For years, getting found meant ranking on Google. Today, more and more discovery happens on social feeds, where hashtags, tags, and mentions decide whether new people ever see your products. If you are not using these tools intentionally, you are invisible to the audience actively looking for what you sell. Here is how to get discovered on social, the right way.

Social is the new product search

The shift is real and large. Social platforms now collectively drive more than sixty percent of product discovery, while Google's search share sits around thirty-four percent. The younger your audience, the more pronounced this is: nearly half of Gen Z turn to TikTok first to discover products, and around forty percent of consumers use Instagram to find new things to buy. The place people go to find their next purchase has moved, and your discovery strategy has to move with it.

People are not just scrolling, they are shopping. Around a quarter of consumers say social media is their preferred way to discover new products, rising sharply among Gen Z.

Use hashtags to be findable

Hashtags are still how people browse interests and how your posts reach beyond your followers. The common advice to use only a few may be too conservative: Later's analysis of over eighteen million Instagram posts found that posts using around twenty hashtags achieved the highest average reach. The practical approach is to use a healthy mix of relevant hashtags, blending broad ones that have reach with specific, niche ones where your exact buyer is actually looking.

  • Mix broad and niche. Broad tags offer reach; specific tags reach the people most likely to buy.
  • Stay relevant. Tags that match your actual product attract buyers, not just views.
  • Tag products and locations where the platform allows, so you appear in those targeted searches too.

Mentions and real customers do the convincing

Being found is half the battle; being believed is the other half, and that is where mentions and user content shine. Research found that eighty percent of consumers say user-generated content highly influences their purchases, while only nineteen percent find brand-made content authentic. Even more striking, eighty percent said they would be more likely to buy from a store that features real customer photos and videos. When a happy customer mentions or tags you, that is discovery and proof in one.

Turn discovery into sales with Shourly

Getting discovered only pays off if there is somewhere to buy. Encourage customers to tag and mention you, repost their content, and make your store one tap away with your Shourly link in your bio and posts. The flow is simple: hashtags and mentions bring new people in, real customer content convinces them, and your store link lets them buy on the spot. Discovery, trust, and checkout, connected.

The best marketing is a happy customer tagging you. Make it easy for them, feature it proudly, and point everyone it reaches to a store that is ready to sell.

Conclusion

Discovery has moved from search engines to social feeds, and hashtags, tags, and mentions are how you ride that shift. Use a relevant mix of hashtags to be found, encourage mentions and real customer content to be believed, and connect it all to a store link so discovery turns into sales. Show up where people are already looking, and let your customers help the right buyers find you.

Ready to turn discovery into sales? Create your free store or see how the catalog works.