Social media
Branded Hashtag Campaigns: How to Create One
By PostMediaAI7 min read
A branded hashtag is a hashtag unique to your brand, product or campaign, such as your company name or a campaign phrase. A branded hashtag campaign asks people to use it, so you can find their posts, feature them and build a visible community around the brand.
Branded hashtag vs campaign hashtag vs community hashtag
- Brand hashtag: your name or slogan, used long term (for example #YourBrand).
- Campaign hashtag: tied to one campaign or season (#YourBrandSummer).
- Community hashtag: for customers to share their own content (#MadeWithYourBrand).
Many brands have one permanent brand or community hashtag and add a campaign hashtag for specific pushes. Discovery hashtags, the generic ones that help new people find a post, are a different job; our AI hashtag generator guide covers those.
How to create a branded hashtag
1. Brainstorm options
Start from your brand name, product, slogan or the action you want: #[Brand]Moments, #MadeWith[Brand], #[Brand]Kitchen, #[Brand]Setup, #[Product]Diaries.
2. Test each option
A good branded hashtag is:
- Short: easy to type on a phone.
- Unique: not already used for something else.
- Easy to spell and say: if you have to explain it, it's too complicated.
- Readable: write it with capital letters on each word (#MadeWithMaple) so it reads clearly and is easier for screen readers. Hashtags work the same whatever the capitalization.
- Safe to read: check how the letters look run together, so it can't be misread as something embarrassing.
3. Check it isn't taken
Search the hashtag on Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, Threads and YouTube. If it already has posts about something unrelated, pick another. Also check it doesn't clash with a competitor or a trademark.
4. Know the platform rules that affect hashtags
- Instagram: hashtag pages show public posts that use a tag; posts from private profiles won't appear publicly, and you can use up to 5 hashtags on a post [1]. That limit means your branded hashtag is competing for very few slots, so make it worth including.
- YouTube: up to three of the hashtags in a description can show by the video title, and if you add more than 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores all of them [2]. Misleading or unrelated hashtags can lead to removal [2].
- Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads): Meta's spam policy prohibits exchanging anything of monetary value for engagement, including "use of specific hashtags" [3]. Don't promise prizes or payment just for using your hashtag; see our giveaway rules guide before adding a prize.
Give people a reason to use it
A hashtag on its own is not a campaign. People use branded hashtags when they get something out of it:
- The chance to be featured on your account.
- Belonging to a community of other customers.
- A clear creative prompt that's fun to answer.
- Useful content collected in one place, such as recipes or setups.
Pair the hashtag with a specific prompt: "Show us your first cup of the day with #MorningWithMaple." See our UGC campaign guide for prompt ideas.
Launch the hashtag
- Announce it: a post explaining what the hashtag is, what to share and what you'll do with it.
- Seed it: post several examples from your own account and team first, so the hashtag page isn't empty when people check it.
- Put it everywhere: your bio, packaging, receipts, email footers, in-store signs, event screens.
- Ask your most engaged customers to go first.
- Feature early posts quickly, with credit, so people see that using the tag gets noticed.
Keep it alive
Most branded hashtags fade because the brand stops using them. To keep yours going:
- Use it on your own relevant posts consistently.
- Feature customer posts on a regular schedule, such as every Friday.
- Refresh the prompt each season while keeping the same hashtag.
- Reply to and thank people who use it.
Always ask before reposting
Someone using your hashtag doesn't give you permission to reuse their photo or video. Ask in a comment or message, keep a record of the yes, credit the creator, and get explicit written permission for ads or your website.
Branded hashtag campaign ideas (templates)
- Customer showcase: #MadeWith[Brand] for photos of your product in use.
- Challenge: a simple action people film, such as a 30-second recipe, workout or setup tour.
- Event hashtag: #[Brand]Live2026 for attendees to post from your event.
- Milestone: #[Brand]10Years, inviting customers to share memories.
- Cause: a hashtag tied to a charity drive, with clear and honest terms on any donation.
On TikTok, a "branded hashtag challenge" can also refer to a paid TikTok ad format. Organic challenges work on any platform; the paid version is bought through TikTok's ad tools.
Common branded hashtag mistakes
- Too long or too clever: if people misspell it, their posts end up in the wrong place.
- Already in use: you inherit someone else's content, sometimes content you don't want next to your brand.
- Launched with no examples: an empty hashtag page tells people nobody else is taking part.
- A new hashtag for every post: people can't learn ten hashtags. Keep one long-term tag and use campaign tags sparingly.
- No prompt: "use #OurBrand" gives people no idea what to post.
- Forgetting offline: packaging, receipts and signs often reach more customers than your feed.
- Never featuring anyone: if using the tag never leads to anything, people stop.
How to track a branded hashtag
Once a week, search the hashtag on each platform and log:
- Number of new posts using it.
- Number of different people posting.
- Best posts to feature, and whether you have permission.
- Any misuse or negative use that needs a response.
Compare month to month. Growth in the number of different people using it is a better sign than total posts, since a few enthusiastic accounts can inflate totals.
Schedule features and reminders
Plan featured posts, reminders and seasonal prompts on your calendar so the hashtag keeps showing up. PostMediaAI lets you draft a feature post once, get a first draft for each channel from the AI, keep approved customer images in the media library, and schedule a regular feature slot across your channels from one calendar. For fitting hashtag features into a wider plan, see our content strategy guide.
FAQ
What is a branded hashtag?
It's a hashtag unique to a brand, product or campaign, used to collect posts about that brand in one place.
How do you create a branded hashtag?
Brainstorm short options based on your brand or campaign, check that each is unused and easy to read, then launch it with a clear prompt and your own example posts.
How do you get people to use your branded hashtag?
Give them a reason: features on your account, a fun prompt, or a community to be part of. Put the hashtag everywhere your customers look, and feature early posts quickly.
Can you run a branded hashtag campaign with a prize?
You can run a contest with official rules, but on Meta's platforms you can't give monetary value just for using a hashtag [3]. Read each platform's promotion rules first.
Related guides: How to Plan a Social Media Campaign (With a Template) and Product Launch Social Media Plan (4 Weeks).