Choosing the right trending audio to accompany your latest Instagram post is an art, not a science. Still, opting for a trending sound or music clip could provide the boost you need to get your video on the Instagram Explore page or Instagram Reels feed.

While it used to be just for Instagram Reels, you can now also add trending audio to your carousels and single photo posts. This gives your posts a better chance of landing on the Explore page, and it makes carousels and photos eligible to appear on the reels feed, too. That opens up a new way to expand your reach.

But where can you find trending audio on Instagram? If you feel like you’re always chasing the tail-end of trending songs on the app, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are some of the most viral, versatile, trending songs and sounds on Instagram right now.

13 trending songs and audio on Instagram

Here's a quick summary of what is trending in August 2026.

1. august

Released back in 2020, this song by Taylor Swift hits the trend list every August for obvious reasons. Use it to showcase your "life lately" content.

🎧 Get the audio

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A post shared by Kezia Rose Cook (@keziacook)

2. Original audio by valeri_murr

Prepare to do a few takes to get this trend right. Accompanied by valeri_murr's original audio, creators are balancing a shoe on a raised foot before tossing it and transitioning to a new fit. Bring your balance.

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A post shared by Joanna Ashka (@joanna.ashka)

3. Original audio by arceriinteriors

Audiences love how-it's-made content, and this audio with the appropriate "I sit for hours" lyric is being used for a trend showing the work behind the results. To hop on this trend, stitch together behind-the-scenes clips before unveiling the finished project.

🎧 Get the audio

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A post shared by Steve Winterburn | Artist (@stevewinterburn)

4. She Wolf

Here's a blast from the past. Shakira's song is the soundtrack to the "My Biggest Flex" trend on Instagram. Creators are listing all the hats they wear with the text overlay, "My biggest flex is that you can hire me as your...". It's a fun way to showcase multiple skills, services, or side hustles in one reel.

🎧 Get the audio

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A post shared by Sydney Weiss (@sydweisss)

5. End of August

End of August by Noah Kahan is the soundtrack to the "And for the lady..." trend on Instagram. Creators use the text overlay to reveal the perfect product, place, or experience for a particular type of person. Tip for brands: This is an easy format to showcase exactly who your offering is made for.

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A post shared by Alex Raugust (@pocket.granola)

6. Sometimes

Sometimes by Fleetwood Mac (released in 1971) is one of those timeless songs that works with just about anything. Keep this one in your favorites when you need a backing track to any lifestyle-related content and reflections.

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A post shared by Amy Kingham | Home & Sourdough (@amy.kingham)

7. Original audio by thefoundryavondale

This trend is all about the moment someone finally gives you the little push you needed. Creators are taking it literally, showing themselves getting an actual shove into buying something, starting a new hobby, or trying something they've been putting off. It's a great fit for brands to convince people to take the first step.

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A post shared by Burn Boot Camp Cartersville (@burnbootcampcartersvillega)

8. Loser

Loser by Tame Impala is having a second wave thanks to its standout moment in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Fans are predominantly using the track for Spider-Man edits and movie content.

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A post shared by Brayan Herrera (@brayan.herrera__)

9. oh yeah?

Another Spider-Man: Brand New Day is oh yeah? by Steve Lacy. Creators are using the song as the soundtrack to starting a brand new day in their cities, especially New York. If you have a cityscape to show off, this one's for you.

🎧 Get the audio

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A post shared by Sai Shiva Dhantal (@saishiva)

10. EoO

Spider senses are tingling on Instagram at the moment, with Bad Bunny's EoO from Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie also trending. The fan appreciation is real.

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A post shared by Andrew Thomson (@andrewsvisual)

11. petal

petal by Ariana Grande may have only just been released, but it's already blooming on Instagram. The song is dreamy and synth-heavy, lending itself to fashion, beauty, and even dance.

⚠️ Contains an expletive.

🎧 Get the audio

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A post shared by ZARA (@zarasilver)

12. sweetly (71.78)

sweetly (71.78) by jkl is one of those feel-good instrumentals that is super versatile. It exudes "good vibes only" energy, so use it for those aesthetic reels, slow mornings, beautiful spaces, and reflective moments.

🎧 Get the audio

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A post shared by Word Weaver | Quotes & Inspiration (@_wordweaverr)

13. Cherry on the Edge

Cherry on the Edge by miss rany is giving girl power on Instagram. Creators are using it for everything from beauty and fashion to gym updates, outfit reveals, and travel vlogs. When you hear the vocals and vibe, you'll see why. *adds to Spotify playlist.

🎧 Get the audio

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A post shared by Aria Vale (@aria_vale09)

How to find trending audio on Instagram

Not loving any of the above options? No sweat: here’s a crash course on how to find trending sounds on Instagram Reels.

1. Use Instagram’s trending audio list: Check Instagram’s built-in leaderboard for the top 50 trending songs updated every few days. Find it when creating a post, story, or reel on the Instagram mobile app by tapping the music icon, then selecting ‘Trending.’ Save tracks for later with the bookmark icon.
2. Check the professional dashboard: If you have a professional account in the US, visit the Professional Dashboard on your profile, scroll to Tips and resources, and tap Trending audio for curated suggestions on Instagram Reels.
3. Look for the arrow icon: As you scroll reels, watch for an upward arrow next to audio tracks—that’s Instagram’s indicator that a sound is trending.
4. Follow Instagram’s Creators account: The @creators account shares regular updates on trending songs, editing tips for Instagram Reels, and feature announcements. Check out their IG Anthems highlight for more trending songs and trending sounds.
5. Check TikTok or YouTube Shorts for early trends: Many trending Instagram Reels sounds originate on TikTok or YouTube Shorts. Browse trending sounds there, then search for those tracks on Instagram to get ahead of the curve.

Don't forget about original audio

As you can see from some of the audio we've mentioned on the list, many creators are making waves with their own clips, and jumping on a trending original track can give your content an extra boost and help it stand out in feeds.

💡Pro tip: You can find trending original audio on your professional dashboard under the Original audio tab.

Happy posting with these trending Instagram songs!

You're well-equipped to find the next great trending audio on Instagram for your reels, carousels, or single-photo posts — and you've got several great tracks to put in your back pocket if you get stuck!

If you’ve created an Instagram Reel with one of these trending songs, we’d love to see it. Tag @buffer on Instagram so we can find you!

What do you need out of a social media management tool? The answer is (of course!) it depends on how you work. 

Buffer is built for creators, small businesses, and agencies that want an affordable, flexible way to manage scheduling and content. It’s me, hi! I fall into this category today.

Agorapulse is built for teams that need to manage high volumes of inbound messages, monitor brand mentions, and produce reports for clients or leadership. As a marketer of 11 years, this is a category I know well.

So when I sat down to test both tools, I had a pretty good sense of what each type of user actually needs — and what to watch out for. Also, I’m a bit of a geek, and I love going deep on tools. So when I say I left no stone unturned feature untested here, I’m really not kidding.  

Here’s how Buffer and Agorapulse compare.

Key takeaways

• Buffer has a permanent free plan that includes three channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel, an AI Assistant, API and MCP access, and analytics. Agorapulse doesn’t have a free plan. You get a 30-day trial, then you need to choose a paid plan starting at $99 per user per month for 10 channels, with X/Twitter as a paid add-on.
• Buffer’s paid plans scale with the number of channels you connect, while Agorapulse’s scale with the number of users. Buffer bills per connected channel, starting at $6/channel per month. Agorapulse bills per user, starting at $99/user per month. A single person managing five channels pays $30/month on Buffer’s Essentials plan; the same person on Agorapulse’s Standard plan pays $99/month regardless of channel count, with X being extra.
• Buffer’s Team plan ($12/channel per month) includes unlimited users. Agorapulse charges per user on every plan, so a two-person team on Standard runs close to $198 per month before adding anything else.
• Agorapulse’s inbox lets you manage different types of audience engagement. It consolidates comments, mentions, direct messages, reviews, and paid ad comments into one stream. Buffer's Community inbox handles comment replies and mentions across connected channels, but doesn’t pull in DMs or reviews.
• Agorapulse offers social listening and competitive benchmarking. Both are available as paid add-ons on any plan, so if they’re important to your strategy, Agorapulse is the one that offers them.
• Both platforms have AI features at different price points. All of Buffer's AI features are included on every plan, including Free. Agorapulse's AI reply suggestions for the inbox are available on Custom plans only.
• Buffer supports 12 platform types, including X/Twitter and Mastodon. Agorapulse supports 11 platforms, including X that’s offered as a paid add-on.

Buffer vs. Agorapulse at a glance

Here’s a closer look at each of these.

Plans and pricing

Buffer charges by channel, Agorapulse charges by seat. Here’s what each one costs per month in 2026.

Buffer pricing (billed monthly)

• Free: 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel (refill anytime), 1 user, AI Assistant, API access, analytics, community inbox
• Essentials: $6/channel per month — unlimited posts, 1 user, analytics exports, hashtag manager, first comment scheduling
• Team: $12/channel per month — unlimited posts, unlimited users, approval workflows, custom permissions

Both paid plans use tiered per-channel pricing that drops as you connect more channels. The more channels you manage, the lower your average cost per channel gets.

See Buffer's full pricing guide here →

Agorapulse pricing (billed monthly, per user)

• Standard: $99/user per month — 10 social profiles, publishing, unified inbox, basic reporting
• Professional: $149/user per month — everything in Standard, plus ad comments moderation, Instagram product tagging, simple approval workflows
• Advanced: $199/user per month — everything in Professional, plus advanced ROI reporting, sentiment detection, bulk scheduling, post queues, ad reporting
• Custom: Custom pricing — unlimited profiles, multi-step approval workflows, AI reply suggestions, Reports Open API
• Add-ons across paid plans: X/Twitter, at two tiers:
  • $29 per connected X profile per month for publishing only
  • $69 per connected X profile per month for publishing, inbox, and reporting

If X/Twitter is part of your social media strategy — and especially if you use it as a customer support channel — this is a cost to pay attention to when comparing both tools on pricing. 

Every plan includes 10 social profiles regardless of how many users you have (X/Twitter doesn't count towards this). Each profile beyond 10 costs an additional $10/month, on top of the per-user cost. So both users and channels push the bill up independently, with no volume discount on either.

Agorapulse also offers social listening, advocacy, and competitive benchmarking paid add-ons for all plans.

See Agorapulse's full pricing guide here →

What this means in practice

Let’s look at a couple of scenarios: a three-person team managing eight channels (two Instagram accounts, two Facebook pages, two LinkedIn pages, one TikTok, one X/Twitter), and a five-person agency managing 20 channels across a few clients without X/Twitter. Here’s what each plan costs at both sizes.

For the three-person team, that’s $420 savings in a month, or $5,040 in a year, with Buffer if you compare it to the Professional plan. This is the lowest plan to offer features teams need, like approval workflows. Some of Agorapulse’s best features are only available on Advanced and Custom, so it’s worth comparing to Advanced too — and the gap widens to $570 a month, or $6,840 a year, in this scenario.

For the five-person agency managing 20 channels, the gap on Professional is $685 a month, or $8,200 a year. For Advanced, it’s $935 a month, or $11,220 a year.

Is that worth it? It comes down to whether your team needs these features, or if Buffer’s approval workflows and unlimited-user Team plan already cover what you actually need.

Scheduling and publishing

Buffer and Agorapulse cover the same core scheduling ground: a visual calendar with monthly and weekly views, scheduled first comments, thread scheduling on X, and per-channel content customization. Where they differ is how quickly and flexibly you can schedule posts.

Buffer gives you more room to work with here. You can set up a queue with posting time slots for each channel — either times you manually select or using the latest data from Buffer’s data science team on the best times to post for each channel. When you hit the schedule button, the post gets added to the queue to go out in the next available slot. It removes the guesswork of “when should I post this?”

And if you're scheduling a lot of content in one batch, you can upload up to 100 posts in a CSV file to add to the queue (users on Buffer’s Free plan can bulk schedule 10 posts at a time per channel).

Agorapulse places these features behind higher pricing tiers: post queues and bulk scheduling are available on the Advanced and Custom plans. Without them, you’re scheduling one post at a time and manually selecting the time for each one. Buffer includes both features at every tier.

When Agorapulse’s bulk scheduling is available, it goes further: up to 200 posts at once, compared to Buffer’s 100 for paid plans.

If you’re on a plan with a queue on Agorapulse, you commit to either a queue slot or a custom time before you draft a post. Switch from one to the other after you start customizing and you lose the edits, so you’re starting over. No fun. Buffer lets you move a post between a queue and a specific date and time without losing what you’ve written.

Agorapulse has an edge on the extras: you can add tags to your Instagram products directly in the composer and boost a Facebook post without leaving the tool. There’s also a content library where your team can store and share media assets you need to reuse across campaigns or platforms.

Analytics and reporting

Buffer’s analytics live in Insights, available on every plan and covering account-level, post-level, and follower growth data across all your platforms. It’s designed to give you both the raw numbers and the key takeaways to help you figure out what to do next.

Start with the all-channels view and you get a big-picture look at your entire social media presence: how you’re performing overall, which channels are pulling their weight and which need a little help, plus followers and posts across everything you manage in one place. It’s a useful way to see the whole picture at a glance before drilling into any individual channel to zoom in on how it’s going.

At the channel level, weekly takeaways are super handy — a short read on what’s working and what to do next. One thing I love about these takeaways is that they don’t just hand you advice and call it a day: each one comes with a button to get you there. Filling a gap in your posting schedule or replying to a wave of comments is one click away. It’s a small thing, but I’ve found it to be the difference between “I’ll do this now” and “I’ll get to this later.” It helps me keep momentum going where things are going well.

If you’re on a paid plan, you can export your data: PDF works great if you need something to present, and CSV or Markdown are perfect if you’re pulling the numbers into an LLM or custom app to dig in deeper.

Buffer also lets you track your campaigns in Google Analytics without needing to connect or authorize it — simply enable campaign tracking in your channel settings. Every link you share in a post will go out with UTM parameters attached. You can see how much traffic you receive from your posts directly in Google Analytics.

Agorapulse’s analytics are more focused on raw numbers, and they go deep on every metric. You can build a custom report from scratch or start from a template, then drag in whichever metrics you need across all your data. 

There's a lot of range here for deep customization: enough variation that reports for two different teams or clients can end up looking nothing alike.

It's powerful, but quite fiddly if you just want a quick read.

Connecting Google Analytics gets you a basic ROI report — clicks and traffic driven by your posts. The advanced version, which ties conversions and revenue back to specific content, is on Advanced and higher. Advanced and higher also add detailed reporting on your Meta and LinkedIn ad campaigns within the tool.

You can also generate an AI summary for any individual metric around audience growth, engagement, impressions and reach, and inbox sentiment. It’s not as easy to act on as Buffer’s weekly takeaways — there are no suggestions for what to do next — but you get an explanation of what the chart’s telling you.

If what you need is a clear read on what to do next, Buffer's Insights gets you there with one click. If you need to present a report that connects social activity to revenue, Agorapulse’s reporting tools are built for that specifically.

Inbox and engagement

Buffer’s Community inbox helps you connect with your audience without hopping between channels. You can reply to comments and mentions from right within Buffer, and when you’re not sure what to say, AI-powered reply suggestions help keep the conversation moving. 

You can also save your go-to responses for the questions you get asked most, like “What are your shipping costs?” or “Where can I access your course?” Simply drop the right snippet into your response in a couple of clicks and keep your inbox moving. Saved replies are visible to your entire team, which makes it easy to stay consistent and on brand. 

A Comment Score, available for each channel individually and for the whole inbox, tracks how fast and consistently you’re responding. You and your team can see where engagement feels strong and where it needs a little more attention. All of this is available on every plan, Free included.

Agorapulse’s inbox is built for teams handling a real volume of inbound activity. It pulls in comments, mentions, DMs (Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter), reviews, and even paid ad comments, so nothing sitting under your ad spend goes unnoticed. 

The inbox features for teams are especially strong if your social media channels double up as customer support channels. You can use saved replies, assign comments to a specific team member, see who’s reviewed a comment, and get a history of comments and messages from the person you’re responding to. 

Comments come tagged with a sentiment read and are classified as positive, negative, or neutral. It’s a nice touch — you can triage individual messages at a glance, see a specific user’s sentiment over time in their history, and even track overall sentiment in the analytics dashboard. The inbox syncs with HubSpot or Salesforce, so a promising conversation can become a tracked lead in your CRM.

You can also automate inbox moderation based on rules you set, which is a real time-saver if you’re moderating at any scale. Plus, you can set rules and filters to create custom inboxes, so each team member only sees the profiles and messages they need to manage.

A lot of this sits behind Agorapulse’s higher plans. Custom inboxes, assigning messages to a team member, and collision detection — seeing who on your team is already replying to something — are available on the Professional plan and higher. Saved replies and message sentiment need Advanced or Custom plans. AI reply suggestions, advanced moderation rules, and CRM integrations are available Custom-only too. 

If your team is fielding real volume across DMs, reviews, and ad comments, Agorapulse’s inbox is the stronger tool for that job at a higher cost. For creators and teams that want to stay on top of comments and mentions, Buffer makes it easy to do right out of the gate.

AI features

Buffer and Agorapulse both have AI across the product, but who can access these features is where they diverge.

Buffer's AI Assistant sits inside the composer for drafting posts, generating ideas, repurposing content across channels, and writing alt text for images.

You also get AI-powered reply suggestions in the Community inbox, so replying to comments doesn’t always start from a blank slate. In Insights, AI takeaways go through your performance data and come back with specific suggestions — repost something that did well, double down on a well-performing content format, engage more with your audience — instead of leaving you to read the charts and figure out what to do next on your own.

All of Buffer’s AI content creation features are unlimited on every plan for scheduling, including Free — there's no credit cap to run into. For AI replies, Free plan users get 5 suggestions per week.

Agorapulse’s AI Writing Assistant works from the composer too — drop in a draft or a prompt, adjust tone or length, and it’ll write or edit the copy from there. You can also use it to generate hashtag suggestions and write alt text for images.

In the inbox, smart replies use AI to suggest a response, using three months of conversation history. And, as I shared before, AI summaries in analytics give you a plain-language explanation of the data.

The practical difference is access, not capability: Buffer’s AI is available at every plan tier, including Free. Agorapulse doesn’t have a free plan, and the AI reply suggestions are available only on the Custom plan.

Agorapulse also offers Archie, a separate AI content creation studio built for repurposing long-form content at scale rather than polishing individual posts. It’s currently in beta with a waitlist, and I’ll be upfront that I haven’t tested it out yet, although it sounds promising for brands that need to create large volumes of content from existing blog posts or PDFs.

API and MCP

Just like with the AI features, both Buffer and Agorapulse have public APIs and MCPs, but access — and what you can do with it — is different.

Buffer’s API is open to every plan, including Free, and your plan determines how many keys you can generate and your request limits. It’s a full read-write API: you can use it to schedule content directly into your Buffer queue, pull data out, or build your own tools on top of it. Buffer users are already building some very cool things with it, like an integration with an AI design workspace that helps users share designs to their social platforms without logging into Buffer.

You don’t need to be a developer to use the API. I’m most certainly not, and I’ve built two workflows that help me stay on top of my LinkedIn game.

Buffer also maintains an MCP that connects to tools a lot of folks are already working in every day, like Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Cursor, and Raycast. The MCP also has both read and write access, so you can create and schedule posts from inside those tools themselves.

Agorapulse’s Open API is read-only, and it’s built specifically for exporting audience, content, and engagement data into external analytics or BI tools. There’s no API for scheduling or seeing your content or drafts. It’s also locked to the Custom plan, so you’d need to be at the top of Agorapulse’s pricing before you can use it.

Agorapulse also has an MCP that connects to Claude, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot. It can create draft posts, pull analytics, and view your organization and workspace data, but it can’t publish or schedule anything on its own. Drafts created through the MCP still need to be scheduled from inside Agorapulse.

Supported platforms and integrations

Buffer supports 12 platform types. Agorapulse supports 11. The overlap is large — the one platform gap is Mastodon, which Buffer supports and Agorapulse doesn’t.

Beyond Mastodon, both tools cover essentially the same core networks. Agorapulse also connects to Slack, HubSpot, and Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio); Buffer connects to Dropbox, Unsplash, and Zapier, among others.

Ease of use

Of all the different social media management tools I’ve tested — and there have been many — I’ve yet to find one that’s easier to get around than Buffer. And I’m not just saying that for the sake of it.

Buffer makes it easy to get set up and start posting. Connect a channel, set a posting schedule, and create content within minutes of signing up. There isn’t much to learn before you’re productive. 

You can even create custom views and bookmark them for easy access. If 90 days is what you need from your insights, filter the date range, add a comparison period, and tap the bookmark icon. It’s pinned to the sidebar so you can get there again with one click instead of filtering each time.

Agorapulse asks more of you right from the start. There’s a multi-step onboarding questionnaire — your name and phone number, how many social profiles and people you manage, whether you’re already using another tool, then your organization’s name, category, and size — before you reach the product itself. The phone number field is marked required, though it’s not clear why, since two-factor authentication isn’t mandatory.

Once you’re in, Agorapulse’s interface reflects everything it’s built to do — inbox automation rules, listening searches, approval chains, and reporting configurations — and finding your way around takes longer as a result. For a team that plans to use most of what Agorapulse offers, that learning curve is worth it. For a team that’s focused on creating content quickly and building relationships with its audience, it can feel like more surface area than the job requires.

Buffer gets you working faster, plain and simple. Whether Agorapulse’s added setup and surface area actually bother you depends on how much of what it offers you actually plan to use.

Customer support

Both Buffer and Agorapulse have detailed knowledge bases to help you get around the product at your own pace. From there, they diverge a little.

Buffer’s email support is available on every plan, including Free, with a first-response target of around 2 hours for all our customers. Because we’re a global team, our Customer Advocates are available at all times, including on weekends. Our advocacy team also answers questions in our Discord community, both across the server and in a dedicated support channel.

Our knowledge base also has an AI layer baked in. Ask it questions in plain English, and you’ll get a response that’s tailored to your specific query. I’ve found it incredibly useful when I have a niche query that would have required digging through documentation to find that specific thing.

Agorapulse also offers 24/7 email support, with response times that scale by plan: under 6 hours on Standard, under 2 hours on Professional, under 1 hour on Advanced, and under 30 minutes on Custom. Live chat support is available on Professional and higher.

The Custom plan also gets you a dedicated Customer Success Manager and onboarding support.

Which platform responds faster depends on which Agorapulse tier you’re comparing against. Buffer’s 2-hour target beats Agorapulse’s entry-level Standard plan; Agorapulse’s Advanced and Custom tiers beat Buffer’s target at a higher price.

Who should pick which tool

Here’s how I’d break the decision down by team type.

Creators and solopreneurs

Pick Buffer. You get a free plan that doesn’t expire, an AI Assistant included from day one with no caps, API and MCP access, and no credit card required to start. If you need more, the Essentials plan is $6/channel per month. Agorapulse’s cheapest plan is $99/month per user — a hard number to justify managing three or four channels solo.

Small businesses and growing teams

Pick Buffer, unless your inbox is already overwhelming. The Team plan’s flat $12/channel rate covers unlimited people — a five-person team managing eight channels pays $96/month total. The same team on Agorapulse’s Standard plan pays $495/month. That gap only makes sense to close if you’re already fielding enough DMs, reviews, and ad comments that Buffer's engagement-focused inbox isn't keeping up.

Mid-size companies and agencies

It depends on what’s central to the job. If a unified inbox and reports you can hand to a client are core to the work — and $149–$199 per user per month fits the budget — Agorapulse is built for exactly that. Listening is available too as a paid add-on, so budget for it as its own line item if it’s part of the plan. If the work is mostly scheduling, analytics, and internal team collaboration without heavy inbox needs, Buffer's Team plan covers it for a fraction of the cost.

Enterprise teams

Neither tool is purpose-built for enterprise scale. Agorapulse’s Custom plan gets closer, with unlimited profiles and a dedicated Customer Success Manager, but if you’re evaluating platforms built specifically for enterprise social operations, it’s worth comparing both of these against that category directly rather than assuming either one stretches that far. Buffer isn’t trying to be an enterprise platform — that’s a deliberate decision on our part.

The quick answer

Buffer and Agorapulse are answering different questions. Buffer answers “how do I schedule content and build relationships quickly and affordably?” Agorapulse answers “how do I manage inbound social activity at scale and prove social's ROI?”

If a unified inbox and client-ready reporting are what you actually need, Agorapulse’s per-seat pricing buys those specific things. If your work is mostly scheduling, content, engagement, and team collaboration, Buffer covers that starting at $6/channel per month — or free, if you’re just getting started.

Sign up here to try Buffer’s free plan — it’s free forever, no catch.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch from Agorapulse to Buffer?

Yes. Connect your channels, set your posting times, and you can start scheduling within a few minutes. Buffer doesn’t have a built-in way to import scheduled posts from Agorapulse, but you can begin creating new content immediately. We backfill posts and analytics for some channels, depending on what they allow.

Does Agorapulse have a free plan?

No, Agorapulse doesn’t have a free plan. You can get a 30-day free trial before you commit to a paid plan, which starts at $99/user per month. Buffer’s free plan includes three channels and 10 posts per channel indefinitely, at no cost.

Is Buffer good for agencies and teams?

For agencies whose core need is scheduling and collaboration, yes — the Team plan is $12/channel per month with unlimited users, approval workflows, and custom access permissions. A five-person agency managing 10 channels pays $120/month total. If your agency’s core need is a unified inbox across client accounts or ad management, Agorapulse’s per-seat plans (from $149/user per month) are built more directly for that.

Which tool has better analytics?

It depends on what you need it for. Buffer Insights gives you channel performance, post performance, follower growth, weekly takeaways you can act on, plus free Google Analytics tracking on every post. Agorapulse’s reporting is more customizable, with reports built from scratch or a template and ROI tracking that goes deeper on paid tiers. For day-to-day posting decisions, Buffer’s faster; for a formal report tied to revenue, Agorapulse goes further.

Do Buffer or Agorapulse offer social listening?

Buffer doesn’t offer social listening. Agorapulse does, and it’s available as a paid add-on on any Agorapulse plan. 

Which social media platforms does each tool support?

Buffer supports 12 platform types, while Agorapulse supports 11. The one platform gap between them is Mastodon, which only Buffer supports.

I don’t know about you, but my earworms are pretty much exclusively trending songs from TikTok at this point. (Even the non-music sounds from TikTok tend to get stuck in my head, but I digress…)

The catchiness of these tunes is incredibly powerful for creators and brands on the social media platform to tap into, because not only do users remember the song; chances are, videos that featured the track will probably stick in their minds, too.

Beyond memorability, of course, is the algorithmic effect of being right on the cusp of a trending TikTok song. And who would say no to a little boost for the content they worked so hard on?

In this post, I’ll share the most viral songs and sounds on TikTok in August 2026 — and how to use them to boost your content.

Why trending TikTok sounds matter

Since you’re here, I probably don’t need to tell you that using a hot sound on TikTok can increase your chances of landing on the For You Page, especially if you’re early to the trend.

TikTok’s algorithm often prioritizes familiarity and repeatability, so when a song is on the rise, jumping on it can give your post more visibility.

For example, if I’m scrolling through my FYP and watch a video with a particular audio, the TikTok algorithm will likely test the waters with another video that uses the same sound a couple of videos later. The algorithm wants to understand exactly why I lingered on the first video. Was it the music?

If yes, boy, does the FYP have more where that came from.

The right TikTok sounds or songs can instantly set the tone, spark emotion, or cue a punchline for your audience, particularly if the sound, like many of the ones below, has been used in a specific way.

The songs or audio that rise to that level of virality that they become a moment in time for internet culture are the really special ones.

All that said: you don't need to spend hours scrolling to find the right audio for your next post. Here are the most popular TikTok songs and audio right now, updated in 2026. We’ll keep this list regularly updated, so do be sure to bookmark this page and come back if you need more inspiration!

How to find trending songs on TikTok

• Browse TikTok’s Creative Center: Visit the Creative Center to see top trending songs by region and time period (above). It’s TikTok’s built-in trend tracker for sounds, creators, and hashtags. Note: TikTok Creative Center trends lists are currently undergoing some changes, and no trending audio is available for now. Watch this space for updates.
• Use TikTok’s search bar: Search phrases like “viral sound” in the TikTok app, tap the Sounds tab, and scroll through the most-used tracks labeled popular.
• Get personalized recommendations from TikTok: When you upload a video, TikTok will suggest music that matches your content, a great shortcut for finding relevant sounds.
• Discover playlists curated by TikTok: Tap Add Music > Discover more sounds to browse playlists by genre, category, or what’s hot in your region.
• Check out Tokchart: Tokchart shows the fastest-rising TikTok sounds from the past 24 hours, updated in real time. You'll need a paid account to get all the details.
• Look for trending audio on Instagram: Instagram Reels often feature songs that cross over to TikTok. Tap the music icon in the Reels editor and check the Trending tab for current hits.

💡 Bonus tip: Always preview how a sound is being used. Tap the sound name on TikTok to watch example videos — this gives you the context you need to ride (or remix) the trend.

13 trending TikTok songs and sounds

Updated August 2026

1. FREAKED OUT

This track by fatpapimusic&Shushy is being used for the “Reasons to Get a Bob” trend, which often features people showing off their cropped locks. My personal favorite, though, is the spin-off trend of parents jokingly showing why they'll never cut their children's hair, thanks to the (generally less than flattering) bobs the parents sported when they were young.

🎧 Get the song

2. original audio by Daryl Hall & John Oates

This original audio from Daryl Hall & John Oates is behind the "How different our lives are" trend. Creators compare two wildly different routines side by side, making it a funny way to show contrasting lifestyles. Tip for brands: show the difference between doing something manually versus using a product that makes life easier.

🎧 Get the song

3. original audio by Ken Eurich

This sound is for anyone who's ever broken their own rules at the first sign of temptation. Creators use text overlays to reveal the very specific thing that makes them abandon their plans, whether it's sticking to a budget, being healthy, or resisting an impulse purchase. Relatable.

⚠️ Contains an expletive.

🎧 Get the sound

4. Saxophones getting louder - Sped Up

This sound uses the sax from the 1991 film, Boyz n the Hood, to signpost something going wrong. "The saxophones getting louder" is now generally used to refer to the moment folks start to spot the red flags. The ominous build-up is the perfect cue for calamity.

🎧 Get the song

5. On a Mission

On a Mission by Duomo is the soundtrack to the "Preparing for my Netflix documentary" trend. Creators film mock confessionals about hilariously niche or everyday situations as if they're the subject of a dramatic true-crime documentary. See you on the small screen.

🎧 Get the song

6. original sound by Irina

This original audio from Irina is back for another summer of travel content. Creators lip sync "I'm in pain... oh no, I'm in Spain" over clips from... You guessed it: Spain. Soak up the last of the summer travels.

🎧 Get the sound

7. original audio by Sonicallygifted

This original audio uses a clip of Beyoncé explaining how she freestyled the intro to Partition. Creators are lip-syncing the sound while sharing the stories behind their biggest viral moments.

🎧 Get the sound

8. original sound by maciejlubomski

This clip uses the iconic Rush Hour line, "Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth?" Like the movie, creators are lip-syncing the line to tell stories about initial misunderstandings and unlikely friendships or relationships that got off to a rocky start before everything finally clicked.

🎧 Get the sound

9. u + me = <3

u + me = <3 by Olivia Rodrigo is becoming the soundtrack to some of TikTok's sweetest photo carousels. Creators are pairing the lyric "I know everybody changes, but I hope that we don't" with friendship, family, and relationship content. Even Lara Raj and Sophia Laforteza of KATSEYE went in on the trend with this cute video.

🎧 Get the song

10. petal

petal by Ariana Grande may have only just been released, but it's already making the rounds on TikTok. Creators are using the track for everything from fan edits to fashion, food, and felines.

🎧 Get the song

11. original audio by babychiefdoit2612

This original audio from BabyChiefDoIt is built around the infectious hook, "Baby, I just wanna dance." And how can you not? I'm loving all the cutesy pet and animal jams.

🎧 Get the song

12. Mind Blank

Mind Blank by OTE feat. Zorro is one of those tracks that works with almost anything. Creators are using it for travel edits, outfit videos, aesthetic vlogs, and everyday moments. It's an easy go-to when you want a feel-good soundtrack without following a specific trend.

🎧 Get the song

13. original sound by Hope Along The Way

This original audio from Hope Along the Way puts a fresh spin on the viral Suspect Challenge. Creators reveal that the "suspect" was hiding in plain sight all along...

🎧 Get the song

⚡Pro tip: For business use on TikTok, only use songs from TikTok’s Commercial Music Library or tracks you have a royalty-free/commercial license for. Using personal-use music in ads or branded content can get your videos muted or removed, so always double-check the license before posting.

Found a track for your next TikTok?

When you're creating content for your business or personal brand, staying on top of TikTok's audio trends can help you reach new audiences and keep your content fresh.

Start with one or two of the methods we discussed to find popular sounds, and don't forget to save your favorites for later.

If you've created a TikTok post with audio from this list, we'd love to see it. Tag @bufferapp on TikTok so we can find you!

Bluesky is one of the few social media platforms that still boasts a chronological ‘Following’ feed, where posts from folks you follow appear from newest to oldest.

It’s even the default feed you’ll see when you open the app — and a refreshing change from the (sometimes pretty mysterious and confounding) algorithmic feeds we see elsewhere.

So it stands to reason that timing really can have an impact on content performance. Post when folks aren’t around, and it’s likely your content will slip down the feed before they get to it.

(Weirdly, this kind of makes me nostalgic for Twitter… but I digress!)

So: when is everyone around? We dug into Buffer's engagement data, more than 3 million posts, to find out. And, at the risk of sounding a bit cliché here, the pattern surprised me.

No, seriously. I’d expected Bluesky to mirror the behavior of the platforms most like it, X and Threads. But it couldn’t be further from the best posting times we identified there.

Intriguing, no? 👀

Below, I'll walk through the best times and days to post on Bluesky, the times best avoided, and how to get these times automatically in Buffer.

Two quick caveats before we get into it.

First, as always: post timing is not the be-all and end-all in the performance of your content. If you feel a post has underperformed, it’s more likely to be related to the quality and value of your content than the time you shared it. Timing is the cherry on top of a great content strategy, rather than the foundation of it.

Second: Bluesky is a new platform, and the folks building the decentralized social network have made no secret about the fact that they really are trying to break the mold. While we have a sizeable data pool, this space moves fast. Take these numbers as guidance, not gospel.

Key takeaways

• Best day overall: Saturday, followed closely by Sunday. Weekends are Bluesky's peak by a wide margin.
• Best single time to post: Saturday at 5 p.m.
• Best window: 4–7 p.m. on weekends.
• Best weekday slots: evenings, roughly 6–9 p.m., once the workday winds down.
• Quietest times: Weekday late mornings and midday (around 10 a.m.–1 p.m.), when engagement drops off.

Best time to post on Bluesky

The single best time to post on Bluesky is Saturday at 5 p.m., which came out on top with an engagement rate of 6.89% in our analysis. Saturday at 6 p.m. was a whisker behind at 6.81%, and Sunday at 9 a.m. rounded out the top three at 6.77%.

Nerd out with me for a sec and take a closer look at the top three. Two late-afternoon weekend slots, and one Sunday-morning-coffee slot.

I think it’s a great snapshot of how folks are likely to engage on Bluesky: in their downtime.

This is almost the exact opposite of what we see on Threads and X, where users are more likely to hop on at the start of the work day. Which makes sense: these platforms are about news and current events. On Bluesky though, users seem to be more likely to log in and engage when they actually have the time to do it.

On Bluesky, weekend afternoons and early evenings are the sweet spot, and there's a smaller bump on weekend mornings. I like to imagine the platform's chattier early risers are trading posts over their first coffee.

The weekday peak times happen later — and they’re not as high. Monday through Friday, engagement largely happens in the evening, peaking between 6 and 9 p.m., once people have closed their laptops. If you only post during office hours on a weekday, you're posting into Bluesky's quietest stretch.

Best times to post on Bluesky at a glance

Here's the whole week in one place. "Peak time" is each day's single best time to post; the other windows are the second- and third-best times.

The pattern is crystal clear. On weekdays, evening posts tend to be more likely to get engagement. On weekends, you have a whole extra window in the afternoon (plus that Sunday-morning outlier).

Best and worst days to post on Bluesky

Saturday is the best day to post on Bluesky, with an average engagement rate of 6.17% across the day. Sunday is right on its heels at 6.05%. After that, there's a pretty steep drop: Monday is the strongest weekday at 4.32%, and the rest of the working week sits lower still.

Thursday posts tend to get the least engagement on Bluesky, at 3.44%.

My recommendations, based on the data: If you only have the capacity to post a few times a week, I'd weight those posts toward Saturday and Sunday, and use your best weekday evenings (Monday at 6 p.m. is a standout) to fill the gaps.

This is where scheduling earns its keep. You don't have to be online at 5 p.m. on a Saturday to catch the wave. You can line your Bluesky posts up ahead of time and let them go out while you're doing literally anything else.

Best time to post on Bluesky, day by day

If you'd rather build a full posting schedule, here's the detail for each day.

Monday

The best time to post on Bluesky on Monday is 6 p.m., with a second wind around 8–9 p.m. Skip the daytime and aim for the evening commute-and-couch hours. Monday is the strongest weekday on Bluesky.

Tuesday

The best time to post on Bluesky on Tuesday is 9 p.m., with 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. close behind. It's a slower day than Monday, so treat the evening as your one good shot.

Wednesday

The best time to post on Bluesky on Wednesday is. 9 p.m., with 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. also worth a go. Daytime Wednesday, especially mid-morning, is one of the lowest performing stretches of the week.

Thursday

The best time to post on Bluesky on Thursday is 9 p.m., followed by 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. However, Thursday posts tend to get the least engagement, so your mileage will vary.

Friday

The best time to post on Bluesky on Friday is 8 p.m., and 10 p.m. and 9 p.m. aren't far behind.

Saturday

The best time to post on Bluesky on Saturday is at 5 p.m., which is also the single best slot of the whole week. High engagement slots continue into the evening (5–7 p.m. is great, too). There's also an early bump at 9 a.m. for the weekend-morning crowd.

Sunday

The best time to post on Bluesky on Sunday is the 9 a.m. morning slot, then a long afternoon-into-evening window with 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. leading the way.

Get the best times to post right in Buffer

The whole point of knowing these times is that you don't have to hover over your phone to hit them. With Buffer, you can schedule your Bluesky posts into a set queue, so your best slots get filled automatically week after week.

Even better, you don’t even have to remember these times. Buffer always has our absolute latest data on the best times to post.

It’s one of my favorite Buffer features right now, and it'll take you less than a minute to set up.

1. Once you’ve connected Bluesky to Buffer, click on Bluesky on your channels list on the left.
2. Click on the gear icon at the top of the page, next to your Bluesky handle.
3. Under Posting Times, click the Generate New Posting Times button, then Use Recommended Posting Times.

The schedule will automatically update to include the best posting times for the week, based on our latest analysis of millions of Bluesky posts.

The next time you schedule a post, you can easily choose one of these high engagement slots. No more guessing!

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time to post on Bluesky?

The best time to post on Bluesky is Saturday at 5 p.m., based on Buffer's analysis for the 2026 State of Social Media Engagement report. More broadly, weekend afternoons and evenings (4–7 p.m.) are the strongest window, and weekday engagement peaks later in the evening, around 6–9 p.m.

What is the best day to post on Bluesky?

Saturday, with Sunday close behind. Weekends significantly outperform weekdays on Bluesky. If you're posting during the week, Monday is the strongest weekday, and Thursday is the quietest day overall.

How often should I post on Bluesky?

There's no magic number, and consistency matters more than volume. It's better to post a few genuinely good times a week at strong slots than to flood the feed. If you're building a schedule, start with the weekend windows and your best weekday evenings, then adjust based on how your audience responds.

Does timing really matter on Bluesky?

More than you might expect. Because Bluesky's default Following feed is reverse-chronological rather than algorithm-ranked, posts are shown newest-first instead of resurfaced later. That makes posting when your audience is actually online more important here than on platforms that keep recirculating older content.

More Bluesky resources

• 🦋 How to use Bluesky: a beginner's guide
• 📅 How to schedule posts to Bluesky
• 📊 The State of Social Media Engagement in 2026
• 🧵 The best time to post on Threads

The posting-time data in this article comes from Buffer's 2026 State of Social Media Engagement report, drawn from an analysis of more than 52 million posts across Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Facebook, and Bluesky. Times are adjusted to each audience's local time zone.

Jeff Simmons is a single dad, a self-professed social media addict in recovery (he quit scrolling Instagram and Facebook for personal use on January 1), and he runs a boutique digital marketing agency out of Portland, Oregon, called Audio in the Trees.

He's also been a paying Buffer customer since 2012.

"I'm by no means your standard agency," Jeff says. "I'm just one of those social media obsessives out there who turned it into a living."

Jeff's specialty for most of that time has been music venues. He describes the content as the kind most social media managers would consider quite "sexy." More recently, he's expanded into bars and restaurants, which come with their own kind of content challenges. (We'll get to that.)

Today, Jeff manages 23 channels across a dozen clients. The business has expanded and contracted over the years, and Buffer has been part of every chapter.

Customer Snapshot: Audio in the Trees

• Industry: Boutique Digital Agency
• Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
• Channels managed: 23
• Team: Jeff + contractors and interns
• Buffer customer since 2012
• Key Buffer features: Scheduling, PDF reports, team collaboration

Zero approvals (almost)

Buffer has approval workflows built for exactly this kind of agency-client setup — you can have teammates create drafts, route posts for sign-off, and control who's allowed to publish what. Plenty of agencies run their whole operation on them.

But Jeff just isn't one of those agencies.

In fact, he prefers not to use approval workflows at all. He's built his entire client model around pre-approved content strategies, and it's something he feels really strongly about.

"If we're rock solid on our content strategy, you do not need to approve things," he says. His assistants get full access to their assigned channels in Buffer, and Jeff checks in with them monthly. He doesn't hover over their posts because he doesn't want them second-guessing themselves on organic content. That confidence is part of the service.

There is one interesting exception, though: photo booths.

Jeff's newer bar and nightclub clients generate a lot of user-generated photo booth content, and some of those photos need a second pair of eyes for reasons that are... specific to nightlife. One venue had what Jeff calls their "Coldplay moment" — a photo booth shot that went viral prompted a frantic Friday-night call to take it down. 

For those situations, Jeff sends screenshots of the queued Buffer posts to the client via email. His clients would rather glance at a few screenshots than learn a new tool. It's unglamorous, but it works.

Hamburgers, photo booths, and a PDF

Instead of building separate slide decks or pulling numbers into spreadsheets, Jeff anchors his monthly client conversations around Buffer's PDF reports.

"Boy, do I love that PDF output," he says. "For most of my clients, that's the simplicity they need. They don't want overwhelming stats."

The reports do the selling for him. One of his bar clients had been posting event flyers to mediocre results, so Jeff switched the strategy to food photos and photo booth content. Seeing the meteoric rise in engagement numbers in the next month's PDF made the value he provided super clear.

"They're just blown away," Jeff says. The way he tells it, his clients can't quite believe that posting pictures of hamburgers and photo booths turned them into the most popular place in town.

This summer, Jeff took on the largest single-client rollout he's ever managed: eight social channels under one brand, Human Creator Project, with two interns helping manage community engagement. It happened to coincide with Buffer's launch of its new Insights dashboard.

"Being able to monitor performance across all eight channels from one dashboard has made a huge difference," Jeff says. The strongest engagement and growth are coming from platforms that agencies don't always prioritize first — TikTok, LinkedIn, and Threads — and having that visibility across everything in one place is what lets him spot it.

After 14 years, Jeff's agency is running more channels, with more people in Buffer, than it has in a long time. The tool he's relied on since 2012 is still shipping features that change how he works.

A Buffer sticker in a Portland cafe

Back in 2017, Jeff spotted a Buffer sticker on a stranger's laptop in a Portland cafe, so he walked up and started talking about it. The stranger turned out to work at Buffer.

"You guys pull it off by being community-oriented and transparent about business practices," he says. "You can tell it's intentional."

He watches scheduling tools come and go, and clients still turn up using ones he's never heard of. Buffer keeps working, but what's kept Jeff around for 14 years is that it keeps changing, too.

Running social for multiple clients? Buffer gives agencies one place to manage every client's channels, from scheduling to client-ready reports. See how Buffer works for agencies.

I try to post consistently on LinkedIn, but I confess that it’s not always top of my list when deadlines are looming, my toddler’s kept me up at night, and I simply can’t justify yet another cup of coffee to keep me going.

We all have those days, which is why it’s so helpful to batch your LinkedIn content creation and schedule your LinkedIn posts ahead of time. 

According to Buffer’s latest data, LinkedIn is now the strongest platform for organic engagement, with a median rate of 8%. This shows us that success on the platform isn’t about going viral once, but about building steady, predictable engagement over time.

So, if you have thought leadership to share (and I’m willing to bet you do), staying consistent by scheduling your posts on LinkedIn is a massive opportunity to reach more people and build a credible reputation out in the professional world.  

In this guide, I’ll walk you through two simple ways to schedule your LinkedIn posts on your company page and/or personal profile.

Key takeaways

• Two methods: You can schedule posts natively within LinkedIn or use a third-party tool like Buffer for more features and flexibility.
• Consistency is key: Regular posting can lead to over 5x more engagement.
• Native limits: LinkedIn's built-in scheduler allows planning up to three months in advance, but not groups and events.
• Optimal timing: Aim for weekdays between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., specifically Wednesdays and Fridays.

LinkedIn company page vs. personal LinkedIn profile

What’s the difference between a personal page and a company page on LinkedIn? Your personal profile is all about you: your skills, experience, and voice. It’s where you connect, build relationships, and share thought leadership in a more personal, authentic way.

A company page represents a business. It’s where companies showcase their brand, post updates, and build credibility at an organizational level.

Which type of LinkedIn profile should you use?

If you run a business and have the time and capacity to dedicate to a company page and your personal profile, you would ideally do both. 

If not, I recommend starting with your personal profile — people connect with people first. Then, support your efforts with a company page to establish your brand and give your audience a place to learn more about your business. Of course, this depends on your content strategy and goals. In my case, since I'm a freelancer and essentially the whole brand myself, I focus on my personal profile.

How to schedule a post on LinkedIn

You can schedule posts on LinkedIn using the built-in scheduling feature on both desktop and mobile devices. The steps to schedule a post natively on LinkedIn are the same for a personal profile and a company page. The only difference is where you start.

For a personal profile, you'll simply start from the LinkedIn homepage. For a company page, there's an extra step — making sure you choose your company page from the dropdown in the composer. From there, the scheduling steps are identical.

How to schedule a LinkedIn post from a personal profile

1. Start a post as you normally would from the LinkedIn homepage. 
2. Instead of hitting Post, click on the little clock icon.
3. You’ll be taken to a pop-up window where you can set the date and time you’d like your post to go live.
4. Hit Next, then the Schedule button. 

On mobile, the process is really similar: tap Post in the navigation bar, write your content, then tap the clock icon in the upper-right corner to pick your date and time. Tap Next, then Schedule.

How to schedule a LinkedIn post from a company page

There's one thing you'll need to do slightly differently here:

1. Start a post as you normally would from the LinkedIn homepage.
2. Click on the drop-down arrow next to your name to change to your company page.
3. Select the page you want to post from. 
4. Instead of hitting Post, click on the little clock icon.
5. You’ll be taken to a pop-up window where you can set the date and time you’d like your post to go live.
6. Hit Next, then the Schedule button. 

Easy peasy. Just note that there are a few limitations to be aware of:

• Time horizon: If you’re Type-A about planning your content in advance (and part superhero), you might be disappointed to learn you can only use LinkedIn's built-in scheduling tool to publish posts between 10 minutes and three months in advance.
• Restricted formats: You can't natively schedule posts for LinkedIn groups, events, jobs, or services. If you're scheduling for a company page, there are a few extra restrictions: polls, reshares, and multiple-photo posts can't be scheduled either.

Where do I see my scheduled LinkedIn posts?

Finding scheduled posts on LinkedIn isn’t super intuitive, and I remember having to Google how to do it a while back. (Maybe you did, and that’s how you landed here. Hi! 👋) 

Here’s how to go about it:

1. Start a post.

2. Click on the little clock icon to go to the scheduled posts section. 

3. Click on View all scheduled posts → to see what you’ve got in the pipeline.

How to schedule LinkedIn posts using Buffer as a scheduling tool 

If you're managing LinkedIn alongside other social channels — or you just want more flexibility with your scheduling — a tool like Buffer can simplify the process. Here’s how to schedule LinkedIn posts in just a few clicks:

1. Head to your Buffer Channels area to connect your LinkedIn Page or profile (or both).
2. Once your LinkedIn channel is connected, you can go ahead and click the green + New button on the top left of your Buffer dashboard. 
3. Create your post and select the channels you’d like to publish to.
4. Click the down arrow next to Schedule Post, and choose the best option for you: 'Next available,' 'Now,' or 'Set Date and Time.' 

You're all set! This process applies to both LinkedIn Pages and personal profiles.

What kind of posts can I schedule on LinkedIn?

Whether you're scheduling natively or through Buffer, you can schedule LinkedIn posts in these formats: text-only, image, GIF, PDF carousel, video, and link previews.

A few formats can't be scheduled on LinkedIn, though: events, jobs, services, and group posts. If you're posting from a company page, polls, reshares, and multi-photo posts are also off the table for scheduling.

How do I mention other LinkedIn Pages and profiles? 

• To mention a Page: Copy and paste the specific LinkedIn Page URL (e.g., https://www.linkedin.com/company/bufferapp/) directly into the composer.
• To mention a Profile: Type the @ symbol and search for the individual's name to tag them.

You can learn more about LinkedIn tagging here. 

Scheduling LinkedIn posts on Buffer vs. LinkedIn at a glance 

Why you should schedule your LinkedIn posts

• Reach more people: Post when your audience is most active to get more eyes on your content and boost engagement.
• Grow faster: Pages that post weekly see 5.6x more follower growth. For pages and individuals, showing up regularly signals relevance to both your audience and the LinkedIn algorithm.
• Save time and stress: Plan your LinkedIn posts ahead so you’re not scrambling to come up with something last minute.
• Work smarter: Batch-create posts to keep showing up and maintaining a professional presence, without cutting into your personal time.
• Stay on-brand: Align your LinkedIn posts with your bigger goals so you have more control over how you show up online.

Scheduling on LinkedIn works

I’ve been taking part in Buffer’s Creator Camp, which started on 16 June. I scheduled my posts in advance so that I could be more consistent, which resulted in 20% more impressions and 28% more engagement than the previous 28-day period.

Quick tips for scheduling LinkedIn posts

Try new content formats

LinkedIn has evolved well beyond text-heavy posts — and there's never been a better time to experiment with new formats. Video posts are having a moment on LinkedIn, and it's worth leaning in — even if the idea of hitting record feels a little daunting at first.

If you’re a bit hesitant like me, don’t worry, you don’t have to stand in front of your camera and deliver a TED Talk. Try a simple voiceover, a quick behind-the-scenes clip, or a little day-in-the-life montage. Even a peek at your chaotic desk can be oddly interesting (and relatable).

I loved this idea from my creative colleague, Kirsti Lang (bonus productivity hack too):

Be relevant; be you

People come to LinkedIn to learn something new or get inspired — and the algorithm knows it. LinkedIn posts that are helpful, insightful, or just genuinely useful tend to do better. Share what you know, keep it authentic, and the algorithm will reward you.

As an example, this post of mine did pretty well because I think it hit a nerve (and hopefully helped) my fellow freelancers: 

Find a system that works for you

Consistency beats perfection. If you’re always forgetting to post (we’ve been there), a scheduling tool like Buffer is your best friend. You can plan your posts when you’re feeling creative and let them go out while you’re filming yourself in max productivity mode à la Kirsti. 

Don’t burn yourself out

If posting five times a week makes you dread LinkedIn, you won’t stick with it. Pick a pace you can actually keep up with. Once a week is better than burning out and ghosting your audience for months.

Keep an eye on what’s working

Not every post will be a hit, and that’s fine. But take a peek at your LinkedIn stats (or Buffer’s Insights) to see what’s landing well. Tweak, test, repeat. 

Time it right

LinkedIn loves a weekday scroll. Generally, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays is prime time to post on LinkedIn, with a sweet spot around 4 p.m. on Wednesday and at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday.

But don’t sweat the exact minute. Aim for when your audience is likely to be online and engaged — not late at night when attention is low.

Get scheduling

LinkedIn is one of the best places right now to share what you know, connect with the right people, and build a reputation that actually opens doors.

However, consistently sharing and showing up on LinkedIn doesn’t have to mean posting in a rush between meetings or scratching your head for something insightful at the last minute.

With a little planning and the right tools, you can batch your content, schedule posts for peak times, and focus your energy on creating work your audience actually values.

If you’re ready to make LinkedIn feel a little easier, you can start scheduling your posts with Buffer today. It’s free to get started — no trial, no catch — and a great way to build momentum and trust over time. It’s working for me, and I encourage you to give it a shot. Sign up for free, connect your LinkedIn channel, and start scheduling immediately.

More LinkedIn resources

• 26 LinkedIn Stats to Know
• I’ve Grown My LinkedIn Audience by 26% This Year Using This Simple System
• The Best Time to Post on LinkedIn: 1 Million Posts Analyzed
• I Posted to LinkedIn Consistently for 30 Days - Here's What I Learned
• How I Landed My First LinkedIn Brand Partnership (and How You Can Too)
• LinkedIn is my #1 Source of New Clients as a Consultant — Here's My Exact Process

FAQ on scheduling LinkedIn posts

Is there a way to schedule a LinkedIn post?

Yes, you can schedule posts directly on LinkedIn or use third-party tools like Buffer to plan and publish posts ahead of time (plus manage all your other channels in one place).

Can I schedule LinkedIn posts for free?

Yes. LinkedIn’s native scheduler is free to use. With Buffer’s Free plan, you can also schedule up to 10 LinkedIn posts at a time.

Why won't LinkedIn let me schedule posts?

If you're not seeing the scheduling option, it's likely because you're trying to schedule a post type that LinkedIn doesn't support for scheduling — such as events, jobs, services, or group posts. For company pages, polls, reshares, and multi-photo posts are also unsupported.

When this happens, LinkedIn will show an error message letting you know. You have two options: remove the unsupported content from the post, or clear the scheduled date and time and post it immediately instead.

Do scheduled posts on LinkedIn get less engagement?

There’s no evidence that scheduling LinkedIn posts hurts your reach or engagement. Good content is good content — whether you post it now or later. Just focus on creating something valuable for your audience.

Can you schedule LinkedIn posts in advance?

Yes — LinkedIn's native tool lets you pick a date and time for a post to go live, up to three months in advance. With Buffer, you can schedule posts for LinkedIn and your other social channels, manage them in a queue, and even schedule a first comment to go out at the same time.

How do I edit scheduled LinkedIn posts?

If you used LinkedIn's native tool, navigate to your scheduled posts list (open the post composer, click the clock icon, then View all scheduled posts). From there, click the More icon on the post you want to update and choose Edit post or Modify schedule.

If you used Buffer, head to your Queue, click on the post you want to tweak, make your changes, and hit Save.

Can you schedule LinkedIn posts on mobile?

Yes. LinkedIn's native scheduler works on both desktop and mobile. Tap Post in the navigation bar, write your post, then tap the clock icon in the upper-right corner to set a date and time. You can schedule posts up to three months in advance — but keep in mind that events, jobs, and services posts can't be scheduled natively on any device.

Why are my scheduled LinkedIn posts not going live?

A few things can cause this. If you used a third-party tool, your LinkedIn connection may have expired — reconnecting the account usually fixes it. Content that violates LinkedIn's policies may also be blocked before it publishes. If you're scheduling through LinkedIn's native tool, double-check that your post type is supported (events, jobs, and services can't be scheduled). If the problem persists, delete the scheduled post and reschedule it.

What is the 5-3-2 rule on LinkedIn?

The 5-3-2 rule is a simple content mix guideline: for every 10 posts you publish, five should share content from others in your industry, three should be your own original content, and two should be personal — something that shows the human behind the account. It's a useful framework for keeping your feed varied and your audience engaged without burning out on original content creation. When you're batch-scheduling posts in advance, it's a handy reference for building a balanced content calendar.

As a content writer at Buffer who's always deep in the latest AI tools, I've tested dozens to find the ones worth keeping. These are the 17 AI tools for social media content creation that do everything from feeding my thinking to automating the busywork, organised by where they come in my workflow.

I use AI to create social media content every single day, but probably not in the way you're thinking. Instead of typing in a prompt and then publishing, AI is woven into almost every stage of how I think, draft, design, and ship content. At Buffer, and on my own social media, I've grown to nearly 30,000 followers across platforms.

But it took a while to get here. A year ago, my AI usage looked like most people's: open ChatGPT, ask it to write a caption, get something generic back, rewrite the whole thing anyway, and wonder what the point was. The problem was that I was using these tools one-dimensionally when the leverage was everywhere else.

Once I started using AI earlier in my process (to feed my thinking, not just my content calendar) and later (to automate the busywork eating my creative energy), the quality of my output changed. I was making better contnet with AI handling the friction.

Key takeaways

• The best AI content creation tool depends on your bottleneck — ideas, drafting, production or distribution — not on a single "winner."
• Best for idea capture: Sublime (personal idea library) and Granola (turning talking into structured notes).
• Best for thinking and structure: Claude for sparring, ChatGPT for brainstorming that draws on your history.
• Best for visuals without a designer: Canva; for images with accurate text, Nano Banana Pro.
• Best for short-form video: CapCut; for editing video like a document, Descript.
• Best for automating the busywork: Zapier connects the rest of the stack with no code.
• You only need three to five tools — start where you lose the most time and add only when you outgrow what you have.

The full AI social media toolkit at a glance

Here's the whole stack in one view — jump to any tool below for how I actually use it. These are content-creation tools. If you're after scheduling, analytics and publishing software, that's a different job, and our best social media management tools roundup covers it.

How to choose the right AI tool for your workflow

You don't need to adopt all 17. The fastest way to waste money on AI content creation tools is to stack them before you know your own bottleneck. Start with the stage where you lose the most time or energy, find one tool that helps, and get comfortable with it before adding another.

• Lots of ideas, but they stall before becoming posts? Look at the "feed your brain" and "process ideas" tools.
• Producing content, but editing takes forever? Look at the drafting and production tools.
• Creating plenty, but it dies on one platform? Look at the repurposing and automation tools.

Most creators need three to five tools, not seventeen. Here's the full stack, starting well before I open a blank page.

Tools to feed your brain

Before I open a single drafting tool, I invest in my inputs. The quality of my content is directly tied to the quality of what I consume. But compared to the time and energy I have, there's an infinite amount of content and connections to be made, so I lean on one tool to make that process easier and more repeatable.

Sublime

Best for: Building a personal library of ideas that makes your thinking more interesting over time

Sublime is where I break away from consuming the same content as everyone else in marketing. When you save something to it — a quote, a link, an image, a note — it immediately surfaces related ideas from other people's libraries. Sublime's founder, Sari Azout, calls this "communal knowledge management."

In practice, it feels less like a productivity tool and more like browsing the reading lists of the most interesting people you know. You can also import your existing Kindle highlights and Readwise notes, so you're not starting from scratch. The inputs you've already found interesting become the foundation of your library.

Sari's framing is one I come back to often: the secret to better AI output isn't better prompts, it's better inputs. There's a real difference between asking AI to "write me something about personal branding" and handing it 40 ideas you've been collecting about identity, craft, and audience-building and asking it to find the thread.

My favourite thing to do with the ideas I find through Sublime is pull them into collections and go one of two directions. I'll either generate a metadata summary and connect it to an AI tool that already has my voice and content style memorised, which kicks off idea development for future posts. Or I'll drop them onto a digital infinity board and start playing with the flow, rearranging ideas and adding my own notes until a shape emerges.

It does require active engagement. You have to sit with what it surfaces, not just save it to a folder you'll never reopen. Curation without synthesis is just hoarding.

Pricing: Free (basic); from $75/year

Tools to process ideas

There's a messy middle stage between having raw inputs and having something I can actually draft. Sometimes I need to extract structure from my own rambling. Other times I've got the opposite problem: scattered references across tabs, notes, and half-watched videos that I need to synthesize into something coherent that still sounds like me. These tools handle both.

Granola

Best for: Turning spoken ideas into structured starting points

Granola is technically a meeting transcription tool — it captures audio directly from my device (no awkward bot joining the call) and uses AI to turn raw conversation into organized notes. But that's not why it's on this list.

The use case I lean into is thinking out loud. I open it, start talking through a rough content idea with no structure or polish, and when I'm done, the AI extracts the key threads, the strongest points, and the structure that was hiding inside the ramble. What I get back isn't just a transcript. It's a starting point.

If you've ever sent a voice note that was clearer than your written draft, or explained a post to a friend better than you wrote it, you're likely a verbal processor. Granola makes that instinct productive. I could do something similar with most chatbots' voice modes, but Granola's edge is that it's purpose-built for capture and extraction. It's not trying to have a conversation back at me. It's listening and organizing.

I'm not the only one at Buffer who uses voice dictation to process my thinking. Here are a couple of articles from fellow verbal processors on the team:

📚 How I Create Social Media Content As a Verbal Processor: 3 Easy Steps

📚 How AI Dictation Tools Changed The Way I Work (And Which Ones Are Worth It)

Pricing: Free (basic); $14/user/month for unlimited usage

Poppy AI

Best for: Visual thinkers who need to synthesize multiple sources into content fast

Poppy's interface is a visual canvas. I drag in YouTube videos, TikToks, articles, PDFs and voice notes, then organise them into groups the AI can pull from simultaneously. For people who think spatially, who need to see their inputs laid out before they can make sense of them, this is the unlock.

I use it primarily for scripting — YouTube videos, short-form content, anything where I want the output to sound like me rather than generic AI-speak. My typical setup looks like this:

• Group 1: Examples of my own previous content (this teaches it my voice)
• Group 2: Reference videos I want to study, not to copy but to learn from their structure, hooks, and pacing
• Group 3: The working draft, where the AI pulls from both groups simultaneously

That last part is what makes it click. The AI isn't generating from a blank prompt. It's synthesizing my voice from Group 1 with the structural patterns from Group 2. The output still needs editing, but I'm starting from something that sounds like me riffing on ideas I actually care about. I can also access multiple models (ChatGPT, Claude) within the same workspace, which is useful when I want to compare outputs.

I can also access multiple models (ChatGPT, Claude) within the same workspace, which is useful when I want to compare outputs or use different models for different parts of the process.

A few things worth knowing before you commit: Poppy's marketing runs hot, with income claims, countdown timers and hustle-culture energy. The actual tool underneath is more thoughtful than its landing page suggests, but it's a meaningful investment. Plans are annual only with a credit-based system, so test it within the 30-day money-back guarantee before you go all in.

Price: From ~$400/year (annual billing only; 30-day money-back guarantee)

Tools to test and refine ideas

Here's what works better than asking AI to write my content: asking it to help me think through my content. To push back on my framing, suggest structures I haven't considered, and help me figure out what I'm really trying to say before I try to say it publicly.

Claude AI

Best for: Strategic sparring and seeing ideas before I build them

Claude is a general-purpose AI assistant I use as a thinking partner rather than a ghostwriter.

What makes Claude useful for content work is the combination of deep reasoning and the ability to actually show me things. I go back and forth on content structure ("here's my rough idea, what's the strongest way to organise this?") and Claude pushes back, suggests alternatives, and pokes holes in my logic. It can also visualize what we're discussing: prototype a web page layout, mock up a report structure, build a working preview of a landing page. I'm not just talking about ideas in the abstract. I'm looking at them.

For our State of Social Engagement report, I went back and forth with Claude over multiple rounds until the structure clicked. I've also used it to prototype web page layouts before sharing concepts with my team. Being able to see the structure, not just describe it, helps me come to conversations better prepared.

One note from me is that sparring only works if you're pushing back. Tell it why its suggestion doesn't work, ask it to try a completely different angle, and lean into features like Memory and Skills so you don't have to keep repeating yourself.

What makes it extra powerful is that you can now connect Buffer to Claude or your preferred AI Assistant via MCP! We wrote a guide to using Buffer with Claude that could be helpful if you're looking into using it to help with your social media.

Pricing: Free (limited); starts from $17/month for Pro.

ChatGPT

Best for: Brainstorming that gets smarter the longer you use it

ChatGPT's biggest edge for content work is its memory. As of mid-2025, ChatGPT doesn't just remember things I've explicitly asked it to save. It references my entire conversation history to tailor its suggestions. When I ask for ideas it draws on topics I've explored, preferences I've expressed, patterns in how I think — across months, and sometimes years of conversation.

Watch out, though: Memory can quickly become an echo chamber. If ChatGPT only suggests things based on what I've already explored, it might reinforce my patterns rather than challenge them.

You can also connect Buffer to ChatGPT via our MCP. Learn how here.

Pricing: Free (limited); $20/month for Plus; $8/month for Go (lighter option with fewer features but same memory access)

Notion AI

Best for: Turning your archive into a brainstorming partner

If you've used Notion for any length of time, you're sitting on years of accumulated context: project notes, databases, meeting takeaways, half-finished ideas, research you forgot you saved. Notion's AI agent turns all of that into something searchable, connectable and actionable.

Instead of manually digging through old pages, I can ask the agent to surface relevant context, find connections across projects, or build a new database structure from scratch. It pulls from connected tools like Slack and Google Drive too, so the scope of what it "knows" extends beyond just my Notion pages.

The real power for content work: when I'm starting a new piece, I can ask the agent to surface everything I've previously written or noted about a topic. It can pull ideas I've had and forgotten, framing I've tested and angles I explored months ago. My own archive becomes source material.

Pricing: Free (limited trial); requires Business plan ($20/user/month) for full AI access. Worth it if you're already using Notion as your knowledge hub; harder to justify if you'd be adopting Notion just for the AI features.

Tools to draft, edit, and publish

Notice how far into the process I am before I start creating? That's intentional. When I've done the thinking work in the earlier stages, drafting gets dramatically faster because I'm not staring at a blank page; I'm translating a clear idea into platform-ready content. These tools help me move through that stage quickly, but the editing eye is still mine.

Grammarly

Best for: Catching what tired eyes miss

Grammarly isn't glamorous, but it's essential. After I've been inside a piece of content for hours — drafting, rearranging, editing — I stop seeing the errors. The missing word. The repeated phrase two sentences apart. The comma that should be a period. Grammarly catches what my tired brain skips over. Research confirms that accuracy declines after extended periods of focused work.

I lean into Grammarly for proofreading, not as a writing partner. The AI suggestions for "tone" or "clarity" I mostly ignore, as they tend to flatten my voice a bit. But for pure mechanics? Spelling, grammar, punctuation, the stuff that makes me look sloppy if I miss it? It's saved me more times than I can count.

Pricing: Free (basic); $12/month for Premium

Buffer’s AI Assistant

Best for: Generating variations and repurposing across platforms without starting from scratch

Where Buffer's AI Assistant shines is two specific workflows: generating multiple variations of a rough idea so I can see which angle hits hardest, and repurposing one piece of content across platforms without manually rewriting it for each one.

The variations workflow is underrated. Instead of agonizing over the "perfect" first draft, I give it a rough concept and let it generate five different takes. Then I Frankenstein the best parts together — the hook from version 2, the framing from version 4, my own closing line. It sounds messy, but it's significantly faster than writing one perfect post from scratch.

Like every AI drafting tool, the output is a starting point. My voice, my specific examples, my lived experience all make it my edit. If I publish the AI variation as-is, my audience will definitely notice.

Price: Included with all Buffer plans

Tools to create visuals

The words exist. Now they need to look good — or at least good enough to stop the scroll. I'm no designer, but these tools help me create visuals that match the quality of my ideas and output without requiring a design degree.

Canva

Best for: Creating on-brand visuals without needing a designer

Canva is the obvious choice for a total beginner, and that's not a bad thing. It's obvious because it works. For social media graphics, carousel posts, anything that needs to look professional without hours of effort, Canva gets me there.

The AI features have earned their place. Magic Design takes a rough idea and generates multiple layout options I can customise. Background removal is one click. And the brand kit keeps everything I create consistent without me having to remember hex codes or font names.

The things I make here aren't going to win design awards, and if you're doing anything truly custom, you'll hit its limits. But for the 80% of visual content that just needs to be clean, on-brand and done, Canva is hard to beat.

Pricing: Free (basic); $15/month for Pro

Adobe Express and Firefly

Best for: Quick social graphics with professional polish — especially if you're already in the Adobe ecosystem

Adobe Express is Adobe's answer to Canva, and Firefly is their AI image generation engine built directly into it. If you're already paying for Creative Cloud or comfortable in Adobe's world, this keeps everything in one ecosystem.

The AI features that stand out:

• Generative Fill: extend images or remove objects seamlessly
• Text-to-image generation: creates assets I can actually use commercially (Adobe trained Firefly on licensed content, so the copyright situation is cleaner than some competitors)
• Brand kit sync: assets flow between Express, Premiere, and Photoshop without starting over

If you're not already in Adobe's ecosystem, the learning curve and cost may not be worth it just for quick social graphics. Canva is more intuitive for most people. But if you're moving between quick social content and more polished production, Adobe's integration across tools is hard to beat.

Pricing: Free (limited); Premium $10/month; included with most Creative Cloud plans

Nano Banana Pro (Gemini)

Best for: Generating images with accurate text from mockups to infographics to diagrams

Nano Banana Pro is Google's image generation model, built on Gemini 3 Pro. The name is ridiculous, but the tool is surprisingly powerful for a specific use case: generating images that include text.

If you've ever tried to get an AI image generator to produce a poster with legible words, or a mockup with realistic copy, you know the pain. Most models butcher text with weird letter spacing, nonsense words and visual artefacts. Nano Banana Pro gets this right. Posters, social graphics, infographics and presentation slides with text baked in come out clean, and in multiple languages.

I access it through the Gemini app (select "Create images" and choose the "Thinking" model), but it's also built into Google Slides and Google Vids if you're in the Workspace ecosystem. The free tier has limited uses before it reverts to the standard model; heavier users will want a Google AI subscription.

Pricing: Free (limited); fuller access with Google AI Plus and beyond (starting from $10/month)

📚 The 9 Best AI Image Generators of 2026 (+ Examples)

Figma Make + Lovable

Best for: Turning ideas into interactive prototypes or working apps — fast

These are two different tools, but I'm grouping them because they solve the same problem: I have an idea for something visual or interactive, and I want to see it working before I involve a developer or commit to building it properly.

Figma Make lets me describe what I want whether that's a landing page, a dashboard or an app flow, and generates an interactive prototype I can share with my team, or use to test an idea. It's functional enough to feel real. For content creators, this is useful when pitching a concept, planning a website section, or just trying to visualize how something would work before I write about it.

Lovable takes this further. I can describe an app in plain language and it generates a full working version: frontend, backend, authentication, the works. The output is actual code (React + Supabase), which means I can hand it to a developer to refine or deploy it myself if I'm comfortable with that (I'm not). It's better at prototypes than production-ready apps, and complex features often need manual fixes. It collapses the timeline from "idea" to "something I can show people."

Pricing: Figma Make (included with Figma plans that start from $5/user/month); Lovable (free trial, then $25/month)

Tools to create video and audio

For some ideas, static images aren't enough. Video and audio reach audiences in ways text and graphics can't, but they've traditionally required the steepest learning curves and longest production times. These tools change that equation.

CapCut

Best for: Short-form video editing without a steep learning curve

CapCut has become the default editor for beginner creators, and it's not hard to see why. You can do a lot with its free plan, it works across mobile and desktop, and its AI features handle the tedious parts of editing that usually take hours and lots of practice.

The features that keep me coming back:

• Auto captions: sync accurately in 130+ languages
• Background removal: works in one click
• Beat sync: automatically matches cuts to music
• Script-to-video: assembles clips from a text outline

For TikToks, Reels and Shorts, CapCut handles the technical work so you can focus on creative decisions.

One thing to note: it's optimized for short-form, so if you're branching into YouTube long-form, you might need something more durable. It's also made by ByteDance (TikTok's parent company), so if data privacy is a concern for you or your organization, review the policy.

Pricing: Free (most features); Pro $10-20/month for 4K export and premium assets

Adobe Premiere Pro and Podcast

Best for: Professional video editing with AI acceleration, when you need more control than CapCut offers

Premiere Pro is the industry standard for a reason, and Adobe has been steadily adding AI features that speed up the tedious parts without sacrificing control.

The AI features that speed things up:

• Auto-transcription + text-based editing: edit video by editing the transcript (similar to Descript's approach)
• Auto-reframe: intelligently crops horizontal video for vertical platforms
• Enhanced Speech: cleans up dialogue audio
• Scene Edit Detection: automatically finds cut points in existing footage

For creators who've outgrown CapCut's limitations and are making longer content with multiple tracks, colour grading, and complex transitions — Premiere is a good choice.

Adobe Podcast (a separate, free tool) is worth mentioning for audio-only work. The "Enhance Speech" feature can take rough audio recorded on a laptop mic in a noisy room and make it sound close to studio quality. It's impressive, and completely free.

However, Premiere has a real learning curve. If you're only making short-form social content, it might be overkill and CapCut or any other short-form video editing tool will get you there faster. The subscription cost adds up, too. But if video is a serious part of your content strategy and you need professional-grade output, the investment might just pay off.

Pricing: Premiere Pro starts from $23/month (or included in Creative Cloud $70/month); Adobe Podcast has a free plan and paid starts from $10/month

Descript

Best for: Editing video and audio as easily as editing a document

Descript's central idea is simple but powerful: edit media by editing text. Upload a video or audio file, Descript transcribes it, and from there I can delete a sentence by highlighting and deleting it from the transcript. The corresponding audio and video just disappear. It's the closest thing to editing a Word doc that video editing has ever gotten.

For creators who do a lot of talking-head content, this is transformational. Removing filler words alone (automatically finding and deleting "um," "uh," and "like") saves hours. Studio Sound cleans up background noise. Overdub lets me fix a mispronounced word by typing the correction and having AI generate it in my voice.

Some caveats: while the free tier is useful for trying it out, if you're processing a lot of media, the credits can add up quickly. Also, it's not built for heavy visual editing — no complex transitions, color grading, or motion graphics. It's for content where the words matter more than the visuals.

Pricing: Free (limited); paid starts from $24/month

📚The 11 Best AI Video Editors in 2026: I Tested the Tools That Edit When You Can't

OpusClip

Best for: Turning long videos into multiple short clips automatically

If you've got a 45-minute podcast episode or a long YouTube video and need to turn it into a week's worth of short-form content, OpusClip does the extraction work for you. Upload the long video, and the AI identifies the most engaging moments, cuts them into vertical clips with captions, and even gives each one a "virality score" predicting how well it might perform.

What used to take hours of scrubbing through footage, finding good moments, cutting, and reformatting can happen in minutes. The clips aren't always perfect and the AI's idea of "viral" doesn't always match mine, but as a starting point, it's dramatically faster than doing it manually.

Pricing: Free (60 credits/month, watermarked videos); paid starts from $15/month

Tools to automate content creation workflows

At some point, the bottleneck isn't creating content, but everything around it. Moving files between apps, posting to multiple platforms, updating spreadsheets, sending follow-up emails: the list is endless. These tasks don't require creativity, but they eat time like nothing else. Automation tools give that time back.

Zapier

Best for: Connecting apps and automating repetitive workflows without code

Zapier is the glue between all the other tools in this list. It watches for triggers in one app and automatically performs actions in another. A newsletter goes live? Zapier can share it to social, add it to a spreadsheet, and notify your team in Slack, all without you touching anything.

For content creators, the use cases are endless:

• Automatically save email attachments to Google Drive
• Push new YouTube videos to Buffer for scheduling
• Create Notion pages from form submissions
• Send a weekly digest of your best-performing posts

The automation runs in the background while you focus on actually making things. And the AI features have gotten more useful too. You can describe what you want in plain language ("when someone fills out my contact form, add them to my email list and send them a welcome email") and Zapier will build the automation for you. It's not perfect, but it's a faster starting point than building from scratch.

Note that Zapier's free tier is limited (100 tasks/month, 5 single-step Zaps). Once you need multi-step automations or higher volume, the pricing climbs quickly. For simple automations, native integrations between apps (such as Buffer's direct connections to platforms) often work well without a separate tool. Zapier is most valuable when you're connecting apps that don't talk to each other natively, or when you need complex multi-step workflows.

Pricing: Free (limited); Starter $20/month; Professional $50/month

📚 Introducing our revamped Zapier integration

📚 How to Automate Your Content Repurposing in 5 Steps (From Someone Who Has Done It!)

Tools that don’t fit my workflow

These didn't make the main list, but are worth knowing about. Some are powerful tools that just don't fit my personal approach to content creation. Others I haven't used enough to recommend with confidence, but that doesn't mean they won't work for you.

Tools that don’t fit my preferred approach to content

These tools are popular and capable. I'm not featuring them because they don't align with how I like to create, but your workflow might be different.

Midjourney — The gold standard for AI image generation, especially for stylised, artistic visuals. The quality is hard to match. But I prefer working with real images, my own photos, or simpler graphics over AI-generated imagery. If AI art fits your brand aesthetic, Midjourney produces results other generators can't. From $10/month

Veo 3 — Google's AI video generation model.  You describe a scene and it generates a video, with realistic motion, consistent characters and even generated audio. But AI-generated video still sits in the uncanny valley for me. I'd rather work with real footage, even if it's rougher. If you're experimenting with synthetic video or need footage you can't shoot yourself, Veo 3 is the current leader. Available through Google AI tools

ElevenLabs — AI voice generation that sounds convincingly human. You can clone your own voice or use stock voices for narration, voiceovers and dubbing. The technology is impressive, even a little unsettling. I prefer using my actual voice, even when it's imperfect. But for creators doing faceless content, translations or accessibility features, ElevenLabs is best-in-class. Free (limited); from $5/month

Tools I haven’t tried enough

These tools have strong reputations, but I haven't used them enough to make a confident recommendation. Consider this a "worth exploring" list rather than an endorsement.

Perplexity — AI-powered search that synthesises information and cites sources. Useful for research-heavy content where you need to pull together information from multiple places quickly. I've used it occasionally but not enough to speak to how well it fits a regular content workflow. Free (limited); Pro $20/month

n8n — The open-source, self-hostable alternative to Zapier. More powerful and potentially cheaper at scale, but with a steeper learning curve. If you're technical or have sensitive data you want to keep off third-party servers, it's worth investigating. I just haven't gone deep enough to recommend it over Zapier. Free (self-hosted); Cloud from $24/month

Affinity — The professional-grade Adobe alternative that's now completely free after Canva acquired it. It combines photo editing, vector design and page layout in one app, with AI features available through Canva Pro. I've heard good things, but haven't made it part of my workflow yet. Free; AI features require Canva Pro ($15/month)

AI handles the how but you still own the what and why

The tools matter less than the workflow. AI won't fix a broken content process; it'll just help you make mediocre content faster. But when you're clear on what you're making and why, the right tools at each stage can collapse weeks into days.

I didn't adopt all these tools at once, and I don't use every single one. I started with one bottleneck — the gap between having ideas and actually doing something with them — and found a tool that helped. Then I noticed the next friction point and addressed that. The stack grew organically, not from following a checklist.

My advice: start where you're stuck. If you have plenty of ideas but struggle to develop them, look at the "think with" tools. If you're producing content but it takes forever to edit, look at the drafting and production tools. If you're creating plenty but it dies on one platform, look at repurposing and automation. Add more only when you've outgrown what you have.

I have over 15,000 followers on Instagram, and I've helped grow Buffer's Instagram account to over 100K.

One thing I've learned on my journey is that there are no definitive "growth hacks" for increasing your Instagram followers. But fear not! There are still plenty of practical things you can do to build a solid growth strategy that works.

I've tested a lot of these over the years, and I know which ones = burnout and which ones actually yield results.

A larger, engaged following opens up some pretty incredible things: brand partnerships, traffic to the products and pages you want people to find you, and the social proof that pulls in even more followers. And you know what they say about anything worth having — it's worth doing right.

So let's do that, shall we?

In this article, I'll unpack the exact tactics that grew Buffer's Instagram reach over 2× last quarter, and they've helped my own account grow too. (That 2× is our own account data, separate from the industry report I cite throughout.) They really are tried and tested!

Whether you're looking to grow beyond a plateau or you're starting to grow your Instagram following from scratch, there's something for you here!

These tactics focus on sustainable, organic growth: the kind that compounds over time. Before we get into them, here's the quick answer (though I recommend you read this full article for some important nuance).

Short answer: To get more followers on Instagram, post 3–5 times a week, lead with reels to reach new people and carousels to keep them around, put searchable keywords in your bio, reply to comments, and collaborate with creators in your niche. In Buffer's analysis of 52 million+ posts, reels earned 36% more reach, carousels drove 12% more engagement, and replying to comments lifted engagement by 21%. Growth compounds over months, not days.

Key takeaways

• Posting 3–5 times per week grows followers 2× faster than posting 1–2 times, based on Buffer's State of Social Engagement report, which analyzed 52 million+ posts across 200K+ accounts
• Instagram Reels generate 36% more reach than other post types: best for attracting new followers
• Carousels drive 12% more engagement than other formats: best for retaining existing followers
• Replying to comments boosts engagement by 21%
• Optimize your bio with keywords in your name field to appear in Instagram search results
• Cross-promote your Instagram handle on other platforms to convert existing audiences into followers
• Increasing your Instagram followers comes down to consistency: the accounts that compound are the ones that show up every week, not the ones chasing one viral moment
• Don't buy Instagram followers: fake Instagram accounts lower engagement rate and may trigger Instagram penalties

1. Build an Instagram growth strategy before chasing followers

A growth strategy is what turns random posting into follower growth: it lines up who you're talking to, what you post, and why, so every post pulls its weight instead of disappearing into the void.

Having a clear idea of where Instagram fits into your overall social media marketing strategy will not only help you gain more followers, but also help you get more relevant content ideas for Instagram. When I mapped this out for Buffer, there was none of the usual "what should we post?" guesswork — because I'd already worked it out in the strategy.

But how do you create an Instagram growth strategy?

Step 1. Get clear on your goals

Instead of learning how to get more followers on Instagram, step back and reflect on your 'why.' What do you want to gather all those followers for?

Do you want to build a personal brand? Or raise brand awareness for your company? Perhaps you want to drive website traffic. Maybe you want to collect more user-generated content.

Whatever it is, define it clearly with measurable milestones to put intention behind your Instagram strategy.

Step 2. Get a 360-view of your target audience

Knowing the basic demographics is crucial. But also go beyond that and deeply understand what your audience struggles with and how you can help them resolve their challenges using your Instagram content strategy.

Next, get a 360-degree view of your ideal follower. I would start by clarifying three simple things.

Who am I talking to? What am I helping them with? And what do I want them to feel when they land on my profile?

This will allow you to create content that truly resonates with your community, helping you gain Instagram followers.

Natasha Pierre, creator and host of the Shine Online Podcast, says losing sight of your ideal follower in exchange for virality is the single biggest mistake creators make.

"People often focus so much on going viral and reaching as many people as possible that they lose sight of the ideal follower they're trying to reach," she says.

"You could go viral today, and if you're reaching mostly the wrong people, chances are it won't result in them following you. [Even if they do], it would lead to Instagram followers who aren't engaged."

"Taking the time to reflect on who your ideal follower is will help you create specific-to-them content, which will not only result in better growth but quality new followers."

Step 3. Define your brand voice and aesthetic

Even if you're a creator and not a company, it's worth crafting a social media marketing voice that's uniquely you, so Instagram users can identify your posts without seeing the username.

Brand voice is hard to track or quantify, but it's non-negotiable to be memorable. On Instagram, you can also define your aesthetic along with your brand voice. Use brand colors, stick to a consistent content theme, and have a personality.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sabreen Haziq (@sabreen.haziq)

Step 4. Create content pillar themes and stick to them

Decide on a niche for your Instagram account. You don't have to box yourself in — but do have a few overarching topics you'll post about, and don't deviate from them too much. This has many benefits:

• You don't have to constantly reinvent the wheel for brainstorming great content ideas.
• Your Instagram community starts recognizing you for the type of content you create.
• You don't get distracted by the new, shiny thing, and keep revising your Instagram strategy.

The strategy is the unglamorous part, but it's the reason the other 12 tactics compound instead of canceling each other out.

2. Optimize your Instagram bio

Your Instagram bio is a search field: putting keywords in your name field, not just your handle, makes your profile discoverable in Instagram search. It's also the first thing someone sees when they land on your profile, and it's often what decides whether they hit Follow or keep scrolling.

Here's how mine looks:

I've included the right Instagram category for my account (digital creator), followed by a fun, well-formatted list that shows my personality and includes a few keywords. I've also added multiple links for their Instagram followers to tap on and learn more.

Here's another Instagram bio example from my teammate and fellow creator, Kirsti Lang:

She's also formatted hers with emojis, so the text is easily scannable. She's got important keywords for her niche (home office, remote work, productivity) along with a 'why' — "I test them all so you don't have to!" This gives folks a reason to stick around.

Here are the elements you need to nail for the perfect Instagram bio:

• A descriptive category
• A simple description of what you do and/or what you sell
• A touch of brand personality
• Links that lead somewhere useful, like your website or a Buffer Start Page

Use pinned posts in your profile grid

Treat your grid like a storefront by making sure your most compelling content is right up front. Use pinned posts in your profile grid that showcase your best work or a reel that answers your most commonly asked questions.

Want to show up in more searches?

The Instagram algorithm prioritizes search results containing keywords in the name and username. Add one or two keywords that describe what you do right in your name field or handle, like "vegan recipes" or "wedding photographer."

For example, creator Hannah Hargrove has the keywords "Baby + Toddler Nutrition" on her Instagram account, right next to her name. Her username is also "tinyeatersnutrition" — these specifics instantly tell you what to expect from her Instagram account.

Instagram users searching for "toddler nutrition" will also find her account pop up in search (that's how I found her), helping her grow her Instagram followers.

Just don't go overboard with keywords in your Instagram name field, as it'll come across as spammy and water down their purpose. Use just a few phrases that tell people what your Instagram account is about.

3. Cross-promote your Instagram handle on other channels

Cross-promoting your handle is the fastest way to convert an audience you already have: point people from your other channels to your Instagram and you skip the cold-start problem.

Redirecting potential customers from other channels to your Instagram account is an easy way to gain Instagram followers quickly, especially if you already have a strong presence on social media platforms.

For example, at Buffer, we have our Instagram link on our website footer, and I add mine anywhere it makes sense.

Here are the most effective ways to cross-promote and increase your follower count. Add your Instagram page's link to:

• Your product packaging
• Your blogs (when relevant)
• Marketing and transactional emails
• Your website's footer and/or sidebar
• Social media posts from team members
• Your and your employees' email signature
• Bios on platforms like TikTok and YouTube
• Networking events and webinars (use your profile's Instagram QR code for in-person events)

Cross-promotion will help you increase the probability of being in front of relevant users on Instagram. Existing followers from other social media platforms likely already know you and the kind of content you create. They're quality followers; the ones who are most likely to enjoy and engage with your Instagram posts.

4. Post 3–5 times per week for consistent growth

Posting 3–5 times per week grows followers roughly 2× faster than posting once or twice, according to Buffer's State of Social Engagement report, an analysis of 52 million+ posts across 200K+ accounts. Accounts at this frequency also see 12% more reach per post. If you want to increase your followers without gaming anything, this is the single most reliable lever there is.

That's a big payoff for just one or two extra posts a week.

How often should you post on Instagram to grow?

Post 3–5 high-quality times per week. Remember, posting three times a week for three months will teach you more than planning for three weeks. If you want a shot at a breakout post, you have to enter the lottery as often as you can.

If you're able to share more often, say 6–9 times weekly, that's even better for growth. But if your time or creative energy is limited, aiming for 3–5 high-quality posts per week is a great, sustainable goal.

Why I stopped agonizing over every single post

For ages, I treated every post like it had to perform as well as my general baseline, or it was a flop. (If you're a perfectionist like me, I bet you get this.) But that pursuit of perfection every single time ended up being more harmful than helpful.

Only a slice of your audience sees any given post, so an 'underperforming' one isn't a failure, it's just... Tuesday. Loosening my grip on each individual post is the only reason I can actually keep up a 3–5× week without burning out.

I'm not saying you should post any old thing in your camera roll just to be consistent; quality and value are still important. But don't spend 12 business days incrementally moving text around on a carousel.

Done is better than perfect, my friend.

A smarter way to create more content sustainably

As creators or marketers, we often assume that all our followers have seen every piece of content we create, but in reality, only a small portion of our audience will see a particular post.

So don't be scared to repurpose existing content. This doesn't just mean repurposing content you've posted on other channels (though that is a great option, if you're not doing that already), but also within the same platform. Don't be afraid of tweaking content that performed well and sharing it again.

Some examples could be to turn a series of Instagram Stories into a reel or an insightful caption into a poignant video.

Here's a great example of the latter from @stanforcreators.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stan — Your All-in-One Creator Store (@stanforcreators)

Keep up a consistent posting cadence with a content calendar and batching

Another smart way to stick to consistent posting (on any platform) is to create a content calendar — a document sharing exactly what you need to post and when. If you've created and scheduled posts to go out in advance, you aren't relying on inspiration alone to stick to your posting schedule.

If you want to level up even further, try blocking out time to create your posts in batches. Content batching is the method of creating social media posts in bulk so you can add them to your content calendar. Your future self will thank you.

Instead of manually posting the posts in your content calendar, use Instagram scheduling tools like Buffer to automate the process.

You can't be everywhere all the time

To build a scalable system to grow on Instagram, you have to work smarter. To keep up with my posting frequency, I use Buffer to batch-create content ahead of time and give myself a longer content runway. (Not glamorous, but it's the only reason I stay consistent.)

My content autopublishes when I'm offline, so I can unplug and recharge while growth continues in the background. I can also analyze my Instagram posts to track what's landing, schedule posts on multiple platforms, respond to comments, and crosspost to TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more, all from one dashboard.

5. Find your best times to post on Instagram

Posting when your followers are online gives your content a better shot at more reach. More reach means more chances to attract new followers.

According to our analysis of over two million Instagram posts, the best times to post on Instagram are Thursday at 9 a.m., Wednesday at 12 p.m., and Wednesday at 6 p.m.

If you want to understand when your followers are online, Instagram insights can tell you that in three simple steps:

1. Open your Instagram app and navigate to insights using the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines) on your account. If you're on Instagram web, just click on Dashboard.
2. Click on Total followers if you're on the Instagram app or select Account if you're on the web.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and look for Most active times to understand when your Instagram followers are online. You'll be able to toggle between hours for every day of the week or look at specific days.

Want to take it up a notch? Before I schedule anything, I check the recommended posting times in Buffer Insights, which organizes your performance data in a way that's easy to read. The Performance per Post view ranks your posts by engagement rate, and Takeaways flags which formats and posts are working, so you can spot the patterns worth repeating.

And if you'd rather Buffer handle timing for you, it can automatically apply our recommended posting times to your queue, which means I'm not the bottleneck on timing.

Along with the time, also consider when your Instagram posts would be more relevant logically. A step-by-step video recipe will perform better after working hours when people cook. On the other hand, coffee shop Instagram Stories might do better at the 2 p.m. slump.

Experiment with posting times to determine when you reach new audiences (and gain followers).

6. Write compelling captions

A strong caption is what earns the follow after the visual earns the stop: the longer someone lingers on a post (especially a reel), the stronger the signal to the algorithm that your content holds value.

It's enticing to skimp on Instagram captions when you've toiled to create the perfect carousel or video. But Instagram captions hold more weight than you think: they can either nudge someone to follow you or scroll past you without looking. So give folks something to read.

I've even been experimenting with including the actual content of my post in the captions, like I did in the post below. It worked really well! The main hook I included on my video was intriguing enough for folks to click 'More' below the post to stick around and read.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sabreen Haziq (@sabreen.haziq)

In the algorithm's 'eyes', that counts as engagement and time spent engaging, which it rewards.

Writing the perfect Instagram caption is about understanding your audience and the context of your post. If you're writing an educational post, it makes sense to have a longer caption. But when you're sharing an aesthetic product image, shorter is sweeter.

Similarly, also think about captions based on content formats: Instagram Stories need a shorter caption (or text on media) because your followers view them quickly, but carousel posts might need more context.

When I'm stuck, I use Buffer's AI assistant to generate a rough first draft in seconds, then rewrite it until it sounds like me rather than a robot. (The blank caption box is where most of my posts used to die.)

If you need more inspiration, Buffer also has a free template library to help you scour through hundreds of ideas for your captions and posts. You can also filter them based on post type (hot take, opinion, promotion, etc.), goal, format, and creator type (individual vs. business).

Whenever you're in a creative slump about what to post and how to write a captivating caption, just go to the template library and scroll until you find something interesting you can use.

Still struggling for ideas? Wonder no longer. Here are 350+ Instagram caption ideas to make your own.

Nail your call-to-action

What action are you hoping someone takes after consuming your content? What's the value being delivered in the end? Maybe you want them to listen to a podcast episode. Maybe you're crowdsourcing ideas, or maybe you're asking for their opinion on something.

Here are a few examples:

• Which tip was most helpful?
• Agree or disagree?
• Want a part two?

Invite your community in and create space for thoughtful action.

7. Use relevant hashtags, locations, and keywords

Hashtags, keywords, and locations are how people find content they aren't already following: rank for the ones your audience searches, and you expose your posts to potential followers.

People often search for relevant keywords, hashtags, and locations to find the type of content they're looking for. Show up in those searches and you put your Instagram content in front of people who have never heard of you.

Keywords

Use keywords related to your post (without stuffing them). Think of the phrases and words your audience might be using to search for the type of content you're creating. Instagram picks up keywords from captions, visuals, and hashtags, so use the relevant keywords in all these places.

How do you find the relevant keywords? Run a search for the phrases you think your audience might use and see which keywords other brands are using. Instagram will also fill in related terms when you search for a broad keyword, just like on Google.

How many hashtags should you use on Instagram?

Five hashtags are the upper limit. Hashtags used to be the holy grail of Instagram discovery, but in 2026, they're not as important anymore.

In December 2025, Instagram cut the limit from 30 hashtags to five per post, across reels, photos, and carousels. The cap counts your caption and your comments together, so the old habit of dropping a block of tags into the first comment won't buy you extra slots. Instagram also removed the option to follow hashtags in December 2024, which tells you how far the feature has moved from its heyday.

(If you're an Instagram veteran like me — doesn't this feel like the end of an era?)

It's worth resetting expectations on what those five are actually doing. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has been quite blunt about it: "Contrary to popular belief, hashtags are not a way to get more reach."

They label your content so Instagram understands what it's about and can surface it in search and recommendations.

Mosseri's framing is that a few specific tags perform better than a long list of generic ones, which means something like #productivityforfreelancers is great, but #love isn't. Choose tags that describe your post precisely, and drop anything you're adding out of habit.

How do you find relevant hashtags?

You can search niche hashtags to find popular Instagram hashtags related to your posts. I also lean on hashtag generators like Buffer's free hashtag generator when I'm drawing a blank.

Simply share what your post is about, click on Generate hashtags, and Buffer will share a list of hashtags you can use.

Buffer can also help you curate a list of hashtags and organize them into groups using the hashtag manager. For example, make a group of product-specific hashtags and another for niche or industry-specific hashtags. Select from your pre-saved groups on Buffer and add hashtags to your scheduled Instagram posts with one click, so you're not rebuilding a set every post.

Location

For local discovery, add in a geotag as well. Tagging your city, neighborhood, or event space helps Instagram surface your post to people browsing that location — a simple step that can land your content on the Explore page for nearby users. This might also help your content surface in followers' Friends Maps.

8. Track your Instagram analytics to find what works

Checking your analytics regularly is how you find out which posts are actually earning followers, so you can do more of what works.

Regularly checking your Instagram analytics is the fastest way to spot those patterns. You might find that your audience responds best to entertaining reels, but educational posts work best as carousels. Maybe you discover Instagram giveaways are best for engagement, but they don't help you gain followers.

Watch closely for those patterns and evolve your content strategy as you go. You can find native analytics on the Instagram app, but they're pretty limited. You can't see your individual posts' performance in a single window to analyze them side by side, nor can you handpick metrics important to you.

It's better to use a third-party tool like Buffer Insights to get all the data at a glance and even make custom reports for stakeholders. You can also port all your data directly into your AI tool of choice, such as ChatGPT or Claude, to spot patterns faster.

Which metric is the most important to track?

It depends on your Instagram goals and strategy. For example, if you're testing a new hashtag, knowing the number of new followers is more important than tracking likes from your current followers. But if you're experimenting with posting times, keeping an eye on impressions is more important.

I like to focus on real plays, saves, shares, and follower sources. This saves so much time by showing me where to double down instead of creating content just to fill the feed.

9. Collaborate and cross-promote with Instagram creators or other small businesses

Collaboration is one of the fastest ways to grow because it borrows an audience that already trusts someone else: co-created carousels or reels, story takeovers, joint giveaways, and shared resources all put you in front of a warm crowd.

This is a personal favorite of mine. Post collaboration content, and the possibilities are endless: a co-created carousel or a reel, story takeovers and tagging each other, joint giveaways, or shared resources.

Instagram collab posts with other creators via influencer marketing or partnerships with small businesses are a win-win because they expose both parties to potential Instagram followers. The critical bit is ensuring you partner with a company or creator who aligns with your values and whose followers' demographics and interests overlap with your target audience.

These posts are shown on both Instagram accounts, meaning all followers of your creator partner will see the shared post (and, by extension, your Instagram profile and small business).

Here's an example from Kirsti, who uses collab posts when she does brand partnerships.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by kirsti lang (@itsmekirsti)

We also use this tactic at Buffer — when a Bufferoo creates content for our channel, we share the post as a collab post. It's win-win for both of us!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Buffer (@buffer)

If influencers with over a hundred thousand followers are out of your budget, run a micro-influencer campaign. Micro-influencers (accounts with 10K–100K followers) typically see 2–3× higher engagement rates than larger accounts because their audiences are more tightly knit and trust their recommendations more, which is why they're often a better bet than chasing someone huge.

How to find collaboration partners

Here are a few methods that work well:

• Search niche terms for creators whose content aligns with your brand: look for consistent engagement (comments, not just likes) rather than follower count alone.
• Use Instagram's suggested accounts feature: when you follow a creator in your niche, Instagram surfaces similar accounts you might want to connect with.
• Check who's creating content your audience already engages with: look at who your followers follow, comment on, and share.
• Use influencer discovery tools like Modash to save time and filter by niche, engagement rate, and audience demographics.

You don't need to restrict yourself to partnering with individual creators. You can also form partnerships with other small businesses. Take a look at how LinkedIn and Headspace collaborated to create a post about recovering from job loss.

Collaborating on Instagram doesn't only mean creating a shared post, either. You could also:

• Go live with a creator
• Do an Instagram account takeover
• Repost Instagram content from an influencer's profile to your Instagram Stories
• Post videos created by them natively on your brand account (with permission)

10. Experiment with different types of Instagram posts to increase engagement

Instagram Reels earn 36% more reach than other post types, while carousels drive 12% more engagement, according to Buffer's State of Social Engagement report — so use reels to reach new people and carousels to deepen relationships with the followers you already have.

When I started treating reels as the top of the funnel and carousels as the thing that keeps people around, Buffer's reach roughly doubled in a quarter. That's the split this whole list is built around.

It's been a long time since Instagram was just a photo app. The platform has introduced many formats, including short-form video content like reels, stories, and carousel posts. Engaging and actionable content types are prioritized by the Instagram algorithm based on saves and shares.

Once in a while, I like to post something unexpected. Testing different formats gives you the space to experiment and learn, and offers valuable insights into what resonates more with your audience.

Which type of posts will help you get the most reach?

Reels, by a clear margin. Use reels to attract followers and carousels to deepen engagement with existing ones.

How to build your Instagram Reels muscles

Creating reels can feel like a heavier lift if you're not super comfortable in front of the camera, but it's a muscle you build over time. Here are some fairly easy ideas:

• Record a bunch of videos throughout the day, like you on a walk, drinking coffee, working on your laptop, socializing, and stitch them together with a compelling voice-over that tells a story.
• Try filming a talking head video with easy-to-follow tips, plus captions and fun sound effects.
• Capture a quiet moment of you sitting in one place, maybe just enjoying a cup of coffee, and add a question as text overlay, and then expand in captions.

The more you film, the more comfortable you get with the process, and that in turn sparks even more inspiration for your next video. And, remember, creating hooks within the first three seconds of a video is crucial for capturing viewer attention.

How to A/B test your hooks with trial reels

My colleague Kirsti Lang, who writes for the Buffer blog and has built her own audience over at @itsmekirsti, swears by trial reels for finding new followers.

Trial reels offer you a way to post a reel to a group of non-followers to see how they react to it. The reel won’t appear in your followers’ feeds or on your Instagram profile.

It's just a little toggle you turn on with a regular reel upload, and you can choose if/when to share them with your followers.

Kirsti treats them as a testing ground.

"The key indicator for me isn't how many views a trial reel gets, it's the skip rate," she told me. "If the skip rate is under about 50%, I know that reel is going to perform well."

Her process is really simple — she records two different hooks every time she films, which adds barely any work in filming and editing. Both go out as trial reels around 24 hours before she wants the real post to land. She checks which hook held people, then publishes that version properly.

It's also helped Kirsti pivot her Instagram niche.

Kirsti built her following as a health and fitness creator. Her career and interests then moved towards productivity, tech, and tools, and she opted not to start a separate account for the new material.

She didn't want to lose the 5K followers she had already gained. But unfortunately, her new focus just wasn't resonating with them.

"My theory is that my content was going out to followers who came to me for health and fitness, and they weren't enjoying my productivity content," she said. "It performed poorly on my own followers' engagement, so it never got shared more widely."

Trial reels let her step around that block and reach the people most likely to care about what she makes now. If your engagement looks weak against your follower count after a pivot, that mismatch could be the cause rather than the content itself.

Remember, reach isn't the same as engagement

Our research, the same one that found reels get the most reach, also found that carousels get 12% more engagement than other content formats.

The hook matters more than the aesthetic

To increase engagement, your first slide should hook people in with a hard-hitting truth or address a problem that your audience is actively trying to solve. For example, instead of "Tips for creators," try something like, "If your reels aren't getting views, try this."

So the split is the whole game: reels win reach (+36%), carousels win engagement (+12%), and a healthy growth mix leans on both.

Don't sleep on Instagram Live

Going Live sends a push notification to followers, places you first in the stories row, and lets you answer questions in real time. Try a fifteen-minute Q&A, a product unboxing, or co-host a Live with a creator in your niche to tap into their audience, too.

11. Talk to your audience in comments and stories

Replying to comments lifts engagement by 21%, which makes your comment section one of the highest-leverage growth surfaces on Instagram.

Social media is a two-way street. Every single interaction, whether that's via interactive Instagram Stories or responding to their comments, puts you on someone's radar. It's a portal to more exposure and an opportunity to build a real community.

Remember, getting more Instagram followers isn't just about adding new followers; it's also about maintaining your follower count. You don't want to lose your existing community because you're unresponsive. Engaging with your audience shows that you care about them, take their feedback seriously, and believe in reciprocity. These real relationships lead to real growth.

Buffer data finding: Replying to comments boosts engagement by 21%, per Buffer's engagement analysis. So invest early: even a short, genuine reply signals to the algorithm (and the person) that you're paying attention.

Pay attention to meaningful conversations in your own comments and make an effort to engage with posts from others in your niche. When they see you supporting them, they'll often come back and support you.

Responding to every comment might be unrealistic once you start receiving thousands of them (good problem to have), but do your best to respond to as many queries as possible.

Buffer's Community feature is how I keep up: it pulls comments from every platform into one place, right there on the Buffer dashboard, so replying doesn't mean living inside six apps. You can set up notifications, filter and sort your comments, and even create a new post from a reply.

Show up in stories and use engagement tools

Stories are where trust builds. People appreciate lived experiences that give them a peek into a problem you solved, a lesson you learned, or a chapter of life you survived.

I host a podcast called The Lavender Fix, and I often use story polls to understand what topics my audience is most interested in, link a sticker to a new episode, or share a casual behind-the-scenes moment from one of my recording sessions.

12. Don't buy Instagram followers (and other growth shortcuts that backfire)

It's tempting to buy Instagram followers to inflate your follower number. But it's worth remembering that fake followers aren't going to interact with your Instagram profile.

They'll either be bots or fake accounts, not real Instagram followers (and definitely not relevant ones). So your follower count might soar, but fake followers can lead to a significant drop in engagement rates, as these accounts don't interact with your content.

Fake Instagram followers also hurt your credibility. Instagram's algorithm favors accounts that show authentic engagement, meaning that accounts with a high number of purchased followers may be penalized in visibility.

Potential collaborators and your audience will sooner or later get suspicious of the mismatch between your number of followers and engagement rate. This can make your audience lose trust in you and harm your personal brand in the long term.

If that wasn't enough, the Instagram algorithm also pushes posts with genuine engagement. The platform might penalize you for disguising fake followers as real Instagram followers.

Does buying Instagram followers work?

No, buying Instagram followers doesn't work if your goal is real growth. Bought followers are inactive or fake accounts: they inflate your follower number but never like, comment, save, or buy, so your engagement rate craters and the algorithm shows your posts to fewer real people. To get followers without buying them, do the opposite of the shortcut: post consistently, make your profile searchable, and actually talk to the people who show up. Every tactic in this guide is a free, organic route to more followers that compounds instead of collapsing.

Other shortcuts to avoid

Buying followers isn't the only growth tactic that backfires. A few more to steer clear of:

• Follow-unfollow tactics: following hundreds of accounts hoping they'll follow back, then unfollowing them, makes you look spammy, and Instagram's algorithm may flag the behavior. It also attracts low-quality followers who'll never engage with your content.
• Engagement pods: groups where members agree to like and comment on each other's posts artificially inflate your metrics without building real followers and reach. Instagram has gotten better at detecting these patterns, and the engagement rarely translates to genuine follower growth.
• Posting inconsistently: going from five posts a week to zero for a month confuses the algorithm and your audience. It's better to post three times a week consistently than to post daily for two weeks and then disappear.

The common thread: anything that games the system instead of serving your ideal audience tends to backfire eventually. Sustainable growth is slower, but it's the kind that actually compounds.

13. Get verified on Instagram

Getting verified adds a blue checkmark that acts as instant credibility. That coveted checkmark next to your Instagram account helps you stand out in search results, avoids impersonation, and even gets higher engagement rates.

If your aim is to increase your Instagram growth rate, getting verified will undoubtedly help. But how do you get verified on Instagram? Don't worry if you're not famous: the blue check is no longer exclusively reserved for public figures.

The easiest way is to buy a subscription through your Instagram profile. (There are certain eligibility requirements you have to meet, like adhering to Meta's minimum activity requirements, but that shouldn't be hard.)

Getting more followers on Instagram isn't a one-and-done thing

These 13 strategies aren't a checklist you complete once, they're habits you build over time. The accounts that grow fastest stay consistent, keep experimenting, and actually talk to the right audience.

It's time-consuming and laborious to manage the planning, posting, engaging, and tracking manually. Having an all-in-one tool like Buffer lets you handle all of this from one dashboard, and there's a free plan if you want to try it without committing anything.

FAQ about getting more followers on Instagram

How do you grow Instagram followers organically?

You grow Instagram followers organically by posting content the right people want to save and share, making your profile easy to find in search, and replying to the people who show up. No buying, no bots. It's slower than a shortcut and it lasts a lot longer.

How can I get my first 1,000 followers quickly but organically on Instagram?

Focus on content that people want to share. Post short, engaging reels, use clear keywords, and add strong calls to action in your captions. Comment on posts in your niche, reply to every comment you receive, and cross-promote your handle on other platforms. A steady posting schedule (made easier with a tool like Buffer) helps you show up in the feed more often and reach new people faster.

What is the 5-3-1 rule on Instagram, and does it work?

The 5-3-1 rule is a daily engagement habit: like five posts, leave three thoughtful comments, and follow one new, relevant account. The goal is to spark genuine conversations so more people check out your profile and follow you back. It's simple, free, and a good way to build community, as long as your interactions stay authentic and on-topic.

How often should I post if I want to grow my follower count?

Post 3–5 times per week. Buffer's analysis of 52M+ Instagram posts found accounts posting at this cadence grow followers about 2× faster than those posting once or twice. Mix formats: reels for reach (36% more than other types) and carousels for engagement (12% more). Schedule posts for your audience's peak activity times using Instagram Insights or Buffer's recommended posting times.

How can I get more followers on Instagram for free?

Every strategy in this guide is free. The most effective organic tactics are: posting Reels consistently (they get 36% more reach), optimizing your bio with searchable keywords, engaging with your community through comments and stories, using 3–5 relevant hashtags per post, and cross-promoting your handle on other platforms where you already have an audience. Consistency matters more than any single tactic: accounts that post 3–5 times per week see 2× faster follower growth.

How can I optimize my Instagram profile to get more followers?

Start with your bio: use a descriptive category, write a clear one-line description of what you do, and add a link to your website or Start Page. Add one or two keywords to your name field (like "wedding photographer" or "vegan recipes") so you appear in Instagram search results. Pin your best-performing posts or an FAQ reel to the top of your grid, and make sure your profile photo is recognizable at thumbnail size. For a deep dive, see our guide to Instagram bio ideas.

What type of Instagram content gets the most followers?

According to Buffer's State of Social Engagement report, Instagram Reels generate 36% more reach than other post types, making them the best format for attracting new followers. For keeping existing followers engaged, carousels drive 12% more engagement. The most effective approach is a mix: use reels to get discovered and carousels to build deeper connections with the followers you've already earned.

Why am I not gaining followers on Instagram?

Usually, it's one of four things: you're posting inconsistently, your format mix is off (not enough reels for reach), your profile isn't searchable, or you're not engaging back. Fix the basics first: commit to 3–5 posts a week, put keywords in your bio name field, lead with reels, and reply to comments. Growth that's stalled almost always traces back to one of those.

How do people get so many followers on Instagram?

The accounts with huge followings almost always combine consistency, a clear niche, and formats built for reach. They post regularly (3–5+ times a week), lead with reels to get in front of new people, make their profiles searchable, and collaborate with other creators to borrow warm audiences. It looks like an overnight jump from the outside; it's usually months of compounding.

Does buying Instagram followers actually work?

No. Bought followers are fake or inactive accounts that never engage, so they drag down your engagement rate, hurt your credibility, and can trigger Instagram penalties. You end up with a bigger number and worse reach. Organic tactics like posting consistent reels, having a searchable bio, and replying to comments are slower but compound over time.

How can I get more followers on Instagram without posting more?

You can grow without increasing output by making each post work harder: repurpose your top posts across formats, put keywords in your bio name field so you surface in Instagram search, reply to every comment (Buffer found this lifts engagement by 21%), cross-promote your handle on your other channels, and collaborate on posts with creators in your niche so you reach their audiences.

How long does it take to grow your Instagram following?

Organic growth is gradual and compounds, so most accounts see meaningful movement over months, not days. Consistency is the driver: Buffer's data shows accounts posting 3–5 times a week grow roughly 2× faster than those posting once or twice, and Buffer's own account more than doubled its reach in a single quarter using these tactics.

More Instagram resources

• The Best Time to Post on Instagram: We Analyzed 2 Million+ Posts to Find Out
• Instagram 101: A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Use Instagram
• How to Get Verified on Instagram: 2 Ways To Get Your Blue Check
• How the Instagram Algorithm Works
• Trending Sounds on Instagram (+ How to Use Them)
• How to Use Instagram for Business: The Complete Guide
• How to Create Your Own Influencer Media Kit (+ Examples from Creators)

Social data is more accessible than ever. We released Insights at Buffer, and with a button, I can export my data very easily (I would’ve probably cried with joy to have this feature as a social media manager in 2014).

Now, in addition to all of our social data, we also have the power of AI at our fingertips. One way that I’ve been able to make my social strategy more data-informed is by creating a workflow where I gather all of the context about my recent posts via Insights → have my AI tool of choice analyze it to look for patterns and gaps → and then check that against my overall social goals to help me stay on track.

I've been tracking my LinkedIn metrics for a while, and I have specific goals, but I'd never connected the context I could gather from my own posts to having AI coach me toward the output I actually want until downloading my data became this easy.

So here's the system I built and the exact prompts I used, so you can do the same (if you'd like).

1. Download your data in Buffer (it’s free)

Getting all of your social post data from Buffer is easier than you might think, and it’s free. It’s also an important step in this process because successful systems work best when they are tailored, so we need the context.

Get this directly from your Buffer account

From Buffer, navigate to Insights. From there, you’ll see an Export button in the top right corner. Make sure that you’ve selected the correct dates and then Export as CSV.

Or get this data via Buffer’s API or MCP

If you are already connected to Buffer’s API via your AI tool of choice, you can simply ask AI to get the data for you.

I connected my Buffer account to my Claude account and asked Claude to grab them for me. (Possible on all Buffer plans, even free.)

Here's what I asked Claude (you can use any AI tool; Claude is just my preference):

Via Buffer, pull all of my posts on [social network] from the last [time period] — the caption, the date posted, and all of the associated analytics.

→ Here's a full guide to Buffer's API integrations and how to connect them, or watch the video below to get set up with Claude.

2. Build the analysis most useful to you

This is where it gets fun — and where you get to be specific. The focus here isn't one perfect prompt; it's deciding what you most want to understand about your own posting, then asking for exactly that. A few options for you:

• Content pillars: what you post about most, and how the mix breaks down
• Your voice: your real writing style, sentence patterns, the words and phrases you lean on
• What is performing: your most- and least-engaged posts, and what they have in common
• Formats: whether text, photo, video, or link posts perform differently for you
• Hooks: which opening lines you use most often, which are getting engagement, and which aren't
• Timing: the days and times you post most and whether that aligns with the best time to post data
• Conversion: whether the posts meant to drive something (subscribers, sales, calls) are getting traction

Pick the few that matter most to you and drop them into the prompt:

Pull all my [social network] posts from [time frame] with their text, dates, and metrics (reactions, comments, impressions, reach). Build me an artifact analyzing [the 3–4 things you picked above]. Don't generalize from social media best practices — only use my data.

Two things mine surfaced that I wouldn't have guessed: my pillars were lopsided (I post about systems and marketing constantly, and about career far less — even though that's something I've highlighted as a content pillar for myself), and my most personal posts do the most work (a quick one about taking my birthday off work pulled 104 reactions and 30 comments).

With all of this context, it's time to reflect.

A simple Keep, Start, Stop is always effective. Based on what you found, what do you want to Keep doing, what do you want to Start doing, and what do you want to Stop doing.

A few more pointed questions you could reflect on:

• Is there a gap between what I want to post about and what I am posting about?
• Have I selected the right days and times to send my posts out to reach my audience?
• Are the formats I'm using performing well, or do I need to experiment?

3. Use this analysis + AI to have a social coach in your pocket

The analysis is a goldmine of context, and now we use it. If you have specific goals as a creator or as someone managing social profiles, you can use this analysis and your goals to get some really valuable coaching and advice on what to adjust in your strategy or what to post next.

Here's what I said to Claude:

Here are my goals for [social network] this year: [your goals]. Use the analysis of what I've actually been posting that you've already conducted. Act as my content coach. Based on the analysis, what do I need to do differently to reach my goals?

To make the coaching sharper, I also handed Claude a few Buffer resources as context, so we know its advice comes from real guidance and not just vibes:

• How to Grow on Social Media in 2026: A Data-Backed Guide
• Your Complete Guide to Social Media Marketing: Platforms, Strategy, and Tips for Growth
• The Best Time to Post on Social Media in 2026: Times for Every Major Platform
• Algorithm information for: LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube Shorts, and Threads.

From there, you can access this coach as often as you’d like: I’d recommend at least monthly.

I set up a monthly Claude Cowork scheduled task to run this analysis fresh and compare it to my goals again to coach me on adjusting my content for the following month.

You could also set a reminder in your to-do list to check in as frequently as you need.

Fit this into your existing workflows for the highest chance of success.

If you take one thing from this workflow, let it be this: you already have the best dataset for getting better on social media through your own content. Next up, it’s about using it. I'd love to hear how it goes for you!

For the last few months we've been in hiring season at Buffer, iterating on our process as we go. We've tried quite a few new things, and I'd love to tell you about one that's been particularly impactful: sharing a detailed Q&A doc with candidates before their first interview.

It's a role-specific document we send when we invite someone to a first interview. We started doing this in engineering, and have since adopted it for most of our open roles. The feedback from candidates has been really positive, and it's made our conversations better the whole way through. It takes some upfront work, but it's been worth it. Here's how it works, and why we do it.

How this works

Our hiring usually starts the same way - a candidate applies through a short form with a few questions, and if it looks like a good fit, we invite them to a first interview. These days, that invitation comes with a link to the role's Q&A doc and a gentle ask to read through it before we talk.

The doc is specific to each role and covers what people most want to know about the job and the team: who they'd be working with and reporting to, what the team is focused on, what our process looks like, what the 4-day week actually means day to day, how career growth and performance work, compensation, benefits, and more.

Here's what it looks like:

How I put it together

I usually start by reflecting on the role and the questions:

• What do candidates usually ask me in those early calls?
• What might they be wondering but not say out loud?
• What's genuinely specific about this role or team that's worth going into depth on?

Then I write the answers (though "write" isn't quite the right word - I usually dictate them 😉) as if I were explaining things to a candidate sitting across from me, and shape that into the doc afterwards. It keeps the tone conversational, and it saves me time.

It's also a team effort. I invite people from the team to add their own parts, a few words about who they are and what they work on, so the candidate hears more than just my voice.

We get creative with it, too. For one role, we included a short video snippet from an all-hands where PM walked through team strategy.

And then I try to keep it updated - we transcribe our interviews, so when a candidate asks a good question that isn't covered yet, I can go back to the transcript, see how I answered in the moment, and fold that in. The doc grows out of real conversations over time.

Why this matters

Applying for a job is hard, and it can feel like looking into a black box. You learn about a company in scattered pieces, across interviews and whatever is public, and it's hard to put the whole picture together.

Buffer is a very transparent company, so for us it's almost the opposite problem: there's a lot of information out there, and it can be hard to know what matters most for a specific role.

Putting the basics in candidates' hands ahead of the interviews does two things:

• It helps candidates. They can take everything in at their own pace, decide whether the role is actually right for them, and show up to the first conversation already oriented and prepared. This is the part we hear the most gratitude for.
• It helps us. When the basics are already covered, the questions people ask go deeper - about a specific project, a decision we made, or what's hard for the team right now. We get a truer read on each other than we would if we spent every interview covering the same ground. It saves time, but more than that, it makes the conversations better.

The format

If you'd find it useful, here's a Notion template you can copy and make your own: Q&A Doc Template. It's just the bare structure - adapt it however fits your team. Ours has changed quite a bit since we started this practice. If you want to look at a filled-out example, here is one for one of our past roles.

A few things I’d recommend if you’re thinking of trying it:

• Start with one role - we find that a specific doc is more useful than a generic template, and we find that candidates appreciate it most if they can find specific details about the team and projects they're going to be working on if they join.
• Write the questions before the answers - this helps to think holistically and avoid looking at the blank page for too long.
• Lean on your interviews. If you record or transcribe them, a lot of your best answers already exist, and you can just collect them.
• Let it stay a little unfinished - naturally, not everything is figured out. It’s okay to say that we’re still figuring this out.

This is a small thing, but it's added up for us. Hiring asks a lot of people, and putting some care into what they get back has been worth it, both because it feels good and because the conversations that follow are better for it.

I don't use AI image generators in my creative process. Or at least, I didn't before writing this article. Every time I tried to think of a reason to generate an image, my brain went straight to photorealism.

And then I'd think: why wouldn't I just pick up my phone and take a picture of the thing? But it turns out, I was only considering one slice of what these tools can do.

I'm not particularly artistic. Here's the evidence:

I can write. I can build a (pretty good, if I do say so myself) carousel in Canva or even Figma. But I can't draw, and I can't create the kind of illustrations I see other creators using across their content. That turned out to be exactly the gap where AI image generators are most useful — not replacing photography, but creating visuals I couldn't make on my own.

So I tested nine of them through that lens, focusing on the use cases where these tools actually solve a problem. Everything I learned about writing prompts that work, which tools performed best, and the AI image generators worth knowing about in 2026 is here.

Key takeaways

• Nano Banana 2 (Google) was the most consistent performer overall. It handled illustration accuracy, came closest to photorealism, and handled typography well. If you only try one model, start there.
• Every tool struggled with photorealism in some way. None produced an image I'd confidently pass off as a real photo without editing, especially when the prompt included brand names or device screens.
• Typography was the biggest divider. Seedream and Ideogram 3.0 were the most reliable at spelling and placing text. Others, like Midjourney and GPT Image, garbled words or skipped them entirely.
• Prompt structure matters across every tool. Leading with the subject, using photography language for realism, and describing colors in plain words instead of hex codes improved results across much of my testing.
• Multi-model platforms where you can access several AI image generators in one place are increasingly common. I ran most of my tests inside Leonardo.ai because it integrates directly with Canva, which is where I do all my visual design work. But tools like Higgsfield also let you switch between models and compare outputs side by side.
• Commercial-use rights vary by tool and plan. In the U.S., purely AI-generated material generally isn’t eligible for copyright protection without sufficient human authorship, though human-created elements of AI-assisted work may be protected.

What makes a good AI image prompt?

When I first sat down to test every tool in this article, I blanked completely. The generators have gotten remarkably good, especially in the past year. But I couldn't think of a single image I needed.

I think that's where most people get stuck. The tools aren't the bottleneck anymore. Knowing what to ask for is.

So I spent time researching before I started testing. I read through creator communities on Reddit (r/midjourney and r/StableDiffusion are genuinely useful places to learn from), studied prompt breakdowns on Instagram, and went through Envato's illustration prompt guide. Then I ran dozens of prompt variations across every tool on this list. A clear pattern emerged in what works and what doesn't.

Start with the subject, not the style

The first few words of your prompt carry the most weight. Every tool I tested responded better when I led with what's in the image before describing how it should look. "A woman sitting at a desk with a laptop open" before "editorial lifestyle photography, warm natural light."

When I flipped the order and led with style, the results lost focus. The model seemed to treat the style as the priority and get vague about the actual content.

Use camera language for photorealism

"Shallow depth of field." "Shot from a slight angle." "Soft golden hour lighting." "35mm film photography."

Photography terms can be especially effective because image-generation models often respond well to language commonly used to describe photographs, such as lighting, lenses, composition, and depth of field.

Vague descriptors like "beautiful" or "high quality" rarely move the needle; specificity is what actually shapes the output.

Describe colors in words, not codes

I tested the same prompt with hex codes and with plain descriptions ("light blue," "butter yellow"). The descriptive version was more accurate in the majority of tools I tested.

This one has some nuance, though. The Envato guide recommends hex codes for brand accuracy, and some tools (particularly ones built for designers, like Recraft) handle them better than others. If you're not sure, start with descriptive color names. If you're working with a specific brand palette and a design-focused tool, try the hex codes and see what you get.

Anchor your illustration style, or the tool will choose for you

This was the biggest lesson from the illustration tests. When I prompted for photorealism, the tools mostly knew what I meant. When I switched to illustration, the results fell apart until I got specific about what kind.

"Hand-drawn doodle, light blue ink, single color, simple line art with slightly wobbly quality, outlines only" gave me something usable. Without those anchors, most tools defaulted to either photorealism or a generic, flat illustration style that didn't reflect what I had in mind.

The Envato guide breaks illustration styles into specific technique language: "ink hatching, gouache blocks, flat vector shapes, stipple shading, gestural linework." The more precise you are about the medium and technique, the closer the output gets to what you actually pictured.

Tell the tool what you don't want

Negative prompts are underrated. Adding "no watermark," "no text," "no photorealism" to my illustration prompts cleaned up the outputs noticeably. But they only work when the core prompt is already solid. You can't subtract your way to a good image from a vague starting point.

Put your most important exclusions early in the negative prompt. "No photorealism, no watermarks, no text" performed better than burying those instructions at the end.

A prompt template worth bookmarking

Here's the structure that worked consistently across the tools I tested:

[Subject and what they're doing] + [setting or context] + [2 or more specific details] + [style]

And here are the prompts I came up with.

For illustration:

A sticker sheet of hand-drawn doodle illustrations on a butter yellow background, with generous spacing between every object so each can be cropped as an individual sticker. Exactly these objects and nothing else: 1) a structured clutch bag with clasp hardware, 2) a tall oval perfume bottle with a label reading "Orpheon", 3) chunky lace-up trail running sneakers, 4) wireless square transparent over-ear headphones with absolutely no wire and no earbud attached completely standalone, 5) angular rectangular sunglasses, 6) a leather zip-up moto biker jacket with zippered pockets, 7) an anthurium plant with large waxy leaves and a spadix, 8) an open laptop computer, 9) a smartphone with a screen, 10) a single hot steaming cup of tea in a teacup on a saucer no iced drinks, no straws, no second cup, 11) an open journal with handwritten lines on the pages, 12) a flat neat stack of magazines with spines reading Kinfolk, Dazed, i-D, 13) a plain simple canvas tote bag with handles not mesh, not net. Light blue line art on butter yellow background, single color, simple wobbly hand-drawn line art, outlines only, zero shading, zero fill, zero color blocks. Flat lay arrangement.

For photorealism:

A photorealistic image of an iPhone resting on a light marble surface, screen facing up, showing a colorful Instagram feed. A small iced coffee in a clear cup and a sprig of eucalyptus beside it. Three-quarter overhead angle, soft natural window light from the right, gentle shadows. Clean, styled, editorial product photography. No people, no hands, no text overlays, no watermarks.

For typography as design:

Square graphic. The phrase 'Brand Partnerships 101' rendered as colorful embroidery stitching on light blue linen fabric background. Letters in butter yellow thread with visible stitch texture, cross-stitch style. Small decorative floral embroidery accents in coral and white thread flanking the 📸text. Fabric has subtle woven texture. Warm, tactile, handcrafted feel. No photographs of real objects, no watermarks.

You'll see how each model handled these prompts (and where they fell apart) in the reviews below.

The nine best AI image generators

I tested nine AI image generation models across three prompts: a hand-drawn doodle sticker sheet, a styled product flat lay, and an embroidered typography graphic.

Some of these are models (the AI that generates the image), and some are platforms (where you access the model). Think of it like this: Nano Banana 2 is a model made by Google, but you can use it inside platforms like Leonardo.ai or Higgsfield without going to Google directly.

Rather than trying multiple tools across different websites, I used Leonardo.ai as my testing hub for the models available there, testing the most recent version of each. Then I tested Midjourney, Recraft, and Adobe Firefly as standalone tools.

If you only try one or two models: Nano Banana 2 delivered the most accurate results across all three test categories. For text-heavy graphics, start with Seedream. For the most artistic, visually rich outputs, Recraft’s models have a quality that other tools can't.

Now, the results.

Midjourney

Best for: Creators who want artistic, mood-driven visuals and don't need precise text or highly specific object rendering.

Midjourney has a reputation as the "artistic" AI image generator, and the visual richness of its outputs backs that up. The editing experience is button-based: you can vary elements to be subtle or strong, lean more creative, and even animate your results without leaving the tool.

How it handled illustration: Of the four images Midjourney generated from my sticker sheet prompt, only one was close to usable. Midjourney struggles with this level of detail and specificity. When you're listing 13 distinct objects with particular characteristics (a clutch with clasp hardware, transparent over-ear headphones, magazines with specific spine text), it can't keep up. The objects it did render looked good individually, but it missed the brief.

How it handled photorealism: The composition, lighting, and overall mood landed well. But the details fell apart: the "iced coffee" had no ice (just an ambiguous glass of something), and the Instagram feed on the phone screen was warped beyond recognition.

How it handled typography: This is where Midjourney hit a wall. It spelled "brand" correctly and got "101" right, but "partnerships" was garbled. The embroidery stitching itself looked genuinely handcrafted, maybe even the best texture of the bunch.

Adobe Firefly 5

Best for: Creators already in the Adobe ecosystem who want clean commercial licensing and don't mind working around brand-name restrictions.

Adobe Firefly 5 is the latest image-generation model from Adobe, and its biggest selling point is its workflow integration. If you're already in Photoshop or Illustrator, you can generate an image and move it straight into your editing workspace.

I don't use Photoshop or Illustrator in my day-to-day workflow, but if they're part of your workflow, the direct handoff alone might make Firefly worth trying.

How it handled illustration: The hand-drawn illustrations had a whimsical quality to them and felt truly hand-drawn. There were some attempts at making things feel "human-generated," like scribbles on the page, which was a nice touch. But the accuracy wasn't there: the leather jacket had zipper placements at the collar and bottom that were visibly wrong.

How it handled photorealism: This is where Firefly's copyright-conscious training showed up in a way I wasn't expecting. It declined the words "iPhone" and "Instagram" in the prompt, which aligns with how Adobe avoids potential trademark issues.

How it handled typography: The embroidery prompt was one of Firefly's better results. The fabric behind the text looked realistically aged and worn, the text itself was legible and well-generated, and there was genuine depth to the stitching.

Recraft V4 Pro

Best for: Creators and designers who want serious control over visual style and want access to Recraft's reference and refinement features.

Recraft has a massive library of existing designs from real designers that you can use as reference images. You can assign a color palette, select from a wide range of visual styles, and work with its agentic chat to refine your images through conversation.

How it handled illustration (using the Vector Pro model): The images had that hand-drawn quality I was going for. Objects like the plant and the coffee cup looked right. But inconsistencies crept in: the sneakers felt generic, and the laptop suddenly introduced a color that nothing else in the image had.

How it handled photorealism (using the V4 Pro model): At a glance, the image looked photorealistic. The objects cast very realistic shadows and the condensation detail on the iced coffee caught my attention. But zooming in told a different story: the phone dimensions looked off, and the table was sinking into the wall.

How it handled typography: Recraft went its own direction here. It didn't deliver the embroidery realism I asked for, but what it did produce had a clear aesthetic vision and a handcrafted feel that I could actually see myself using.

GPT Image 1.5 (OpenAI)

Best for: People already using ChatGPT who want quick image generation without switching tools.

I tested GPT Image 1.5 inside Leonardo.ai. You can dig deeper into style selection, adjust quality settings, and control image dimensions.

How it handled illustration: This was not GPT Image's strongest showing. The sticker images looked almost compressed, probably because the spacing I requested resulted in a lot of empty space that the model didn't know how to handle. The whole image also had that yellowish tinge.

How it handled photorealism: It came closer than the illustration prompt, but the Instagram feed on the phone screen was missing the visible branding and layout cues.

How it handled typography: GPT Image leaned hard into the cross-stitch texture, which was technically what I asked for. It followed the prompt more faithfully than several other tools.

Nano Banana 2 (Google)

Best for: Creators who want the most accurate rendering of specific real-world objects and styles, particularly for illustration work.

Nano Banana 2 is a Google model, and part of a family that's actively evolving. mWhen I asked for a "Diptyque Orphéon" perfume bottle or "chunky trail running sneakers from Salomon," Nano Banana seemed to actually know what those things look like. This one got the closest to reality.

How it handled illustration: This was my top pick for the illustration prompt. The hand-drawn style landed, the proportions were correct, and nothing felt off. It got the style of the perfume bottle right and even rendered the magazine spines with fonts that felt close to the real publications.

How it handled photorealism: Nano Banana came closest to generating a realistic Instagram feed, and the phone itself felt more believable. It added elements I hadn't asked for that made the scene feel lived-in.

How it handled typography: The embroidery text came out whimsical and stylized, with visible texture on both the fabric and the stitching. The flowers and surrounding design elements had a cohesive quality.

Seedream (ByteDance)

Best for: Creators who need reliable text generation in their images and access within CapCut.

Seedream is ByteDance's image generation model. You can use it if you have CapCut Pro.

How it handled illustration: Seedream produced the most sticker-like effect. Text generation was spot-on. Every label, every spelling, every piece of text in the image was correct. It also correctly rendered an anthurium instead of defaulting to a monstera.

How it handled photorealism: The phone was the weak point: it was clearly not a real device. But the surrounding elements held up. The shadows were well-placed, and the coffee cup was good.

How it handled typography: Seedream did well here. The fabric texture behind the text looked realistic, and it got most of the prompt elements right. The font weight felt slightly cartoonish compared to the fabric realism.

Ideogram 3.0

Best for: Creators who want accurate text in their generated images and are willing to trade visual personality for spelling precision.

Ideogram 3.0 is positioned as being great at generating images with text, but I found that it only got 75% of the way there in some of my requests.

How it handled illustration: The colors were off: the yellow was deeper than requested and there was no blue. The illustrations themselves were generic. It gave me something closer to a monstera when I asked for an anthurium.

How it handled photorealism: The image had that slightly-off quality that's hard to name but easy to spot — close to real, but not quite there. The coffee looked slightly fake in a way that's easy to pinpoint as AI. The shadows and lighting were actually good.

How it handled typography: Ideogram went for a cartoonish take on the embroidery. The effect didn't land for me. It felt tool-generated rather than handcrafted.

FLUX.2 Pro

Best for: Creators who want a model that takes creative liberties with prompts and produces outputs with a distinct point of view.

FLUX.2 Pro is another model available inside Leonardo.ai. It's been gaining attention in the AI image generation space for its balance of quality and speed.

How it handled illustration: FLUX created what looked like printed-out stickers that had been physically laid on a surface. The model found its own middle ground between illustration and photorealism. The hand-drawn feel was there, but I wished the stickers sat flatter against the background.

How it handled photorealism: FLUX handled shadows well and even added branding to the coffee cup. The phone was much closer to reality than the images from other models.

How it handled typography: The stitching texture is genuinely impressive. It looks like real thread. But the text itself looked slightly glued on rather than stitched into the fabric.

Lucid Origin

Best for: Creators who want quick generation with a distinctive dimensional quality and don't need pixel-perfect prompt adherence.

Lucid Origin offers both fast and ultra generation modes, plus a more limited set of style options compared to some other models on the platform. The ultra mode adds more detail but takes longer.

How it handled illustration: On closer inspection, the text generation was poor, and several requested objects didn't quite match the prompt. On the positive side, the stickers had an almost 3D quality that was visually interesting.

How it handled photorealism: This was one of the few tools that actually interpreted "flat lay" literally, going full top-down. But the ice in the cup and phone content looked deeply unrealistic.

How it handled typography: I liked what Lucid Origin generated here. The colors were nice and the embroidery had a slightly raised quality. It didn't get every element right, but the overall aesthetic was appealing.

Ready to put your AI-generated visuals to work? Get started with Buffer for free and start scheduling your content today.

FAQs about AI image generators

What is the best AI image generator overall?

Nano Banana 2 (Google's model) was the most consistent performer across all three of my test prompts. It handled illustration, photorealism, and typography well.

I tested it inside Leonardo.ai, which I'd recommend as a starting point since it gives you access to multiple models in one platform. If you're already in the Adobe ecosystem, Firefly 5 is worth trying for the workflow integration and cleaner copyright positioning. And if you want the most artistic, visually rich outputs, Midjourney still has a distinct quality that other tools can't match, as long as you don't need accurate text.

How do AI image generators work?

Every AI image generator on this list works by turning text into pixels, but they don't all do it the same way. They use different model architectures to turn prompts into images. Some use diffusion-based techniques, while newer multimodal models integrate language understanding and image generation more closely. The technical approaches vary by model, and companies don’t always publish every architectural detail.

Diffusion models start with visual noise and gradually remove it until an image forms.

Autoregressive models work more like writing a sentence, generating the image piece by piece.

Some newer image models use more advanced reasoning capabilities to interpret complex prompts before generating an image, which can improve instruction-following, text rendering, and object accuracy.

One more thing worth knowing: these models learn from images and their descriptions. That's why photography terms work so well in prompts (the training data is full of photo captions) and why specific illustration vocabulary like "ink hatching" or "gouache blocks" gets better results than "make it look drawn." You're speaking the language the model was trained on.

Can I use AI images in my content?

Yes, many AI image generators allow commercial use under certain plans or terms, but the rules vary by platform. Check the tool’s current terms before using generated images commercially.

But there's an important distinction: commercial use rights aren't the same as copyright ownership. The U.S. Copyright Office has ruled that typing a prompt doesn't make you the legal author of the output, which means someone else could theoretically use the same (or very similar) image without infringing on your work.

If your brand relies on original, distinctive visuals, that's worth factoring in. AI-generated images work great as supporting graphics, social media content, and inspiration, but for your core brand assets, you may still want human-created originals you can fully protect.

Are AI image generators free?

Yes, but "free" usually comes with limits. Most tools offer a free tier with a daily or monthly credit cap rather than unlimited access.

From the tools in this article: Leonardo.ai gives you daily tokens that refresh automatically. Recraft, Ideogram, and Meta AI all have free access with no subscription required. Midjourney is the exception; it requires a paid plan from the start.

If you want to try without signing up at all, tools like DeepAI let you generate images directly in your browser with no account needed.

What's the best AI image generator for social media graphics?

It depends on what kind of graphics you're making:

• For illustrated elements: Nano Banana 2 and Recraft were the strongest.
• For photorealistic product shots: Nano Banana 2 and FLUX.2 Pro produced the most convincing results.
• For text-heavy graphics: Seedream and Ideogram 3.0 had the most reliable text generation.

Once you've generated your visuals, tools like Buffer can help you schedule and publish them across all your social channels so you can go from creation to posting without switching tabs.

Can AI image generators put text on images?

Some can, some can't. Seedream and Ideogram 3.0 nailed the spelling and placement of text across all three prompts. Adobe Firefly 5 handled it well. Midjourney struggled badly with anything beyond short, simple words.

Do AI-generated images look obviously AI?

It depends on the type of image. For illustration and stylized graphics, most AI outputs are convincing enough to use as-is. For photorealism, the cracks usually show on closer inspection — phone screens, text within the image, and small product details are the biggest giveaways.

Resolution matters, too. Some tools now generate at native 2K or even 4K, which helps images hold up in larger formats. If you're generating at lower resolutions and then scaling up, the AI-ness becomes much more visible.

Can ChatGPT generate images?

Yes. ChatGPT can generate images using OpenAI's image generation model. You can type a description directly into ChatGPT, and it will produce an image for you.

In this article, that same model is tested as GPT Image 1.5 inside Leonardo.ai, which gives you more control over style settings and image dimensions. It's a solid option if you're already using ChatGPT and don't want to switch tools. Just know that complex, detail-heavy prompts (like a sticker sheet with 13 specific objects) can trip it up.

How do I create my own AI image?

Choose a tool from this list, then type a description (called a prompt) of the image you want. Most tools are free to start and don't require design experience.

The key is being specific. Lead with your subject ("a woman sitting at a café table"), then add style and lighting details ("hand-drawn illustration, single color, line art only"). Vague prompts produce generic results. The prompting section above breaks down a template you can follow for illustration, photorealism, and text-based graphics.

More AI resources

• 14 AI tools for social media content creation: my workflow guide
• The 11 best AI video editors for creators and marketers
• The top 10 AI writing tools I recommend as a professional writer
• 8 of the best AI productivity tools

In May, we launched Buffer's GraphQL Public API, enabling developers to build on Buffer. It's a strongly typed, GraphQL-first API with an MCP server, a CLI, and managed OAuth, running on the same infrastructure as our own apps. With it in place, we're winding down the older API it replaces.

We're retiring Buffer's legacy REST API on February 1, 2027. After that date, requests to legacy endpoints will no longer return data; therefore, all clients who are still using the legacy REST API are encouraged to start the migration process.

How the REST API came to be

We first launched Buffer's public API back in 2012, with a small but mighty group of around 15 integrations like Pocket, IFTTT, and other early web favorites. It was built on REST, the standard at the time, and let developers schedule posts and manage profiles. By 2019, more than 47,000 clients were building on it.

Then the landscape shifted. Following privacy scandals like Cambridge Analytica, social platforms tightened their terms of service and data privacy requirements. As a result, we wanted to ensure that our users’ data is safe and restrict how our API could be used. Around the same time, our own architecture was evolving: we unified our once-separate products under "One login, All of Buffer" and began consolidating everything onto a single, modern GraphQL API. In October 2019, we closed registration for new legacy apps - we knew we couldn't offer the developer experience we (and our partners) wanted without a much bigger investment.

That investment became Buffer's GraphQL Public API. Rather than maintain two API stacks with separate tooling - a heavy lift for a team our size - we've committed to one API that powers both our own apps and yours. Retiring the legacy REST API is the final step in that transition.

What's changing

• The legacy REST API will be fully retired on February 1, 2027. Requests to legacy endpoints will no longer return data.
• This affects anyone still calling the legacy REST API endpoints.
• New client creation on the legacy API is already closed.
• Deprecation and sunsetting signals will be added to the legacy endpoints: standard Deprecation and Sunset headers plus a Link header pointing to the migration guide.
• Two brownouts are planned before sunset: November 11 and December 9, 2026. Short scheduled interruptions where legacy requests will temporarily error out. All legacy clients who haven’t completed the migration will be notified about the brownouts ahead of time.

How to migrate to the new API

We've completed a thorough feature-parity analysis between the new and legacy APIs, and nearly every legacy capability has a direct equivalent in the GraphQL API.

Familiar concepts simply have new names - profiles are now channels, and updates are now posts. A few things also work differently under GraphQL, and they're worth knowing before you migrate:

• Scheduling is per-post. Rather than managing recurring time slots on a profile, you decide how each post is scheduled: add it to the queue, set a specific time, or publish immediately.
• Posts are created one channel at a time. Where the legacy API accepted an array of profile IDs, you now send one request per channel.
• Pagination is cursor-based instead of page-and-offset, so it stays reliable even as your queue changes.
• Errors are returned as typed fields in the response body, rather than as HTTP status codes.

For the full endpoint-by-endpoint mapping and code examples, see the REST API migration guide. If you hit a gap that's blocking your migration, reach out to the Buffer team - we want to help you and ensure the migration goes smoothly.

If you need help migrating

If you maintain a legacy integration and need help migrating, reach out to us on Discord or send us a message at developersupport@buffer.com - we can walk through your migration or help resolve a gap you hit. If a capability you rely on doesn't have an equivalent, let us know, and we will work with you to find a solution.

A lot goes into making a YouTube video perform well — your title, your thumbnail, when you post, and (most importantly) the quality of your content itself.

It's a lot to think about, and figuring out what clicks for your audience takes some trial and error, but that's where the data can help.

But thanks to our analysis of almost 2 million videos shared on YouTube (including both long-form videos and YouTube Shorts), 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 timing can still make a real difference. When you post during your audience's active hours, your video is more likely to pick up early engagement signals (clicks, watch time, likes) that YouTube's algorithm uses to decide whether to recommend it more widely.

Compared to all the work that goes into the rest of these processes, posting your YouTube videos and YouTube Shorts when you're most likely to get engagement is an easy box to tick. And it could give your content the boost it deserves.

In our analysis, we measured the median engagement of 1.8 million videos shared at different times, comparing performance across every hour and day of the week. This helped us pinpoint patterns in the posting times with the highest engagement, which we recommend as the best time to post on YouTube.

Based on Buffer’s analysis, the best time to post long-form videos on YouTube is Sunday at 10 a.m. For YouTube Shorts, Friday performs best, with 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. taking the top three slots.

One big change from our 2025 analysis: we found that long-form YouTube videos and YouTube Shorts have very different peak posting times. This makes sense when you think about how each format gets distributed. Long-form videos and shorts are distributed differently across YouTube, which may help explain why their peak posting times look so different in our data

Shorts, on the other hand, are continuously resurfaced by YouTube's recommendation engine over days or even weeks, which means the initial publish time is less make-or-break. Because of these differences, we've separated the data this time to give you more accurate recommendations for each format.

Keep in mind, these are general recommendations. In this article, I'll also walk you through how to figure out the best time to post on YouTube for your audience, whether you're a marketer, an up-and-coming creator, or a full-time YouTuber.

Key takeaways

• YouTube long-form videos and YouTube Shorts have almost opposite peak times (mornings vs. evenings), so they benefit from separate posting schedules.
• Sunday at 10 a.m. is the single highest-performing time slot for long-form YouTube videos.
• YouTube Shorts peak in the evenings, especially on Fridays. The top three slots are all on Friday: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m.
• The best day for long-form videos is Sunday, followed by Tuesday, and Monday.
• The best day for YouTube Shorts is Friday, followed by Saturday and then Thursday.
• For long-form videos especially, try to publish one to two hours before your audience's peak activity window. This gives YouTube time to process, index, and start testing your video so it's ready to be recommended right as viewers come online.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos

The best time to post long-form videos on YouTube is Sunday at 10 a.m. by a wide margin. Videos shared at that time had the highest engagement of the entire week.

Top-performing time slots for long-form videos:

• Sunday: 10 a.m. (Peak)
• Sunday: 9 a.m.
• Friday: 12 p.m.

🌞 Generally speaking, long-form videos shared during the morning hours between around 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. tended to get the highest engagement.

In the heatmap graph above, the darkest slots represent the time slots with the highest engagement, while the lighter blocks are the time slots with the lowest engagement (the upload times probably best avoided).

If you've read our previous analysis, you might notice something interesting: the patterns have shifted. Our last dataset pointed to late afternoon (3–5 p.m.) on weekdays as the sweet spot. This time around, mornings are where the (engagement) action is, and weekends, particularly Sundays, are outperforming midweek days by a significant margin.

The worst times to post long-form YouTube videos tend to fall during the early-to-mid afternoon on weekdays, particularly Wednesday and Thursday, where engagement dips noticeably across most time slots. Thursday at 2 p.m., for instance, had one of the lowest engagement factors of the week (0.11).

That said, every day has some decent pockets. Here's a closer look at the best time to post long-form YouTube videos for each day of the week.

At a glance: the best time to post long-form YouTube videos

Morning posting times dominate this dataset. Here are the best times for every day of the week:

• Monday: 9 a.m., 10 p.m., 7 a.m.
• Tuesday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 8 a.m.
• Wednesday: 7 a.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m.
• Thursday: 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 a.m.
• Friday: 12 p.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m.
• Saturday: 12 p.m., 10 a.m., 3 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 p.m.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Monday

The best time to post on YouTube on Monday is 9 a.m., followed by 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Videos posted on Monday mornings perform well across the board. It seems viewers enjoy kicking off their week with some YouTube content. The late-evening slot at 10 p.m. also stands out, suggesting a second window for Monday uploads.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Tuesday

The best time to publish YouTube content on Tuesday is 9 a.m., with other peak slots at 11 a.m. and 8 a.m. Tuesday is one of the best days of the week overall, and the morning window from 8 to 11 a.m. is consistently high-performing. If you can only publish once a week on a weekday, Tuesday morning is a solid bet.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Wednesday

The best time to post on YouTube on Wednesday is 7 a.m., followed by 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday is one of the weaker days overall (only Thursday scores lower), so expectations should be tempered here. However, the early morning and mid-afternoon slots still show reasonable engagement if Wednesday is part of your posting schedule.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Thursday

The best time to post on YouTube on Thursday is 5 p.m., followed by 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. Thursday is the weakest day of the week for long-form video engagement in our data, with midday and early afternoon slots dipping particularly low. If you're posting on a Thursday, evening uploads are your best option, or consider bumping your video to Friday instead.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Friday

The best time to post on YouTube on Friday is 12 p.m., with other peak slots at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday is interesting; it's the only weekday where midday outperforms morning. Friday at 12 p.m. actually had one of the highest engagement factors of the entire week (0.70), making it a standout slot. If you can't post on a Sunday, Friday around lunchtime is a worthy alternative.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Saturday

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Saturday is 12 p.m., followed by 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday engagement is moderate and fairly consistent throughout the day, and there aren't dramatic peaks or valleys. It's a good day to post if your audience skews toward weekend viewers.

The best time to post long-form YouTube videos on Sunday

The best time to upload on YouTube on Sunday is 10 a.m. — and this is the top slot of the entire week. Sunday at 10 a.m. scored a 0.95 engagement factor, with 9 a.m. (0.80) and 12 p.m. (0.67) also performing well above average. Sunday mornings are, by far, the best time to post long-form YouTube videos.

If you're not already including Sunday in your posting schedule, this data makes a decent case for it.

The best and worst days to post long-form YouTube videos

The best day of the week to post long-form YouTube videos is Sunday, followed by Tuesday and then Monday. All three are in what our analysis categorized as "strong" engagement territory.

Saturday and Friday fall into the "moderate" range — still above the neutral threshold, and perfectly fine for posting.

Wednesday and Thursday are the weakest days of the week. Both fall well below the neutral line, with Thursday scoring the lowest. If you're choosing which days to include in your posting schedule, these are the ones to consider dropping, or at least being strategic about your posting times.

This is a notable shift from our previous data, which pointed to Wednesday through Friday as the strongest days and weekends as the weakest. The pattern has essentially reversed, with Sunday now leading the pack.

One thing worth noting: long-form videos are especially sensitive to timing. They depend on those early engagement signals to gain momentum. So if you know when your audience is most active, try publishing an hour or two before that window. This gives YouTube time to process and index your video so it's ready to surface right when your viewers come online.

The best time to post YouTube Shorts

Here's where things get even more interesting. YouTube Shorts have a very different engagement pattern from long-form videos; so different that we've broken them out into their own section for the first time.

Based on our analysis, the best time to post YouTube Shorts is Friday at 4 p.m., followed by Friday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. Yes, that's three Friday slots in the top three, so Friday is the undisputed best day for shorts.

🌙 While long-form videos perform best in the mornings, YouTube Shorts engagement peaks in the evenings, generally between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. This makes sense when you think about how people consume short-form content: it's the kind of thing you scroll through to unwind at the end of the day.

The worst times to post YouTube Shorts tend to fall during the afternoon, between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. with the exception of Friday, where the late afternoon is actually the top-performing window.

At a glance: the best time to post YouTube Shorts

Evenings dominate for YouTube Shorts. Here are the best posting times for each day of the week:

• Sunday: 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 5 p.m.
• Monday: 8 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m.
• Tuesday: 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 7 p.m.
• Wednesday: 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m.
• Thursday: 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m.
• Friday: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m.
• Saturday: 7 p.m., 11 a.m., 6 p.m.

Saturday is interesting; it's the only day where a morning slot (11 a.m.) cracks the top three, so there may be a window for early-day shorts content on the weekend.

The best and worst days to post YouTube Shorts

The best day to post YouTube Shorts is Friday, followed by Saturday and then Thursday.

The worst days to post YouTube Shorts are Tuesday and Monday. If you're planning a shorts-only posting schedule, prioritizing the latter half of the week (Thursday through Saturday) and keeping Friday as your anchor day is a smart approach.

Long-form vs. shorts: a quick comparison

If you're posting both long-form videos and shorts, the key takeaway is that they need different scheduling strategies:

• Long-form videos perform best in the mornings (8a.m.–11 a.m.), with Sunday, Tuesday, and Monday as the best days.
• YouTube Shorts perform best in the evenings (6p.m.–9 p.m.), with Friday, Saturday, and Thursday as the best days.

There's almost no overlap, which is actually good news if you're publishing both formats. You can schedule long-form content for morning uploads and shorts for evening drops without competing with yourself.

Finding your best time to post on YouTube

As we often share on this blog, every audience is different. The times above are based on broad engagement patterns across millions of videos, but they may not be the right fit for your audience and their behavior.

So, your best time to publish on YouTube might be slightly different from what we've shared here. Your YouTube posting schedule, like all things in content marketing, has to be fine-tuned and figured out for your specific audience. But how do you do that?

The good news is that YouTube Analytics makes this pretty easy. Their metrics are extensive and updated in real time. Here, you'll get a good sense of when to post videos for your target audience — if you know where to look.

Here's a step-by-step guide.

1. Go to YouTube Studio

First up, head over to YouTube Studio. While there are several routes via your YouTube channel when logged in, it's easiest to head straight to studio.youtube.com.

If you're just starting, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the tool (here's how to use YouTube Studio for newbies). In a nutshell, YouTube Studio is your channel's control room, where you'll go to upload your videos and shorts, keep on top of your subscribers and comments, manage monetization, and monitor your video performance.

2. Check out your YouTube analytics

Of all the native social media analytics tools, YouTube Studio is one of the best. Not only does it offer you a wealth of stats and numbers, but it also does an excellent job of helping you understand and take action from all those metrics.

To access all this good stuff, click on the Analytics tab on the left-hand side of your screen. Here, you'll find your YouTube analytics Overview, with insights into your overall viewership, watch time, subscriber growth, engagement metrics, and more.

Visiting this space should be a regular task on your social media marketing checklist.

3. Navigate to Audience

In YouTube Studio's Audience tab (at the top of the screen), you can dig into some fascinating info about your audience as a whole, not just your subscribers.

You'll find insights into things like which videos are growing your audience (definitely a set of metrics to pay attention to if your goal is to grow your YouTube channel), a host of audience demographics like location, age, and gender, as well as the type of content your audience usually watches on YouTube (YouTube Shorts, Lives, or longer videos).

But when it comes to the best time to post on YouTube for you, the most helpful analytics segment is 'When your viewers are on YouTube.' To find this graph, scroll down a bit on the Audience tab.

Here, you'll find a unique heat map set in your local time, indicating the specific times your audience is on YouTube. Their most active times will be in the darkest purple and the least active times in the lightest purple. These slots are a great indicator of the best time to post on YouTube for your target audience.

It's well worth checking on these numbers regularly. The data applies to the last 28 days, so peak times may shift periodically.

Your checklist for high-performing YouTube videos and YouTube Shorts

While it might offer your channel a little boost to upload YouTube videos at the best time to post, it's not the be-all and end-all. There are many factors to consider to give your videos the best chance of success.

For more guidance on this, check out our guide to getting more subscribers on YouTube. Here's a quick cheat sheet to get you started:

1. Optimize your channel: Make sure you have unique, high-quality channel art (a profile picture, banner image, and video watermark), write a comprehensive channel description, and create a video spotlight or trailer for your channel.
2. Get to grips with the YouTube algorithm: The YouTube algorithm determines how your YouTube content is ranked in the platform's various feeds. It weighs specific signals (like views, watch time, engagement, and more) to pinpoint how valuable your video content is and who to show it to. Here's our guide to the YouTube algorithm and the YouTube Shorts algorithm to walk you through it.
3. Tap into YouTube SEO: Like traditional SEO, YouTube SEO starts with understanding what your audience is searching for and making it clear what your content is about. Conduct keyword research with a search engine optimization (SEO) tool, and make sure you use those keywords in your channel description, video title, and video description.
4. Create thumbnails that stop the scroll: YouTube thumbnails can make or break the success of your YouTube video. YouTube thumbnails that feature faces and emotions, use bright colors, and include branding or text generally perform better
5. Deliver value upfront: There's no point in uploading videos at the best time to post on YouTube if your audience is going to close the video within a few seconds. You've caught their attention, now make sure you hold it. Ditch long, winding intros and start delivering on your video's promise from the get-go to capture viewers' attention.
6. Use pattern interrupts: Talking-head videos get real boring, real fast. Keep your viewers engaged with subtle edits that keep things interesting — think text, transitions, b-roll footage, animations, stickers, and more.
7. Start a series: Give your audience a reason to keep coming back to your channel. Build successful videos out into a series, and, if it makes sense for your audience, deliver the next installment at regular intervals (use this 'best time to post on YouTube' guide to create your posting schedule if you're not sure when will work best).
8. Don't sleep on YouTube Shorts: With billions of views daily, YouTube's answer to TikTok and Instagram Reels can be a brilliant way to draw in new subscribers. Here are 15+ YouTube Shorts Ideas For Your Next Video to get you started.
9. Post consistently: Whether it's a video or a short, keep your YouTube channel as active as possible with a consistent posting schedule. A social media content calendar is a must-have to help you maintain your chosen cadence of quality content creation.
10. Engage with your audience: Replying to and liking viewer comments is table stakes. Go the extra mile and screenshot their comments to feature in videos, encourage discussion by asking questions in your scripts, and moderate your comments to keep your community safe and healthy. You could even ask them when they're most likely to watch videos, to help you pinpoint your best time to post on YouTube.
11. Keep going: YouTube success is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't expect virality with your first video. And don't expect leveraging the best time to post on YouTube to do all the work for you. Take the pressure off and know that your content and video quality are improving with each upload. Stick with it, pay attention to content performance, and subscribers will come.

FAQ about the best time to post on YouTube

What is the best time to post on YouTube?

Based on Buffer’s analysis of 1.8 million YouTube videos, the best time to post long-form YouTube videos is Sunday at 10 a.m. YouTube Shorts perform best on Friday, with 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. taking the top three time slots.

What is the best time to post YouTube Shorts?

The best time to post YouTube Shorts is Friday at 4 p.m., followed by 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. More broadly, Shorts tend to perform best in the evenings, particularly toward the end of the week.

What is the best day to post on YouTube?

Sunday is the best day to post long-form YouTube videos, followed by Tuesday and Monday. For YouTube Shorts, Friday is the strongest day, followed by Saturday and Thursday.

Does posting time matter on YouTube?

Posting time can matter, but it’s only one factor in your video’s performance. Publishing when your audience is active may help you reach viewers at a useful time, while factors like your topic, title, thumbnail, and how well your content holds viewers’ attention are more important to long-term performance.

Should I post on YouTube before my audience is most active?

It can be worth testing posts shortly before your audience is most active, but there’s no universal lead time that works for every channel. Your YouTube Analytics can show you when your viewers are typically on YouTube. You can use those activity patterns alongside Buffer’s broader posting-time data to test different publishing times and find what works best for your channel.

How do I find my best time to post on YouTube?

To find your best time to post on YouTube, open YouTube Studio and go to Analytics → Audience. Look for the When your viewers are on YouTube report, which shows when your viewers have been active on YouTube over the past 28 days. Use this data alongside your own video performance to test and refine your posting schedule.

More YouTube resources

• How to Create Scroll-stopping YouTube Thumbnails (+ Tips from Top Creators)
• 25 Creative YouTube Shorts Ideas for Your Next Video
• YouTube SEO: A Simple Step-by-step Guide to Videos That Rank
• The 11 Best AI Video Editors for Creators and Marketers, Tried and Tested (+ Bonus AI Tool)
• Video Marketing 101: How to Build a Successful Strategy in 2026 (+ Examples & Pro Tips)

With more than 40 million registered users, Bluesky is one of the fastest-growing social networks out there.

Among the new wave of fediverse platforms and decentralized networks, Bluesky is possibly the easiest to get to grips with, thanks to its clean interface and ever-increasing community of all sorts of creators. From science to K-pop, there’s a space for everyone on the network. 

If you’re new to Bluesky and the world of decentralized social media, here’s a quick summary: Bluesky was created by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and is a decentralized social network built on an open-source protocol called AT Protocol.

With the protocol, Bluesky’s mission is to create “an open foundation for the social internet so that we can all shape its future” because “social media is too important to be controlled by a few corporations.” 

Here’s a great graphic by artist Davis Bickford that explains the company’s vision:

To mark the occasion, we teamed up with @davis.social to create a comic illustrating what Bluesky is all about. See if you can spot the easter eggs! 👀 [1/3]

[image or embed]

— Bluesky (@bsky.app) Feb 6, 2024 at 16:10

Key takeaways

• App passwords: To connect Bluesky to third-party tools like Buffer, you must generate a specific app password in your Bluesky settings rather than using your main login password.
• No native scheduling: Bluesky does not currently offer a built-in scheduling feature, making external tools necessary for planning content.
• Crossposting: You can use Buffer to post simultaneously to Bluesky, Mastodon, and other platforms to save time.
• Thread support: Buffer allows creating and scheduling full Bluesky threads.
• Self-hosting: Buffer supports users who choose to self-host their own Bluesky instances on private servers.

Initially an invite-only network, Bluesky opened its proverbial doors in February 2024, welcoming more than one million new users in just one day. 

That said, adding another platform to your social media mix is a big decision. We hope to make that a little easier with Buffer's planning, publishing, and crossposting features.

Why bother scheduling your Bluesky posts? A few good reasons:

• Stay consistent without being online 24/7. Bluesky moves fast, and a steady posting rhythm helps you stay visible.
• Free up time for conversations. When your publishing is handled, you can focus on replying, connecting, and actually being part of the community.
• Plan across platforms. If you're posting to Bluesky, X, Threads, and Mastodon, scheduling lets you coordinate your messaging in one go.
• Post when your audience is scrolling. Schedule your content to go live at times that work for your followers, even if that's 3 a.m. your time.

Another helpful feature: Buffer lets you crosspost your Bluesky content to platforms like X, Threads, Mastodon, LinkedIn, and more, all from a single composer.

One thing worth knowing for those familiar with decentralized networks: while Bluesky is decentralized, it’s not technically part of the fediverse. That’s because Bluesky’s AT Protocol is different from ActivityPub, the open protocol that fediverse platforms like Mastodon and Threads use. But with Buffer, you can bridge that gap by crossposting to both.

Sound good? Whether you're just getting started on Bluesky or ready to dive in, here's how to connect your account to Buffer and start posting.

Connect your Bluesky account to Buffer

First things first: before you can schedule or crosspost, you'll need to add Bluesky as a channel in Buffer. It only takes a few minutes.

• Sign in to Buffer (if you’ve not yet signed up, no sweat — you can do that for free here).
• In a new tab, sign in to Bluesky. 
• In Buffer, navigate to publish.buffer.com. On the left-hand side of the screen, click the + button next to Channels.
• Choose Bluesky in the dialog box.

• This will open the dialog box below:

• Leave your Buffer tab open, and navigate to your Bluesky tab. Click the profile icon on the left-hand side to go to your profile page.
• At the top of the page under your name, you’ll find your Bluesky handle. Unless you’ve customized your domain, it should look something like this: @yourname.bksy.social.
• Copy that over to the dialog box you left open in Buffer.
• Now head back to Bluesky. Click on the settings cog on the left to navigate to the Settings menu. Choose Privacy and Security to find the App passwords option.

• Click Add App Password

• This will open a dialog box that allows you to create a new app password. You can stick with the default password name or create your own. (Note that this is not your login password. It’s more like a key that will unlock Bluesky for your Buffer account.)
• Your password will appear in the next window. Copy that and head back to Buffer, where you can paste it into the Bluesky App Password box.
• Click Continue, and you’re all done. And you're all set. Your Bluesky account is now connected to Buffer.

Schedule and crosspost your Bluesky content

Here’s the 30-second version:

• Open Buffer and click + New.
• Select Bluesky (and any other channels)
• Draft your text, images, or video.
• Choose when you'd like to post.
• Review it any time from your Buffer calendar.

There are many routes to creating a new post in Buffer. We'll start with the + New button on the top right of publish.buffer.com.(You can also create posts by clicking the + icon next to any channel, or by clicking on calendar or queue slots.)

The process will be similar for whichever option you choose.

• Log in to Buffer, then click on the Publish tab at the top. 
• Click the + New button on the top right. 
• In the composer window, be sure to choose Bluesky from your channels list at the top. To crosspost, choose the other channels you want to publish to as well.

• Add your text or media to the main composer window. Bluesky posts can be up to 300 characters and support up to four images or one video (up to three minutes long). You can also add alt text to your images directly in the Buffer composer to make your content more accessible — something Bluesky actively encourages.
• If you’re crossposting, you can customize for each platform by clicking within the boxes that correspond to each of the channels you’ve selected.
• When you’re ready to post, pick your preferred option:
  • Next Available: Publish in the next available slot in each platform’s custom queue
  • Prioritize: Bump your post to the top of the queue
  • Now: Publish right away
  • Set Date and Time: Publish at a specific time
• To move your posts around, head to your calendar in Buffer and drag the post to a new slot, or hover over the post and click Edit.

And that's it. Your post is scheduled and ready to go live on your chosen platforms at your chosen times. One less thing to worry about.

Want to create a Bluesky thread? In the Buffer composer, click Start thread at the bottom of the editor. Add each post in the thread using the + button, then schedule or publish as usual. Buffer will post the entire thread in order, right on time.

Once your posts are live, Buffer can help you stay on top of the conversation, too. With Buffer's Community tool, you can view and reply to your Bluesky comments directly from Buffer — no tab-switching needed. And if you want to see what's working, Buffer's analytics let you track engagement and follower growth right from your dashboard.

Let’s connect on Bluesky

Bluesky is a platform worth being on right now, and I'd love to connect with you there. You can find me here and Buffer here.

I hope this guide made things easier. If you run into any questions as you're getting set up, our support team is always here to help.

FAQs about Bluesky

What if I'm self-hosting my Bluesky account — can I still use Buffer?

You can; we support custom servers in Buffer, so go ahead and connect your account.

What is self-hosting?

Self-hosting means running your Bluesky account on a server you control, rather than on Bluesky's default servers. Most people use the standard Bluesky-hosted instance when they sign up. If you'd prefer more control over your data, you can host your own instance instead. It's similar to the difference between using a hosted website builder and running your own server.

Does Bluesky have built-in scheduling?

Not yet; Bluesky doesn't offer any built-in scheduling tools right now, so if you want to schedule, you'll need a third-party tool. You can connect your Bluesky account to Buffer, pick a time (or add it to your queue), and Buffer will publish it for you, even while you're offline.

Can I schedule Bluesky threads in Buffer?

While Bluesky supports threads natively, it doesn't currently let you schedule them. Buffer lets you create and schedule complete threads ahead of time. However, you can schedule threads with Buffer. In the Buffer composer, click Start thread, add each post, and then choose when you want it to go live. We'll publish the entire thread in order, right on time.

Can I crosspost my Bluesky content to other platforms with Buffer?

Yes, you can. In the Buffer composer, select Bluesky along with any other channels you'd like. Customize each version if needed, pick your times, and we'll take care of publishing to every platform.

Can I schedule Bluesky posts from my phone?

Yes. Download the Buffer app for iOS or Android, connect your Bluesky account, and you can draft, schedule, and manage your posts right from your phone.

What types of media can I include in a scheduled Bluesky post?

When composing a Bluesky post in Buffer, you can include text, images, and video. You can also add alt text to any image directly in the Buffer composer. Just click the image after uploading. It's a small step that makes your content more accessible to everyone.

Is Buffer free to use for scheduling Bluesky posts?

Yes. Buffer has a free plan that lets you connect a Bluesky account and schedule posts right away, with no credit card required. Paid plans add more channels, a higher scheduling limit, and other features. You can get started and upgrade whenever it makes sense for you.

More Bluesky resources

If you’re new to the platform (or want to level up), we have a bunch of resources to help make things a little easier. Here’s my recommended reading:

• What is Bluesky? Here's What You Should Know
• What You Need to Know About How to Use Bluesky
• 7 Bluesky Content Ideas and Tips for Your Next Post
• All of Bluesky’s Features (So Far) and How to Use Them
• Bluesky Verification is Here: How the Blue Check Works
• Subscriptions and Monetization are Coming to Bluesky — Here's How

After digging into millions of posts sent through Buffer, we've tracked down the best time to post on all major social platforms, LinkedIn included.

By "we," I mean Julian Winternheimer, our resident data scientist.

We've (OK, Julian has) been running these numbers for around two years now, and the 2026 LinkedIn findings surprised me a little.

In 2025, peak engagement was almost entirely confined to working hours — things fell off pretty sharply once 5 p.m. hit. This year, we're seeing those peak windows shift later into the day, which mirrors what's been happening on Instagram and TikTok for a while now.

Late afternoon and evening hours are now pulling some of the strongest LinkedIn engagement numbers we've seen. People are still showing up for professional content; they're just doing it after they've closed their laptops for the day.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's get into the data.

Key takeaways

• Peak hours: Late afternoon and evening hours (3 p.m.–8 p.m.) now drive the highest engagement on LinkedIn, although some days have high-performing slots later in the evening.
• Top slots: Wednesday at 4 p.m., Friday at 3 p.m., and Friday at 4 p.m. are the highest-performing times.
• Best day: Wednesday is the best day to post, closely followed by Thursday and Friday.
• Early-week dip: Monday and Tuesday see the lowest engagement; save your best content for mid-to-late week.

Is there a best time to post on LinkedIn?

Yes, our data shows that when you post on LinkedIn can meaningfully impact how much engagement your content gets. That said, as even LinkedIn's own marketing blog points out, timing research isn't a black-and-white science, and every audience is a little different.

After analyzing more than 4.8 million LinkedIn posts sent through Buffer, we were able to pinpoint some clear posting windows when content tended to get higher engagement than others.

Your LinkedIn content is more likely to get engagement in these windows, whether you're looking to grow a LinkedIn Page for a brand or your own personal brand with a LinkedIn profile.

Engagement is a particularly useful benchmark when it comes to identifying the best time to post on LinkedIn. The platform’s algorithm uses interactions (reactions, comments, and reposts) as signals to help it decide which posts are valuable and should be shown to more people.

In other words, the more engagement your post receives, the more people will see your post. It's a simplified way of putting things since loads of factors determine how posts are ranked, but it’s a solid rule of thumb. Engagement is one of many signals LinkedIn can use to determine which content is relevant and worth surfacing to more people. So while strong engagement doesn’t automatically guarantee more reach, the two can influence each other.

This is why we consider time slots in which posts got the highest engagement to be the best time to post on LinkedIn.

But (and here's the rub) every target audience is different.

As I always do in these articles on the best time to post on social media, I advise experimenting with your schedule as part of your LinkedIn marketing strategy, then digging into your social media analytics to uncover your unique best time to post and make the most of the LinkedIn algorithm.

We'll get into how to do that below.

First, here's a deep dive into Buffer's data on the best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026.

The best time to post on LinkedIn for engagement

The best time to post on LinkedIn for high engagement is generally during late afternoon and evening hours, between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. Posts shared at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday tend to get the most engagement overall.

You can see it all pretty clearly in the graph above. It breaks down the week into hourly chunks, where the darkest blocks are the time slots with the highest engagement (and the best time to post on LinkedIn), and the light to white blocks are the time slots with the lowest engagement.

The shift toward evening engagement on LinkedIn looks a little different from what we saw in 2025, when the best posting times were exclusively within working hours.

Even so, behavior is shifting. People are increasingly engaging with LinkedIn content after they've closed their laptops, whether that's during a commute home, an evening wind-down, or a late-night scroll through industry news.

That doesn't mean midday is a dead zone, though. LinkedIn's own marketing blog notes that pockets of the workday (like the lunch break or mid-afternoon) are still moments when professionals pause to scroll. In our data, those midday hours perform decently; they're just no longer the clear peak the way they were last year.

As you'll see from the graph above, engagement picks up in the afternoon and remains strong through the evening hours. Unlike other social platforms where evening slots have always performed well, this represents a notable shift in LinkedIn behavior.

Posts shared during traditional morning hours (6 a.m.–11 a.m.) now tend to see lower engagement compared to afternoon and evening slots.

The best times to post on LinkedIn by day

🌍 Wait, what time zone? To make this data easier to understand, our data scientist has normalized posting times by local time zone. So if the recommended time is 4 p.m., you can treat that as 4 p.m. in the time zone you’re targeting. There’s no need to convert from a single reference time zone.

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Monday

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Monday is 10 p.m., as professionals catch up on content after their workday. If you're looking for more Monday slots to add to your posting schedule, LinkedIn posts shared at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. also saw higher engagement than the rest of the day.

Monday overall tends to see lower engagement compared to midweek, so consider saving your highest-priority content for Wednesday through Friday.

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Tuesday

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Tuesday is 4 p.m., as users begin wrapping up their workday and checking their feeds. If you need more posting times to choose from, 5 p.m. is not far off in terms of engagement, as is 10 p.m.

Like Monday, Tuesday sees slightly lower overall engagement, so test these times with your audience before locking in a regular Tuesday schedule.

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Wednesday

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Wednesday is 4 p.m. This is actually one of the highest-engagement time slots of the entire week. Other top posting times for Wednesday are 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., giving you a solid afternoon-to-early-evening window.

Wednesday is your best day overall for LinkedIn engagement, so this is a great day to share your most important content.

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Thursday

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Thursday is 5 p.m. Posts shared during the late afternoon and evening hours tend to perform well, so this time is definitely worth adding to your content calendar. If you need more times on Thursday, 7 p.m. is also strong, and 9 p.m. is worth considering for reaching users who engage later in the evening.

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Friday

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Friday is 3 p.m., right as professionals are starting to wind down their week. Other strong contenders for your posting schedule are 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Friday is one of your strongest days for engagement, and definitely worth keeping in your rotation.

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Saturday

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Saturday is 9 a.m. Posts shared on Saturday tend to see less engagement on the platform than most weekdays, so consider scheduling your content for a weekday instead. If you must post on Saturday, our data showed that 9 a.m. tends to get the highest engagement, followed by 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Sunday

The best time to post on LinkedIn on Sunday is 10 p.m. Still, content shared on Sundays sees lower engagement compared to weekdays, and this slot is definitely not your best option if you're hoping to boost post interactions. If Sunday works better for your schedule, late evening is your best bet. Other times to consider are 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The best day to post on LinkedIn

The best day of the week to post on LinkedIn is Wednesday. We found that posts shared on Wednesday tended to get the most engagement, closely followed by Thursday, then Friday.

Anecdotally, this mid-to-late week pattern makes sense. By Wednesday, professionals are fully engaged with their work week and actively seeking valuable content, but they're not yet in weekend mode.

Monday and Tuesday, on the other hand, showed the lowest engagement in our data. Monday sees the weakest numbers of the week, with Tuesday not far behind.

It's worth noting that not all research agrees here. LinkedIn's marketing blog highlights studies where Tuesday is actually one of the most active days on the platform. This is a good reminder that results can vary depending on the dataset, audience, and industry, so it's worth testing early-week posts with your own followers before writing those days off entirely.

The heads-down work theory still holds, though: if your audience tends to be deep in tasks on Monday and Tuesday, mid-to-late week is likely your better bet.

Get the best times to post on LinkedIn right in Buffer

With Buffer, you can have your posting schedule automatically set to the best times. That goes for all the other channels that Buffer supports, too. They'll appear as posting slots in your queue and calendar, making it super easy for you to schedule posts at the best times.

It'll take you less than a minute to set up:

1. Select LinkedIn on your channels list on the left.
2. Click on the settings (gear) icon above the calendar.
3. Scroll to Posting Schedule and under Posting Slots, click the Generate New Posting Slots button.
4. Then Use Recommended Posting Slots.

The schedule will automatically update to include the best posting times for the week, based on our latest analysis of millions of LinkedIn posts.

The next time you schedule a post, you can click one of these high-engagement slots in your calendar or list view, or just hit Next available to add it to the next available slot.

How to find the best time to post on LinkedIn for your audience

The optimal timings above can form a helpful guide if you're just building your LinkedIn social media marketing strategy. Still, they're no substitute for figuring out your own best time to post.

The native LinkedIn Analytics will surface your top-performing posts over a specific period for both pages and profiles, which might allow you to pinpoint some patterns and figure out your personal best time to post on LinkedIn.

However, you'll need a record of exactly when you posted a specific piece of content (like a social media management tool or social media content calendar) to refer back to.

LinkedIn Analytics won't show you detailed timings on published content after the fact. The best the LinkedIn timestamp will tell you is "3h" or "2d" (to indicate you posted the content three hours or two days ago, etc.)

With Buffer, as mentioned above, you can automatically set recommended times for LinkedIn and your other social media platforms. These times appear as posting slots in your queue and calendar.

Best time to post on LinkedIn FAQs

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about when to post on LinkedIn.

Does the time you post on LinkedIn actually matter?

Our data, based on over 4.8 million LinkedIn posts, shows that yes, timing does make a difference. Posts shared during high-engagement windows (particularly late afternoon and evening hours on weekdays) consistently outperformed those posted at off-peak times.

Remember, timing isn't a magic fix. Posting at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday won't rescue a post that isn't relevant or valuable to your audience. Think of the top posting times as a helpful boost on top of a solid content strategy, not a substitute for one.

The good news? Acting on timing data is easier than ever. LinkedIn now lets you schedule posts directly within the platform, and tools like Buffer can automate your posting schedule based on high-engagement time slots so you don't have to remember to hit publish at exactly 4 p.m.

When is the worst time to post on LinkedIn?

Based on our data, the lowest-engagement windows are early in the week. Monday and Tuesday tend to underperform compared to mid-to-late week. Morning hours (before noon) also see weaker engagement now that late afternoon and evening have shifted to the top of the heatmap.

Weekends are generally quiet too, though Saturday at 9 a.m. and late Sunday evening can still see some activity. If you have a post you really want to perform, don't bury it on a Monday morning; save it for Wednesday through Friday instead.

What is the "golden hour" for LinkedIn posts?

The “golden hour” is a popular term for the period shortly after a LinkedIn post goes live, when early engagement may help build momentum. There’s no official 60- or 90-minute window confirmed by LinkedIn, though. LinkedIn has said that early engagement signals can influence how widely content is distributed, so publishing when your audience is likely to be active may still give your post a stronger start.

Is LinkedIn engagement higher in the morning or evening?

Our latest data shows that evening hours now outperform mornings on LinkedIn. Posts shared between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays consistently see higher engagement than those shared in the morning — a notable shift from what we saw in previous years, when traditional work hours dominated.

The theory? Professionals are increasingly catching up on LinkedIn content after work, during their commute home, or while unwinding in the evening. Our data can’t tell us why the change is happening, though, only that later posting times performed particularly well in this analysis.

What's the best time to post on LinkedIn on weekends?

If you need to post on a weekend, Saturday at 9 a.m. is your best bet. Sunday late evening (around 10 p.m.) also shows some activity. However, both days see significantly lower engagement than weekdays, so if you have flexibility, it's worth holding your content for midweek (Wednesday through Friday), when engagement is at its strongest.

Do these posting times apply to my time zone?

Yes, our data scientist has crunched the numbers so that the recommended times are universally applicable. You don't need to convert anything. Whether you're posting from New York, London, or Mumbai, 4 p.m. means 4 p.m. in your local time zone.

How often should I post on LinkedIn?

Posting frequency is a separate (and equally important) question from timing — and we have data on that too. Buffer analyzed over 2 million LinkedIn posts to figure out the sweet spot, and the findings are pretty clear.

Posting 2 to 5 times per week is where most creators and brands should start. That cadence alone delivers around 1,182 more impressions per post and a 0.23 percentage point lift in engagement rate compared to posting just once a week, which is the point where LinkedIn's algorithm seems to recognize you as active and starts distributing your content more widely.

If you can sustain it, posting 6 to 10 times per week pushes those gains further (+5,001 impressions per post), and at 11+ posts per week the lift is dramatic: Nearly 17,000 more impressions per post and three times as many engagements. The good news is that these results hold regardless of your audience size, whether you have 500 followers or 50,000.

What type of content performs best on LinkedIn?

According to our data, carousel (document) posts generate up to 596% more engagement than text-only posts, making them the standout format on the platform right now. Beyond format, content that offers genuine insight, professional value, or a unique perspective tends to do well on LinkedIn. For a deeper look at what's working, check out our guide to the LinkedIn algorithm.

More LinkedIn resources

• Replying to Your Comments on LinkedIn Boosts Engagement by 30%
• LinkedIn Marketing in 2026: The Complete Guide for Businesses and Creators
• Types of Social Media Content: 30+ Ideas for Your Next Post (With Examples)
• I Reached 20,000 Followers on LinkedIn and I Feel Weird About It