Hashtags may have been “annoying” in the early 2010s, but now they’re the trend engine powering  TikTok. 

Hashtags may have been “annoying” in the early 2010s, but now they’re the trend engine powering  TikTok. Hashtags have experienced many life cycles, taking on cultural meaning and being used as marketing campaigns along the way (throwback to #YOLO and #Kony2012). But in the TikTok era, hashtags are worth a ton of money (like $100,000 according to one influencer), and are one of the best ways for brands to produce their own content on the app. YPulse’s Social Media Deep Dive trend data shows that TikTok is the top platform that young consumers think trends are created first. With hashtags, brands are able to create their own branded campaigns while tapping an influencer or two to get it off the ground, and from there the stream of organic content that’s produced offers marketers free media and insights into young audiences. YPulse reported on the hashtags trending on the app last month, and the organic communities that are created on TikTok are something brands shouldn’t be sleeping on. (LA Times)