Pinterest hashtag strategy: do hashtags still work?
Around 2017 and 2018, Pinterest pushed hashtags and showed the newest pins for a hashtag first. Since then it has moved to keyword-based search and recommendations. In 2026, hashtags are best treated as optional extra keywords. They don't hurt when relevant, but they won't save a pin with a weak title and description.
What the evidence says
- Pinterest's creator guidance focuses on titles, descriptions, boards and fresh content. It doesn't present hashtags as a key lever.
- Pinterest marketing companies such as Tailwind now describe hashtags as neutral: fine to use, not a ranking boost.
- Generic, high-volume tags (#love, #instagood) add nothing on Pinterest because they say nothing about the pin.
A simple hashtag rule
- Write the title and description first, keyword-led.
- Add two to five specific hashtags at the end, for example #fallnails #shortnails #orangenails.
- Rotate them; don't paste the same block on every pin.
Our Pinterest hashtag generator builds tags from live search suggestions for your topic, so they match what people type. For Instagram and TikTok, which treat hashtags differently, use the multi-platform hashtag generator.
Where effort pays off more
If you have ten minutes per pin, spend eight on the title, the description and the image. Check the text with the Pinterest SEO checker.