LinkedIn

Should I use hashtags on LinkedIn?

October 11, 2026 · Bradley Jacobs

Yes, but keep it to two or three specific ones at the end of the post, and don't expect them to do much. A hashtag is a topic label, not a reach hack. If a post flops, the hashtags weren't the problem, and adding more won't fix it.

I've posted on LinkedIn nearly every day for about six years, and I have around 26,000 followers, all organic. There is still no way all 26,000 of them see every post I publish. Hashtags don't change that. What changes it is whether the post is specific and worth reading.

Mylance is a LinkedIn content system that turns what you know and do into LinkedIn posts that sound like you.

Do hashtags help LinkedIn posts get seen?

A little, as labels. LinkedIn's own guidance still describes hashtags as searchable topic labels, but it doesn't promise extra reach for using them and it doesn't publish an ideal number. It also removed hashtags from profiles back in 2024.

The bigger issue is that most of your followers never see most of your posts, whatever is sitting at the bottom. The algorithm's whole job is to keep anyone from being flooded by one person's content, even if you posted three times a day. That is the part a hashtag can't touch.

How many hashtags should you use on a LinkedIn post?

Two or three that describe what the post is actually about, or none at all. Treat any exact count as a habit, not a rule.

When we scored 895 real posts against how they performed, walls of eight or more hashtags showed up in the flop pile, right next to jargon essays and generic executive wisdom. It reads as reach-chasing. The posts that beat their author's own baseline were the specific ones: posts high on specificity beat baseline 68% of the time, versus about 50% for vague ones. The full breakdown is in what actually works on LinkedIn.

What should you spend time on instead of hashtags?

The first line, and being specific. Hashtag research feels productive because it has a right answer. A better opening line is harder, and it's the thing that actually makes someone tap see more.

When I onboard someone, I do their niche and positioning work myself before any posts get written, because your content is only as good as your positioning. A post that's clear about who it's for and what you actually did gets found by the right people. A tag on a vague post just labels it vague.

If you want help with the opening, here's how to write a LinkedIn hook.

Is tagging a person better than a hashtag?

Yes, when that person is really part of the story. In the same 895-post data, tagging a real person by name reliably pulled in engagement from that person. The sample was small, so treat it as a hint, not a law.

It only works when it's honest. Tagging someone you actually learned from or worked with is a story. Tagging ten people who had nothing to do with the post is the same wall of tags with better manners.

Where do hashtags go in a LinkedIn post?

At the bottom, on their own line, so your first lines stay clean for the hook. Say the important keywords in plain words in the sentences themselves, so a reader understands the post without decoding tags.

How do you know if your posts are working without hashtags?

Watch profile views over 90 days, not how one post felt. I've seen 3,166 profile views over 90 days from posting consistently, and no single post told me that.

The thing I really want to see over a couple of months is people saying, "I saw your stuff on LinkedIn." If you're getting that, the hashtags were never the question. If a post got almost no views, that's a different problem, and I wrote about it in why LinkedIn posts get no views.

FAQ

Do hashtags increase reach on LinkedIn?

Not in any way LinkedIn promises. They work as searchable topic labels. A specific post with a strong first line does more for you than any tag.

How many hashtags should I use?

Two or three relevant ones is plenty, and zero is fine too. Past that, it starts to look like reach-chasing.

Should hashtags go in the post or the comments?

In the post, at the bottom. That keeps your opening lines free for the hook.

Can I just tag people instead?

If they're really part of the story, yes. Tag people you actually worked with or learned from, not people you want attention from.

What is Mylance?

Mylance is a LinkedIn content system that turns your real expertise into posts that sound like you. It starts from your own notes, calls, and stories, helps you decide what to say, and learns from your edits. You stay in control of what goes out.

Bottom line

Use two or three relevant hashtags at the bottom of the post, or none, and put your real effort into the first line and the story. I'll take a specific post with zero hashtags over a generic one with eight, every time.

Author: Bradley Jacobs. Published October 11, 2026. Updated October 11, 2026.