Tools for Marketing and Content Creation

I recently wrote about hitting 20,000 followers on LinkedIn and what comes next. In that article, I shared that Threads would be my next frontier, and now, I want to share why and how I plan to make it so. After years of posting within a structured framework on LinkedIn, I started wondering what would happen if I loosened the rules. I’ve tested formats, frequency, and monetization, but always through the lens of performance. I didn’t want to move into a new phase of growth using the same tactics. What if I treated content less like a system to optimize and more like a sandbox to play in? And so, the Proof of Concept series was born, and with it, my first experiment: growi…

Every few months, we take stock of the quiet progress happening across Buffer. These aren’t flashy features or full-on launches — but they’re the kinds of updates that make everything feel smoother. Lately, the Buffer team has been doubling down on quality (alongside all the headline-grabbing stuff). Here's a look at all the small changes and quality-of-life improvements you'll now find in your Buffer dashboard. How we’ve been improving quality at BufferBug fixes and small improvements have always been part of the job. But we're a small team, and in the past, they sometimes had to compete with bigger feature projects. Recently, two teammates — Adam, our Senior Escalation…

Until fairly recently, I admit that YouTube Shorts weren’t a priority in my social media mix. Then I scheduled a YouTube Short for a Buffer blog I was writing, and happened to check the analytics. 1,436 views in just a few days — that’s more than all my other videos combined. Taking a deeper look at my analytics, it’s clear that YouTube Shorts are doing all the heavy lifting: This power performance of these bite-sized videos is not just anecdotal. According to Buffer’s data, engagement on YouTube Shorts is on the rise (from 3.95% to 4.71%), with usage skyrocketing from 5.6K to 147K in just 18 months. YouTube Shorts offer a unique opportunity for creators to reach a wide…

GIFs are awesome. And they’re everywhere. We use them at Buffer in our posts, threads, emails, and our Slack channels. Anywhere there’s a message, there’s the chance for a GIF. ‌‌ What is a GIF, you ask? For the uninitiated, GIFs are really just animated image files. GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. While plenty of people have very strong feelings about how to pronounce the word — ”giff” vs. “jiff” — the original creator of GIFs, Steve Wilhite, once said: “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.” Want to know how to create a GIF and when and where to share them? We’ve collected…

X has been more open lately about how its algorithm works. In its own documentation, the platform notes that engagement is the strongest signal for visibility — replies, profile clicks, and dwell time top the list — but Premium subscribers also get an extra lift. In a recent breakdown from Social Media Today on the X algorithm, verified accounts (which come with a Premium subscription) benefit from this boost, alongside other factors like video watch time and conversation depth. On the flip side, link posts, all-caps updates, and “offensive” content see sharp penalties. In other words, X has made it clear: if you want reach, you need to be engaging and verified. This insi…

After almost a decade of creating and a few years of working remotely, becoming a mom in mid-2024 made consistency and work-life balance my biggest challenges. Before I knew it, I was burnt out, questioning myself, and barely staying productive. TL;DR: I found myself spiralling, and it felt like the walls were closing in on me. If you’re a creator, small business owner, or marketer juggling remote work and parenting, you know exactly what I mean. Thankfully, this season didn’t last too long. After a few messy months, I found a simple system—including some smart outsourcing—that now helps me: Post 2-5 times a week across LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTubeGrow my au…

For years, creators have shared the same warning: “Don’t post links — they’ll harm your reach.” But numbers to back it up have been hard to come by. That’s what we set out to test, this time on X, formerly known as Twitter. With the help of our data scientist Julian Winternheimer, we dug into 18.8 million posts from 71,000 X accounts, and the results are clear: links really do hurt performance. For creators and brands who rely on sharing links as part of their content strategy, the data points to something bigger than a small algorithm tweak. Let’s get into the numbers. 💡If you’re interested in seeing Julian’s analysis, check out his blog for a deep dive.Do posts with lin…

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 …

As a freelancer, I always wondered, “What would happen if I needed to take an extended medical leave?” I’m not the kind of person to take a month-long trip, and I’ve never taken more than 7-10 days off at a time (which requires meticulous planning ahead of time!). If I don’t work, my revenue is $0. I run a solo business, so my income is 100% dependent on me. So what would happen if I couldn’t work? Would my clients understand? Would my social media engagement take a nosedive? Would my business crumble? I found out this year when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Not exactly what I was expecting. I needed brain surgery, and recovery was expected to take a minimum of six…

Threads might look a bit like Twitter and feel like Instagram, but the fledgling social media platform is a bit of both — and neither. Threads has been positively flying since it first burst onto app stores in 2023. In just a few years, the Meta-owned app amassed 141.5 million daily active users, with many serious superfans in its ranks (several of the Buffer team among them!). And those superfans will be quick to tell you that social media strategies for Instagram and Twitter/X aren't plug-and-play for Threads. The Threads algorithm is all its own, and — if you're serious about building an audience on Threads — it's well worth getting familiar with how it works. Whic…

Like any other creator, I am no stranger to getting ideas at random times. But remembering them or actually publishing? That’s a different story. If you’re trying to be consistent and grow your personal brand, you know what it’s like to get an idea while you’re scrolling on LinkedIn or in the middle of a conversation. You think to yourself, “I should write a post on this.” But life gets busy, work gets complicated, and the content takes the back seat (as always). I know how discouraging inconsistency can feel. I’ve been there too. In this article, I’ll share the simple 3-step system that helped me break the cycle, stay consistent, and double my reach in under 2 months.…

We’ve all been part of the rush to figure out gifts for family and friends as the holiday season approaches. Many companies even recommend starting holiday shopping (plus social media and email marketing campaigns) months early to avoid shipping delays or out-of-stock notifications. The holiday season often means a busy time for brands — and that’s what events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday intend to capitalize on. But sentiments are changing. People are questioning and expecting more of the brands they shop from and 89 percent of shoppers say they would be loyal customers of a brand associated with a good cause, given similar price and quality. Brands are also sayin…

“How often should I post on social media?” is a question that has plagued marketers and creators since the invention of social media marketing. So, what’s the right number? In this guide, I’ll share data-backed tips on how often you should post on the most popular social media platforms. Jump to a section: At a glance: How often you should post on every social media platform How often should you post on Facebook? How often should you post on Instagram? How often should you post on TikTok? How often should you post on X (formerly Twitter)? How often should you post on Linked…

Barry Greene has spent the past three decades helping students master the art of jazz guitar, both as a professor at the University of North Florida and through his own online lesson platform. His teaching journey took an unexpected turn in 2007, when he uploaded a casual video to YouTube. What started as a fun experiment quickly gained traction. As Barry recalls, 'within months, I was teaching masterclasses overseas.' Over time, Barry built a thriving online community of guitarists who rely on his lessons to develop their technique, explore jazz harmony, and stay inspired. With growth came a challenge: keeping up with social media demands without sacrificing time for cre…

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” I bet you’ve heard this one from Peter Drucker, one of the best-known thinkers and writers on the subject of management theory. And maybe that’s why you’re here: You know that growing on TikTok isn’t just about posting videos — you need to dig into the data to see what actually works. But, if you’re anything like me, when you first open the TikTok analytics tab, it feels like staring at a spaceship dashboard. Numbers, charts, percentages … Where do you even start? The good news is that you don’t need to measure everything; it’s more important to measure the right things based on your goals. The magic happens when you focus …

Instagram has officially launched the feature folks have been clamoring for for years. Hello, shiny new repost button. 👋 Users have been reposting content on Instagram since the app's release, but with this new feature, they’ll no longer have to rely on screenshots and third-party tools to share the content they love. Even better: This new mechanic will ensure the original creator will get credit for their work. I’m pretty excited that Instagram took the time to perfect this. Because when done right, sharing Instagram content from your community, customers, or collaborators can help you celebrate them and stay consistent on the platform. Talk about a win-win. Whether you'…

Staying consistent on TikTok sounds simple enough. But coming up with video ideas, filming, editing, writing captions, and posting nearly every day? That’s a full-time job — with overtime. That is, unless you work smart. Scheduling your TikTok videos ahead of time is like unlocking the “easy mode” of consistency — giving you more breathing room and better results. In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to schedule TikTok posts (on both desktop and mobile) and help you find the best method for your workflow. Jump to a section: How to schedule TikTok posts on desktop How to schedule TikToks on desktop using the TikTok web browser …

Spend five minutes on the “how to grow” side of TikTok, and you’ll quickly learn one thing: if you’re not posting multiple times a day, you’re doing it wrong. Or so the algorithm experts say. As a fledgling TikTok creator, I’ve always been a bit sceptical of this advice. I managed to build a small audience within about a year by posting a couple of times a month, rather than daily. But… would I have been able to get more views on TikTok if I had? I put the question to Buffer’s data scientist, Julian Winternheimer. And because he never does anything by halves, Julian analyzed a massive dataset to find the answer: 11.4 million TikTok posts from over 150,000 accounts. We (b…

BFCM — Black Friday and Cyber Monday — is an exhilarating but often daunting time of year for business owners and marketers. Now that fantastic deals are table stakes, it can feel like shouting into a crowded room to ensure your brand gets the attention it deserves. But capturing market attention is well worth doing over this high-spend period. According to Adobe Analytics, Black Friday 2024 alone generated $10.8 billion in online sales (up 10.2% from $9.8 billion in 2023), and Cyber Monday saw $13.3 billion. The full 2024 holiday season reached a record $241.4 billion in online spending, making 2025 poised for another record-breaking year. To help you stand out from th…

Social media marketing is more complicated than ever. You need a proper strategy, content creation skills, copywriting formulas in your back pocket, and a knack for tying it all together. It doesn’t hurt to borrow the hard-earned lessons of industry experts who’ve come before you. Here are the top 12 courses to improve your social media marketing skills. Some of these courses are free. But even the paid courses are worth every penny, I promise. There are two types of courses on this list: Cohort-based courses: These courses have a fixed start and end date. You’ll work through the material in real time with other students and your instructor(s). These courses are excellen…

Over the past decade, Instagram has grown exponentially, with more than a billion monthly active users. However, with that increase in users has come an equal rise in fake accounts. You’ve probably received a weird-looking comment or direct message on Instagram that you could immediately tell was a scam. But fake accounts are becoming increasingly sophisticated as they take on a more “human” tone. Scammers create these fake profiles to spread false info, steal your personal details, and sometimes even bully people online. As an Instagram user, you have the power to spot fake accounts and take them down, and in this article, we explore how to do that. Jump to a section:…

Remember when social media content was limited to Facebook statuses and, er, “pokes?” Even a few years later, cutting-edge content was limited to a blurry photo with an oversaturated filter on Instagram. It seems bizarre now, given how much you can do with social media today. With the ever-growing list of platforms releasing new features daily, it's an exciting time to build a following online — but it's not an easy one. With the plethora of social media content options available every time you open your favorite app, it can be difficult to know what type of content your audience most wants to see. Short-form video? A carousel? A good old-fashioned selfie? Well, that all…

I keep catching myself doing this thing lately: staring at an Instagram ad, listening to a podcast intro, scrolling past a post — and wondering, 'Wait, is this AI?' Turns out, I'm not alone. A survey by Getty Images states that 76% of people agree: ‘It’s getting to the point where I can’t tell if an image is real’. And it’s this simple sentiment of wondering whether something is real or not that raises an important question for us marketers and creators: How can we shift the narrative of doubt and start focusing on building trust instead? I’ve been reflecting on this for a while now, asking myself what really makes me trust something online and I keep coming back to the s…

Managing multiple social media accounts can feel like a lot — especially when you're doing it solo. But with the right approach, it doesn't have to be overwhelming. If you're a creator or small business owner trying to stay active across multiple social media networks, you're probably wondering how to make it all work without burning out. This article shares seven strategies you can use (with software recommendations in between) to manage multiple social media accounts effectively. Quick summary: how to manage multiple accountsUse templates: Create repeatable formats in Canva to reduce design time and maintain brand consistency.Repurpose and crosspost: Share high-performi…

Recently, we realized our way of calculating MRR and ARR wasn’t giving us the clearest picture of our business. A few months ago, we made the decision to cancel the Buffer subscriptions of 1,361 inactive annual legacy subscriptions. We let those customers know they can always use Buffer for free or sign up for an annual plan again. After sending that email and canceling the annual plans, we braced for a $14,000 monthly recurring revenue (MRR) drop. But the numbers didn’t budge. We knew something was off when we didn’t see the immediate impact of cancelling those subscriptions. Instead, those cancellations were being stretched across the next 12 months, tied to each custom…