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We analyzed more than 2 million Instagram posts sent through Buffer to pinpoint the best time, day, and post format for maximum reach.

There are many factors to consider when it comes to posting on Instagram — but the one that often feels like a make-or-break decision is what time to post your content.

It's a fair concern — the last thing you want is to spend the time and resources needed to create a showstopper piece of content only to post it in a social media dead zone that results in… crickets.

Sharing Instagram Stories, reels, feed posts, and carousels at optimal times for reach and engagement is an important consideration in your social media strategy. If your content immediately makes it to your target audience's feed while they're around to engage with it, it's more likely to succeed.

That's why we combed through the reach of over 2 million Instagram posts sent through Buffer over the past year: to uncover which days and times are more likely to yield engagement (along with which post formats get the most likes, comments, and shares).

In other words, the best times to post on Instagram, backed by data.

With all that in mind, let's dig into everything you need to know about when you should be posting on Instagram — including how to figure out the best time for your audience, whether you're a marketer, creator, influencer, or casual Instagrammer.

Is there a best time to post on Instagram?

Let's get this out of the way before we begin: There's no universal best time to post on Instagram for guaranteed success — if only it were that easy.

However, our analysis showed us that there are certain days and times that tend to yield more reach than others. What was really interesting was the patterns we uncovered, too — for example, most weekdays see similar high-reach times.

So, while Instagram timing, or post recency, is not as crucial as it once was (R.I.P. chronological feed), it's still important to consider when developing your social media marketing strategy and determining when to post content.

How we ca

Streamline your workflow, enhance your strategy, and boost results with 28 AI marketing tools — perfect for small businesses and ambitious marketers.

Artificial intelligence is transforming digital marketing by empowering us to do our best work.

The right AI marketing tools will help you automate repetitive tasks, make data-driven decisions, and unblock your creativity. They ultimately let us get back to the work we find more meaningful, like strategy, creativity, innovation, and relationship-building.

The shift to AI-powered marketing has been dramatic. According to Hubspot, 74% of marketers now use AI in their roles, compared to just 21% in 2023. But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to figure out which tools are worth your time and budget.

In this guide, I'll introduce you to 28 of the best AI marketing tools that can help you work smarter across every marketing channel. Whether you're looking to automate marketing tasks, scale personalization, or increase your bandwidth, you'll find tools here to help.

Social media AI tools

Want to streamline your social media workflow? These social media marketing tools have AI features that can help you create social media content faster and understand your audience better.

Buffer: Create social media posts and ideas

Buffer (hi! 👋) is a social media management platform with an AI Assistant that helps you create more engaging content in less time.

Our data shows that posts created with AI Assistant get 22% higher engagement than non-AI-assisted posts.

Here's what Buffer's AI Assistant can do:

• Generate ideas based on your niche and audience
• Write posts from a prompt
• Edit posts to perfection — including rephrasing, expanding, shortening, and changing the tone of your content
• Repurpose content for different platforms, taking specific platform norms into account

I personally use the rephrase option the most to help turn idea brain dumps into concise and compelling posts.

Beyond the AI features, Buffer is a really flexible social media management tool that lets you create, schedule, and manage social media content across channels.

Pricing: Free plan available for up to three social channels. Paid plans start at $6/month/

Join us for 30 days, starting January 15 to post consistently to social media!

With each new year, come new possibilities. You’ve probably already set goals to tap into that fresh energy that comes with a change of the calendar. If one of those goals is to grow on social media in 2025, you’re in the right place.

We believe new habits take work — and content creation is no exception. It’s not as easy as picking up a phone, despite what some success stories might have you believe. You need systems and structures to build something sustainable.

That’s where Creator Camp comes in.

Creator Camp is a free 30-day community challenge to help you build consistent social media habits while developing your brand and connecting with fellow creators.

We had over 218 signups for our last edition, which ran in October 2024. For 30 days, the community buzzed with activity as members shared their content, exchanged feedback, and cheered each other on.

And the results spoke for themselves —

• Laura, a former Product Manager who is building a business, saw a 47.8% increase in impressions and a 20% increase in members reached.
• Louise, a Social Media Manager, saw an 891% increase in impressions and a 346% increase in engagement.
• Sabreen, a Marketing expert, saw a 216% increase in impressions and a 215% increase in engagement.

Buffer teammates who participated in the challenge also saw amazing results. On my end, I saw amazing results, including viral content that bumped my 2024 LinkedIn metrics by thousands!

Ready to tap into the New Year energy and grow on social in 2025? Join us on January 15!

Why join Creator Camp?

Creator Camp provides the structure, support, and community to make posting a habit. Here’s what you’ll get out of it:

• Build a consistent posting habit: Creator Camp helps you turn infrequent posting into a regular habit by providing regular cues, motivation, and the reward of celebrating alongside a community. By the end of the 30 days, you’ll have built a natural and sustainable rhythm to carry into your creator journey.
• Boost your creativity: With weekly content prompts, resources for all the top social platforms, and the encouragement of a supportive community, you’ll find yourself brimming with new ideas and excited to share them. And even if you’ve done Creator Camp before, we guarantee you’ll find something new to benefit from in
  

Learn what crossposting is and how to effectively share your content across multiple social media platforms to boost your online presence.

Building your presence across multiple social media platforms is incredibly valuable for brands and creators — but it doesn't have to mean spending all day creating unique content for each channel.

In fact, many successful creators and brands have a secret: they crosspost across platforms to get more mileage out of their content. Our data shows this approach is remarkably common — 59% of posts created in Buffer are posted to more than one social media platform.

Crossposting a game-changer for busy creators and small businesses who want to maintain an active presence on social media without burning out. Instead of starting from scratch for every platform, you can adapt and share content across different channels — like turning an engaging Instagram Reel into a TikTok or turning an X thread into a LinkedIn post.

Whether you're looking to streamline your processes or test out new channels, this guide will teach you how to crosspost effectively — from choosing which content to share across platforms to customizing your posts for maximum impact on each channel.

What is crossposting?

Crossposting is when you share the same (or similar) content on multiple social media accounts.

For example, musician Ren shares his videos on Instagram Reels, as seen here:

January 26, 2025

This article takes you through everything you need to know to run TikTok ads and implement a solid advertising strategy.

Your TikTok account is hitting off. You aren’t getting the cold sweats while publishing TikTik videos nowadays. And then, you wonder, how can I get more out of my TikTok strategy?

Enter: TikTok ads. A TikTok ad is an advertisement by a brand or creator appearing on people’s For You page. For example, I got the following ad by Adobe Photoshop on my feed recently:

While the TikTok ad blended seamlessly with the other TikTok videos on my feed, the “sponsored” label and the “Learn more” call-to-action button were the differentiators.

TikTok users can customize their ads a lot, including whether they want to use branded content or user generated content, video or carousel, bidding strategy, etc. There’s a lot more to these simple TikTok ads than meets the eye. In this article, we’ll cover all of it so you can advertise on TikTok with confidence.

But first…

Should you advertise on TikTok?

TikTok ads cost money. Is it worth it? The answer solely depends on:

• Whether or not you have your target buyers looking to buy the products you sell on TikTok
• Whether TikTok advertising fits your overall social media strategy and budget

Here are some facts to help you decide:

• A majority of TikTok comprises a younger generation (GenZ and Alpha), although that doesn’t mean that older populations aren’t using the popular social media site.
• 56 percent of TikTok users in the U.S. have said they’ve purchased products promoted on TikTok, and another 36 percent said they haven’t bought anything yet, but are open to doing so.
• TikTok thrives on entertaining, short-form, and creative content. If your products have a visual appeal or an interactive component, they’ll work great for TikTok.

In conclusion: TikTok ads are a brilliant investment for creators and small businesses selling products that fit into its natural format. If you can show your products in action and combine it with entertaining storytelling, go ahead and start creating your TikTok ad.

If you’re unsure, it’s always wise to first test the reception of your account organically. Are you meeting your ideal customers naturally on the platform? If yes, it might be worth it to test TikTok ads

We asked 11 experts for their social media predictions for 2025 – here’s what they had to say.

In 2024, we saw social media evolve in many ways — from numerous updates to some platforms (cough Meta) to explosive growth for others (Bluesky!). We’re also watching things like the U.S. TikTok ban, which, as of writing this article, will happen on January 19 if not overturned or paused.

It wasn’t just the platforms that changed — creators also had their moments on social, with some moving to start businesses, some exploring new platforms, and some reaching milestone numbers (Mr. Beast having more YouTube subscribers than the population of the U.S.)

With all the changes on the horizon, it’s safe to say that social media will look a little different in 2025. We asked 11 experts for their thoughts on what would happen in the space this year and found seven common themes across their responses.

Let’s get into it.

Creators and brands will be world-building

Prediction: Creators and brands are moving beyond traditional strategies to create immersive, interconnected ecosystems — what some call the rise of the “cinematic universe” for content.

Lia Haberman, social media consultant and writer of the ICYMI newsletter predicts that 2025 will be the year brands and creators start thinking of themselves as media empires. “Elements like Easter eggs, origin stories, spin-offs, and merch will mimic beloved franchises like Star Wars or Marvel,” she explains.

For example, The Washington Post has created its own “cinematic universe” on TikTok, featuring newsroom characters and serialized content that build its brand personality.

Lia also points to YouTube’s rollout of the “Seasons and Episodes” feature, which will empower crea

Want to get more views on Instagram but don’t know where to begin? Here are 14 no-fluff, actionable ways to increase your Instagram reach.

Instagram reach can seem like magic. How do some creators get tons of views while others rarely see it? And why do some quick, spur-of-the-moment posts seem to get more views than others you spend hours creating?

It’s not all smoke and mirrors. In this article, we’ll share 14 ways to get more views and increase reach on your Instagram content.

What does 'Instagram reach' even mean?

Instagram reach is the number of unique people who view (and hopefully interact with) your Instagram posts. You can track Instagram reach for a single post, for your Instagram profile, or for a social media campaign. Along with the number of unique visitors, you also get insights into the demographic of the people who saw your post or profile.

This reach can be organic or paid. Organic is when the Instagram algorithm shows your posts to similar audiences. Paid reach is when you purchase Instagram ads to sponsor your content — it has a “sponsored” or some other CTA label attached to it.

Jade Beason, creator coach, and digital marketing expert, says the biggest myth is believing paid reach is the same as getting organic reach.

“When you reach people organically, you’re a lot more likely to not only reach your right audience but also hold their attention. This is because people tend to ignore paid ads more than they do organic content.”

In this article, we’re exploring ways to boost your organic Instagram reach.

What is Instagram reach rate?

Instagram reach rate is the percentage of followers who see your Instagram post. Unlike Instagram reach, it’s unique to your followers only and doesn’t include non-followers who view your post.

Instagram reach rate is calculated as: (Total reach / Number of followers) * 100

For example, if your reach is 500 and you have 5,000 followers, your Instagram reach rate is: (500/5000)*100 = 10 percent.

What is a good Instagram reach?

The right answer? It depends — on your profile and the type of Instagram post you’re evaluating. Let’s look at some data.

One study

A comprehensive list of both paid and free video editors, breaking down what makes them unique and who they’re a good fit for.

There’s no two ways about it: video is the way people prefer to consume content in 2025. Buffer’s data shows that when it comes to social media platforms video outperforms every other type of content by a landslide — and that’s on all platforms.

Whether you’re a social media marketer, content creator, or influencer, video content should be a key part of your growth and marketing strategy.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Video creation requires a lot more input (though the proof really is in the pudding).

Often, the biggest hurdle to overcome is video editing — but in 2025, there’s really no reason to let this block you.

Thanks to the incredible variety of free video editing software options on the market, editing your videos is now easier than ever. Thanks to templates, transcript editing, AI, and a host of other nifty features, editing your videos can now be — dare I say it? — fun!

With all that in mind, here’s a guide to the best video editing software for creators, marketers, and small business owners.

I've curated separate lists of paid and free video editors, though, in many cases, the tools offer both limited free versions and more feature-rich paid versions. Only the tools with substantial free offerings are included in the free video editing software list.

Many of these tools also come with advanced features that cater to both beginners and professionals, so there's a suitable option here no matter your skill level. Let's dig in.

Best free video editing software

Most of the video editors in this list do have paid plans that come with additional benefits, but they made this list because their free plans are comprehensive and powerful — so you don’t need to spend a cent to use them.

Some of these tools are completely free, offering a full suite of features without any restrictions or watermarks.

1. CapCut

It sti

Social listening is the art and science of monitoring what your buyers and potential customers are saying about. Here are the six best tools that make this job easier.

Social listening is the art and science of monitoring what your buyers and potential customers are saying about:

• Your brand
• Your competitors
• Topics related to your product or service

Staying “in the know” about all these simultaneously is no easy feat. This is where social listening tools come in. They help you monitor brand mentions on major social media platforms, identify emerging trends in your niche, and package these online conversations into actionable insights for your social media strategy.

In this article, I’ll share a list of six social listening tools (with alternatives) to help you choose the best software for your needs.

Quick summary of the 6 best social listening tools

Click on one of the tools below to jump to a section, or scroll for a big-picture overview in the table.

• AnswerThePublic
• Exploding Topics
• SparkToro
• Mention
• Brand24
• Brandwatch

Social listening tools	Best for	Price	Top features	Alternatives
AnswerThePublic	Affordable social listening	Free for 3 searches/day. Paid plans from $5/month for 100 searches.	Understand audience search behaviors. Supports platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more. Organize and present research using high-res images or export as CSV. January 26, 2025 How the Instagram Algorithm Works: Your 2025 Guide An inside look at how the Instagram algorithm works for the feed, Explore pages, stories, and reels, the ‘signals’ that impact them most, and how to make them work for you. The first rule of the Instagram algorithm means understanding that there is no single algorithm. In fact, according to a blog post shared by the Meta-owned platform, “a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes, each with its own purpose,” ensure that IG users see the content that most interests them. “We want to make the most of people’s time, and we believe that using technology to personalize everyone’s experience is the best way to do that,” Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri wrote in the update. Now, a “variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes” may sound a little confusing, but fear not — it’s not quite as intimidating as it sounds. In this article, I’ll break down exactly how the platform ranks content and share tips for increasing your chances of getting your Instagram content in front of more people. In short: Everything you need to know about the Instagram algorithm/s. ⚡ Need Instagram help? Buffer helps you grow your following and boost engagement with planning, scheduling, and analytics tools. Get started for free → Different parts of Instagram are ranked by different algorithms You’ll find a lot of opinions about how certain types of content are ranked higher on the platform than others. A popular one: “Instagram Reels perform better than feed posts.” While that may be true in some cases (I’ll unpack why down below), statements like that give the impression that new posts and reels are weighed against each other by a single algorithm, and reels are given a leg-up — which is not true. Instead, reels and the feed (and Instagram Stories and Explore) are all controlled by a different algorithm. Why? People’s behavior tends to differ in different areas of the app. “People tend to look for their closest friends in Stories, use Explore to discover new content and creators, and be entertained in reels,” Mosseri explains. With that in mind: here’s how it works. January 26, 2025