How To Find and Use the Best TikTok Hashtags in 2025

TikTok isn’t slowing down anytime soon. By the end of 2025, it’s projected to have over 2 billion users worldwide, including 1.69 billion monthly active users who spend an average of 58 minutes on the app each day. But with so much content flooding the platform, how can you stand out? Well, using the best TikTok hashtags makes things easier.

Hashtags fuel TikTok’s algorithm, helping videos reach the right audience, boost engagement, and even go viral. But slapping on a few trending hashtags isn’t enough. The key is finding the right hashtags — ones that not only match your content but also drive real engagement.

In this guide, we’ll cover the hottest TikTok hashtags, how to identify the best ones for your brand, and the smartest way to track hashtag performance (hint: you don’t have to do it manually). But first, let’s talk about what hashtags are really for.

Why Use TikTok Hashtags?

Let’s start with what hashtags aren’t. They’re not magic keywords that instantly guarantee virality. They’re also not just for aesthetics or for stuffing as many as possible into your caption.

So, what do hashtags actually do? They act as labels that categorize your content, making it easier for TikTok to show your videos to the right audience. More importantly, they help you:

• Get discovered. Hashtags can expose your content to users who are actively engaging with similar topics.
• Join trending conversations. Popular hashtags often link to challenges, trends, or niche communities where users interact with specific types of content.
• Boost engagement. TikTok tracks how users engage with videos under a hashtag. The more engagement your video gets within a certain hashtag category, the more likely TikTok is to push it to more viewers also engaging with that tag.
• Reach your ideal audience. The right hashtags ensure your content is seen by people who actually care about it rather than just a broad, uninterested audience.

Now that we’ve established why hashtags are important, let’s dive into the top trending TikTok hashtags of 2025 and how to find the ones that’ll work best for you.

The Top Trending Hashtags on TikTok Right Now

TikTok’s algorithm loves trending hashtags, and using them strategically can have your content reach more eyes. However, what’s trending changes fast, so it’s important to keep an eye on real-time trends.

TikTok’s Creative Center offers a real-time look at the hottest hashtags, making it easy for you to tap into current trends. These are constantly updating, but we’ll list a few here so you can get an idea of the kinds of topics that make it to the top of the trending list. These were the top 10 trending hashtags from the last 120 days (November 10th, 2024, to March 10th, 2025):

1. #creatorsearchinsights
2. #2025
3. #blowup
4. #valentinesday
5. #trump
6. #newyear
7. #blowthisupforme
8. #tiktokshopfinds
9. #america
10. #superbowl

TikTok also reports trending hashtags in certain industries, giving marketers a more tailored perspective. These include food & beverage, health, and travel, among others:

Let’s dive into two industries for a closer look at how TikTok categorizes its hashtags. For the Beauty & Personal Care industry, the top 10 hashtags from the last 120 days (November 10th, 2024, to March 10th, 2025) were:

1. #naturalhair
2. #getreadywithme
3. #curls
4. #nailsoftiktok
5. #nailtok
6. #nail
7. #pedicure
8. #relaxingvideos
9. #gelnails
10. #fade

Meanwhile, in Education, the top trending hashtags from that same time frame were:

1. #jobs
2. #blackhistory
3. #jobsearch
4. #homeschool
5. #engineering
6. #drywall
7. #preschool
8. #barnesandnoble
9. #historytime
10. #thrillerbooks

Using your own judgment is essential here. TikTok’s categorization isn’t perfect, which you can see above with the puzzling inclusion of “#drywall” under the Education industry. The good news is that TikTok does offer more detailed insights into each hashtag, allowing you to decide for yourself whether a hashtag is relevant to your brand.

For instance, after clicking on #drywall, an education brand can see that the top videos with this hashtag have little to do with education. Instead, the tag is filled with satisfying videos of drywall techniques.

Other data points, like the number of posts using the hashtag, interest over time, audience age range, related interests, and regional popularity, can also help the brand determine whether it wants to use a particular hashtag.

Again, what’s trending will change rapidly, especially if you’re looking at shorter time frames, such as the last 30 days or the last 7 days. If you want to stay up to date with what’s trending, make it a habit to check TikTok’s Creative Center regularly. Keep in mind, though, that while these hashtags can give your posts a visibility boost, they don’t always guarantee engagement. Relevance is key, and choosing the right hashtags for your specific audience is just as important.

How to Find the Best Hashtags for Your Brand

TikTok’s trend reports are one way to find hashtags, but they’re not necessarily the best way to find tags that will work for your brand. Simply jumping on trends can lead to wasted efforts and missed opportunities, especially when those trends have little to do with your post, product, or customers.

To truly drive engagement, you need hashtags that resonate with your specific audience. Here are three ways to find them.

1. Competitive Analysis

One of the most effective ways to find the best TikTok hashtags for your brand is through competitive analysis. By examining what hashtags your competitors are using, you can identify high-performing tags that align with your niche, ensuring that your content is being exposed to the right people.

Now, of course, you can do this manually by scrolling through your competitors’ TikTok profiles, tracking which hashtags they use in their most successful posts, and making note of patterns.

Or you can use a social analytics tool to streamline the process. For instance, our platform does the heavy lifting for you, analyzing your competitive landscape to uncover which hashtags your competitors are using the most, which ones are driving the highest engagement rates, and more.

You can build your competitive landscape from scratch by adding relevant brands or dive into pre-built industry landscapes for instant insights. Take our Athletic Shoes landscape, for example.

What’s helpful about Rival IQ is that you don’t just get the data — you get actionable insights and feedback. For instance, our hashtag analysis for athletic shoe brands over the past 90 days shows that the focus company (Nike) used seven out of eight of the most broadly used hashtags, highlighting both strengths and opportunities.

With a social analytics tool, you can move beyond basic data collection to gain an in-depth understanding of what drives your audience. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about knowing what’s trending — it’s about understanding what actually drives results

2. Hashtag Generators

Another way you can find relevant TikTok hashtags is with a hashtag generator. There are plenty of free ones that you can find online. Just submit a keyword or caption, and they’ll generate a handful of related hashtags.

Ahrefs, for instance, has a free AI TikTok hashtag generator that can generate as many as 20 hashtags based on your post’s caption.

3. The TikTok Search Bar

Our final hashtag hack is the TikTok search bar. You can type in a hashtag you’re interested in, and TikTok will suggest related searches that can help you refine your strategy. For example, searching #runningshoes led to #runningshoeswomen and #runningshoesmen, both specific and impactful tags that can help you reach the right audience.

Best Practices for Using TikTok Hashtags

Beyond picking the best TikTok hashtags for your brand, here are four more best practices to keep in mind.

1. Mix Hashtag Types

A well-rounded hashtag strategy should include a blend of trending, niche, and/or branded hashtags. Trending hashtags can boost visibility, but niche hashtags relevant to your brand and industry help you connect with the right audience. Meanwhile, branded hashtags are great for building brand identity and user-generated content campaigns.

Take Puma’s TikTok post featuring Neymar Jr. and their FUTURE cleats. The caption is all hashtags: #PUMA (branded), #Football (trending), #FUTURE (branded), #NJR (niche), and #NeymarJr (niche). This mix boosts visibility with broad trending tags while strengthening branding and connecting with die-hard fans.

2. Don’t Overload Your Captions

More hashtags don’t always mean more engagement. TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes relevance, and using too many hashtags can dilute your message. Adding around three to five well-researched hashtags per post keeps your content targeted and effective without overcrowding your caption.

Also, beware of overused hashtags like #fyp and #viral. While they might seem like a shortcut to more views, they’re incredibly saturated. TikTok boosts posts that generate real engagement —  likes, comments, shares — so if you use a super broad hashtag but don’t get much interaction, the algorithm may see your post as irrelevant and limit its reach. Instead, focus on tags that are specific to your content and audience. This helps TikTok show your video to the right people, increasing the chances of real engagement.

3. Keep an Eye on Performance

To get the most out of your efforts, regularly analyze which hashtags are actually driving engagement. Are certain hashtags consistently driving high engagement? Use them more often. Not seeing traction with a trending hashtag? Swap it out for something more relevant. With real-time insights, you’re not just guessing what works. You’re making data-backed decisions that amplify your reach and engagement.

4. Experiment and Adapt

TikTok trends move fast, and what works today might be irrelevant next month. Track engagement, swap out low-performing tags, and stay flexible with your approach. Pay attention to patterns as you experiment. Are shorter hashtags performing better? Are industry-specific tags bringing in more engagement than broad ones? Continuously adjusting your strategy ensures you’re always using the hashtags that maximize your reach and impact.

The Wrap Up

Hashtags are a powerful tool on TikTok, but success isn’t about chasing every trend — it’s about choosing the right ones. Focus on hashtags that actually drive engagement for your brand. From analyzing competitors to testing and adapting over time, a smart approach (and a powerful social media analytics tool!) will help you maximize your reach and engagement.