We all used Facebook Hashtags during the last 3 months. We even celebrated their arrival on Facebook in the mid-June. But now that they’re part of our Facebook posts for good, we can’t help but wonder, do they really increase the reach of a post?

In a theoretical framework, hashtags allow you to extend your reach, since they allow you to attract bigger audience that might be looking for a similar content with yours, without even knowing of your existence up to then. That’s how it worked on Twitter and it was indeed a successful use in many cases. However, in Facebook it didn’t seem to work that way, at least until today.
During the first days of Facebook hashtags we fell into the trap of using hashtags on every post. Although in some cases it did increase the reach, just because everyone was trying hashtags and did several searches, in sum, after 3 months, there was not any difference on posts that were using hashtags.

According to a study by EdgeRank Checker, Facebook posts with hashtags even have less reach, comparing to the rest!

Any possible explanations?

  • Facebook has a complex algorithm of what is worth spreading (which affects what appears on our News Feeds). After their recent changes on the News Feed Algorithm, there was a transition period, that is still occurring, trying to figure out which content should be preferred over the rest.
  • Users are starting to see hashtags everywhere. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest are full of hashtags. This means that some users are addicted to hashtags and others are fed up with them! When a brand uses 3-4 hashtags in a row in order to attain bigger reach, it is no surprise that they end up with less reach, comparing to a post without hashtags.

Should I use hashtags then?

We’re not telling you to completely stop using hashtags on Facebook. You simply have to use them wisely. Only add them on a post when you really feel that they match and they do not look “spammy”. According to our own measurements, Facebook Hashtags that are correctly use can (slightly) increase reach.

What’s your experience with hashtags then? How often do you use them on Facebook?