About

What is a hashtag? A word or phrase with a # sign in front of it. They provide a label for users to easily search for other posts with that hashtag. As a key part of the content on Twitter and Instagram as well as Facebook, hashtags provide a searchable archive of posts that identify with a particular term.

Overall Goals

How do we use them? We use hashtags strategically to supplement the content we are sharing on social media and to build a community with a common interest in the content tagged with a hashtag. We choose hashtags that meet one or more of our goals and make sure that it enhances the content that is shared by providing our audiences with a logical, meaningful connection to additional posts.

The primary reasons for UNLV to use hashtags include:

  • Identifying university events or initiatives to provide a searchable archive of content and to build a community around the content (these are typically hashtags we create, such as #UNLVGrad)
  • Identifying posts with certain key terms so our content is included within larger online conversations (these are typically industry hashtags or trending hashtags)
  • Providing an opportunity to gather user-generated content
  • Feeding key content into UNLV’s website
  • Increasing engagement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

When using hashtags, always follow camel case and capitalize the first letter of every word (for example use #RebelsMakeItHappen rather than #rebelsmakeithappen). This is a better accessibility practice for people using assistive technologies.

Content

Specifications: No spaces or special characters. (There is an exception on Instagram where you can use emoji hashtags such as [emoji will not work in drupal].) When combining words, make sure that it doesn’t create an unintentional word or duplicate, confusing letters. Capitalize each word and “UNLV” whenever possible to distinguish the text in the hashtag.

Quantity: Other than character counts, there are no technical limitations on the amount of hashtags you can use. There are some general recommendations based on each platform:

  • Twitter: 1-3 hashtags
  • Instagram: A high number of hashtags is more common on Instagram. Research suggests using 7-11 per post. We typically recommend 1-5 hashtags per post.
  • Facebook: 1-3 hashtags. Even though Facebook officially supports hashtags, searching for content is more difficult due to profile privacy restrictions. Using trending hashtags strategically can increase the visibility of your content as long as it is timely and logically related to the term.

UNLV Hashtags

Our most common hashtags include (but are not limited to):

  • #RebelsMakeItHappen: Campaign hashtag for Rebels Make It Happen that showcases our how students, alumni, and faculty overcome challenges to make their goals happen.
  • #RebelsForever: UNLV Alumni campaign to showcase alumni and moments of pride.
  • #BEaREBEL: UNLV Athletics campaign to highlight events and student-athletes.
  • #UNLV: Simple, institutional hashtag that identifies any general content with our university. Used primarily on Twitter and Facebook. On Instagram, this hashtag is flooded with ads so it’s ideal to use this with other, more specific hashtags.
    • Tip: Use #UNLV with trending campaigns to bring more awareness to your content. Examples: #UNLV #TakeYourChildToWorkDay; #UNLV #CollegeColorsDay; #UNLV #WomeninEngineering
  • #WhyUNLV: Use this hashtag on posts that include content about positive UNLV experiences that show why UNLV provides a valuable education.
  • #DiscoverUNLV: Posts of campus features, landmarks, buildings, facts, etc.
  • #UNLVBound: Posts from students who are excited to be incoming UNLV students or just got accepted to UNLV.
  • #UNLVSnapshot: Posts that showcase the campus experience, UNLV-related photos in general. Moments on campus.
  • #UNLVResearch: Hashtag for posts about research
  • #GradRebel: Graduate student experience
  • #UNLVTopTier: Posts related to our journey to become a top-tier research institution.

Event hashtags:

  • #UNLVGrad: Commencement hashtag to highlight the events and graduating class
  • #UNLVWelcome: Welcome Weeks hashtag campaign (for both spring and fall welcome messages)
  • #RebelHomecoming: Celebrating our Rebel pride during annual homecoming traditions
  • #RebelsGive: Encouraging community support during our annual days of giving
  • #UNLVSOTU: State of the University address
  • #UNLVPresDebate: Final presidential debate hashtag

Note: Neither list is all inclusive of hashtags at UNLV. We will update as needed to include the most common institutional hashtags.