Do you see that little jet emoji at the end of the #TopGun hashtag in the photograph above?
That custom emoji creates what’s called a branded hashtag, and it’s what large corporations will use to draw a little extra attention to that hashtag. I remember the first time I saw one being used was with the TV show The Mandalorian, where Disney/Twitter created a lovely custom “Mandalorian” emoji.
Now, branded hashtags don’t come cheap, and I’ve heard it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase one even for a limited time—a cost most private individuals can’t afford.
But keep in mind that if you create a unique hashtag, are consistent with its use, and juxtapose an existing emoji against it, you too can potentially “brand” your own hashtags. (Note: This could also work as a branding tool alongside your Twitter handle.) Playing around with careful pre-existing emojis aligned with your Twitter handle or unique hashtags may be an inexpensive way to do some gorilla marketing.