Tools for Marketing and Content Creation

From brainstorming ideas, creating outlines, repurposing content — AI can make your job as a writer a whole lot easier. Artificial intelligence is not going to do your best work for you, of course. We know there’s (thankfully?) still work to be done in replicating the weirdness and wonder of human creativity. But AI can take some of the work off your plate, so you can focus on exactly that: creating. However, with the ever-growing list of AI software and tools on the market — all promising to help you generate, streamline, and automate your writing process — it can be tricky to figure out which ones are worth your time (and money). Which is where I come in. I’m a produ…

TikTok hashtags aren’t a one-way ticket to virality — but they can absolutely help boost visibility. When done right, TikTok hashtags help categorize your content, enable the algorithm to understand what your content is about, and boost your discoverability through TikTok SEO. In this article, we’ll explore everything there is to know about TikTok hashtags: What are TikTok hashtags? Why you should use hashtagsHow to find the right TikTok hashtagsHow to use TikTok hashtags properlyPlus, I’ll share a curated list of 250 trending TikTok hashtags — organized by industry to help you reach the right audience and grow your presence. What are TikTok hashtags?TikTok hashtags are k…

You're spoiled for choice when it comes to Facebook ads — from images and videos to carousels and collections, there’s a format (and placement) for just about every goal. Advertising on Facebook also gives you the chance to experiment and find just the right approach for your brand. But with so many options, it’s important to keep up with the latest Facebook ad specs. Facebook offers a world of creative opportunities, and getting the specs right is your first step to making the most of them. If you’ve ever found yourself Googling “Facebook ad sizes” or “Meta ad specs” five minutes before launching a campaign, we’ve got you covered. In this fully updated guide, you’ll fin…

Keeping up with Instagram in 2025 feels a bit like running a marathon. There’s always something new, trends move fast, and maintaining consistency can be exhausting. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to tackle it alone — and you certainly don’t have to spend a fortune. The right tools make all the difference. Whether you’re crafting engaging visuals, planning your content calendar, analyzing your data, or boosting engagement, free Instagram tools can save you hours of work every week. Detailed analytics can help in understanding post performance and user engagement. In this article, I’ve rounded up 26 free Instagram tools for creators, marketers, and small business…

I find myself wanting to buy a new product I’ve seen on Instagram at least once a week. (Right now, I’ve got my eye on a gorgeous set of coffee mugs from Studio 13.) Instagram makes those “I need this” moments easy to act on — people see something they like, and they can buy it in just a few taps. What started out as a simple photo-sharing app has evolved into a powerful social commerce platform where you can show off your products, find new customers, and even make direct sales. With 130 million people tapping on Instagram shopping posts each month, it’s clear that casual scrolling can easily turn into active shopping. That’s a big opportunity for businesses and creators…

The use of AI to generate weird and wonderful imagery is definitely one of my favorite applications of the cutting-edge tech. I've tested out AI writing tools and AI productivity tools, but putting the host of AI image generator through their paces was hands-down the most fun I've had in testing tools in ages (and I love testing tools). As with other AI tools, there's no shortage of artificial intelligence image generators on the market. I'm sure by the time this article is published, about 35 more will have just launched. ❗Looking for Pablo? We've sunsetted Pablo, Remix, and Stories Creator (more on that here), but the AI tools on this list might help!By now, we all kno…

I create video content for Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn, so I’m always looking for new tools to make the process smoother — and I may just have found my new favorite. Instagram has just launched their brand-new video editing app, Edits by Instagram, and it’s already way surpassed my expectations. If you’ve ever tried to edit a reel with Instagram’s native video editing tools, you’ll know why I was a bit skeptical. Optimistic, but skeptical. But Edits has not disappointed. The new app is lightyears ahead of Instagram’s built-in editing capabilities — which makes sense, given that this new app is meant to rival CapCut, the Swiss Army knife of video editing…

With the ever-changing nature of The Algorithm™, hashtags have remained one of the most reliable ways to boost your content’s visibility. Whether you're creating Instagram Reels, posting to TikTok, or scheduling content across multiple social media platforms, the right hashtags can help you reach the right audience — fast. Your TikTok or Instagram hashtags might be what gets your content discovered, shared, or saved — especially when they’re relevant, timely, and well-placed. That’s why having a solid hashtag strategy is still a key part of successful social media marketing. But let’s be real: finding the best hashtags for every post can be a time-consuming task. And not …

There are many factors to consider when it comes to posting on Instagram — but the one that often feels like a make-or-break decision is what time to post your content. It's a fair concern — the last thing you want is to spend the time and resources needed to create a showstopper piece of content only to post it in a social media dead zone that results in… crickets. Sharing Instagram Stories, reels, feed posts, and carousels at optimal times for reach and engagement is an important consideration in your social media strategy. If your content immediately makes it to your target audience's feed while they're around to engage with it, it's more likely to succeed. That's why…

As a creator or brand trying to get going with video marketing it can feel like everyone else has a ring light, a script, and a multi-camera setup — and you’re still figuring out where to start. You know what helps to remember, though? All of those folks started out exactly where you are now. Video is a great format to explore: it helps your audience connect with you more deeply and puts a face to the (brand) name. It’s not a trend; video marketing is here to stay. Can you succeed in your social media marketing strategy with a text-first approach? Of course. We’ve got tons of data to prove it. You don’t need to hop on the video marketing bandwagon just because everyone s…

You probably won't have to scroll TikTok for more than a few minutes before stumbling upon a video about how someone has just quit their day job to become a full-time creator. (Not just my algorithm, is it?) It makes for great content, of course, but there really are loads of ways to earn on TikTok — and I don’t just mean through sponsored posts. TikTok is a standout social media platform when it comes to the sheer volume of ways you can earn — without even leaving the app. The platform is constantly experimenting with new ways creators can monetize their content, from participating in challenges with cash incentives to receiving rewards for high-performing content. Wheth…

If you’ve followed Buffer for a while, then you know we have a few uncommon approaches to teammate benefits and compensation. The example I’ll dig into today is our “Dependent Grant,” which we launched in 2016. Our Dependent Grant is separate benefit, outside of salary, that we grant teammates who are taking care of and supporting family members. It’s an extra $3,000 USD per year per child, up to four dependents total. This has been one of our most unusual (and at times controversial) benefits. Until recently, this was granted for extended family members, like siblings, parents, and grandparents. After eight years, we’ve updated this benefit. As always, we’re here to sh…

Let’s start with the facts: I don’t usually create content this way. Most weeks, I post 3–5 times across LinkedIn, Threads, and TikTok — usually planned a few days in advance, sometimes the same day. I like having the flexibility to post when I’m inspired, not just when something’s scheduled. But ahead of a month-long trip — part retreat, part travel — I knew I couldn’t rely on my usual workflow. I would be adjusting to new environments, exploring new cities and attending full-day team sessions. I wanted to stay visible online without scrambling to come up with new ideas mid-trip. So I gave myself one focused day to get ahead. Not to create 30 fully polished posts — but t…

I run a Facebook group called Freelancers Who Work Smart, Not Hard, but, for ages, I managed it the hard way, not the smart way. The hard way looks like this: trying to remember to post regularly (when I sometimes can’t even remember what day of the week it is), coming up with some of my best ideas at 3 a.m. (before promptly falling asleep and forgetting them), and posting sporadically with neither consistency nor strategy. Days or even weeks (eek) would go by without me posting, and the group would lose momentum. Somewhat ironically, things changed when I went on maternity leave. Before taking three months off work, I scheduled two posts a week to keep the group active …

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, …

Here’s a question: How can you boost the performance of your Instagram posts and reels in one minute or less? The answer lies in your Instagram Stories. I do this for every post I share on Instagram, and it never fails to help my content gain traction. That’s because reposting my feed posts to my Instagram stories helps my most engaged followers (read: my mom) see my Instagram content, which might not have popped up on their feeds yet. It all has to do with the way the Instagram algorithm for stories works — which, yes, is different from the feed algorithm. Your Instagram Stories tray will always feature the stories of Instagram users you watch and engage with most often …

As much as it can seem like a status symbol to be verified, there are also really practical reasons to have a verified Instagram account. Verification helps with engagement, can help Instagram users find real sources of news, and can stop impersonation, among other things. Getting verified adds credibility to any account — so it's no wonder that so many of us are keen to have that blue check on Instagram. And, with the roll-out of the new Meta Verified subscription, getting that little icon is not only reserved for public figures (as long as you're happy to pay a monthly fee, of course). In this post, we'll cover what verification is, the two ways to get a blue check on t…

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…

At Buffer, we recently embarked on an ambitious project: uncovering the best time to post on social media in 2025 — across all major platforms. We pored over millions of posts, reels, TikToks, shorts, videos, and more to pinpoint when the best-performing content was published. We analyzed the data here in one of two ways: To predict the best time to post on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X, we looked at the timeslots with the highest median social media engagement on each platform. To predict the best times to post on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, we looked at median reach and video views. In both cases, we found some clear patterns — and can make some clear recommendations on…

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.…

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 …

It can feel incredibly challenging to hire, and hire well. For one thing, hiring is usually a significant time investment for our small team — we once had 1,500 applications in just over a week for a content role (!!) — but beyond that, we are so intentional about the ways that we collaborate. Buffer is a fully remote, global, and culturally diverse company operating with a four-day work week. Finding someone who will thrive in our work environment, and is also highly skilled in the areas we’re hiring for, can be tough. So in a recent hiring round, we decided to try something new. I asked a candidate who was in the final stages of interviewing to spend a full day working …

When I first started posting on LinkedIn consistently, I couldn’t understand why some posts were a huge hit and others flopped like soggy tacos. That is until I started monitoring my social media analytics. Suddenly, it all became much clearer: I had data that pointed to which hooks grabbed the most attention, what time got the most engagement, and what the ideal length for a post was. Everything clicked. The clues are out there for you too, right in your analytics. And they can guide your social media strategy in the right direction. But if you run multiple social media platforms, it can be hard to collate and stitch these insights together. Luckily, plenty of social me…

TikTok stepped onto the social scene in 2016 and completely reshaped the way we create and consume content, but nearly a decade later, with over 1 billion monthly active users uploading millions of videos daily, standing out can feel impossible. How do you capture attention and keep viewers hooked? It comes down to more than creative ideas — you need to grow skills that transform good concepts into great content: especially editing. But here’s the good news: you don’t need professional editing training to create a standout TikTok video. Whether you're just starting with TikTok’s intuitive built-in editor or you're an experienced creator exploring advanced tools like CapCu…

When you think of stand-out social media campaigns, what’s the first one that comes to mind? I’m willing to bet the likes of Spotify Wrapped or Dove Beauty are right up there. Lauded as these examples are (rightly so!), they’re far from the only ground-breaking examples from recent years. In fact, it was tough to trim down this list of innovative, memorable social media campaigns down to a readable number — so I’m confident there are several on this list that will stand out on your hunt for inspiration. We’ve got heartfelt stories, celebrity salads, and of course, reincarnating owls. Anytime you feel you’re in a creative rut, come back to this list, snoop, and scoop wha…