Use a few hashtags that name what your post is actually about, write multi-word tags in CamelCase, and put them at the end of the post (or, sparingly, inside a sentence where they read naturally). Relevance beats volume. Three precise tags do more than a block of fifteen popular ones.
That is most of it. The table below is the short version. The sections after it explain the reasoning, with examples, for when a post does not fit the defaults.
Quick reference
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| How many? | Usually one to three. Stop when the next tag is only loosely related. |
| Where? | At the end, after an empty line. One inline tag is fine if it reads as a normal word. |
| Where not? | Your first line. That space belongs to your hook. |
| Capitalization? | CamelCase: #CustomerSuccess, not #customersuccess. |
| Spaces or symbols? | None. A space or hyphen ends the tag. |
| Numbers? | Fine when they are part of the term, like #Q4Planning. |
| Same tags every post? | No. Match the tags to the topic each time. |
| In comments? | Leave them out. Comments are for the conversation. |
If you want suggestions for a specific draft, paste it into the free LinkedIn Hashtag Generator and keep only the tags that fit.
What a hashtag does, and what it cannot do
A hashtag is a clickable label. Tap one and you see other posts with the same tag. People can also follow tags that match their interests. So a tag does two modest jobs: it tells readers what the post is about at a glance, and it can place your post alongside others on the same subject for people browsing or following that tag.
What it cannot do is rescue a post. LinkedIn has said publicly that it weighs relevance and how people respond when deciding who sees a post. A clear post with no tags will usually do better than a vague one with ten. More on that in how the LinkedIn algorithm works.
That is why we treat tags as the last thing you add, a minute before publishing. Spend the time on the post.
Choosing the number
There is no magic count, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. A practical way to decide:
- Add one tag for the main subject, say #CustomerSuccess.
- Add one or two that narrow it, say #Onboarding or #SaaS.
- Stop when the next candidate would only loosely describe the post.
If you want to know what works for your audience, run a small test: similar posts over a few weeks, vary only the number of tags, and compare impressions and comments in your post analytics. Your own audience is the only benchmark that counts here.
Placement, with examples
The end of the post is the cleanest spot. Leave an empty line after your last sentence, then put the tags on one line. The post reads normally and the tags stay out of the way.
We cut our onboarding from four weeks to two. The biggest change was one owner per account.
What would you add?
#CustomerSuccess #Onboarding
Inline works for one tag that reads as a normal word:
We rebuilt our #CustomerOnboarding in six weeks. Here is what changed.
Two inline tags in one sentence and it starts to read like a list of links.
The top of the post is the spot to avoid. The first lines are what people see before “see more”, and tags there push your real opening down. Our guide on how to format a LinkedIn post covers how to use that opening space.
Tags count toward your post length like any other text. If you are near the limit, check the numbers on our LinkedIn limits page.
Picking tags a reader would follow
Choose tags the way your ideal reader would describe the topic, not the way you feel about it. #Motivation is a mood. #SalesLeadership is a subject someone might follow.
Three filters for each candidate:
- Would a reader of this exact post follow this tag? If the honest answer is “maybe, loosely”, drop it.
- Is it specific enough to mean something? #Business could be anything. #B2BMarketing narrows it.
- Do people in your field actually use this term? Industry shorthand is fine when your audience knows it.
A good set usually mixes one broader topic with one or two narrower ones.
Weak vs better: three example posts
These sets were written for this page. They are not data on what performs best. They show the difference between describing the subject and decorating the post.
A career update. Dana is sharing a move from teaching into instructional design.
Weak: #NewBeginnings #Blessed #Career
Better: #InstructionalDesign #CareerChange #EdTech
The weak set says how Dana feels. The better set tells a stranger the exact field, and two of those tags are ones people in that field follow.
A lesson from work. Morgan, a product manager at a made-up company called Northwind, writes about cutting scope to ship on time.
Weak: #Success #Leadership #Innovation #Tech #Growth
Better: #ProductManagement #Roadmapping
Five broad tags became two precise ones. Nothing about this post is really about “innovation”.
A company announcement. Lumen Health posts about opening a new clinic.
Weak: #Exciting #News #Healthcare #Health #Medical #Doctors
Better: #DigitalHealth #PrimaryCare #[YourCity]
Three near-identical health tags collapse into one specific one, and the city tag reaches people who might actually walk in.
What we tested
We ran three sample posts through our own Hashtag Generator to see what it suggests. It works in your browser from a curated list of topics, matching words in your text, and makes no claims about reach or follower counts.
- “How we cut churn by fixing customer onboarding” matched the customer success topic and suggested #CustomerSuccess, #CustomerExperience, #CX, #CustomerRetention, #SaaS and #Onboarding.
- “Five things I learned in my first year as an SDR, from prospecting to quota” matched sales and suggested #Sales, #B2BSales, #SalesTips, #SocialSelling, #Prospecting and #SalesLeadership.
- “I was laid off last month and here is my job search plan” matched job search and suggested #JobSearch, #OpenToWork, #Hiring, #CareerAdvice, #Interviewing and #ResumeTips.
Each time the tool offers six, which is a menu, not a recommendation to use all six. For the churn post we would keep #CustomerSuccess and #Onboarding and drop the rest, because the post is about onboarding, not CX in general.
Formatting details that trip people up
CamelCase is worth the extra second. #CustomerSuccess works the same as #customersuccess, but it is easier to read, and screen readers are more likely to read the words correctly instead of as one long string.
Spaces and punctuation end a tag. #Customer Success becomes the tag #Customer followed by the plain word “Success”. Hyphens and most symbols break it too.
Long tags label nothing. #LessonsILearnedFromMyFirstYearInSales is not a topic anyone follows or types.
Habits that make posts look spammy
- Pasting the same block of tags under every post, whatever the topic
- Adding a trending tag that has nothing to do with the post, which annoys the people who follow it
- Tagging feelings (#Grateful, #Hustle) instead of subjects
- Scattering several tags through your sentences
- Dropping tags into other people’s comment threads to pull traffic
- Expecting tags to fix a weak opening, when the hook and body are the real problem
Before you publish
Run down this list once:
- Each tag names the subject, not a mood
- There are few enough that each one earns its place
- Multi-word tags are in CamelCase
- Tags sit at the end, or one reads naturally inside a sentence
- Nothing tag-like is in your first line
- This is not the same block you used on your last, unrelated post
Then paste your draft into the free LinkedIn Hashtag Generator, keep the two or three tags that fit, and add them at the end. For the post itself, read how to write a LinkedIn post.