If there’s one thing you’ve heard about Threads, it’s probably that it’s an Instagram-X hybrid – which isn’t entirely accurate.
Yes, it’s very much “Instagram in text form” – you get a bit of the curation of your Instagram feed with the rawer nature of Instagram Stories mixed in with the format of content on X/Twitter. This makes it feel familiar but also sets it apart as its own thing.
But one thing about Threads is clear: it’s for having conversations.
Now, if you’re here, you were likely lurking slash dabbling on Threads but are ready to get a bit more strategic. So this is a list of some ideas for you to consider as you start crafting your content — with an important caveat. Less creating and crafting is required for Threads posts than, say, X or LinkedIn. Just thought it was worth mentioning.
Let's dive in and discover how you can make the most of Threads for your content strategy.
Introduce yourself or your brand
If you still haven’t posted on Threads, you’re in luck. The user base is genuine and loves authentic content.
So instead of worrying about making the “perfect first post”, start with something that gives people a peek at who you are, whether it’s a simple text, “Hello Threads!” or a request to connect with other folks.
Post by @buildyourwealthbossView on Threads
Even better, use a hashtag relevant to your primary audience, like “Social Media Managers” or “Creators of Threads” for Buffer.
Threads will give you a neat little “First thread” badge at the top left of your post, and here’s an encouraging theory from @mattnavarra to motivate you to make those first few posts:
Post by @mattnavarraView on Threads
Spark genuine engagement
The heavy focus on conversations gives you two main tasks on Threads: starting and participating.
Starting is easy if you have an established brand (personal or business) identity. This is evident in how brand accounts like Elmo and YouTube hopped into Threads and got right to posting.
Post by @youtubecreatorsView on Threads
If you don’t, you might have more leeway to be creative and start from general conversations before narrowing down to niche ones as you find your audience or they find you. One way to start is to share real, personal stories followed up with a question – these consistently get high engagement.
Here's an example from carissabroadbentbooks:
Instagram Notes is Growing at a ‘Wild’ Pace: Here’s How to Use the Feature Strategically
Ever noticed those little bubbles atop certain people’s profile pictures in your DMs? Those are Instagram Notes, and — despite a slow uptake on the platform — they’re starting to gain traction.
“Notes usage has grown at a wild pace, particularly with young people,” Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri shared in an update on Instagram.
“Notes have quickly become a popular way for people to share thoughts or status updates with their Close Friends or people who follow them back. They're sort of like AIM status, for those of you old enough to remember that reference,” he joked.
Mosseri also pointed out in the update that notes are designed for “starting conversations with people you care about” and are, as such, only visible to people you follow and who follow you back.
And there’s the rub: why should brands or creators care about this friends-and-family feature?
Well, for one thing, Instagram’s inbox is a well-traveled section of the social media app, particularly for younger Instagram users. Having your name and a message atop that important real estate on the crowded platform could give your content a helpful boost.
In this comprehensive guide to Instagram Notes, I’ll explain exactly how — and why notes is a new feature not to be ignored as grow your following on Instagram.
Wait, what are Instagram Notes?
As Adam Mosseri explained above, Instagram Notes are little updates you can share with mutual followers that appear in Instagram’s direct messages section.
Like Instagram Stories, Instagram Notes last 24 hours, after which they disappear. Notes can be up to 60 characters long, and you can only share one note at a time.
When the feature rolled out on Android and iPhone in 2022, it was limited to text-only, but now users have a host of options, including music, videos, and even replies. Here’s how Mosseri explains it:
- Music note: Share your current favorite song or one that captures your mood
- Video note: Tap the photo in your notes tray to record a two-second video to post as a note
- Replies: Respond to a friend’s note using audio, photo, GIFS, and stickers
- Likes and mentions: You can now like a note or mention a friend in one
These options are still being rolled out to all regions — so if you don’t have the ability yet, you should soon!
How to use Instagram Notes
Viewing others’ notes on Instagram is simple — just head over to your DMs or inbox. You can get there within the Instagram app by tapping on the little message icon (either a paper plane or a speech bubble, depending on your region) on the top right-hand corner of your screen.
How to create an Instagram Note
Creating a new note only requires a few extra taps. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Tap on the DMs icon on the top right corner of your screen.
- Tap ‘Note…’ above your profile picture at the top of your Instagram inbox.
- Type in your note (1). To add music, tap the audio icon (2). To add a video, tap your profile picture (2) and then the blue button at the bottom to begin recording your video. Videos can only be two seconds long.
- Choose who to share your note with (followers that you follow back or your close friends list).
- Tap Share in the top right to share your note.
How to delete an Instagram Note
The note will disappear after 24 hours, but you can delete it at any time. To delete your Instagram note, simply tap on the note, then hit ‘Delete note.’
How to leave a note on an Instagram post or Instagram reel
Instagram recently introduced a clever new way to add a note to another piece of Instagram content. For personal Instagram users, this is a neat way to share content with a comment without having to navigate over to your inbox.
To use this feature on a post or reel:
Buffer for Threads is Here: Plan, Schedule, Cross-post, and Analyze Your Content
I’m thrilled to share that you can now use Threads within your Buffer account.
Threads launched less than a year ago but, as young as the platform is, there’s no doubt that it’s already an important new social platform. Many are finding it to be a calmer space and a place where they see greater engagement and connection.
Threads offers a powerful opportunity to find community and growth on a brand-new social network, boosted by the distribution of Instagram and connected to the wider ecosystem of the fediverse.
And yet, Threads is also another social network to stay on top of and regularly post to. Today, participating in Threads becomes much easier thanks to Buffer’s brand-new integration.
We’ve been building our support for Threads for months (as you’ll see from the screenshots below!) so that as soon as they made their API available, we could provide this value to you.
This step goes beyond new features or technical advancements. It's about how we continue to evolve and serve our inspiring customers — creators, businesses, artists, nonprofits, and educators.
Listening and responding to our community
The decision to integrate Threads came directly from you — our community. We received over 7,000 requests for this feature, and each one was a reminder of why we do what we do at Buffer.
It's about providing tools that empower your voices and help you connect in more meaningful ways. Thanks to all of you who shared your vote for us to add Threads, and for holding us accountable to improving Buffer for you.
Fostering a calmer, more deliberate internet
In a world where online conversations can often be reactive and impulsive, we believe in fostering a more thoughtful approach to social media.
As Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri aptly described, Threads offers a “less angry space for public conversations.” Our integration allows you to craft your Threads with care and intentionality, encouraging a friendlier, calmer internet environment.
Embracing simplicity and accessibility
One of Buffer’s core beliefs is in the power of simplicity. Threads aligns perfectly with this, offering an intuitive and welcoming space for sharing ideas.
At Buffer, we strive to make social media accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or expertise. This integration is a step towards making that a reality.
The power of interoperability in social media
As we look towards the future of social media, the ability to seamlessly connect across platforms is an exciting reality. The web was built on open standards, and it is wonderful to see a return to those ideals with the fediverse.
With the fediverse, you can select your social network provider and community of choice, and share and engage with people within or outside that community.
Threads is the first mainstream platform to connect to the fediverse, and could open up the world of decentralized social media to many people who might feel intimidated by the technology.
This is a significant moment and milestone for social media, and one that we have long been committed to supporting.
For over a year, Buffer has supported Mastodon, the social platform that popularized the fediverse. And we're working hard right now to support Bluesky soon, another interesting approach to decentralized social media.
You can now share your thoughts seamlessly from Buffer to Threads, Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, and more, all with a single click. We’re delighted to play a role in breaking down barriers and creating a more interconnected digital world.
Join us on this new journey
I'm personally excited to see how you’ll use Buffer with Threads. This integration is for you, our community. And it offers so much more than the ability to schedule your threads.
You can cross-post to multiple other platforms, analyze your content performance, store all your ideas in a single hub, and so much more. Buffer for Threads is available on all plans, including free.
You can get started right away at buffer.com/threads.
Cheers,
Joel and the Buffer team
7 Best LinkedIn Tools to Improve Your Content and Presence in 2024
No one knows better than me that if LinkedIn is a priority for you as a creator or brand, it can get overwhelming to keep up with everything you can or should be doing. From creating content to keeping up with engagement and relationship building or even responding to DMs, it’s a lot to stay on top of.
That’s where automation comes in. I’ve grown a follower base of over 12,000 people on LinkedIn and picked up some tools along with way. With the right toolkit, you can elevate your experience and interactions with your audience and peers.
In this article, I’ve highlighted some of my favorite tools for LinkedIn and how I use them to grow my following on the platform.
1. Buffer
Best all-in-one LinkedIn tool to create, schedule, and publish content
Am I biased? Maybe.
However, Buffer’s LinkedIn capabilities are some of the best on the market. Beyond being valuable for one platform, you can do so much, even with the free plan.
Here's a look at some of the powerful features for posting to LinkedIn:
- Schedule content up to 10 LinkedIn posts: Buffer's free plan lets you publish and schedule up to 10 posts, which is significantly more than most other free plans. You'll also be able to cross-post to a wide range of different channels, including X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google Business Profile, Pinterest, Mastodon, Threads, and YouTube (with Bluesky on the way, too).
- Drag-and-drop social media calendar: The intuitive calendar shows all scheduled posts and drafts at a glance, so you can monitor all your social accounts from a single dashboard in real-time.
- Create Space: A free content library where you can save and plan out all your ideas — something I find incredibly helpful in my content creation workflow. It has powerful organizational features, like tags and a Kanban view, to help you keep track of your content.
- Start Page: Set up your own beautiful landing page within minutes — a great option for your LinkedIn link-in-bio. You can even schedule updates to your Start Page like your social channels.
- Buffer's AI Assistant: Creating enough content for your LinkedIn (plus any other social media where you might be publishing) can be overwhelming, which is where our AI Assistant can help. The social-media-smart AI can create fresh posts for your Buffer schedule, repurpose existing content, and generate unlimited new ideas to help supercharge your engagement, grow your following, and amplify your social media presence.
If you're looking to add more functionality or manage more than just LinkedIn, you might want to check out Buffer's paid plans:
- Essentials: $6 per month per channel
- Team: $12 per month per channel
- Agency: $120 per month for 10 channels
All of Buffer's paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, so you can test all the advanced features to see if they're necessary for you right now.
2. Taplio Chrome Extension
Best LinkedIn tool for discovering content ideas from similar creators
Taplio's Chrome Extension allows you to see your best-performing content and that of anyone whose page you visit. This tool can inspire you and help you figure out the best way to connect with someone. It also provides you with your metrics at a glance so you know how your content is performing.
It’s a permanent fixture in my browser, giving me a bird’s eye view of my top metrics and content, as well as that of folks around LinkedIn.
Pricing: 7-day trial, with paid plans starting at $65 per month
3. Canva
Best tool to generate scroll-stopping visuals for LinkedIn
You might already be familiar with Canva, but it was worth its own mention for its vast library of templates geared toward helping you create the best LinkedIn content. You can use it to create high-performing carousels, infographics, or banners for your profile.
I’ve made many a carousel post in Canva and find the feature that allows you to create a brand kit with the colors you use most often to be the best one. I also keep a folder of my most used templates that I can always duplicate and reformat to suit my content needs. It’s a superpower for me on LinkedIn.
Pricing: Limited free use, with paid plans starting at $12 per month.
4. Crystal
Best LinkedIn tool for relationship management
Crystal is a personality assessment tool highly regarded by users for its ability to provide valuable insights into communication styles and personality traits. The platform's integration with LinkedIn helps users navigate professional relationships more smoothly.
Crystal offers me interesting perspective on new and existing connections that I would have otherwise had to use time and textual context to figure out. Thanks to its detailed analyses on my connections, I have an easier time figuring out the best ways to navigate interpersonal relationships in professional settings.
Pricing: Limited free use with paid plans starting at $49 per month.
5. Wiza.co
Best tool for sales professionals to generate leads
Wiza is a comprehensive tool designed to streamline and optimize the lead generation process on LinkedIn. It allows users to easily extract contact information from LinkedIn profiles, allowing for efficient outreach and communication with potential prospects.
With its robust capabilities and intuitive design, Wiza is a go-to solution for businesses and professionals seeking to enhance their lead-generation efforts on LinkedIn.
Pricing: Limited free use with paid plans starting at $83 per month per user
6. CapCut
Best tool for simple videos
CapCut is a versatile video editing app that offers a comprehensive suite of tools for both beginners and advanced users.
Known for its ease of use and powerful features, it allows you to create high-quality videos without watermarks, even in the free version.
It’s an excellent choice for social media content creators looking for a robust and user-friendly video editing app that supports high-quality output and publishing to multiple social platforms (including Instagram).
CapCut pricing: Free to use with paid plans starting at $13.49 per month.
7. Kleo
Best free tool for finding the best-performing content and creators
Kleo is a free Chrome extension that vastly upgrades the content experience on LinkedIn. It allows you to find popular and upcoming posts, check on the metrics of fellow brands and creators and generate content ideas.
Pricing: Free
Focus your energy on creating engaging content
It can be tempting to spend more time looking for the next best tool to elevate your content without actually getting anything done, but if you only take away one piece of advice from me, let it be this: spend your energy on making content and less on tools, optics, or metrics. Practice makes perfect, and your content will improve with time and consistency.