How to Use Hashtags: A Guide for PangoBooks Sellers

You've selected the book you are planning to sell and have taken the perfect listing photo. What's next? One way to make sure the book you are listing reaches the correct audience is to use hashtags. While some buyers visit Pango with a specific title in mind, others click on the app with the intent of browsing, similar to shopping at a physical bookstore.

Some buyers browse hashtags when they're looking for inspiration for their next read–are they looking to try something with a #friendstolovers plot line in #space? Forgetting the title of a book they saw on #booktok? Including the right hashtags in your listing will help you find new buyers, and help buyers find the books they want, even when they may not be sure quite what they're looking for. Here’s a quick guide on how to use PangoBooks hashtags to your best ability and get your listings in front of the right readers!

Note: You can enter hashtags in the description section when you create a new listing, and edit in the app at any time once the listing is live. Keep in mind, the limit is ten hashtags, so try and succinctly capture your listing’s essence.

Getting started

A good place to start is to tag the genre or age range. Is the book you're listing #youngadult (or #ya) #contemporary? Or is it #adult #fantasy? Or maybe it’s a #historicalromance. You can choose to tag the genre and age range together or separately. We don’t recommend wasting a hashtag on the author or book name, since those are already a part of the listing that will appear in searches.

Be creative

Once you’ve got the semantics out of the way, have some fun with tropes or moods. Is it a #darkacademia inspired read? Is there an #enemiestolovers romantic plot? Does your book listing feature #aliens or #robots? Is it a #cozymystery or a #beachread? Feel free to have fun with it–these hashtags will help get your listing in front of the right buyers!

Get specific

Hashtags are a great way to list specific details of your listing. Some great identifiers to use in hashtags are things like #booktomovie or #netflixseries if the book’s been adapted for the big or small screen, or tags like #oprahsbookclub or #reesesbookclub if the book you are listing has been a part of an established book club. If the book was from a book box subscription service like #botm or #illumicrate, try using the appropriate hashtag.

Lots of Pango buyers use the app to find specific versions of books. When applicable, it can be useful to add tags like #firstedition or #signedcopy to reflect a particularly special copy.

If you get stuck thinking of hashtags, browse the app for similar books and check how other Pango users have chosen to tag those, or consider what sets this listing apart from others. Remember, you can always go back and edit the tags on a listing. Happy hashtagging!