Tools for Marketing and Content Creation

In January 2025, we held our fourth (!) edition of Creator Camp — a free 30-day challenge to help participants build consistent social media habits. I led and participated, sharing resources and prompts. Each participant selected a platform, format, and posting cadence. Me? I went for videos on LinkedIn five to seven days per week. By the time the Camp was over, I had published 25 posts in 31 days. This wasn't my first Creator Camp rodeo. In October 2024, I participated and generated 300,000 impressions across 31 posts. But this time, I had different priorities. Instead of chasing metrics, I focused on monetization and intentionality with my content pillars. What started …

I hit 20,000 followers on LinkedIn in August 2025. The number itself is worth celebrating. After all, who doesn’t love a milestone number? However, it has also led to much reflection about where and why I started on the platform. This was the first year I set a clear growth goal for LinkedIn, and reaching it gave me a reason to pause and ask: What actually drove this growth? What changed along the way? And what comes next? In this article, I’ll share the strategies that fueled my growth, the opportunities that came with hitting 20K, and the challenges I’ve had to navigate along the way. I’ll also share how I plan to approach LinkedIn (and content more broadly) in this nex…

I deleted my 7K LinkedIn account and five months later, I was back to 4.5K followers and 416K impressions. Deleting an account I’d spent months building felt reckless, but it ended up being the reset I didn’t know I needed. In January 2025, I started from zero. Five months later, my new account had multiple viral posts, over nearly half a million impressions, and a growing network that finally felt aligned with the kind of work I wanted to do. My LinkedIn analytics This is the story of how I rebuilt my presence from scratch — and the systems that helped me grow faster, with more clarity, the second time around. Let’s go! My first LinkedIn account and why I deleted itI joi…

Threads has over 150 million daily active users. Great for reaching new audiences. Also, a discovery problem. How do you get seen when millions of conversations are happening at once? Enter: Trending Topics for Threads, right in Buffer. It brings real-time trending conversations directly into Buffer's composer. Built in partnership with the Threads team, Trending Topics surfaces what's trending on Threads to anyone, no matter your location, through Buffer's API access. The discovery challenge on ThreadsThe Threads algorithm rewards genuine conversation and authentic engagement. Success comes from joining discussions people actually care about, at the moment they care abou…

A video I posted to Instagram on a whim hit 110,000 views this month. I originally made it for LinkedIn as part of my content pillars: a simple video on where to find remote jobs. Somewhere in the middle of exporting it, I thought, why not just post it everywhere? So I did. And Instagram was where it really took off. Which was strange, because I've been on Instagram since 2016. That's 10 years of birthday carousels and travel photo dumps, and never once treating it like somewhere I could actually grow. If you've been following my Proof of Concept series, you know I've spent the last few months trying to grow on Threads. I had a plan, complete with a follower goal, a deadl…

From the moment I launched The Flourish Market — a boutique that specializes in selling clothing, accessories, and gifts that have a bigger purpose — I knew that we would need to think about our holiday promotions differently. Given that most of the 200+ brands we partner with are B Corps or fair trade companies, our margins are already tighter than the average store. I felt the biggest discount we could afford to offer holiday shoppers would be 20%, which isn’t very exciting when the big box stores and even smaller boutiques would be offering 40-60% (or more) off. I’ve always been a big believer that when you can’t compete, you get creative. So I thought about what we …

Remember good old chronological news feeds? Back in the early days of Facebook, circa 2006 or so, posts were shown pretty much in order of recency when you opened up the social media platform. Well, things look a bit different nearly twenty years later. What started as a place for sharing updates and photos with friends and family — putting the ‘social’ in social media — has grown into a full-fledged content platform. Facebook has evolved from personal profiles to a space where people can follow creators and brands, join communities and groups, and promote events. Instead of just text and photo posts, there are now disappearing stories, reels, live streams, and much more.…

Imagine a place where you can stay updated on your college roommate’s life, get book recommendations, discover new brands, and learn more about anything you like. That’s exactly what Instagram is for you, for me, and for over one and a half billion other active Instagram users. In this beginner’s guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about Instagram — from getting started by creating an account to growing your business or personal brand on the platform. What is Instagram?Instagram is a photo and video-sharing app. You can use this social media platform to create, edit, and publish anything visual. Your followers react to your posts by liking, commenting, sharing, …

Have you ever wished you could just skip the Instagram algorithm altogether and guarantee your content gets seen by your target audience? Or, rather than asking folks to click over to your bio to find your products, content, or website, just include a link right in the post? Well, meet Instagram ads. They are paid posts on the platform that you can use to promote your business, product, or services and reach new people. Ads appear in the same format as organic posts across Instagram Stories, Reels, Explore, and in-feed posts. But unlike organic Instagram posts, Instagram ads have a link to redirect users to a website to shop for your products or check out your services. …

A few months ago, I created an Instagram Reel that (I thought) looked great when I was making it. I uploaded, hit post, and tapped on it to fill the screen — only to find a sliver of the text got cut off at the edge. It’s a tiny detail that can have a big impact, especially for brands and creators with a high bar for quality. There’s a small kind of joy in seeing your post appear exactly the way you imagined it, and that comes from getting your Instagram image sizes exactly right. If you're pouring your energy into creating standout visuals for Instagram, you'll want them to look their absolute best when they go live. No strange cropping, no weird blur — just a clean, sha…

If you’re not an experienced content creator, it might be difficult to determine the best length for Instagram Reels to get the best results. And knowing the ideal number isn’t everything – your metrics might tell you something entirely different. In this article, we explore everything you need to know about the ideal length of Instagram Reels and other Instagram content – according to the team themselves. How long can Instagram Reels be?Instagram Reels can be anywhere from 15 seconds to 3 minutes in length. Previously, Reels were capped at 90 seconds, until Instagram increased the length of video uploads in January 2025. "We’ve heard a lot of feedback from a lot of you c…

Instagram Stories are one of the first things I tap on when I open the app. I love seeing the more authentic, in-the-moment content creators and brands post there, rather than the polished Instagram feed. Many Instagrammers will spend hours creating beautiful Instagram Reels and photo posts, but ignore their Instagram Stories — and they’re missing a trick here. The Instagram Stories feed appears right at the top of your followers’ screens when they open the app. And if they’re anything like me, tapping on the lit-up profile pictures is tough not to do. "Stories is designed to really connect people with others that they know in real life, their friends," Instagram Head, …

If your Instagram profile looks a little different, you’re not alone. Instagram is rolling out a new 4:5 aspect ratio for post previews, replacing the classic 1:1 square grid. This means posts now appear taller, bringing the profile grid in line with the vertical-first format already used for feed posts and Reels. …

Today, we're introducing our refreshed design across Buffer. Our new navigation, and updated visual language give creators and businesses more flexibility as social media continues to evolve. Our goal has been to make Buffer feel calmer, clearer, and easier to work in every day. A few weeks ago, we wrote about our aim to offer a smarter, more insightful Buffer: a toolset that helps more creators and businesses make smarter decisions around their social media strategies. But that’s only one part the story of Buffer in 2026. As creators ourselves, we at Buffer believe we can do more to help build momentum when working on social media. And momentum is not created by forcing …

"What should I post this week?" If you've ever stared at your social media accounts asking yourself this question, you're not alone. Creating and finding enough content to maintain an active social media presence is one of the biggest challenges we hear from our customers. That's why we built Feeds — a new Buffer feature that brings fresh content from your favorite websites directly into your Buffer account. What are Feeds?Think of it as the bridge between the content you love reading and the content your audience will love seeing. You can add feeds from your favorite blogs and websites, and their latest posts will automatically appear in your feed collections, ready to b…

Staying consistent on social media is one of the best routes to success on any platform — though that's easier said than done. Which is why we wanted a way to make this easier (and more fun!). Enter: Streaks! What are streaks? Streaks is more than just a feature — it's your personal trainer for social media content creation. The concept is beautifully simple: share a post every week, and watch your streak count grow. Miss a week, and your streak resets, gently nudging you to stay on track. How streaks workWe've designed streaks with three key motivational elements: Weekly streak counter: A clear, visual representation of your posting consistency. Each consecutive week yo…

If you're a regular reader of our content, you know we spend a lot of time thinking about and researching the optimal posting times for every social platform. We've analyzed millions of posts to pinpoint the days and times that lead to the highest engagement rates on each platform. I'm excited to share that we've now incorporated our data and research directly into Buffer, so you can always post at the best time to post. 👏 Now in Buffer, you can set set a weekly posting goal for your social channels and Buffer will automatically add recommended posting times to your schedule. With this combination, you can stay consistent and be "in the feed" when it matters most. I’m an…

As a consultant, having a flow of high-quality clients is a must for steady, sustainable business growth (and making the rent every month). Thankfully, LinkedIn can make this a whole lot easier. While many lead generation channels need constant investment in ads or sales (things that solo consultants often don’t have the budget for), LinkedIn offers a way to bring new clients to you. In my three years as a consultant, I've found LinkedIn consistently delivers the highest quality leads with the least ongoing cost — once you understand how to use it effectively. In around that time, I’ve built up an audience of 14,000 followers on LinkedIn, which has been crucial in helping…

Think you know which social platform has the most engagement? The data might surprise you. Social media trends are always evolving, but lately, engagement has been shifting in unexpected ways. LinkedIn is seeing record-high interactions, Pinterest is quietly on the rise, and Threads — once a breakout success — is settling into more stable patterns. Meanwhile, Instagram’s engagement is lower than ever, but that doesn’t mean it’s losing relevance. If you’ve ever felt like social media engagement is unpredictable, you’re not alone. But while platforms and algorithms change, one thing remains the same: understanding the data gives you an edge. At Buffer, we analyzed millions …

LinkedIn used to be the place you'd dust off your resume and hunt for your next job. Today, that’s just a sliver of how people are using the social platform. A quick scroll now throws up founders building in public, creators sharing their wins, and hot takes on everything from positioning to pricing to — of course — AI. And while businesses are still hiring on LinkedIn, many are also pulling back the curtain to show what life inside their company really looks like. This evolution has opened up serious opportunities for both brands and creators. With over 1 billion users, LinkedIn has grown into a place where B2B professionals, creators, and businesses alike can grow thei…

A statement that definitely won’t surprise you: TikTok’s algorithm seems to prioritize videos that keep users on the platform for longer. But here’s a follow-up that might: That means videos longer than a minute tend to get more views and watch time than their shorter counterparts. When we set out to uncover what TikTok video length performed the best, I certainly didn’t expect it to be longer videos. Because when you think TikTok success, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Fast-paced, snappy, short and sweet videos, right? Turns out the TikTok algorithm might be flipping the script a little. According to our analysis of more than 1 million TikToks (1.1 million, t…

Meta has announced a new mobile video editing app called Edits, which will be available in app stores in February 2025. The announcement comes hot on the heels of ByteDance's CapCut temporary removal from major app stores as part of the TikTok ban, leaving creators scrambling for alternatives. The timing is no coincidence, of course. Meta has a history of making strategic moves to fill market gaps. Remember when they launched Instagram Reels right after TikTok's ban in India? Or how Threads emerged as X (formerly Twitter) was going through changes? Still, the news will be a welcome surprise to Instagram Reels creators — particularly since it looks like it’s going to be a …

With each new year, come new possibilities. You’ve probably already set goals to tap into that fresh energy that comes with a change of the calendar. If one of those goals is to grow on social media in 2025, you’re in the right place. We believe new habits take work — and content creation is no exception. It’s not as easy as picking up a phone, despite what some success stories might have you believe. You need systems and structures to build something sustainable. That’s where Creator Camp comes in. Creator Camp is a free 30-day community challenge to help you build consistent social media habits while developing your brand and connecting with fellow creators. We had over…

A few weeks ago, we completed our seventh profit share at Buffer, distributing $377,005 to 75 teammates. This represents more than a dollar amount. It reflects a real turnaround in our growth and in where we are headed. Just a few years ago, we were not in a position to do this at all. We went through two years of net losses, made hard decisions, and focused deeply on rebuilding a healthy, sustainable business. There were moments when profitability and profit sharing felt far away. So returning to this practice in 2025, with an average share of $5,095 per teammate, feels especially meaningful. It reflects the resilience of our team, the care people have put into their wor…

Great experiences rarely come from one big moment. They’re built through hundreds of small details that add up over time. That idea guided how we spent some time this year focusing on customer experience at Buffer. Customer Experience Week was our first dedicated, cross-functional sprint centered entirely on how Buffer feels to use. We took advantage of the natural slowdown at the end of the year to form small teams, each focused on one improvement they believed they could meaningfully ship in a short window. This wasn’t our first experiment with focused building time. We’ve run initiatives like Build Week in 2022 and 2023, where teams explored new ideas and shipped exper…