How To Use Hashtags On Medium

Maximising Topics for a wider reach

Importance of hashtags

One of the most underused features of Medium is Topics. I call them hashtags # as they work as such. As the editor of the publication A Smiling World, I estimate 50% of the writers use less than the 5 hashtags we are entitled to.

Hashtags help Medium understand articles better, and feature them under the relevant Medium Topics when positioning them in the platform. How high an article is going to rank and how much exposure depends on other factors like its quality and curation, as well as the writer’s own followers base. However, accurately using hashtags is powerful, as they act as a genre in a library.

Using hashtags helps to place the article in the right digital shelf, just like a book in the right aisle of the library.

It’s important to use all 5 hashtags because each one acts as a voice amplifier for the writer. Giving up hashtags has a cost of opportunity, as the article is missing out on the potential audience following those topics.

What hashtags to use?

The first hashtag is the easiest, as that’s the main topic of the article. It’s important to stay consistent with the words selected as hashtags so that the writer can rank higher overtime on that particular topic. For example, I often share tips about writing and editing. I make sure I always use hashtag writing so that I index in that category. This also increases the chances of making it to the list of Top Writers on that topic.

The second and third hashtags are not too hard, as they are variations or synonyms of the first one. In this example, it could be writing tips and editing.

The trouble starts with hashtag #4. Here, many writers lose creativity. When publishing through a publication, it’s a good idea to tag it, as it helps promote it, and many require it.

The last hashtag is where writers go slack — me included. We scratch our heads; we squeeze the creative juices, and nothing comes out. We then go, “let’s just leave it blank, no one will notice it anyways”.

Indeed, no one will notice it because we are missing out on potential reads.

Maximizing the power of hashtags

Every single feature available on Medium helps writers reach a wider audience, from the profile to advanced settings like SEO and the usage of hashtags.

Writing is not only about finding the right chemistry of words. It’s also a marketing exercise where writers have to package the articles effectively to maximize reach.

The very last thing before pressing Publish is filling in all 5 hashtags. It’s not 3, it’s not 4, it’s 5.

Let’s make sure we hit the magic number.

“I write to the right” — Veronica Llorca-Smith

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