Halloween is right around the corner, meaning people will share their favorite pumpkin recipes, post cute selfies in their Halloween costumes on Instagram, TikTok, and more. Running a business, you already know there’s a ton of potential to capture the excitement behind this spooky season.
Jump straight the Halloween hashtags →
Something as simple as sharing your Halloween costume can boost engagement, especially when you showcase trending Halloween costume ideas. This is especially true if you sell Halloween items. Many customers look for costume ideas, dress inspiration, recipes, and creative makeup looks for Halloween. Pumpkins, of course, are a key Halloween symbol, often featured in recipes and decor. Autumn leaves and fashion trends also contribute to the visual appeal of Halloween social media posts, making feeds more festive and engaging.
With a bit of creativity and a clear vision of your business’s branding, a well-planned marketing campaign utilizing Halloween hashtags can help you reach out to new customers scrolling on Instagram or TikTok. Brands often use Halloween hashtags to promote seasonal products, like costumes and pumpkin-themed items, and connect with their audience. Since social media like Instagram, X, and TikTok use hashtags to group different posts, other users searching for those Halloween hashtags have a higher chance of finding your business. That potential to reach new customers is especially useful for small and medium-sized businesses looking to expand their reach beyond their usual regulars.
What are hashtags?
You’ve most likely seen hashtags used in various Instagram and TikTok posts. Hashtags are words or phrases that begin with the ‘#’ symbol. They’re typically used to connect posts with other content utilizing similar hashtags. Making hashtags is a great way to make sure your posts get some visibility with other posts engaging with similar trends and topics, such as Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Without the ‘#’ symbol, social media posts will not connect your post with other posts and images.
Hashtags for Halloween and hashtags for Instagram are essential tools for boosting seasonal engagement and reaching a wider audience during the spooky season.
If you include multiple words under a single hashtag, do not include spaces between each word, like with #Pumpkinspice. While multiple words don’t need to be capitalized either, including capitalized letters will make the hashtag easier to read. Just remember not to go overboard with hashtags. The last thing you want is for people to associate a messy catalog of ‘#’ signs and words with your business.
Using Instagram Halloween hashtags can help your posts reach more Instagram users, especially when you target trending and niche Halloween topics. It’s an easy and creative way to reach new users alongside your usual business marketing strategies.
Creating a strong Halloween social media post will help new guests discover your spookiest items. Photo by Toa Heftiba / Unsplash
While hashtags are perhaps the easiest way to catch the attention of scrollers and social media algorithms, you still need to naturally include them in your post. That means irrelevant or poorly placed hashtags may distract the reader from the real purpose of your post. For example, if you post a picture of the cupcakes you’ll sell during October, you can include Halloween hashtags as part of the text explaining the cupcakes’ relevancy to Halloween. It’ll look like this: “This #Halloween2025, try our new #spookycupcakes. Now with three different types of #pumpkinspice flavor designs.” Choosing a particular hashtag to target your audience is key, as using the most popular hashtags can be practically impossible for new accounts to rank in due to high competition.
Some posts even include a small list of hashtags at the end, like a grocery list, to make it easier to read. This strategy is a great way to keep your Instagram images and TikTok posts relevant without bogging down the messaging too much. Facebook and Instagram even let you use emojis in your hashtags. You can use a single emojis(#🎃 or #👻), a combination of emojis (#👻😨🥐), or a combination of words and emojis (#🧛trickortreat🍬). To maximize your reach, include related hashtags, Halloween tags, and other relevant tags in your posts.
You should also create hashtags that include your location and terms specific to your industry as well. Use hashtags that describe your business type and your city or town. Better yet, try creating a hashtag that does both. For example, a cupcake shop in Delaware could use the hashtag #DelawareCupcake or #DelawareDesserts alongside other Halloween hashtags.
Of course, getting too specific with your hashtags might only categorize your post with other posts barely seen by a few users, so remember to mix it up with a strong balance of generic and specific hashtags. An example social media post might look like this:
We’ve got some scary desserts this #Halloween for those brave enough in the #Delawaredessert scene. Stop by and try our chocolate croissants too. We promise this #Delawaretreat won’t try to trick your taste buds
#🧁 #🎃 #HalloweenCupcake #DelawareEats #pumpkincupcakes
If there’s a popular Halloween movie that ties into your brand, try incorporating some hashtags surrounding it as well. The hype behind those trends is a great way to capture the excitement from customers. You can simply paste ready-made hashtag lists into your posts or comments to save time and boost engagement.
When using images and emojis, remember to optimize your pictures, Instagram photos, and video content with the right hashtags to increase visibility and engagement.
To further engage your audience, use chat features to reply to comments and encourage conversations, making your social media presence more interactive.
Keep an eye on trending Halloween hashtags, as they can help your content go viral and reach a larger audience.
Popular Halloween themes like zombie, vampire, and ghosts are great for hashtags and imagery, helping to create a spooky and festive atmosphere.
If you use other platforms, such as Pinterest and LinkedIn, you can use leverage them as well as valuable channels for sharing your Halloween content and hashtags, expanding your reach beyond just Instagram and Facebook.
Wondering how to make your Halloween posts stand out?
Creating a Hashtag Strategy
If you want your Halloween posts to stand out on Instagram and other social media platforms, having a solid hashtag strategy is a must. The right hashtags can help your Instagram posts reach the right audience, boost engagement, and even go viral during the spooky season. But with so many popular Instagram hashtags and trending hashtags out there, how do you choose the best ones for your brand?
Start by researching which Instagram hashtags are currently trending for Halloween. Use Instagram’s built-in hashtag search or third-party tools to discover hashtags relevant to your business and audience. Look for a mix of broad hashtags like #halloween, #spooky, and #autumn, as well as more specific hashtags such as #halloweencostume, #halloweenmakeup, or #pumpkin. This combination helps your posts appear in both high-traffic and niche searches, increasing your chances of being seen by more people.
Consider the size of your Instagram account and how many followers you have. If you’re just starting out, focus on smaller, less competitive hashtags that are more likely to connect you with a targeted audience. Larger accounts with more followers can experiment with popular hashtags to maximize reach. Don’t forget to include hashtags that reflect your brand, such as #starbucks or #pumpkinspice, to reinforce your business identity and attract potential customers interested in your products.
Creating your own branded or campaign-specific hashtag—like #HalloweenAtStarbucks or #SpookyTreatsBy[YourBrand]—is a great way to encourage your followers to share their own Halloween content. Ask your audience to tag their photos, videos, or stories with your unique hashtag for a chance to be featured on your Instagram account. This not only builds community but also generates authentic user-generated content that can inspire others to join in the fun.
When posting, include your hashtags directly in your Instagram captions for maximum visibility, rather than hiding them in the first comment. While Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, using 10-15 well-chosen hashtags is usually the sweet spot for more engagement without looking spammy. Make sure every hashtag you use is relevant to your post, your business, and your audience—using unrelated hashtags can actually hurt your reach.
Track the performance of your hashtags using Instagram Insights or analytics tools. Pay attention to which hashtags are driving the most engagement, comments, and new followers, and adjust your strategy as trends shift throughout October. Staying on top of what’s working will help you refine your approach and keep your Halloween content fresh and effective.
Get started with these popular Halloween hashtags
Now that you're a wizard at creating content for social media, you can get started with these simple Halloween hashtags. They're typically the most popular hashtags for Halloween this year on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.
#HalloweenDeal
#HalloweenObsessed
#HalloweenSpirit
#HalloweenCountdown
#HalloweenParty
#HalloweenCake
#HalloweenCostume
#HalloweenTreats
#HalloweenBaking
#HalloweenLover
#HalloweenEveryday
#HalloweenLife
#HaloweenTime
#Halloween🎃👻🕷
#HalloweenFood
#HalloweenVibes
#HappyHalloween
#October
#pumpkins
#SpookySeason
#trickortreat
Of course, your hashtags and social media game will only be as strong as your point-of-sale system. With the right POS system, you can manage your online presence with different review sites like Yelp, receive instant reports on different sales data, and so much more.
