Use Mentions And Hashtags Effectively Across Social Platforms

Mentions (@username) and hashtags (#hashtag) help boost engagement and visibility across social platforms, but each platform has its own rules and limitations. Knowing how mentions work and when hashtags are supported ensures your posts are formatted correctly and reach the right audience.

📌 In This Article

Mentions And Hashtags: Platform Comparison

Before diving into platform-specific details, use this table to quickly check which platforms support mentions and hashtags, and any limitations to keep in mind.

Platform

Mentions Supported?

How to Mention

Hashtags Supported?

Limitations
Instagram ✅ Yes @username ✅ Yes No username search
Facebook

✅ Yes 

(Pages only)

 @PageName ✅ Yes Username search with a selection from a dropdown
LinkedIn

✅ Yes 

(Company Pages only)

 @PageID ✅ Yes

No username search

Full Page ID works with a selection from a dropdown
TikTok ✅ Yes @username ✅ Yes No username search
X (Twitter) ✅ Yes @username ✅ Yes No username search
Pinterest 🚫 No N/A 🚫 No No mentions supported

Instagram Guidelines

You can mention Instagram Profiles by typing @username.

Instagram does not allow username search when mentioning, so you must know the exact handle. Mentions will only become clickable once the post is published.

Hashtags are fully supported and will become actionable once the post is published. 

Facebook Guidelines

You can mention Facebook Pages by typing @PageName. A dropdown will appear, at which time you must select the correct Page for the mention to work.

📝 Note: Sometimes when you type in or paste a mention, we won't be able to detect it. To solve this, you can press the left arrow key to trigger the detection.

Facebook does not support mentions for personal profiles or groups.

Hashtags are fully supported. 

LinkedIn Guidelines

You can mention Company Pages by typing @PageID (the unique ID in the page URL). You must enter the exact Page ID, as SmarterQueue is unable to search for pages by name, due to API limitations.

📝 Note: Sometimes when you type in or paste a mention, we won't be able to detect it. To solve this, you can press the left arrow key to trigger the detection.

LinkedIn does does not allow tagging personal profiles.

Hashtags are fully supported.

TikTok Guidelines

You can mention TikTok users by typing @username.

TikTok does not support username search when mentioning, so you must know the exact handle. Mentions will only become clickable once the post is published.

Hashtags are fully supported and will become actionable once the post is live. 

X (Twitter) Guidelines

You can mention any X user by typing @username.

X does not support username search when mentioning, so you must know the exact handle. Mentions will only become clickable once the post is published.

Hashtags are fully supported. X does not offer hashtag lookups, so they will become actionable once the post is published.

Pinterest Guidelines

At this time, neither mentions nor hashtags are supported for Pinterest posts. 

Common Questions

1. Is there a difference between mentioning and tagging?

Yes, there is! You can mention a profile/page in the text of a post on SmarterQueue, but tagging them in a picture is currently an API limitation for any third-party tools.

2. Why isn’t my Facebook Page mention appearing?

If the correct Facebook Page doesn’t appear when typing @PageName, try these troubleshooting steps:

  • Reverse the word order: If the Page name is SmarterQueue, try searching for @QueueSmarter.
  • Use the Page ID: Find the Page ID in the URL (e.g., for facebook.com/smexaminer, the Page ID is smexaminer). Also try mentioning the Page using variations like @Social Media Examiner, @SocialMediaExaminer, or @smexaminer.
  • Check Page restrictions: If the Page has privacy, age, or location restrictions, Facebook may not return it in search results.

If none of these work, you may need to tag the Page directly on Facebook after publishing your post.