How to Create a Trending Hashtag

The story of #TrumpBookReports

Classics for Summer Reading by David Masters is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

During the third and final Presidential Debate, the hashtag #TrumpBookReport was trending on Twitter. Turns out, I created this hashtag sensation, and I can teach you my tricks.

First, have an idea:

Next, get a coworker to join the fun.

Then, come up with a clever hashtag:

Then, and this is the most important step. Wait 3+ months until someone with way more followers than you has the same idea:

Fortunately someone found the hashtag, got Antonio French to notice, and here we are. #TrumpBookReport was trending on Twitter shortly after the debate ended.

The best part is that someone else even beat me to the idea. The Twitter account @TrumpBookReport predates my hashtag by a month, but I didn’t know about it until tonight!

So that’s how you create a trending hashtag. To summarize:

  1. Come up with an idea (doesn’t have to be original).
  2. Add a hashtag.
  3. Wait (hardest part).
  4. Get someone more popular than you to run with it.

Good luck with your trending hashtags. In the meantime, here are some more #TrumpBookReport!

Photo of Daniel Morrison

Daniel founded Collective Idea in 2005 to put a name to his growing and already full-time freelance work. He works hard writing code, teaching, and mentoring.

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