Hashtags have become an important feature in Instagram and Twitter, so much so that YouTube have now got in on the act.  YouTube wants you to use hashtags, so much so that it’s featuring them prominently when you watch a video by placing them ABOVE the video title.

How YouTube hashtags are featured when used in the YouTube description.

You’re allowed to feature three hashtags in this way. By doing so, you could use them to help tag your music in the same way that you would a Tweet (i.e. #ukfolk). More interestingly, you could also use it as ‘free ad space’.

Getting people to read your full YouTube description without clicking ‘below the fold’ is tricky. Try this for a neat little workaround. In your YouTube description use hashtags to bring something to people’s attention such as

#ontournow #NewSingleOut1stOct

A nice little hack. From my research, no one seems to be sure if hashtags improve SEO and we’re at the early stages of all this.  I’d suggest you use them now as their importance might rise and you should get in on the ground early on this one.