Tools for Marketing and Content Creation

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…

If you want to share scroll-stopping content on your social media profiles, you need eye-catching images that display well in the feed. Awkwardly cropped photos and pixelated images are a sure way to put potential followers off. But figuring out image sizes for each social network is tricky, especially considering how many different image options each platform offers. Which is where this guide comes in. Keep this handy, and you won’t have to store all those fiddly numbers in your brain — or google “what’s the best image size for [insert platform here]” with every post. In this article, you’ll find the ideal social media image sizes for nine popular platforms, focusing …

We’ve always had teammates who have side projects in addition to working at Buffer. Working on new projects, building, experimenting, and self-improvement are built into our DNA as a company. So it's quite common to be speaking with someone only to find out they own a small business outside of Buffer that started as a side project. We also have several published authors and many apps built by Buffer teammates. We believe this entrepreneurial spirit and creative drive not only enhances our individual growth but also enriches our culture at Buffer. These passionate pursuits outside of work bring fresh perspectives, innovative thinking, and diverse skill sets back to our te…

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 …

"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…

Timing can make or break many things: Heating leftover pizza in the microwave, delivering a punchline for a joke, canceling a free trial — and it’s no less important when it comes to the best time to post on Twitter. OK, OK: Posting your tweets at the right time might not be as critical as, say, preventing soggy pizza, but it’s still an important consideration when it comes to your social media marketing strategy. I hear what you’re thinking: X no longer has a chronological feed — how can the time you post matter so much when X’s algorithm is in the driver’s seat? Posting times might not be as vital as they were in Twitter’s early days, but they still seem to affect conte…

Picture this: You’re demonstrating your products or services at a kiosk — its benefits, use cases, social proof, all that jazz. You know your offer is A+, but no one seems to notice. They’re just passing you by like you’re invisible. What are you doing wrong? How can you get your audience’s attention? This is precisely what social media feels like without engagement — like you’re shouting into a void. After all, engagement makes social media “social” in the first place. You want to reach the right people, spark conversations, and help each other. Which is why a social media engagement strategy can be incredibly helpful for achieving your social media goals. But with so ma…

It might not be the most obvious social media platform choice when it comes to building your brand as a creator or business. But, when used right, Pinterest could become the most effective platform in your social media toolbox. A bold statement, but I stand by it. That's because Pinterest has what many other social media sites don't — the ability to include links in every single post. Of course, there's more to Pinterest than just clickable posts. Unlike other social platforms, where content tends to disappear quickly, Pinterest acts more like a visual search engine — meaning the pins you post today can continue driving traffic weeks, months, or even years from now. Wi…

I’ve written plenty about how creators can monetize their social media — from general to platform-specific advice. But a few months ago, I decided it was time to stop just talking about it and actually put my theories to the test — starting with LinkedIn. Honestly, I had no clue if sponsored content would even work on LinkedIn — or if brands would care. So, I decided to find out publicly, and my community immediately responded with helpful feedback. However, I wouldn’t take any meaningful action until January of 2025, with what I called my #LinkedIncome Journey. I shared my goal to make $20,000 in 2025 from LinkedIn brand partnerships, and within two weeks, I got my first…

Podcasts have an undeniable allure for both their creators and fans. They hit all the right points – accessibility, depth, and variety – and have cemented their top content format status. As of 2024, over 5 million podcasts and 70 million episodes are available worldwide. With that many podcasts, you can be sure there’s a podcast for everyone. Whether you want a humorous retelling of a 20-something’s first time reading the Harry Potter series or your news fed directly to your ears, you likely have something you return to periodically. We selected the podcasts on this list so that whether you’re looking for advice to grow as a content creator or for the latest marketing…

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…

As a type A perfectionist, there are few things that give me more satisfaction than a good old spring clean. Come change of seasons, I’m always overcome with the urge to clear out drawers, declutter cupboards, and rearrange shelves. Doing it is a bit of a slog, of course, but that feeling you get after a good tidy-up? Worth every second I spend cursing over piles of old clothes on my bedroom floor. Now, wouldn’t it be neat if we could do the same for our online spaces? (You see where I’m going with this) As it happens, you can — on Instagram, at least. And, unlike spring cleaning, it won’t do a number on your back. In November 2024, the social media platform quietly launc…

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. …

When it comes to social media platforms, Facebook is as crowded as they come. The social network currently has a staggering 3 billion active users — so almost a third of the world population has a Facebook account they use regularly. Crowded as it may be, it’s still a powerful social media marketing platform for businesses and creators — if you have the right social media strategy in place. Part of that content strategy involves figuring out the best time to post on Facebook for maximum engagement. When it comes to the Facebook algorithm, engagement — reactions, comments, shares, and the like — is a strong signal that your content is valuable and that more people will enj…

Everyone talks about how different social media platforms are, and it’s not hard to see why. X is treated as the town square. Threads wants to be the friendly alternative. Bluesky champions decentralization and user control. But when we analyzed 1.7 million posts, a surprising pattern emerged: posts on X, Threads, and Bluesky get the same median engagement. In other words, whether you posted on X, Threads, or Bluesky, the median engagement lands at exactly four interactions. At first glance, this might make these platforms seem more alike than we’d expect. But a closer look tells a different story. Beyond that baseline, their engagement dynamics diverge dramatically, reve…

Ever wondered how to increase your reach and engagement and, in turn, grow your following on Instagram? Your Instagram captions could hold the key. Yes, Instagram is a visual social media platform, but your caption carries more weight in the Instagram algorithm than you think. A strong visual can catch users' attention, but carefully thought-out Instagram captions can do more heavy lifting when it comes to growing your following on Instagram. For another, your caption can be crucial in prompting engagement from your followers. For example, you could use those 3,000 characters to: Authentically connect with your followers in a meaningful, vulnerable caption.Ask them a que…

Social media marketing is using social media platforms — like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, etc. — to promote your business and build a community. It also includes paid social media marketing, like running ads and influencer marketing. But what’s the difference between a social media calendar and a social media marketing strategy? A content calendar is the place where you slot your social media posts. It shows what content will go live, when, and on which social media platform.A social media marketing strategy is the driving force behind why you post what you post and choose the social media platforms you’ve selected. It outlines your social media goals and the metric…

Remember the days when ‘likes’ were the gold star metric on Instagram? Now, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to the sheer volume of data available to help you measure the performance of your content. Impressions, views, comments, shares… It’s exciting — if a little overwhelming. Instagram analytics can be a goldmine of insights for you as a creator or small business owner. These numbers can shape your Instagram strategy, helping you pinpoint exactly what kind of content will boost your reach and help grow your audience. But how do you get these insights? How do you spot patterns, connect the dots, and use your performance numbers to inform your strategy? And — bes…

If newsletters have a million fans, then I am one of them. If newsletters have only one fan, then that is me. If newsletters have no fans, I am no longer on earth. Drama aside, email newsletters are such a fascinating medium because they come in so many shapes and sizes. With the right combination, you get a wide range of experts in your inbox periodically, sharing news, insights, and advice. There are a ton of great newsletters to choose from – almost too many. So for this list, we focused on newsletters relevant to our audience of social media managers, creators, and small businesses. With the newsletters on this list, you can stay on top of all things social media and …

At Buffer, we are always looking for ways to help our team work more effectively and creatively. Our latest investment in productivity is a company-wide AI Tools Stipend of $250 per teammate per year. This initiative reinforces our ongoing commitment to supporting innovation while giving our teammates the autonomy to choose tools that best fit their individual workflows. Here's why we're introducing this stipend and how we expect it to impact our work. The evolution of AI in our workflowsOver the past year, we've seen AI tools rapidly transform how many of us work. What started as occasional experimentation with tools like ChatGPT has evolved into more regular integration…

Substack has a reputation. Depending on who you ask, it’s either the best place to build a newsletter business or a platform that only works for big-name writers. The truth? It’s somewhere in between. While Substack has helped established journalists and authors go independent, it’s also a powerful tool for up-and-coming writers, niche creators, and anyone looking to build an audience without relying on social media algorithms. But is it the right platform for you? As a newsletter writer myself, I know how tough it can be to settle on a platform. There are plenty of great options, and choosing one feels like a commitment—especially if you’re planning to grow long-term. I …

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. …

So many factors contribute to the success of your videos on YouTube: your video title, thumbnail, YouTube SEO, and (perhaps most importantly) the quality of your content. It’s a lot to consider, and it’s often not easy to pinpoint what will resonate with your YouTube subscribers the most. But thanks to our analysis of more than 1 million videos shared on YouTube, we can offer a little more concrete guidance on at least one of those factors: the best time to post on YouTube. As we’ll get into later on, this is not a magic bullet for content success — the factors I mentioned above have an outsized impact. But compared to all the work that goes into the rest of these process…

Let's be reel real: no matter how well-thought-out your Instagram strategy is, you can never predict exactly how it’s going to perform. Your followers (and potential followers) are human, after all, and there is so much nuance in the way folks behave online. This is why I often advise aspiring Instagram creators and social media marketers to experiment. Try new things. Take risks. Don’t ignore those wild ideas. And, while this might not feel like much of a hurdle on platforms like TikTok, it’s a little easier said than done as an Instagrammer. The platform is a lot more focused on a curated, aesthetic feed than others. It’s also a place where followers are hard-won. Takin…