Do Hashtags work on TikTok in 2025? Yes, if you choose them with data

TikTok hashtags have long been a cornerstone of content discoverability on the platform, helping the algorithm understand, categorise and recommend videos to the right audiences. But as the TikTok’s ecosystem evolves, many brands and creators are questioning whether hashtags still play a relevant role in content discoverability - or if they’ve become outdated.

In this article, we’ll address the ongoing debate about hashtags effectiveness in 2025. We will also discuss a practical framework for creating a data-driven hashtag strategy.

The Role of Hashtags on TikTok

TikTok’s recommendation system operates through two primary discovery channels: the For You Page (FYP) and search results:

1. The FYP curates content based on user preferences and behaviour, such as watch history, interactions, and engagement patterns.
2. In contrast, search results depend on content categorisation, where the top-ranking videos for a given search query are the same across users.

For both discovery methods, the TikTok’s algorithm must first understand what a piece of content is about before determining how, where and if to display it.

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While additional signals like watch time, user engagement, and video completion rates significantly influence how content is pushed to the FYP or ranked in search results, these metrics play a role at a later step in the process.

Hashtags are one of the foundational inputs (together with other metadata), guiding the algorithm to accurately understand and tag content. This categorisation directly impacts two outcomes:

1. Ensuring content is matched with the right audience for FYP recommendations.
2. Ensuring content is associated to relevant search keywords.

These two outcomes are interconnected. Without proper categorisation via hashtags and other metadata, the content may never reach the audience that can maximise engagement metrics; and without proper engagement metrics, the content will never rank in top search results.

This means hashtags are not just optional; they are one of the factor contributing to a ripple effect that drives discoverability and performance.

Do Hashtags Still Work on TikTok?

The debate over hashtags' relevance on TikTok often arises from how they are used. Adding generic tags like #ForYou or #FYP, once thought to guarantee visibility, is no longer effective in today's more search-oriented TikTok ecosystem.

Using hashtags similar to #FYP not only means competing with millions of unrelated videos but also makes it harder for the algorithm to match your content with the right audience. These general hashtags don’t target specific viewer interests nor provide information about the topic addressed in your video, therefore:

1. Your content is more likely to reach people who aren’t interested in your topic.
2. Which leads to lower engagement - fewer likes, comments, and shares - signalling to the algorithm that your video isn’t worth pushing further.

On the other hand, specific and niche hashtags naturally target a smaller and more engaged audience who is actively searching for or is interested in your topic.

When used strategically, hashtags remain a powerful tool for promoting discoverability. Effective hashtags act as a bridge, helping TikTok’s algorithm surface your content to the right viewers. They are particularly impactful in aligning videos with relevant search terms or audience interests, much like SEO keywords do for website traffic.

The key takeaway is that hashtags aren’t dead - they just demand a smarter, more targeted approach. In the next section, we’ll explore a framework to help you choose the right hashtags and maximise their impact.

How to Choose the Right Hashtags for TikTok

When it comes to selecting hashtags on TikTok, the traditional advice of using few relevant hashtags with a mix of trending and niche terms remains relevant - but it requires refinement.

To optimise your hashtag strategy, we propose the 3x3 Framework, which ensures your hashtags address all critical aspects of content categorisation and discoverability.

For each video, select three hashtags from each of these three categories:

1. Video Topic - hashtags that clarify the niche and topic you are addressing.
2. Target Audience - hashtags that define the personas in your target audience you created the video for.
3. Desired Outcome - hashtags that reflect the desired outcome or dream results your brand, product or content promotes.

For example, in the skincare niche, a Korean skincare brand posting about a new barrier repair serum line targeting people new to skin care and that have sensitive skin, might use the following hashtag mix:

To further improve the hashtag selection, incorporate trending hashtags into this framework when relevant. For example, suppose a trending challenge like #5DayGlowUp is gaining traction within the niche, this can be added to the goal-oriented category of hashtags. Also, consider creating hashtags that are unique to your brand and that include your brand name, or the product name.

This approach works because it communicates three critical pieces of information to the algorithm:

1. What the video is about.
2. Who it’s meant for.
3. What specific goals or outcomes it addresses.

This alignment helps the algorithm categorise your video and position it effectively in TikTok’s search results. For instance, a user searching “barrier repair tips for sensitive skin” is more likely to encounter your content, as your hashtags match both the need and the outcome.

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This approach also increases the likelihood of appearing on your target users FYP as TikTok’s recommendation system relies on the algorithms’s ability to understand both the content of a video and its relevance to user preferences. By labelling your content with a robust mix of hashtags, you’re providing the algorithm with the information it needs to match your video to its ideal audience.

This dual benefit - ranking in search results and being pushed to the FYP - significantly amplifies your content’s reach.

For this framework to work, understanding your audience is crucial. Knowing their search and engagement patterns, allows you to create highly-engaging content supported by an effective hashtag mix. This is where a data-driven approach becomes invaluable. By analysing hundreds of search queries in your niche - along with top-ranking videos, their metadata, and user engagement and interactions - you can identify what resonates with your audience.

ShortFormData empowers you to do just that, offering real-time TikTok search data and actionable insights to refine your hashtag strategy for maximum impact. Learn more about us here!

Conclusion

Hashtags remain a powerful tool for TikTok content discovery, but only when used strategically. While broad and outdated hashtag strategies may no longer yield results, data-driven approaches can optimise hashtag selection to enhance visibility and engagement.

With the right tools and an ongoing analysis of performance, hashtags continue to be an essential part of any TikTok content strategy. Leveraging data to guide decisions allows you to refine your content strategy, ensuring your content connect with the right audience and remain competitive in a crowded space - ultimately enabling you to drive sustainable growth on the platform.