year-over-year increase in video views (Source: Sprout Social).
• SEO Signal: X's algorithm now treats hashtags more as sorting mechanisms and semantic signals rather than just discovery "megaphones" (Source: Metricool 2025).

How many hashtags should you use on X in 2026?

Less is more when it comes to hashtags.

Tweets with 1-2 hashtags still perform better than those with 3 or more hashtags.

However, the data marketing agencies used to rely on over specific hashtag performance when checked against volume isn’t as accessible as it was.

So, we have to use our social media trends report and scheduling tool to find what works for your brand.

Quick summary of X (Twitter) Hashtags List

Here are the most broadly useful hashtags from the longer list below across the most popular sectors and trends on X (Twitter):

Universal/High-Value: #digitalmarketing, #socialmedia, #onlinemarketing, #onlineshopping

Business & B2B #B2B, #saas, #AgencyLife, #franchise

Lifestyle & Consumer: #travel, #foodies, #fashionstyles, #lookoftheday, #luxury

Health & Community: #mentalhealthawareness, #healthyliving, #supportlocal

Engagement & Promotions: #deals, #promo, #entrepreneur

These 19 cover the widest range of audiences and work well as a foundation regardless of industry — layer in niche or geo-specific tags on top as needed.

A list of 82 niche X (Twitter) hashtags for your clients

To help you get started with creating an easy-to-optimise X (Twitter) hashtag strategy for your clients' brands, we have created a couple of lists of popular niche hashtags divided by industries:

• Real estate
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Healthcare
• E-commerce
• Digital marketing agency
• Fashion
• SaaS
• Franchises
• Law firms

Real estate niche hashtags

• #realestateagent
• #realestatemarket
• #realestateexpert
• #realestateinvesting
• #firsttimehomebuyer
• #CooperativeHousingSocieties
• #mortgagebroker
• #househunting
• #dreamhome
• #housing
• #newhome
• #justlisted
• #homeownership
• #homeforsale
• #homebuyers

Restaurants niche hashtags

• #restaurants
• #fastfood
• #foodies
• #chef
• #cuisine
• #plantbasedfoods
• #quickmeals
• #foodbloger
• #recipe
• #winelover

Hotels niche hashtags

• #hotelnews
• #hospitality
• #travelservices
• #travel
• #travelling
• #luxurydestinations
• #shortstayaccomodation
• #airbnbsuperhost
• #tourism
• #hotels

Healthcare niche hashtags

• #guthealthmatters
• #mentalhealthawareness
• #mentalhealthmatters
• #healthyliving
• #healthtech
• #MedEd
• #TipsForNewDocs
• #medicare
• #clinicaltips
• #MedX (Twitter)

💡 Actionable pro tip for healthcare brands: While you should use some of these hashtags in your posts, you need to keep in mind that a lot of other, non-healthcare brands use some of these hashtags to raise awareness.

This is why you should use more specific hashtags to reach the right audience. You could experiment with combining location and service hashtags along with the above-mentioned ones (e.g. #blooddonation, #teethwhitening, #dentalsurgery, #periodontist, #cancerprevention).

eCommerce niche hashtags

• #inyourbestinterest
• #offers
• #promo
• #deals
• #onlineshopping
• #ecommercessentials
• #buyintoart
• #printsforsale

💡 Actionable pro tip for eCommerce brands: Be aware that many marketers use these hashtags in their posts. To make sure you're targeting the right audience, you'll need to get a bit more granular with your hashtag strategy.

• Are you an #entrepreneur sharing an #entrepreneurtip?
• Or are you offering a special #blackfriday #discount to the first 20 users that sign up for your #newsletter packed with #fashiontips?
• Are you running a #flashsale campaign or are you #hiringnow new #customerservice agents?

Digital marketing agency niche hashtags

• #MarketingAgency
• #MarketingServices
• #DigitalMarketing
• #DigitalMarketingAgency
• #SocialMediaMarketingTips
• #AgencyLife
• #SocialMediaAgency
• #socialmedia
• #graphicdesign
• #onlinemarketing

💡 Actionable pro tip for social media and digital marketing agencies: sprinkle the hashtags in your copy as well. This way, they'll become a natural part of your story, and you'll be able to include other relevant hashtags:

• Like for particular social media platforms (e.g. #TikTok)
• Sectors (#ecommercemarketing, #MarketingForStartUps, #DoctorsMarketing)
• And topics (#userexperience, #influencermarketing).

Fashion niche hashtags

• #fashionstyles
• #mensfashion
• #womensfashion
• #ootdStyle
• #luxury
• #lookoftheday
• #outfit

An additional tip for fashion brands: The new generation of consumers cares deeply about causes you support, so make sure to tag your holiday and cause campaign posts with adequate hashtags such as #ecofirendly, #supportlocal, #prideweek.

Niche B2B SaaS hashtags

• #B2B
• #scale
• #saas
• #b2bbusiness
• #software
• #apps

An additional tip for SaaS businesses: Try combining these general hashtags with those that target your audience's pain points or interests, as well as those that highlight what you specialise in (#cybersecurity, #CRO, #AI, #SEO, #GEO, #AEO, #CRM, #SocialMediaManagement).

Franchise niche hashtags

• #foodfranchises
• #franchise
• #franchises
• #emergingfranchises
• #franchisebusiness
• #franchiseopportunity

💡 Actionable pro tip for franchises: Ensure to add popular X (Twitter) hashtags that better explain the nature of the business, as well as the branded hashtag.

Law firm niche hashtags

• #lawfirm
• #legaladvice
• #legalese
• #legallyspeaking
• #lawyerlife
• #legalbusiness
• #solicitors
• #legalaid

💡 Actionable pro tip for law firms: Experiment with mixing general hashtags with topic-relevant hashtags, such as #onlinelegaltraining, #techlaw, #intellectualproperty, #disabilityrights, #divorcelawyer.

How to check the relevancy of your X (Twitter) hashtags

Forcing hashtags into your tweets to attract attention amounts to spam.

For example, if you choose to use a trending hashtag like #WinterOlympics, but your message and any links have nothing to do with the FIFA World Cup, you've attracted the wrong attention and audience. Even worse, if enough people complain, X (Twitter) might block your account. So don't go there!

Your hashtags need to be relevant to the content you're posting

Here are three ways to make sure they pass the relevancy test:

1. Check the definition of existing hashtags

If you come across a hashtag but you're not sure what it means or whether it's relevant to your client's brand, you can check its definition by searching for it on a search engine like Google.

2. Check what hashtags influencers use

If one or more respected influencers in your industry or niche are using a hashtag, it's likely relevant. But you can still make your own check.

Enter the hashtag in the X (Twitter) search bar:

And see what content is being posted:

Incidentally, the hashtag was used more than 400,000 times, garnering more than 2 trillion impressions on social media.

Creating a catchy hashtag is an excellent way to raise brand awareness, but remember to follow these three steps:

• Check if it exists: Make a thorough search on X (Twitter) to ensure your proposed new hashtag does not already exist or has not been used negatively in the past.
• Consider the length: A hashtag needs to be snappy and memorable. Creating a hashtag from a long phrase won't deliver the desired results, and there's a greater chance of it getting mistyped. Three words or fewer should be enough to convey your message.
• Use capital letters: X (Twitter) hashtags are not case-sensitive, but using capital letters makes your hashtag more readable.
• Compare #socialmediamarketing and #SocialMediaMarketing. Plus, it also helps hashtags from being misinterpreted.

Wrapping Up: How to use hashtags on Twitter (X)

Despite how much Twitter (X) has changed over the last few years, hashtags are here to stay. They are so useful for identifying topics and reaching your target audience that you can't afford to ignore them.

Using relevant hashtags in your clients' tweets to reach new audiences and boost brand awareness is essential to keeping your clients happy and attracting new ones.

Before you decide whether X (Twitter) is truly a good social media platform for your client, you might wish to revisit your hashtag strategy.