The Science of Social Media

Here’s a question that puzzles most social media users …

Why do some of my posts get more views than others?

It’s a difficult question to answer. Each social network has a different algorithm. Each algorithm promotes and demotes posts in their own unique way. We’ve spent months analyzing reach and have attempted to determine why some posts (with links) get less views than others. Tune in to hear why.

I hope you enjoy the episode! W...

Today we’ll be discussing a topic that we have been asked several questions about: what’s the ideal length for a video on TikTok? More specifically, we explore whether there is a one best TikTok length and look at examples from content creators who make both short and longer videos on the platform.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you give us a s...

Hello there! Today, we're talking about the brand new Buffer AI Assistant, a game-changer in the world of social media management. With the ability to suggest post ideas, write posts for you, optimize, shorten, or even translate your content, the AI Assistant is like having a virtual marketing assistant at your fingertips. Don't worry, it's not a replacement for creators, it's designed to help you tweak, improve, and optimize your ...

Are you tired of feeling like just another number on centralized social media platforms? Look no further than Mastodon, the decentralized, open-source alternative to mainstream networks. In this episode, we dive into what Mastodon is, how it differs from traditional social media, and how to get started on the platform. From building a community to customizing your experience, we'll cover everything you need to know to join the Mast...

Hello there! As audiences demand more content across different platforms, the number of content creators is growing to meet the demand. But it’s hard to keep up the pace of consistent and quality publishing without the support of a team. Content creators need all the help they can get – and they can find it in artificial intelligence, or AI. In today’s episode, we will explore six ways in which AI already supports content creation ...

A decade ago, the role of a social media manager might not have even existed. Today, however, almost every company is involved in social media one way or another.

But what does it take to be a great social media manager? What are the skills to master in order to be effective?

In this episode, we'll cover the primary skills that we employ for social media here at Buffer, plus a few skills we’ve noticed in social media managers aroun...

Hello there! Personal branding has become an increasingly important aspect of successful career growth and social media is the tool everyone’s using to achieve that growth. On today’s episode we explore the future of personal branding as told by experts interviewed for our Social Proof series and in-house predictions.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make ...

Today we'll be discussing how to set boundaries during the holiday season. The holidays are supposed to be a time for rest and relaxation, but for many small business owners, it can be a hectic and stressful time. We'll be sharing tips and strategies for setting boundaries with family, friends, and clients to ensure that you're able to enjoy the season while still taking care of your business. Tune in to learn how to make the most ...

Hello there! On today’s episode we dive into what’s happening at Twitter and how it will impact marketers. We also share some advice for getting more engagement on Twitter, featuring a brand new Buffer feature, Twitter Threads scheduling. Learn more about threads scheduling at https://buffer.com/twitter.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you ...

Oh hi there, it’s been a while! We’re experimenting with kicking off the Science of Social Media podcast again! On today’s episode we take a look back at our best performing social media posts of 2022 and share what worked! We’ll also celebrate the launch of our latest Buffer feature, Ideas, a tool to help you save, store, and action all your best ideas. Head here to learn more:  https://buffer.com/ideas

I hope you enjoy the e...

Listen to a preview of Small Business, Big Lessons, a podcast from Buffer that goes behind-the-scenes with inspirational small businesses to explore how they are questioning the best ways to build a business and uncover the big lessons we can learn from their journeys (so far).

The eight-episode series tells business stories from extraordinary small businesses and the people behind them, examining how they’re doing things different...

Welcome to episode 200 of The Science of Social Media! Thanks to each and every one of you for tuning in to the show and joining us on this journey.

Today we're focusing on how you can build an audience on Twitter. 

Twitter has over 321 million monthly active users, and it’s the perfect platform to build an audience — either for your personal brand or on behalf of your company. But how do you actually get people to follow your...

Today’s episode is a little different from usual. In this episode, we’re focusing on allyship and anti-racism on social media.

Back in June, Buffer made a commitment to anti-racism work as an organization, as did many other brands worldwide. 

And we want to regularly focus on this topic here on The Science of Social Media to keep ourselves accountable and also help others to continue to move forward and stand up to racial inju...

As Q4 approaches, budgets are top of mind for many of us. 

And if you’re feeling worried about managing budgets, and hitting your goals, you’re not alone — a recent study on the marketing impact of COVID-19 from LinkedIn found that budget cuts are the top concern and the biggest challenge for marketers right now. 

In this episode, we're joined by Buffer's VP of Marketing Kevan Lee. Kevan shares how COVID-19 has impacted m...

As of July 2020, more than half of all the people on Earth use social media.

With so much of the world’s population using social channels — and more joining for the first time each day — social media offers incredible opportunities to connect with your customers, no matter your business size.

And in this episode, we’re going to focus in on exactly how local businesses can get most out of social media. We'll discuss why social media...

The thing we love most at Buffer is helping you succeed at social media. But I’m sure every social media manager has at some point asked themselves the question… "what exactly does success look like?"

In this episode, we’re going to help you to define what success might look like for your business and specifically how you can use data to measure success, thanks to some expert advice from Buffer's Alfred Lua. 

I hope you enjoy ...

According to data from Shopify, new stores created online grew 62 percent between March 13th to April 24th, 2020. 

With so many businesses moving from brick-and-mortar to online, and many people embracing their inner entrepreneur and starting completely new businesses, we’ve seen a ton of people asking questions around how to sell online.

In this episode, we're joined by Simon Heaton, Demand Gen Lead at Shopify, who will be sh...

As people have been spending more time and home, screentime and time on social channels have also gone up. This has led to big jumps in engagement for many brands. And though a rise in engagement is great for marketers, it can also bring unexpected challenges and more demand for support. 

With many brands not expecting such a sudden increase in messages on social, we spoke with Buffer's customer advocacy lead Darcy Peters to l...

Does this sound familiar: One minute your social strategy is flying... the next, numbers are down, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly why. We're sure every social media marketer can relate to this in one way or another. But no need to worry. Today, we're opening up about how we stay on top of the social media industry here at Buffer. 

In this episode, we'll be sharing how to stay one step ahead with your social media strategies...