If you happen to’ve been seeing Buffer teammates pop up in your social feeds much more currently, it’s not a coincidence. It’s by design! We’ve been deliberately investing in constructing a group of Buffer creators as a company-wide initiative.
On the core of this work is a straightforward perception: being creators ourselves will proceed to set Buffer up for long-term success. By dwelling the identical creator journey as our prospects, we will make higher product choices and join extra meaningfully with the folks we serve.
Turning into a group of creators is a signature model guess that we have kicked off in 2025; it’s our means of constructing Buffer from the within out.
On this publish, I’ll take you behind the scenes of how we’re making it occur. From the techniques and workshops we’ve designed to assist our teammates, to the early indicators of affect we’re already seeing.
The evolution from dogfooding to Group of Creators
Buffer’s story with creation began lengthy earlier than we known as it “Group of Creators.”
Again in November 2010, our CEO Founder Joel Gascoigne constructed the primary model of Buffer throughout a Startup Dash to resolve an issue he was experiencing: he needed a solution to house out when his tweets have been despatched.
Within the early days, we have been small, the product was private, and plenty of teammates have been constructing in public — tweeting typically and utilizing Buffer simply as our prospects did. Creation was woven into the day-to-day in a pure means, however there was no formal construction and no shared expectation.
As Buffer grew, our method turned extra intentional by way of dogfooding — utilizing Buffer internally to publish our personal content material, take a look at new options, and catch bugs earlier than they reached prospects. Dogfooding stored us near the product and gave us helpful suggestions loops, but it surely had its limits. We have been utilizing the product, however not essentially dwelling the client journey.
The shift to constructing a group of creators
Group of Creators is a deliberate shift from dogfooding, and a defensible long-term technique that might be an enormous differentiator for Buffer.
We’re now not simply testing our product internally; we’re creating content material in public collectively. Which means experiencing the identical hesitations, inventive blocks, and cold-start challenges our prospects face; and studying the way to transfer by way of them. Within the course of, we’re constructing our personal voices and consistency; and gaining a deeper understanding of what it takes to develop as creators which in the end helps us create a greater product expertise.
Group of Creators is about encouraging each Bufferoo to share their voice in a means that feels pure to them; on social platforms they’re most comfy with, and in areas they genuinely care about. That may imply a designer sharing their course of on Instagram, a marketer providing trade tips about LinkedIn, or a teammate posting their mountain climbing adventures on Threads. It’s not about solely posting about Buffer, it’s about constructing the behavior of making and connecting persistently.
Joel talked about this shift from dogfooding throughout our June 2025 All Fingers, reflecting on how Group of Creators marks a pure evolution in our tradition: one which strikes past transparency into visibility, and invitations each teammate to be a storyteller in their very own means.
Setting expectations at Buffer
This shift has been intentional, and is a change we’re making company-wide. We have had sure groups prior to now that naturally labored on turning into creators, however this transformation is company-wide — each function, each group.
To really make the imaginative and prescient for our group of creators be a actuality, Joel, set a transparent expectation that everybody on the Buffer group participates and begins their creator journey; with managers supporting this work alongside the best way.
We’re not simply empowering the complete Buffer group to develop their voices on social, construct public credibility, and share actual tales from behind the scenes. We’re setting a excessive normal of excellence.
This shift strengthens our tradition, builds a stronger bridge to our group, and creates a type of model differentiation that’s arduous to copy. As Michael Porter writes in What’s Technique?:
“An organization can outperform rivals provided that it could actually set up a distinction that it could actually protect.”
Group of Creators is how we protect that distinction; by maintaining our folks on the middle, and studying by doing.
As soon as we’d made the choice to turn out to be a real group of creators, the true work started.
How we constructed the Group of Creators ecosystem
It’s one factor to set an expectation, it’s one other to construct a program that individuals wish to be a part of, week after week, for the lengthy haul.
Even nice concepts can lose steam as soon as the preliminary pleasure fades. For Group of Creators to ship on its promise, we couldn’t simply depend on preliminary enthusiasm; we would have liked to construct one thing that will make it simple, energizing, and rewarding for teammates to participate over the long run. That meant creating a robust spine: clear construction, accessible assets, and methods for teammates to assist and encourage each other.
With that finish aim in thoughts, we got down to create a framework that might stand by itself, adapt over time, and actually assist Bufferoos construct a sustainable behavior loop. That additionally meant making intentional decisions about what to prioritize first, and establishing techniques we might scale as momentum grew.
Organising assist techniques for Buffer creators
The first step was ensuring each teammate had sensible assist, clear pathways, and a spot to attach with others doing the identical. That basis got here collectively in a number of interlocking elements, beginning with a devoted Slack channel.
The Slack channel: #buffer-creators
Slack was the pure selection for this primary step because it’s the place we already collaborate every day, and we needed this house to reflect the group spirit we’ve constructed externally, however inside Buffer.
From the very starting, we stored the comms tempo intentional and set the channel up as an lively, working house to swap concepts, share wins, ask for suggestions, and cheer one another on.
One key piece of the technique was to maintain deal with a human and values-led method, fairly than kicking off any system-based automations or zaps in Slack on day one. Some days that meant asking what content material folks have been planning for the week; different days it was recognizing a teammate’s publish within the wild; grabbing a screenshot, and sharing it with the hyperlink so others might increase it. And at all times, there have been taco emojis — our Slack custom for celebrating wins, dwelling our values, and marking milestones!
We additionally made it some extent to highlight teammates who have been simply beginning out as creators or have been barely extra introverted. The purpose was twofold: encouragement and visibility. Established Buffer creators — these with current audiences and extra creator expertise — typically joined in, providing platform-specific ideas, sharing AI workflows, or breaking down viral publish frameworks.
Over time, a set of pure champions emerged: individuals who persistently provided encouragement, ideas, and fast assist for anybody navigating the creator journey.
This deliberate early nurturing actually paid off.
In the present day, #buffer-creators is a buzzing nook of experiments, candid conversations, and mutual assist. Teammates brazenly share publish drafts, ask for suggestions, and have a good time Buffer Streaks from our leaderboard. Many posts have gone from draft to revealed in a matter of minutes, given the collaborative evaluation course of. It’s additionally turn out to be an opportunity to study from one another, as teammates watch how completely different folks form their concepts and produce content material to life.
Because the house developed a bit extra, we added one light-touch automation — a Monday check-in — to maintain the momentum going.
It’s a mild accountability mechanism that additionally sparks concept sharing and units the tone for the week. However the heartbeat of the channel stays the identical:
Actual folks supporting one another, as they develop as creators.
Group of Creators Sources HQ (Notion)
The following huge step was level-setting creator data with wealthy and easy-to-follow assets.
We didn’t wish to assume folks knew the place to begin. We needed to create one thing that felt like a light-weight, choose-your-own-path onboarding: simple to dip into, substantial sufficient to stage up.
That turned the Group of Creators Sources HQ in Notion; a working library for kickstarting or up-leveling a creator journey.
Inside, teammates might discover:
Clear context for why the initiative exists, why it issues, and easy first steps to get going.Actionable steerage on figuring out a distinct segment, choosing a major platform, and setting achievable content material objectives.Sensible strategies for content material batching and scheduling content material with Buffer.Workout routines and methods for reframing frequent creator mindset hurdles.Platform-by-platform finest practices, plus notes on how algorithms are inclined to behave.Repurposing playbooks to assist content material journey additional.Instruments for packaging content material effectively, aligned to private model objectives.
Since teammates are balancing this journey with day-to-day work, in a 4-day work week; we have been cautious to keep away from data overload. All through the hub, the tone stays heat and exact; pages are brief and interactive. We baked in prompts like “Establish your why with these questions” so folks might outline their objective at their very own tempo. We additionally layered in ideas and data share posts from teammates sourced instantly from the #buffer-creators Slack threads, which created a pleasant continuity between the place concepts begin and the place they’re documented.
A favourite part within the hub is the Wall of Wins: a curated, daily-updated gallery of actual posts from Bufferoos throughout platforms. It offers fast, visible inspiration and underscores an essential reality: displaying up counts, whether or not you’re sharing Buffer-related work or one thing private you care about.
The Group of Creators Sources HQ utilization knowledge tells us that teammates are utilizing it!
Our newest Notion analytics snapshot exhibits 773 complete views since launch, unfold broadly throughout the corporate; proof that individuals are returning to the hub as an lively working software, and never a one-time launch doc. Hurrah!
Creator Café workshops
After launching the Slack channel and assets hub, we needed one thing that will convey teammates collectively frequently, and in actual time. An area the place Buffer creators might join, study, and ask questions with out having to carve out that house themselves.
That’s how Creator Café workshops got here to life!
These periods are designed as relaxed, beginner-friendly digital meetups for teammates to enter and maintain their creator journeys with extra confidence. They’re completely elective, as we’re a completely distant group, however each workshop is recorded and content material shared afterwards so nobody misses out.
We’re nonetheless early on this journey, and have mapped out three waves for the months forward:
Wave 1 (foundational): Sensible periods to construct early creator habits, overcome mindset limitations, and provide hands-on guidanceWave 2 (needs-based): Focused workshops responding to particular challenges, methods, or alternatives that floor over timeWave 3 (collective themes): Periods targeted on team-wide traits, showcasing profitable approaches, and spotlighting inventive experiments from teammates
Our first Creator Café was held on July twenty first, and it set the tone for what’s to come back!
We kicked issues off with a tour of the brand new assets HQ and shared some stunning early outcomes (yay) from our collective posting momentum that received everybody excited. Subsequent, the guts of the workshop was an interactive Figma train, full with “hero’s journey” soundtrack, that invited everybody to map out the hurdles maintaining them from posting:
The primary board, on the left — a Creator Empathy Map — had 4 quadrants: Imposter Syndrome, Perfectionism, Not Realizing The place to Begin, and Lack of Time/Power, plus an area for “one thing else.” Teammates crammed it rapidly:
Imposter Syndrome: “I fear my content material isn’t unique sufficient.”Perfectionism: “I really feel like I must have all the things found out earlier than I share something.”Not Realizing The place to Begin: “I’ve too many concepts and might’t resolve which to deal with.”Lack of Time/Power: “By the point I end my workday, I’m drained and might’t take into consideration creating.”
The second board, on the proper — additionally a Creator Empathy Map — flipped the dialog. For each problem listed, teammates provided concepts for overcoming it: all the things from small mindset shifts to utilizing templates, batching content material, or discovering an accountability buddy. It was knowledge-sharing at its most natural, with worth flowing between creators at each stage of their journey.
We closed the train loop with a myth-busting section on content material creation and easing frequent worries. The session wrapped with an open jam and Q&A, which sparked concepts we’ll carry into the following workshop.
For any workshop we host, the aim is to maintain it gentle and memorable all through. For this primary one, we framed the workshop round a pasta metaphor: content material, like pasta, is available in many shapes and types, with limitless “seasonings” (AI instruments, private techniques, inventive twists) to fit your style. The suggestions was clear; the workshop left teammates extra assured, impressed, and able to experiment.
In the present day, our method stays incremental, supportive, and grounded in assembly teammates the place they’re; with every session constructing on the final. Extra to come back!
Turning Buffer’s social channels into shared areas
As extra teammates discovered their rhythm with posting, the following step was to increase that momentum past particular person accounts.
We needed to convey extra of that creativity, persona, and lived expertise into Buffer’s owned social channels; turning them into shared areas that mirrored the folks behind the product.
This was a shift in how we noticed our model presence: from being centrally managed by a couple of faces to being a dwelling, collaborative stream of tales. We started that includes teammate-generated content material entrance and middle; all the things from trade observations and sensible creator tricks to behind-the-scenes glimpses of Buffer tradition and private milestones.
For teammates, this turned a mild and accessible solution to ease into public content material creation. Sharing on the Buffer account meant they might experiment, construct confidence, and join with a wider viewers — all whereas realizing their voice nonetheless appeared like them.
For our viewers, it meant extra genuine, diverse storytelling that might by no means be replicated by a single perspective. It gave our channels a gradual movement of contemporary content material, extra faces from throughout the corporate, and richer illustration of the folks and work that make Buffer what it’s.
We’ve since expanded that very same precept to our weblog, inviting anybody at Buffer to contribute. This opens the door for a broader vary of voices and experiences to form our content material — from engineers sharing product choices to designers unpacking inventive processes. It’s diversifying the views we share and including extra depth to the conversations we begin.
To maintain this momentum going, we actively repost and syndicate teammates’ content material, spotlight their work in ask-me-anything (AMA) fashion threads, and encourage community-driven dialogue. The result’s a suggestions loop the place our group and our group encourage one another, reinforcing the concept Buffer’s model is constructed by the folks in it, and shared by everybody.
Measuring success with knowledge and qualitative affect indicators
From the start, we knew that measuring the success of Group of Creators couldn’t simply be a numbers train.
We’re not chasing advert ROI or making an attempt to justify media financial savings, which is why we intentionally skipped metrics like Earned Media Worth (EMV). The story we wish to inform is of collective momentum, participation, and constructing empathy for the folks we serve. It’s concerning the ripple impact that occurs when dozens of Bufferoos begin displaying up persistently, in their very own voices.
In a group of 70, you possibly can sense the change nearly instantly with out ever opening a dashboard. It’s within the rhythm of our feeds, within the conversations we’re having with our group, and within the regular stream of posts we reshare from teammates on Buffer’s model channels.
We see it in our Wall of Wins, too. It’s up to date every day and is a dwelling gallery the place anybody at Buffer can see what others are creating. Some posts are Buffer-related; others are deeply private or rooted in trade experience. That blend is intentional and we’ve by no means set the bar at “it’s essential to publish about Buffer.” The aim has at all times been to assist folks create in ways in which really feel pure, self-led, and sustainable.
Constructing a dashboard
Whereas the cultural indicators have been clear, we additionally needed a solution to anchor our progress in one thing extra tangible.
Earlier than launch, we set a baseline by pulling knowledge from teammate social accounts linked to Buffer, ensuring to solely embrace accounts they posted to themselves (not these managed for freelance or different aspect tasks). This gave us a real image of the start line and ensured we have been capturing the proper quantity for the proper story.
From there, we constructed the Group of Creators dashboard; our dwelling for monitoring a couple of key indicators:
Energetic group members: to measure adoption price, and see how many individuals are collaborating in a given week or month.Whole group posts: to measure quantity and spot spikes tied to launches, occasions, or cultural moments.Median posts per member: to grasp posting habits throughout the group, not simply essentially the most prolific voices.Whole group attain, impressions, and views: to indicate the collective affect of our content material within the wild.
The numbers alone aren’t the entire story, however they provide us a robust lens on what’s taking place.
Extra importantly, the trajectory is upward; participation and attain are each climbing as extra folks discover their rhythm. Subsequent, we’re exploring methods to watch attain per teammate and observe the proportion of weekly posting objectives met in Buffer. It will add much more depth to how we measure and share this story.
Leaderboard for encouragement
Whereas monitoring numbers is helpful, we additionally needed a solution to have a good time the folks behind them, with out turning Group of Creators right into a high-stakes competitors.
That’s the place the month-to-month leaderboard got here in!
It’s designed to acknowledge participation and consistency, not simply the largest attain or the very best engagement. The first rating issue is posting streaks, as a result of consistency is a extra equitable measure than uncooked impressions and attain; particularly when social following sizes range broadly throughout the Buffer group.
Alongside streaks, the leaderboard highlights every particular person’s complete posts, likes, reposts, feedback and replies, attain, impressions, and views. The intent is to present teammates a fuller image of their very own momentum, whereas maintaining the spirit collaborative.
Subsequent up, we’re constructing a group leaderboard to see which groups are main the pack on posting consistency! It’s meant to spark some pleasant competitors, whereas maintaining the spirit collaborative.
Creator Confidence as a hit metric
Consistency issues, however so does the way it modifications the best way you see your self.
To measure that change, we created a Creator Confidence survey that we’ll run each six months. It asks teammates to price — on a scale of 0–10 — how assured they really feel creating and sharing as a Buffer Creator, how comfy they’re expressing themselves authentically, and the way their confidence compares earlier than the assist techniques existed versus now.
In true Buffer trend, we’ve made the outcomes absolutely seen! The survey isn’t nameless, and each response is shared proper contained in the Group of Creators Sources HQ. That transparency means we will all see what’s serving to, the place extra assist is required, and what’s attainable once we make house for one another’s voices.
Since launching the assets hub, the typical teammate confidence rating has risen by two full factors in comparison with earlier than the initiative! It is a regular, measurable shift that displays each the consistency of participation and the consolation individuals are discovering in sharing their very own voices.
The outcomes we’re seeing to date
The early indicators are encouraging! Participation is excessive, and folks exterior Buffer have began to note “Buffer in all places” of their feeds.
Bufferoos from throughout groups are sharing all the things from private reflections to behind-the-scenes appears to be like at their work. Some are constructing totally new content material niches; others, who as soon as felt extra self-conscious about posting, have hit their stride.
There have been many breakthrough moments; posts that took off and led to regular follower development; and smaller compounding wins that created behavior loops, making it simpler for teammates to maintain displaying up.
Since launch, we’ve seen:
90% of the group actively participating4132 complete posts2,529,156 complete reach3,705,897 impressions1,852,648 complete views43, median posts per teammate
We’ve additionally observed an enormous shift in how our group engages with us! Increasingly individuals are leaning in to assist us create buzz round launches and key milestones.
For instance, for the launch of LinkedIn Profile Analytics, Buffer creators and group members posted coordinated teasers forward of launch. It turned the product launch into an organization and group large occasion, filling feeds with curiosity and enthusiasm. On account of this, there has additionally been an uptick in product questions and solutions directed to particular teammates, signaling that the circle of connection is widening.
The mix of clear expectations, accessible assets, and shared momentum is why this system is holding so sturdy, gone the preliminary pleasure. The act of making is now not one thing we do “on the aspect.” It’s embedded in how we construct, join, and present up for the folks we serve.
Holding momentum alive and what’s subsequent
With the techniques and buildings in place, Group of Creators remains to be in its early chapters. It’s a long-term technique, and we’re deliberate about maintaining the power excessive and the participation regular.
A part of that’s celebration. At our month-to-month All Fingers, we highlight teammates from the leaderboard — moments that at all times spark smiles and applause. The identical spirit lives in our #buffer-creators Slack channel, the place encouragement flows every day, and infrequently within the type of taco emojis!
We’re equally intentional about listening. The initiative retains evolving in response to what creators ask for — whether or not it’s new assets, one-on-one assist, or Creator Café workshops that dig into particular, actionable matters. Quickly we’ll be experimenting with lighthearted inner challenges; providing enjoyable, low-pressure prompts to maintain inventive muscle tissue lively.
If you happen to’ve been following alongside and questioning how one thing like this would possibly work in your personal group; otherwise you’re interested in what we’ll attempt subsequent, pull up a chair. We’re at all times comfortable to share how we’re constructing, what we’re studying, and the place we’re headed subsequent. It’s also possible to direct message me on LinkedIn or attain out through my web site with any questions!
