If you’ve been wanting to post on social media but keep putting it off, this one’s for you.
I asked Buffer’s team of creators — because creating is important to us since our product is for creators — to share what actually helped them get past the fear, overthinking, and blank-page paralysis that accompanies early-stage content creation. And their advice was refreshingly actionable.
A bit of backstory: In an initiative spearheaded by Sabreen Haziq, our Senior Brand & Community Manager, Buffer’s team has been transforming into a group of creators with real skin in the game. Over the past 8 months, we’ve collectively:
- Published over 11,000 posts
- Earned 14 million impressions
- Received 21.5 million views
📚 How We’re Empowering the Entire Buffer Team to Become Creators
If our growth stage was a “seedling” last year, many of us are becoming sprouts — hitting milestones, seeing real traction (hello, 1 million impressions), and learning a ton along the way.
Here’s what we wish we’d known from the start.
Lower the bar (way lower than you think)
The biggest thing standing between you and your first post probably isn’t strategy, timing, or even knowing what to say. It’s the belief that your first post needs to be good — or that you need to post a lot to make it count.
Neither is true. You need to post something, at whatever pace you can sustain.
“Ease in with anything that feels natural to you,” says Darcy Peters, Senior Customer Advocate Manager. “If that’s talking about a hobby, go for it! If it’s sharing an image with a one-word caption, please do! Get one post out, get another post out, get a third post out, and soon, the momentum will drive you.”
Arek Panek, Engineer on the Channels & Platform team, echoed this: “I decided it’s better to just start and see how it is. If I was waiting for my perfect moment, it’d probably never come.” So what does a low-effort, sustainable approach actually look like?
Find your “minimum viable post” or MVP
We asked the team what format they default to when they’re low on time or energy. The answers were almost boringly simple: a text-only post sharing a single thought, or an image with a short caption. And for getting from zero to one, boring is good.
Darcy keeps it especially low-lift: “I have so many images in my camera roll that I’ve thought, ‘Let me just take this to post later.’ Each image has a story to tell, and although it can sometimes tell it on its own, the short caption helps ensure the viewer understands my take.”
No carousels, no elaborate hooks, just one thought, out the door as quickly as possible.
And the best part is, once you stop treating every post like a performance, you’ll probably 1) post more and 2) get better, faster.
Start with a cadence you can maintain
There’s no magic number. Posting once a week works. So does once a month, if that’s what fits your life right now.
What matters is choosing a pace you can actually sustain. Rathes Sachchithananthan, Senior Engineer on our Core UX team, learned this the hard way: “I would send out big messages but then not be able to keep up with them. Instead, start small and stay consistent.”
A post you can maintain beats a schedule that burns you out. You can always ramp up later.
And speaking of lowering barriers — let’s talk about the biggest perceived one.
Video isn’t your only option (and it doesn’t have to be scary)
You’d be forgiven for thinking that video is the be-all and end-all on social. But with the rise of LinkedIn creators and text-based platforms like Threads and Bluesky, the barrier to great content isn’t as high as some think.
“The more I grow as a creator, the more I hear from people in my life that they would love to grow an audience as well,” says Kirsti Lang, Senior Content Creator. “And then they’ll say something like ‘but I can’t be on camera,’ or ‘I don’t know where to start with filming.'”
There are two misconceptions to address here: that video is the only format that will make you successful, and that creating great video is an unattainable skill.
On the first point: The creators on the Buffer team are proof that you can grow with text and image-based content alone.
“Some of us dabble in video, but for the vast majority, text and carousels are our bread and butter,” Kirsti says.
Even if you want to grow on TikTok or Instagram, you can lean on carousels — multi-photo or graphic posts — to do some heavy lifting. And you can adapt your format to the platform. Sabreen, for example, keeps it flexible: “I love a good text post on LinkedIn, and then a fast-paced reel on Instagram.”
For me, I actually treat video as a format to get ideas out quickly — I love an off-the-cuff ramble video (although I’ve had to get really good at cutting out my ‘um’s’ in CapCut).
On the second point: You don’t need to be a natural on camera, have formal editing training, or invest in expensive equipment.
“When I first kicked off our Social 101 series on Buffer’s YouTube channel, all I had was an iPhone and some good natural light,” Kirsti says. “I didn’t have any formal video editing training, so I played around with tools like Canva, CapCut, and Veed. There are some phenomenal video editing tools out there now. They’re super intuitive, and most of them are built to work on your phone.”
As for feeling comfortable on camera — that comes with time. “Plus, you don’t even really need to talk on camera if you don’t want to,” Kirsti adds. “I love storytelling vlogs where I record the voiceover separately. It takes the pressure off.” And I find that putting the camera on and treating it like I’m speaking to a friend on FaceTime really helps with the nerves that come with video.
If you are looking to post video and improve your skills, Suzanne Kelly, Operations Manager, has a strong take: “Anytime I’ve had a clear plan, I create much better video content. When I go with ‘I’ll just film some clips here and there,’ I end up not really having something usable.” Storyboard first, even loosely.
📚 Video Marketing 101: How to Build a Successful Strategy in 2026 (+ Examples & Pro Tips)
Stop waiting for original ideas
One of the most paralyzing beliefs about posting is that you need to say something no one’s ever said before.
You don’t. And honestly, you probably can’t — most ideas have been expressed somewhere, by someone. But here’s what is original: your perspective.
“Whatever you say, unless you’re a great philosopher, was already said by someone else, somewhere,” says Arek. “That’s fine. Your perspective is unique and that’s what makes your content original.”
This reframing is a game-changer for the creative mindset. You’re not a thought leader dispensing wisdom from on high. You’re a person in a conversation, sharing what you’re noticing, learning, or thinking through.
And if you’re wondering which version of yourself to bring to social media — the professional one? The casual one?
Rathes offers some relief: “It is ok to have different personalities on different social platforms. See it the same way you behave differently to your friends than your family or your work colleagues.”
Your LinkedIn doesn’t have to match your Threads. You contain multitudes. Post accordingly.
But even once you accept that your perspective is enough, there’s often another voice: “But what if I’m not reaching the right people?” You might be thinking about that backwards.
Flip the script on ‘finding your audience’
There’s common advice that says you should study your audience and create content that resonates with them — and that’s solid advice, especially as you grow. But when you’re just starting out, it can feel like a chicken-and-egg problem: how do you create for an audience you don’t have yet?
Rathes offers an alternative path: “I don’t need to find content that resonates with my audience — instead, I’ll grow an audience that resonates with my content.”
If you’re stuck in the “but who am I even talking to?” spiral, this reframe can be freeing. Post what’s genuinely interesting to you. The right people will find it. You can always refine as you learn who’s showing up.
Not sure what to post about? Start here:
- Document what you’re working on or learning (several teammates default to this)
- Respond to trends or news in your niche
- Answer questions you get asked repeatedly
- Share your take on something you just read, watched, or listened to
You don’t need a content pillar strategy to start. You need one thought and the willingness to share it.
Build your support system first
Here’s a counterintuitive move: before you post anything, start commenting on other people’s posts.
“Start by commenting on others’ posts on the platform of your choosing,” says Suzanne. “That’ll get you in the arena without it feeling so high stakes. And it’ll help you expand your network so that when you do feel ready to make your first post, you’ve got a community who is ready to interact with ya!”
This does two things. First, it gets you used to being visible — your name, your face, your thoughts — without the pressure of creating something from scratch. Second, it means you’re not posting into a void when you finally do hit publish.
⚡The Community feature in Buffer is great for this – check it out →
You need people in your corner
Multiple teammates cited community as the thing that actually made posting sustainable. Not willpower, not content calendars, but people.
“Having a community cheering me on, liking my comments, engaging, hyping me up — that’s been the biggest mindset shift,” Suzanne says. “Like, they won’t let me flop!”
Whether it’s coworkers, a group chat, or mutuals you’ve built relationships with through commenting, having people who will show up for your posts (especially early on) makes a real difference. It really takes the edge off.
💡 Don’t have a built-in crew? Buffer’s community is a good place to start — it’s free to join, and full of creators at every stage figuring this out together.
You’re not alone in feeling this way
When we asked the team what held them back from posting initially, the answers were remarkably consistent: perfectionism, imposter syndrome, not knowing what to say, and fear of judgment.
If that sounds like you — welcome to the club. Every creator you admire started here, too.
The difference isn’t that they figured out how to stop feeling the fear. They just posted anyway, with a few people cheering them on.
Embrace the ‘ugly first draft’
There’s a reason your first few posts feel so high-stakes: you’ve got nothing to fall back on yet. No “well, last week’s did great” to cushion the blow if this one tanks.
“The first post is the hardest,” says Suzanne, Operations Manager. “It feels like so much is on the line for that first post to succeed or flop. Once you’ve been posting for a while, there’s less pressure for each one to be a banger — cause if it does flop, it doesn’t feel like a judgment on your success as a creator. Cause you know last week’s was a banger!”
This is the part no one tells you: the only way to lower the emotional stakes is to keep posting. Volume creates safety — not because every post is great, but because no single post carries the weight of your entire creator identity.
Sabreen, Senior Brand & Community Manager, frames it this way: “Every piece of content is a data point. It brings you closer to your audience by showing you what resonates and what doesn’t. No post is a bad post — just learnings along the way.”
And whatever you do, resist the urge to measure your early work against people who’ve been at it for years. Your week three won’t look like their year three, and it doesn’t need to.
Mistakes we made (so you don’t have to)
We asked the team what they’d done differently in hindsight. A few patterns emerged:
- Letting a break kill your momentum. Life happens — vacations, hard seasons, busy stretches. But Darcy learned that getting back in the groove is simpler than it feels: “It’s as easy as publishing a quick text-based, shower-thought post to get me back into it.”
- Not engaging back. Replies aren’t just polite — they’re part of the game. As Darcy put it: “Post, comment, reply to comments, repeat.” If you disappear after posting, you’re leaving connection (and reach) on the table.
- Obsessing over follower count. Sabreen admits she fell into this trap early: “I used to be obsessed with my follower count. In hindsight, I should have focused on enjoying the process and letting my social media personality evolve alongside my audience. Over time, you find your groove, and things begin to fall into place.”
Systems that actually help
At some point, “just post” stops being enough. You need a lightweight system to capture ideas when they happen and get them out the door before you overthink them.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Capture ideas the moment they hit
The team’s most consistent habit: saving ideas immediately, before they disappear.
Arek treats Buffer’s Ideas feature like a kanban board: “One group is initial ideas — just a simple title and what I want to post about. Then another board is ‘in progress.’ I leave drafts there for a few days in case something new comes to mind. Then during the next session, I move them to actual scheduled posts.”
Where you capture matters less than that you capture. Several teammates mentioned the Notes app, voice memos, or simply drafting directly in Buffer. The point is having a place where half-baked thoughts can live until you’re ready to shape them.
Lean into scheduling if hitting ‘post’ feels a bit much
Here’s a small psychological trick that came up repeatedly: scheduling a post makes it easier to actually publish.
“Scheduling makes it less scary to click ‘Share,'” says Arek. When it’s queued up and going out on its own, you don’t have the chance to second-guess yourself at the last moment.
Suzanne also credited Buffer’s streak feature: “It gives me hella accountability.”
And Rathes uses scheduling to smooth out the creative ebbs and flows: “Buffer allows me to spread out ideas and thoughts, even if they come in bursts. That way, I’m covered even on weeks that I am not feeling that productive.”
The takeaway: batch when you’re feeling it, schedule for when you’re not.
Turn one idea into many
If you’re stuck thinking you need endless new ideas, try this reframe from Darcy: break one bigger thought into a series.
“The catalyst was my 10-year anniversary at Buffer. I had a decade of thoughts to share, and stuffing them all into one post would feel chaotic. Instead, I drafted five posts to highlight different parts of my journey. Instantly, I had one post scheduled per week for five weeks!”
Bonus tip from Darcy: use voice-to-text or an AI tool to ramble through your thoughts, then ask it to break them into three to five post concepts. It really helps lower the creative load.
📚 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)
Sabreen takes a similar approach: “I get typing fatigue quite often in the age of AI, so it’s much easier to collaborate with ChatGPT on creative script ideas and ways to make things more engaging. It’s the fastest way to arrive at a concept that’s closest to my vision, and ultimately to a stronger piece of content.”
What’s on the other side
We asked the team how posting has impacted their work or careers in ways they didn’t expect. The answers were a good reminder of why any of this is worth the discomfort.
Rathes kept it simple: “Posting on social media literally got me the job of my dreams.”
Suzanne saw tangible growth: “I’ve more than doubled my following on LinkedIn.”
For Darcy, it was the relationships: “Posting more often has allowed me to connect and create relationships with others in my industry. I often receive LinkedIn DMs from people who’ve seen one of my posts. It’s a great way to learn from one another.”
And for Sabreen, it turned into income: “I’ve been able to monetize on LinkedIn through entirely organic inbound leads, netting around $7K so far. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to work with brands like beehiiv, Canva, Air, Teal, Gamma, Slate, and Tracksuit.”
A dream job. A doubled following. Industry relationships. Brand deals. None of these outcomes required going viral. They came from showing up consistently, sharing real perspectives, and treating social media like the community space it actually is.
If you’re still on the fence, I get it. Posting feels vulnerable. The blank page is intimidating. The fear that no one will care — or worse, that they’ll judge — is real.
But remember: you don’t need to impress everyone. You just need to be useful to someone — even if that someone is just one person scrolling by.
As Sabreen put it: “Your creator journey is a long-running storyline that evolves over time. You can’t become everything at once… Patience ends up being your greatest advantage.”
You’ve got something worth sharing. Now go hit publish.
