For those who’ve been desirous to submit on social media however hold placing it off, this one’s for you.
I requested Buffer’s group of creators — as a result of creating is vital to us since our product is for creators — to share what truly helped them get previous the concern, overthinking, and blank-page paralysis that accompanies early-stage content material creation. And their recommendation was refreshingly actionable.
A little bit of backstory: In an initiative spearheaded by Sabreen Haziq, our Senior Model & Group Supervisor, Buffer’s group has been remodeling into a bunch of creators with actual pores and skin within the recreation. Over the previous 8 months, we have collectively:
- Printed over 11,000 posts
- Earned 14 million impressions
- Obtained 21.5 million views
📚 How We’re Empowering the Whole Buffer Staff to Turn into Creators
If our development stage was a “seedling” final yr, many people have gotten sprouts — hitting milestones, seeing actual traction (hiya, 1 million impressions), and studying a ton alongside the way in which.
Here is what we want we might identified from the beginning.
Decrease the bar (method decrease than you assume)
The largest factor standing between you and your first submit in all probability is not technique, timing, and even figuring out what to say. It is the assumption that your first submit must be good — or that it’s good to submit lots to make it depend.
Neither is true. It’s essential submit one thing, at no matter tempo you may maintain.
“Ease in with something that feels pure to you,” says Darcy Peters, Senior Buyer Advocate Supervisor. “If that is speaking a couple of interest, go for it! If it is sharing a picture with a one-word caption, please do! Get one submit out, get one other submit out, get a 3rd submit out, and shortly, the momentum will drive you.”
Arek Panek, Engineer on the Channels & Platform group, echoed this: “I made a decision it is higher to only begin and see how it’s. If I used to be ready for my excellent second, it’d in all probability by no means come.” So what does a low-effort, sustainable strategy truly seem like?
Discover your “minimal viable submit” or MVP
We requested the group what format they default to once they’re low on time or vitality. The solutions had been nearly boringly easy: a text-only submit sharing a single thought, or a picture with a brief caption. And for getting from zero to at least one, boring is sweet.
Darcy retains it particularly low-lift: “I’ve so many pictures in my digicam roll that I’ve thought, ‘Let me simply take this to submit later.’ Every picture has a narrative to inform, and though it may generally inform it by itself, the quick caption helps make sure the viewer understands my take.”
No carousels, no elaborate hooks, only one thought, out the door as rapidly as potential.
And one of the best half is, when you cease treating each submit like a efficiency, you may in all probability 1) submit extra and a pair of) get higher, quicker.
Begin with a cadence you may preserve
There is no magic quantity. Posting as soon as per week works. So does as soon as a month, if that is what matches your life proper now.
What issues is selecting a tempo you may truly maintain. Rathes Sachchithananthan, Senior Engineer on our Core UX group, realized this the onerous method: “I’d ship out massive messages however then not be capable to sustain with them. As an alternative, begin small and keep constant.”
A submit you may preserve beats a schedule that burns you out. You possibly can all the time ramp up later.
And talking of decreasing boundaries — let’s discuss concerning the largest perceived one.
Video is not your solely possibility (and it does not need to be scary)
You would be forgiven for pondering that video is the be-all and end-all on social. However with the rise of LinkedIn creators and text-based platforms like Threads and Bluesky, the barrier to nice content material is not as excessive as some assume.
“The extra I develop as a creator, the extra I hear from folks in my life that they’d like to develop an viewers as nicely,” says Kirsti Lang, Senior Content material Creator. “After which they will say one thing like ‘however I can not be on digicam,’ or ‘I do not know the place to begin with filming.'”
There are two misconceptions to deal with right here: that video is the one format that may make you profitable, and that creating nice video is an unattainable talent.
On the primary level: The creators on the Buffer group are proof which you can develop with textual content and image-based content material alone.
“A few of us dabble in video, however for the overwhelming majority, textual content and carousels are our bread and butter,” Kirsti says.
Even if you wish to develop on TikTok or Instagram, you may lean on carousels — multi-photo or graphic posts — to do some heavy lifting. And you’ll adapt your format to the platform. Sabreen, for instance, retains it versatile: “I really like textual content submit on LinkedIn, after which a fast-paced reel on Instagram.”
For me, I truly deal with video as a format to get concepts out rapidly — I really like an informal ramble video (though I’ve needed to get actually good at slicing out my ‘um’s’ in CapCut).
On the second level: You do not have to be a pure on digicam, have formal modifying coaching, or spend money on costly tools.
“Once I first kicked off our Social 101 collection on Buffer’s YouTube channel, all I had was an iPhone and a few good pure mild,” Kirsti says. “I did not have any formal video modifying coaching, so I performed round with instruments like Canva, CapCut, and Veed. There are some phenomenal video modifying instruments on the market now. They’re tremendous intuitive, and most of them are constructed to work in your telephone.”
As for feeling comfy on digicam — that comes with time. “Plus, you do not even really want to speak on digicam for those who do not need to,” Kirsti provides. “I really like storytelling vlogs the place I document the voiceover individually. It takes the strain off.” And I discover that placing the digicam on and treating it like I’m talking to a buddy on FaceTime actually helps with the nerves that include video.
For those who are trying to submit video and enhance your expertise, Suzanne Kelly, Operations Supervisor, has a powerful take: “Anytime I’ve had a transparent plan, I create significantly better video content material. Once I go along with ‘I am going to simply movie some clips right here and there,’ I find yourself not likely having one thing usable.” Storyboard first, even loosely.
📚 Video Advertising and marketing 101: How one can Construct a Profitable Technique in 2026 (+ Examples & Professional Suggestions)
Cease ready for unique concepts
Some of the paralyzing beliefs about posting is that it’s good to say one thing nobody’s ever mentioned earlier than.
You do not. And actually, you in all probability cannot — most concepts have been expressed someplace, by somebody. However here is what is unique: your perspective.
“No matter you say, until you are a terrific thinker, was already mentioned by another person, someplace,” says Arek. “That is wonderful. Your perspective is exclusive and that is what makes your content material unique.”
This reframing is a game-changer for the artistic mindset. You are not a thought chief meting out knowledge from on excessive. You are an individual in a dialog, sharing what you are noticing, studying, or pondering by means of.
And for those who’re questioning which model of your self to carry to social media — the skilled one? The informal one?
Rathes provides some aid: “It’s okay to have completely different personalities on completely different social platforms. See it the identical method you behave in another way to your mates than your loved ones or your work colleagues.”
Your LinkedIn does not need to match your Threads. You comprise multitudes. Put up accordingly.
However even when you settle for that your perspective is sufficient, there’s usually one other voice: “However what if I am not reaching the proper folks?” You may be fascinated about that backwards.
Flip the script on ‘discovering your viewers’
There’s widespread recommendation that claims it’s best to examine your viewers and create content material that resonates with them — and that is strong recommendation, particularly as you develop. However if you’re simply beginning out, it may really feel like a chicken-and-egg drawback: how do you create for an viewers you do not have but?
Rathes provides an alternate path: “I needn’t discover content material that resonates with my viewers — as an alternative, I am going to develop an viewers that resonates with my content material.”
For those who’re caught within the “however who am I even speaking to?” spiral, this reframe may be liberating. Put up what’s genuinely attention-grabbing to you. The proper folks will discover it. You possibly can all the time refine as you study who’s displaying up.
Undecided what to submit about? Begin right here:
- Doc what you are engaged on or studying (a number of teammates default to this)
- Reply to developments or information in your area of interest
- Reply questions you get requested repeatedly
- Share your tackle one thing you simply learn, watched, or listened to
You do not want a content material pillar technique to begin. You want one thought and the willingness to share it.
Construct your help system first
Here is a counterintuitive transfer: earlier than you submit something, begin commenting on different folks’s posts.
“Begin by commenting on others’ posts on the platform of your selecting,” says Suzanne. “That’ll get you within the enviornment with out it feeling so excessive stakes. And it will provide help to broaden your community in order that if you do really feel able to make your first submit, you have received a group who is able to work together with ya!”
This does two issues. First, it will get you used to being seen — your title, your face, your ideas — with out the strain of making one thing from scratch. Second, it means you are not posting right into a void if you lastly do hit publish.
⚡The Group function in Buffer is nice for this – test it out →
You want folks in your nook
A number of teammates cited group because the factor that truly made posting sustainable. Not willpower, not content material calendars, however folks.
“Having a group cheering me on, liking my feedback, partaking, hyping me up — that is been the most important mindset shift,” Suzanne says. “Like, they will not let me flop!”
Whether or not it is coworkers, a bunch chat, or mutuals you have constructed relationships with by means of commenting, having individuals who will present up on your posts (particularly early on) makes an actual distinction. It actually takes the sting off.
💡 Do not have a built-in crew? Buffer’s group is an effective place to begin — it is free to affix, and stuffed with creators at each stage figuring this out collectively.
You are not alone in feeling this fashion
Once we requested the group what held them again from posting initially, the solutions had been remarkably constant: perfectionism, imposter syndrome, not figuring out what to say, and concern of judgment.
If that sounds such as you — welcome to the membership. Each creator you admire began right here, too.
The distinction is not that they found out how you can cease feeling the concern. They only posted anyway, with a number of folks cheering them on.
Embrace the ‘ugly first draft’
There is a purpose your first few posts really feel so high-stakes: you have received nothing to fall again on but. No “nicely, final week’s did nice” to cushion the blow if this one tanks.
“The primary submit is the toughest,” says Suzanne, Operations Supervisor. “It looks like a lot is on the road for that first submit to succeed or flop. As soon as you have been posting for some time, there’s much less strain for every one to be a banger — trigger if it does flop, it does not really feel like a judgment in your success as a creator. Trigger you already know final week’s was a banger!”
That is the half nobody tells you: the one method to decrease the emotional stakes is to maintain posting. Quantity creates security — not as a result of each submit is nice, however as a result of no single submit carries the burden of your whole creator id.
Sabreen, Senior Model & Group Supervisor, frames it this fashion: “Each piece of content material is an information level. It brings you nearer to your viewers by displaying you what resonates and what does not. No submit is a nasty submit — simply learnings alongside the way in which.”
And no matter you do, resist the urge to measure your early work towards individuals who’ve been at it for years. Your week three gained’t seem like their yr three, and it doesn’t must.
Errors we made (so you do not have to)
We requested the group what they’d carried out in another way in hindsight. A number of patterns emerged:
- Letting a break kill your momentum. Life occurs — holidays, onerous seasons, busy stretches. However Darcy realized that getting again within the groove is less complicated than it feels: “It is as straightforward as publishing a fast text-based, shower-thought submit to get me again into it.”
- Not partaking again. Replies aren’t simply well mannered — they’re a part of the sport. As Darcy put it: “Put up, remark, reply to feedback, repeat.” For those who disappear after posting, you are leaving connection (and attain) on the desk.
- Obsessing over follower depend. Sabreen admits she fell into this lure early: “I was obsessive about my follower depend. In hindsight, I ought to have targeted on having fun with the method and letting my social media character evolve alongside my viewers. Over time, you discover your groove, and issues start to fall into place.”
Methods that truly assist
Sooner or later, “simply submit” stops being sufficient. You want a light-weight system to seize concepts once they occur and get them out the door earlier than you overthink them.
The excellent news? It does not need to be difficult.
Seize concepts the second they hit
The group’s most constant behavior: saving concepts instantly, earlier than they disappear.
Arek treats Buffer’s Concepts function like a kanban board: “One group is preliminary concepts — only a easy title and what I need to submit about. Then one other board is ‘in progress.’ I depart drafts there for a number of days in case one thing new involves thoughts. Then throughout the subsequent session, I transfer them to precise scheduled posts.”
The place you seize issues lower than that you simply seize. A number of teammates talked about the Notes app, voice memos, or just drafting straight in Buffer. The purpose is having a spot the place half-baked ideas can reside till you are able to form them.
Lean into scheduling if hitting ‘submit’ feels a bit a lot
Here is a small psychological trick that got here up repeatedly: scheduling a submit makes it simpler to truly publish.
“Scheduling makes it much less scary to click on ‘Share,'” says Arek. When it is queued up and going out by itself, you do not have the possibility to second-guess your self on the final second.
Suzanne additionally credited Buffer’s streak function: “It provides me hella accountability.”
And Rathes makes use of scheduling to easy out the artistic ebbs and flows: “Buffer permits me to unfold out concepts and ideas, even when they arrive in bursts. That method, I am coated even on weeks that I’m not feeling that productive.”
The takeaway: batch if you’re feeling it, schedule for if you’re not.
Flip one thought into many
For those who’re caught pondering you want limitless new concepts, do that reframe from Darcy: break one greater thought right into a collection.
“The catalyst was my 10-year anniversary at Buffer. I had a decade of ideas to share, and stuffing all of them into one submit would really feel chaotic. As an alternative, I drafted 5 posts to focus on completely different components of my journey. Immediately, I had one submit scheduled per week for 5 weeks!”
Bonus tip from Darcy: use voice-to-text or an AI device to ramble by means of your ideas, then ask it to interrupt them into three to 5 submit ideas. It actually helps decrease the artistic load.
📚 How I Create Social Media Content material As a Verbal Processor: 3 Simple Steps
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Sabreen takes an analogous strategy: “I get typing fatigue very often within the age of AI, so it is a lot simpler to collaborate with ChatGPT on artistic script concepts and methods to make issues extra partaking. It is the quickest method to arrive at an idea that is closest to my imaginative and prescient, and in the end to a stronger piece of content material.”
What’s on the opposite facet
We requested the group how posting has impacted their work or careers in methods they did not count on. The solutions had been reminder of why any of that is well worth the discomfort.
Rathes saved it easy: “Posting on social media actually received me the job of my goals.”
Suzanne noticed tangible development: “I’ve greater than doubled my following on LinkedIn.”
For Darcy, it was the relationships: “Posting extra usually has allowed me to attach and create relationships with others in my trade. I usually obtain LinkedIn DMs from individuals who’ve seen one among my posts. It is an effective way to study from each other.”
And for Sabreen, it become earnings: “I have been in a position to monetize on LinkedIn by means of fully natural inbound leads, netting round $7K to this point. Alongside the way in which, I’ve had the chance to work with manufacturers like beehiiv, Canva, Air, Teal, Gamma, Slate, and Tracksuit.”
A dream job. A doubled following. Business relationships. Model offers. None of those outcomes required going viral. They got here from displaying up constantly, sharing actual views, and treating social media just like the group area it truly is.
For those who’re nonetheless on the fence, I get it. Posting feels weak. The clean web page is intimidating. The concern that nobody will care — or worse, that they’re going to decide — is actual.
However keep in mind: you needn’t impress everybody. You simply have to be helpful to somebody — even when that somebody is only one individual scrolling by.
As Sabreen put it: “Your creator journey is a long-running storyline that evolves over time. You possibly can’t turn out to be the whole lot directly… Endurance finally ends up being your best benefit.”
You’ve got received one thing price sharing. Now go hit publish.
