We know being present on social media is critical and more so to be present on LinkedIn for tech companies or use tech for their business. How do we get the best value in your articles / posts on LinkedIn. By using @ mentions and # hashtags. Both of them serve different purposes and have distinct benefits for engagement, visibility, and interaction.
@ Mentions
Purpose: Use @ to tag people, companies, or organizations directly in your post. This notifies them that they’ve been mentioned, encouraging them to engage with your content.
Visibility: When you @mention someone, your post may appear in their connections’ feeds if they interact with it. This can expand your post’s reach to a broader audience.
Engagement: Tagging individuals or companies relevant to the post can boost engagement, as it personalizes the content and invites those tagged to like, comment, or share.
Usage Tip: Use @ mentions sparingly. Tagging too many people or companies can come across as spammy and might reduce engagement. Focus on tagging only those who are directly relevant to the post’s topic or message.
# Hashtags
Purpose: Purpose of Hashtags = discoverability. Use it in your content, to make it discoverable by people interested in those topics or trends, or specific themed feeds, helping new audiences find your content
Visibility: Hashtags help your post reach a targeted audience beyond your immediate connections. People who follow or search for specific hashtags might see your post, even if they aren’t in your network.
Usage Tip: Add 3-5 hashtags per post, choosing ones that are both specific (#NewYear2025) and broader (e.g., #HappyNewYear) to reach different audiences. Overloading a post with hashtags can make it appear cluttered and lessen its impact.
When to Use Each and How They Complement Each Other
@ Mentions are ideal when you’re specifically referencing people or entities involved in or relevant to the post, as this encourages their engagement and expands reach.
# Hashtags are useful when you want to broaden the discoverability of your post within topic-based communities on LinkedIn.
For example:
If you’re posting about a collaboration with a particular brand, you might @ mention the brand for direct engagement and # hashtag industry terms or themes related to the collaboration for reach.
Additional Tips
Balance: Using both @ mentions and hashtags thoughtfully can optimize engagement and visibility.
Experiment with Trending Hashtags: LinkedIn sometimes highlights trending hashtags, which can provide a boost in visibility when relevant to your post.
So we recommend using both @ mentions and hashtags effectively to make your content more engaging and discoverable on LinkedIn, fostering a wider network and more meaningful interactions.
