How Many Hashtags Should I Use on YouTube Shorts + How to Find Them

When brainstorming ideas for YouTube Shorts, you might wonder, "How many hashtags should I use on YouTube Shorts?" Short videos are incredibly popular now, and YouTube Shorts are a great way to tap into that popularity. Hashtags can help your content get discovered, but using too many or too few can affect your audience's engagement. This article will help you find the correct number of hashtags to optimize your YouTube Shorts for discovery.  In no time, you'll be identifying YouTube Shorts ideas for viral content.

One way to get ahead of the competition is by using Virlo's virality analysis tool. This resource can help you identify trending hashtags, so you can pinpoint the ones most effective at discovering your YouTube Shorts.

Table of Contents

• Benefits of Using Hashtags on YouTube Shorts

• How Many Hashtags Should I Use on YouTube Shorts

• How to Find Hashtags for YouTube Shorts

• YouTube Shorts Hashtags Best Practices

• Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Benefits of Using Hashtags on YouTube Shorts

Hashtags Help YouTube Understand Your Shorts

Hashtags provide context to YouTube, allowing it to categorize your Shorts and recommend them to relevant users. When you include hashtags in your Shorts, it’s like telling YouTube, “My video is about this specific topic.” The more specific you are, the better. For instance, if you create a Short about how to grow cannabis indoors, using the hashtag #cannabis will help YouTube understand your video’s content. But including #cannabis is pretty broad. To be more specific, you might also include #indoorcannabisgrowing or #cannabisgrowtips. This will give YouTube more context about your Short and help it reach the right audience. 

Improve Your Shorts SEO

When users search for specific hashtags, your Shorts will be more likely to appear in the results, increasing your chances of getting views. So, if you create a Short about how to grow cannabis indoors and include the hashtag #indoorcannabisgrowing, there’s a good chance your video will show up when someone searches for that term. This can help attract targeted viewers interested in your Short's exact topic. 

Help You Get Recommended

Hashtags can help YouTube show your Shorts to users interested in related content in their "For You" feed. The more specific your hashtags are, the better. Let’s say you create a Short about how to grow cannabis indoors. A viewer who watches several videos on indoor cannabis growing might get your Short recommended to them because of the specific hashtags you used. This helps you reach new audiences with your content, which happens organically. 

Help You Reach Broader Audiences

Hashtags can connect your Shorts with audiences beyond your existing subscriber base, potentially expanding your viewership. While there’s nothing wrong with creating content for your existing subscribers, they will eventually lose interest if you don’t attract new audiences. Using hashtags on your Shorts can help you reach these new viewers and grow your channel over time. 

Can Help You Build A Community

Using relevant hashtags, you can connect with like-minded viewers and foster a community around your content. Let’s say you create cannabis-related videos, and you use relevant hashtags on your Shorts. This can help you reach other cannabis enthusiasts who share your interests and would be more likely to engage with your content and keep coming back for more. 

How Many Hashtags Should I Use on YouTube Shorts

Let's talk about hashtags. YouTube’s algorithm uses hashtags to categorize and surface content to the right audience. Using three to five allows the system to accurately understand your video without diluting its context. 

Avoiding the Overuse Penalty

While YouTube allows up to thirty hashtags, using too many can seem inauthentic or cluttered. Sticking to a moderate number keeps your content clean and focused. 

Supporting Strategic Variety

With three to five hashtags, you can include:

• One or two trending hashtags to boost reach.

• One or two niche-specific hashtags to target the right community.

• One broad hashtag for platform categorization, like #Shorts or #ViralVideo.

Example Strategy 

For a cooking Short, you might use: 

• #QuickRecipes (niche-specific)

• #EasyMeals (targeted search intent)

• #Foodie (broad but popular)

• #Shorts (YouTube categorization)

• #5MinuteRecipe (trending or hyper-relevant)

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How to Find Hashtags for YouTube Shorts

1. Use Virlo for Hashtag Discovery

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social landscape. Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo helps you navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

2. Explore YouTube’s Trending Page

YouTube’s Trending section highlights the latest viral content. Analyze Shorts from popular creators on this page, and take note of the YouTube hashtags they use. If a tag consistently appears in multiple trending videos, it’s worth trying in your own content strategy.

3. Use YouTube’s Search Bar

Type keywords related to your niche into the YouTube search bar, and autocomplete will suggest previous user queries. While they won’t always be hashtags, they’re still a valuable source of inspiration.

4. Analyze Competitor Videos

Look at videos from top creators in your niche. If you notice that a specific phrase frequently appears in their high-performing Shorts, adding it to your own videos could help attract similar audiences.

5. Check YouTube Analytics

YouTube Studio provides insights on which hashtags drive the most traffic to your videos. If you see certain keywords leading to more views and engagement, double down on those while experimenting with new ones.

6. Join Online Creator Communities

Social media groups, forums, and creator communities are great places to discover trending hashtags. Engaging with fellow influencers can give you insider tips on what’s working for others, helping you stay ahead of trends.

YouTube Shorts Hashtags Best Practices

Optimal Number of Hashtags

YouTube recommends using a limited number of hashtags to maintain relevance and avoid over-tagging. Specifically, if you use more than 15 hashtags in a single video, YouTube will ignore them. Therefore, using 3 to 4 relevant hashtags per video is advisable to optimize visibility without overwhelming the content. 

Relevance is Crucial

Ensure that every hashtag you include is directly related to your video's content. Using unrelated or misleading hashtags can violate YouTube's metadata policies and may negatively impact your video's performance. 

Placement of Hashtags

Hashtags can be placed in the video title or description. Putting them in the description is generally preferred, as it keeps the title clean and focused. When added to the description, the first three hashtags appear above the video title, making them more visible to viewers.

Be Cautious of Potential Downsides

While hashtags can increase discoverability, they also present clickable links that may lead viewers away from your video to other content. This could reduce your video's audience retention. Therefore, use hashtags judiciously to balance discoverability with viewer engagement. 

Unlocking Virality: How Virlo's AI-Driven Analytics Helps Content Creators Master Trends and Boost Engagement

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social landscape. Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting out or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo helps you navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

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Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Hashtags help categorize and increase the discoverability of your YouTube Shorts, acting like keywords to improve ranking in search results. The more specific your hashtags, the better. For instance, using #chocolatechipcookies can connect your video to a broader conversation, while #veganchocolatechipcookies targets a niche audience, increasing visibility, especially if the hashtag is underused. While broader hashtags like #baking may reach a wider audience, they often lead to competition within a larger pool of content. Using precise hashtags boosts your chances of achieving a more relevant audience and going viral.

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