Pinterest hashtags are a topic of genuine confusion. Do they work? Should you use them? Here’s the honest answer for 2026.
The Short Answer
Pinterest hashtags are less effective than keywords in your title and description, but they’re not completely useless. The short version of best practice: don’t obsess over hashtags, focus on keyword-rich titles.
How Pinterest Hashtags Work
When you add a hashtag to a pin description, it becomes clickable. Clicking it takes users to a feed of pins that used the same hashtag. It’s a discovery mechanic, similar to Instagram.
However: Pinterest has gradually de-emphasised hashtags as a discovery mechanism. Their own guidance has shifted over the years from “use hashtags” to “use relevant keywords in your title and description.” The algorithm now weights pin titles, descriptions, and board context more heavily than hashtags.
Should You Use Hashtags on Pinterest?
Use them, but don’t make them the focus. 2–5 relevant hashtags at the end of a description won’t hurt and might occasionally drive discovery. 20 hashtags look spammy and Pinterest’s spam filters may respond accordingly.
The cleaner approach: Write a keyword-rich pin description naturally, then add 2–3 hashtags for the core topics at the end.
Example:
“Quick and easy banana bread recipe using only 5 ingredients. Ready in under an hour, no mixer needed. Great for using overripe bananas. #easyrecipes #bananabread #bakingforbeginnners”
What Works Better Than Hashtags
Keyword-optimised titles: The pin title is the single most important SEO field on Pinterest. Include what people search for. See Pinterest Keyword Research for how to find the right terms.
Relevant board placement: Pinning to a well-categorised, active board with a keyword-rich name helps Pinterest understand your content.
Consistent publishing: Accounts that pin daily see more distribution than accounts with better hashtags but inconsistent activity.
High-quality images: Pinterest’s visual search uses the image itself to categorise and recommend pins.
The Hashtags That Perform Best
If you use hashtags, choose ones that are: - Specific (not #food but #easydinnerrecipes) - Relevant to exactly what’s in the pin - Commonly searched (check if the hashtag has a populated feed)
Avoid: Made-up hashtags, overly broad hashtags (#love, #beautiful), or hashtags in a different language than your content.
For a complete Pinterest reach strategy, see How to Increase Pinterest Reach and Pinterest SEO Guide.
PinPublish helps you write keyword-optimised pin titles with AI suggestions — the highest-impact SEO action for your Pinterest account.