Are you still using hashtags in your X (formerly Twitter) ads? Now's the time to rethink your strategy.
In June, all ads on the X platform will be banned from using hashtags - a change that comes directly from the platform's boss Elon Musk himself, who bluntly called the tags an "aesthetic disaster" in the announcement.
This move has sparked a lot of discussion, and even set off a wave of in-depth discussions in the industry about ad conversion vs. engagement. This article will help you quickly sort out your thoughts from three dimensions: the motivation, impact, and practical response to this change, and provide practical response strategies.
Why does X want to ban hashtags in advertisements?
Judging from the official statement, this was a decision driven by aesthetics.
But from a marketing strategy perspective, it is not completely unreasonable, and can even be said to be "foreshadowed":
Conversion-oriented ads are not suitable for leading users to jump out. Hashtags will lead users into the topic flow, disperse click behavior, and are disadvantageous to advertisers.
Back in the days of Twitter, the platform's advertising team advised brand owners, "If you want clicks, don't add tags."
Elon Musk went straight to the point and completely banned this option, further simplifying the ad interface in an effort to improve response speed and visual concentration.
What does this change mean for advertisers?
Positive impact:
A clearer visual focus, making the call to action (CTA) more prominent;
Reduce the risk of "missing clicks" or "diverting" to topic pages;
Ad loading speed may be slightly improved, especially on mobile devices.
Potential drawbacks:
Brands cannot embed or guide specific topics (such as #newproductlaunch, #brandevent) in their advertisements.
The marketing closed loop is forced to be diverted to the comment area, introduction or other non-advertising space;
The lack of tags may affect the secondary dissemination of the activity and the accumulation of user-generated content (UGC).
But what problems will a "total ban" bring?
Although "use less" is a common recommendation, a "one-size-fits-all" ban on tags also brings many problems, especially for brands or advertisers with the following needs:
1. Brand hashtag marketing: Brand-specific topics such as #JustDoIt and #ShotOniPhone can create a sense of community identity;
2. Topic marketing linkage: festivals, hot spots, and film and television dramas are linked, often relying on tags to enhance topic dissemination;
3. Social media tracking: Many brands use hashtags to track user-generated content (UGC);
4. Multi-channel communication of unified tags: Advertising combined with social media operations to promote unified tags is a common means of content seeding.
If these labels are prohibited from appearing in advertisements, the brand's integrated communication capabilities will be weakened, which will be a considerable challenge for marketing planners.
Why do brands still use hashtags?
Despite this, many brands still use hashtags in their advertising for a number of reasons:
Create a branded campaign hashtag (e.g. #JustDoIt)
User-generated content (UGC) interactions
Participate in hot topics and gain greater traffic entry
Unified brand communication across platforms
A complete ban on hashtags means that these purposes all need to readjust their strategies.
How should advertisers/content creators respond?
1. Strengthen visual CTA (call to action button) design
Since you can't use #tags to attract user participation, you need to make the ad button itself more attractive, such as:
Use prominent "Buy Now"/ "Learn More" buttons;
Embed text CTA in images or videos;
2. Hide the hashtag in your organic posts
Advertisements cannot be used, but you can still use #tags in the natural dynamics of the brand account to create a topic atmosphere in advance, and then use advertising to attract traffic.
3. Use "branded keywords" instead of hashtags
You can make the tag keyword part of the text without adding "#", but still use it as a promotion slogan, for example:
"Join our JustDoIt Challenge"
"Use your creativity to interpret ShotOniPhone style"
4. Adjust the conversion path and focus on "external link" behavior
If you can't rely on #tags to attract attention, you must concentrate all your resources to direct traffic to landing pages, such as official websites, registration pages, purchase pages, etc.
What other "aesthetic-driven" changes might Musk make?
This isn't the first time Musk has tweaked platform features for "aesthetics":
Previously, he tried to remove the interactive buttons under all posts, leaving only the number of views and timestamps;
Later, due to poor feedback from new users, the feature was restricted to an "optional switch".
The lesson is: user habits cannot be easily broken, and the platform will also make appropriate compromises.
Conclusion
Tags are just tools, and the real marketing power comes from understanding and guiding user behavior. This "hashtag ban" may force brands and advertisers to rethink: Can your ads really "impress users with just one sentence"?
Instead of worrying about whether you can add tags, it is better to think about whether your advertisement can still touch people's hearts without them.
Do you think that removing labels will really improve the advertising effect? Or have you ever done relevant A/B testing?
