Pinterest Hashtags: Do They Still Work, and How Many Should You Use?

What Changed With Pinterest Hashtags

A few years ago, hashtags were a genuine discovery tool on Pinterest. You could tap a hashtag and browse a feed of the newest pins using it, and many Pinterest guides recommended adding up to 20 per pin.

That is no longer how Pinterest works. Hashtags are not clickable, there is no hashtag feed to appear in, and in 2022 Pinterest removed hashtags from the copy recommendations in its creative best practices. Today a hashtag in your description is treated much like any other word: it can reinforce what the pin is about, but it does not give the pin extra distribution on its own.

Hashtags vs Keywords on Pinterest

Pinterest behaves like a visual search engine. It decides where to show a pin based on what the pin is about, and it learns that mostly from the words you give it. Those words carry more weight in these places than in hashtags:

• Pin title: up to 100 characters, with the first 40 or so most likely to be seen. Lead with the phrase people search for.
• Pin description: up to 800 characters. Pinterest notes that descriptions are not shown in the home or search feed but are used to judge relevance, so write two or three natural sentences around your main keyword.
• Board names and descriptions: a pin saved to “Small Kitchen Storage Ideas” tells Pinterest more than one saved to “My Stuff”.
• Text on the image: the headline on the pin graphic should match the topic of the title.

If you are deciding where to spend five minutes, rewrite the title and first sentence of the description before touching hashtags. The free Pinterest keyword generator is a quick way to find the phrases worth using.

How Many Hashtags to Use on Pinterest

Two to five specific hashtags per pin is a sensible ceiling. Adding 15 or 20 does not earn more reach, and a wall of tags makes the description harder for a person to read. Many accounts skip hashtags entirely and rely on keywords, which is also fine.

How to Add Hashtags to Pinterest Pins

Pinterest does not have a dedicated hashtag field. You add them as part of the description:

1. Create a new pin or open an existing pin and choose edit.
2. Write the title and description first, leading with your main keyword.
3. At the end of the description, type your hashtags with no spaces inside each tag, for example #smallkitchenstorage #renterfriendly.
4. Save or publish the pin.

If you need help with the copy itself, the free Pinterest description generator drafts keyword-led descriptions you can finish with a few tags.

How to Choose Good Pinterest Hashtags

Specific beats broad. A hashtag like #home describes millions of pins and tells Pinterest almost nothing. A hashtag like #smallkitchenstorage matches a real search phrase and the exact topic of your pin.

To get a starting set for your own niche, try the free Pinterest hashtag generator, then trim it down to the few tags that describe your pin most precisely. We also compare other Pinterest hashtag generators and free alternatives.

Finding Trending Topics on Pinterest

Lists of “trending Pinterest hashtags” go stale quickly and are rarely specific to your niche. A better source is Pinterest itself. Pinterest Trends shows which search terms are rising in your country, and the autocomplete suggestions in Pinterest search show the phrases people type most.

When you find a rising topic, put that phrase in your pin title and description first. Only then add a matching hashtag if you want one.

Common Pinterest Hashtag Mistakes

• Relying on hashtags instead of keywords. A vague title with 20 tags will usually lose to a clear, keyword-led title with none.
• Copy-pasting the same tag block everywhere. Tags should describe each pin, not your whole account.
• Using Instagram habits. Hashtag strategies that work on Instagram or TikTok do not carry over to Pinterest.
• Mismatched tags. Tags unrelated to the pin can confuse both readers and Pinterest about what the pin is for.

Frequently Asked Questions