If you’re generous with the pound sign on social media, using Threads hashtags might require you to embrace a strong sense of discipline.
Threads hashtags might just be the way we’ve all secretly wanted hashtags to be. But they take a little getting used to, particularly if you’re the type who goes wild with them on other social media platforms.
But first, I should point out one important point: the social media platform did not go under as many seemed to predict. In fact, TechCrunch reported it just reached 130 million monthly users in fourth-quarter 2023. Meta says that’s an increase of 30 million since the third quarter. That sounds like a pretty impressive growth in three months to me.
Yes, it had a big debut powered by its companion site, Instagram. But the number of users is still increasing despite early reviews that read more like a mixed bag of likes and dislikes.
Threads hashtags is one of my ‘likes’
Threads rolled out its hashtagging option back in December. As someone who doesn’t use a lot of hashtags, it even took me a little thought to get used to it.
When I post something on Instagram, I will usually add a hashtag or two. If I post a picture of the Collie, for example, I use a few hashtags. Here’s an example:
The fictional canine hero Lassie introduced generations to the “Rough Collie.” (It has a short-haired version called the Smooth Collie.) People sometimes call them the “Lassie dog.” So if I post a photo of him, I’ll use a few hashtags to help fellow Collie owners and appreciators find them.
That, after all, is what hashtags do.
I try not to use more than about five hashtags, and I usually don’t use more than three or so unless I know there are specific ones that work well in certain situations.
But I see some posts on Instagram that go overboard with them. I saw one post not long ago with 29 hashtags. The wall of hashtags was longer than the text that accompanied the photo. That, friends, must just be overkill!
Threads, however, rolled out its hashtag option with a built-in solution to that problem. With Threads, you get one.
Yes, one single hashtag. When you create a post and you go to add a hashtag, the pound sign quickly disappears and the hashtag text automatically turns blue until you hit a space. The hashtag is still a hashtag. It just doesn’t have the little #.
But when you type that first one, typing the pound sign a second time just gives you text.
Theoretically, you could still type a lot of hashtags…but none would link except that first one. Overall, that discourages people from spamming up their posts.
I imagine social marketers might find it frustrating. That’s all the more reason to like it. I like that it forces you to be more strategic when you choose that one hashtag link you get.
But more than anything, it takes away a lot of the clutter. It also carries the possibility of encouraging people to write better captions rather than relying on so many hashtags.
I’m not the only one who thinks that makes the experience better, am I?
