Author Archives: i4lead

As a social media marketer or someone trying to build your social media presence, you know that it isn’t enough just to post new content — the times you post also play a crucial role. But trying to determine the best times to post to social media can sometimes feel like throwing a bunch of content at the wall and hoping something sticks.

While some trial-and-error is inevitable, the good news is that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Of the marketers surveyed for HubSpot’s 2025 Social Media Trends report, nearly 29% reported that a data-informed marketing strategy is essential, and there is a lot of data available to help you decide when, how often, and even what to post to engage your audience.

So, in this post, I’ve compiled key statistics and expert-tested advice on the best times to post on social media in 2025.

Find the best time to post on the following platforms:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• TikTok
• X (formerly Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Best Time to Post on Instagram

Instagram has surpassed 2 billion monthly users, with most of its base accessing the platform via mobile.

Source

Here are some of the most recent and relevant studies around the best time to post on Instagram:

• Based on analyzing 5.5 million social media posts, Buffer states that the best times to post on Instagram are 7 AM to 8 AM on weekdays.
• According to the same report, the best day to post on Instagram is Friday. The worst day is Sunday.
• The worst times to post are 11 PM to 12 AM and 1 AM to 2 AM.
• SocialBee suggests that the best times to post on Instagram are between 11 AM and 2 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and at 10 AM on Saturdays.
• According to a SocialPilot study on over 50,000 Instagram accounts, the best time to post on Instagram is between 7 AM and 9 AM.
• Later states that the best time to post on Instagram is 5 AM.

However, many experts have found that posting on Instagram in the late afternoons and evenings also tends to yield high engagement, as this is when people are scrolling through their phones to wind down from work or school.

While posting at the right time is important, it’s also important to optimize your posts with the right caption so that they reach the maximum audience. You can use tools like Hubspot AI Social Media Caption Generator to easily create engaging and impactful copy for your posts.

Best Time to Post on Facebook

When it comes to the best times to post on Facebook, marketers report almost identical numbers as they do on Instagram.

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• According to Buffer, the best time to post on Facebook is between 9 AM and 10 AM.
• The best days to post on Facebook are Fridays. The worst are Saturdays and Sundays.
• The worst times to post are 4 AM to 5 AM and 11 PM to 12 AM.
• According to SocialBee, the best times to post on Facebook are Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 10 AM and 1 PM to 4 PM.

The best times to post on social media can depend on your specific audience and their browsing habits, however.

For example, Alex Ugarte, operations manager of online B2B brokering service London Office Space, has found that between 1 PM and 3 PM on weekdays works best, since “this is when many users take breaks or have downtime, meaning they’re more likely to engage.”

Ugarte adds that “Wednesdays tend to see higher engagement due to midweek productivity dips, and posting around this time has given us solid and consistent visibility.”

Best Time to Post on TikTok

Since 2020, TikTok has become the go-to short-form video platform for Gen Z and Millennial consumers.

Since brands are increasingly targeting their marketing efforts at these younger generations, it’s little wonder that according to HubSpot research, TikTok is seeing a 27.64% increase in investment by marketers in 2025, coming in just behind YouTube and Instagram.

Source

• Studies by SocialPilot show that the best time to post on TikTok is between 10 AM and 6 PM EST on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Hopper states 10 AM to 11 AM mid-week as the overall best time.
• According to Buffer, the best times are Sundays at 8 PM, Tuesdays at 4 PM, and Wednesdays at 5 PM.
• According to SocialBu, the best time to post on TikTok globally is Monday at 6 AM, 10 AM, 3 PM, and 10 PM EST, as the platform sees high user engagement early in the week.

Best Time to Post on X (formerly Twitter)

The best times to post on X are a bit more varied than for Instagram and Facebook. In general, aim for times when people are likely to be taking breaks throughout their day.

Source

• After analyzing over 1 million posts, Buffer found that the best time to post on X is 11 AM on Mondays and Fridays.
• SocialBee states that the best time to post on X is between 9 AM and 4 PM on Thursdays and Fridays.
• For better engagement, SocialPilot suggests posting in the mornings between 9 AM and 11 AM and afternoons around 3 PM on weekdays.
• On weekends, it’s best to post between 9 AM and 8 PM.

In addition to finding the best times to post on social media, it’s also important to consider how often you should post.

According to Paul Drecksler, ecommerce expert, affiliate marketing professional, and founder of Shopifreaks, this also depends on the platform.

“X moves fast, so multiple posts a day can work, but a few times a week for Instagram or LinkedIn might be enough,” Drecksler says as an example. But even that is more of a guideline than a hard-and-fast rule.

“Algorithms change constantly, and what works for someone else won’t necessarily work for you,” he explains. “Instead of blindly following a schedule, track engagement, test different times, and adjust accordingly. The best data you can use is your own.”

Best Time to Post on LinkedIn

Roughly 30% of U.S. adults use LinkedIn to network and share their professional endeavors. It’s no surprise that weekday mornings — when professionals are gearing up to start their workdays — are the top times for posting on this platform.

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• CoSchedule suggests posting on LinkedIn at 12 PM, 10 AM, and 1 AM.
• The best days to post are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Wednesdays.
• The lowest-performing days are Sundays, Saturdays, and Mondays.
• According to Buffer, you can get high engagement if you post between 7 AM and 4 PM on weekdays, with peak hours between 10 AM and 11 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• SocialPilot states the best time is between 10 AM and 12 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Best Time to Post on Pinterest

HubSpot internal data shows that visual storytelling is on the rise, especially through short-form videos, images, and live streaming. This could make Pinterest — a visual-based search engine — a useful tool for getting your brand’s content in front of your target audience.

• The best times to post on Pinterest, according to CoSchedule, are 12:00 PM, 6:17 PM, and 8:02 PM.
• The worst times are 4:00 AM, 5:00 AM, and 1:00 AM.
• The best days to post are Fridays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
• According to SocialPilot, however, the best times to post on Pinterest are 8 PM, 4 PM, and 9 PM on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• On weekends, posting on Sundays at 8 PM, 12 PM, or 10 PM is ideal.

Best Time to Post on YouTube

More than 2.7 billion people use YouTube every month, and data from a 2024 Pew Research study suggests that its reach is growing. So, how can you get the best reach on the platform? Let’s dive in.

Source

• Buffer states that videos shared between 3 and 4 PM on Fridays tend to get the highest number of views.
• According to SocialPilot, the best time is between 12 PM and 4 PM on weekdays.
• On weekends, between 9 AM and 12 PM is ideal.

While reports and surveys state one thing, YouTube experts have a slightly different opinion on the best time to post on YouTube.

This is what Robert Benjamin, a social media expert with more than 814K subscribers on YouTube, has to say.

“Personally, I have found the best time to post to be 10 AM – 12 PM, but this can be largely dictated by the relationship that you have with your audience. My recommendation to anyone uploading YouTube content is that they try to post on a regular schedule so that their audience knows when to expect a video.”

Jensen Tung, a content creator and entrepreneur with more than 524K subscribers, believes that the best time to post depends on your audience demographic and time zone.

He states, “There is no one-size-fits-all best time to post. It depends on your audience’s demographic and the time zone most of your viewers are in … YouTube Studio can show the exact hours your audience watches your content. Let that data inform your posting time.”

Creating an Effective Posting Schedule

Although each social network sees its engagement increase at specific hours and days of the week, you’ll still have to tailor your approach to your audience.

You may find that certain content types work better when posted at certain times. For instance, your videos may perform well when posting in the morning, while your images may do better in the late afternoon.

In the words of Skylum CMO Yevhenii Tymoshenko, “the actual game is habit-building. You want people to expect your content, not accidentally stumble on it.” If your audience consistently benefits from your content, they’ll start actively looking for it. “That’s when timing stops being a guessing game and starts becoming an advantage.”

If you don’t have enough of your own yet, I recommend you use the data compiled in this article as a guide. Once you start posting regularly and have collected data, review it to determine when your audience is most active on the platform and what posting schedule they respond to the most.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

All I have to show from my college days is a questionably long Facebook album titled “For the Nights I’ll Never Remember, and the People I’ll Never Forget.”

Meanwhile, when Alex Lieberman was in college, he launched a newsletter now valued at $75M.

It’s okay… We all have our strengths.

Meet the Master

Alex Lieberman

Co-founder and executive chairman, Morning Brew; co-founder of Storyarb 

• Claim to fame: Launching a newsletter now worth $75M — from his college dorm room

Lesson 1: When launching a biz, embrace the ol’ hub-and-spoke model.

Lieberman had no clue he was following what he now calls the hub-and-spoke model while getting Morning Brew off the ground at University of Michigan.

But he most certainly was: He and his co-founder, Austin Rief, would visit business classes and clubs across campus and ask professors if they could speak to students. They’d launch into a quick 30-second pitch about Morning Brew, collect emails, and voilà — a cumbersome, on-the-ground list-building strategy was born.

So why’s it called hub and spoke? For Lieberman, the spokes are your ideal customers; the hubs are channels that give you access to lots of spokes at once. In his case, the spokes were business students, and the hubs were classrooms.

When they ran out of Michigan classrooms to bombard, they launched an ambassador program with 250 college students nationwide to collect emails at other schools.

“That was how we grew our first 50,000 subscribers. And then finally we‘re like, ’Okay, this ambassador program worked… Now how do we turn everyone into an ambassador?‘ That’s why we created Morning Brew’s referral program, and as of today, roughly 450,000 subscribers have gotten at least one referral using their email address.”

Lieberman credits this hub-and-spoke approach for their early success. His advice: Start with the smallest, most localized hub, then expand one step outward while staying focused on the right channels for your audience.

Your business might not find its target consumer in college classrooms, but the point stands — Find unique, off-the-Instagram-path channels to grow your audience one spoke at a time.

Lesson 2: Go extremely specific when crafting your voice.

When Lieberman realized Morning Brew needed a consistent voice, he didn’t mess around with vague guidelines.

He literally picked an actual human being. “He’s a family friend of mine. His name’s Aaron Stoppelmann. He’s 32 years old, lives in Connecticut, and reverse commutes to the city.”

The Morning Brew team documented Aaron’s go-to cocktail, his TED Talk-watching habits, and why people enjoyed talking business with him: “He‘s deeply passionate about it and he knows a lot, but he doesn’t come off as a know-it-all or stuck up.”

After creating a hyper-specific voice based on Stoppelmann, Lieberman created a three-person content assembly line that included a completely made-up role called “voice editor.”

This position went to Grant, a business school student from Michigan’s improv troupe whose comedy background was perfect for injecting personality into dry business content.

“That’s how we would have a cohesive voice, even if four writers had written the story,” Lieberman explains.

Don’t settle for generic brand voice guidelines that collect digital dust. Create an actual persona with ridiculous specificity — down to their drink order — and consider splitting your editorial process to include a dedicated “voice” role.

Your content might be written by a committee, but it should sound like it came from one impossibly consistent, slightly caffeinated friend.

Lesson 3: Three channels will win in 2025.

Lieberman’s betting on “the trifecta of channels” for B2B brands in 2025: long-form blog content, executive social content, and a weekly email newsletter.

When asked if these are the marketing mediums all B2B leaders should lean into next year, Lieberman doesn’t hesitate: “I think this is the trifecta of channels that serves the purposes you need in terms of building top of funnel, nurturing your top of funnel, and converting your audience.”

He notes you could try YouTube, but most B2B brands “would just waste a lot of resources on it” without the right multimedia competencies.

The beauty of this three-channel approach is its simplicity and effectiveness. Long-form content — built from first-party data or expert interviews — drives traffic and captures emails. The newsletter then nurtures those relationships. Finally, executive social content leverages personalities to strengthen brand perception. (Or reveals your CTO can’t spell “innovation.”)

Focus your content efforts on these three high-impact channels before chasing shiny objects. They provide the perfect blend of rented and owned audiences — without requiring six months of planning meetings that could have been emails.

Oh, and one bonus tip I got from Lieberman? When creating content for these channels, Lieberman says business owners should avoid stressing too much about demand gen.

“I think [over-indexing on demand generation] has largely taken the soul out of content,“ he told me, adding that it’s sad because ”there‘s such great content that can be created in the world of B2B — and I think you see glimmers of that, and it’s done by people who are willing to not have to track every last thing and actually create really good stuff for their audience.”

LINGERING QUESTIONS

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION

What’s the most memorable advertisement (commercial, print ad, OOH, anything!) you can remember seeing, and why do you think it has stuck with you?—Erin Quinn, Principal Marketing Strategist, The Original Pickle Shot

THIS WEEK’S ANSWER

Lieberman: The OG Dollar Shave Club “Our Blades Are F*cking Great” commercial. That spot hits on everything I look for in a good ad:

• It tells a story, which makes you FEEL before you THINK.
• Its approach is novel, which creates intrigue & makes you lean forward (vs. lean back).
• It doesn’t sell a product. It sells an emotion. And once you feel that emotion, you become open to the product.
• It’s an ad disguised as entertainment. The best ads make you feel like you‘re eating ice cream, when you’re really eating cauliflower.

The spot drove 27 million YouTube views on a budget of $4,500, and I believe is a big reason why DSC ultimately sold for $1 billion to Unilever.

NEXT WEEK’S LINGERING QUESTION

Lieberman asks: What are your thoughts on the ongoing “attribution” hoopla? And what’s the right amount of attribution without getting overly scientific/metrics-focused with your marketing strategy?

In the 2025 HubSpot State of Marketing Report, we found that short-form video remains king. It‘s the top-performing content marketers are using, and it’s set to grow in 2025.

No surprise there — short-form videos are everywhere. Even Google is testing a short-form video tab to boost its short-form content. So, how can you tap into this trend to grow your business? And what trends should you watch for in the coming year?

In this post, I’ll share advice from video marketing experts. Read on to discover how to make short-form video content work hard for your brand.

Table of Contents

• What are short-form videos?
• Why use short-form video?
• How do short-form videos fit into your content strategy?
• Short-form Video Content Strategy
• Short-form Video Trends to Look Out For
• Short-form Video Best Practices
• Takeaways for Video Marketers
• Best Platforms for Short-form Videos

What are short-form videos?

The general consensus among marketers is that any video under 60 seconds is considered short-form, with the optimal length between 31 and 60 seconds.

Erica Santiago, who is spearheading HubSpot’s Blog Video Program, considers anything under 60 seconds to be a short-form video.

However, she notes the definition could be changing as platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts extend the duration of their short-form content.

“At one point, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts only allowed users to upload content that is between 60 to 90 seconds long, depending on the platform,” she explains. “Now, TikTok allows users to record up to 10 minutes of content on the platform. YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels both recently extended their content durations to 3 minutes.”

She believes this could change the definition of short-form content later down the line.

“In my opinion, a 3-minute video could eventually fall under the short-form video umbrella because it’s still bite-sized content that doesn’t require much commitment to watch all the way through,” she says. “And short-form platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts seem to agree as they push longer content more and more.”

“But attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, so I still suggest companies stick to 60-seconds-or-fewer videos as they experiment with short-form videos,” Santiago advises.

Regardless of the duration, one thing’s clear: shorter videos really are the star of 2025 marketing trends. According to our report, short-form video is the most used content format by marketers, with 30% of both B2B and B2C marketers leveraging it in their marketing strategy.

Furthermore, the majority of marketers agree that short-form video yields the highest ROI compared to other content formats.

Why use short-form video?

People are short on time, but that doesn’t diminish their desire for content. They want it—just faster. Here’s how investing in short videos can impact your business:

High Engagement Rates

We’ve all heard about the shrinking attention span. Various studies support this, so it’s fair to say short-form is the way to go.

For example, personal care brand Dr. Squatch reports that 250,000 videos were watched on its site. Each visitor spent an average of 1 minute and 40 seconds watching these short-form videos, adding up to 5,800+ hours of total viewing time.

Impressive, right?

Enhanced Brand Recall

Concise, multisensory video content is a game-changer because it sticks with you. These videos tap into multiple cognitive channels by blending visual, auditory, and textual elements, making the information more memorable.

I’ve noticed that these videos effortlessly grab attention, engaging our brain’s intuitive and quick processing networks.

And if creating captivating short-form videos sounds daunting, there are plenty of tools and software available that make video creation accessible to everyone, regardless of experience.

Movavi, a free video editing software with a built-in template library and stock media, can help create compelling content. HubSpot also provides Clip Creator, another free video editing software.

Storykit, with its text-to-video AI tool, also makes it easy to turn written content into short-form videos.

The result? A richer, more engaging experience that’s hard to ignore. Frequent exposure and repetition of brand elements further solidify brand recall.

Increased Reach and Visibility

I strongly believe that social media platform algorithms favor short-form content, pushing it out to a broader audience.

Just look at the latest features — YouTube’s Shorts, Meta’s post-loop ads, and Reels, or even the entire premise of TikTok. They’re all about quick, engaging content.

Another reason is shareability. The brevity of shorter videos makes them perfect for social sharing and boosting brand awareness.

Influencer Vipasha Malhotra shared her experience with The Economic Times, confirming this preference: “If I get 10,000 views on long-form YouTube videos, I receive 500,000 views on Shorts. Even on Instagram, my reels typically get over 100,000 views on average.”

Higher ROI

As I said earlier, short-form videos have the highest ROI and outperform other content marketing trends. Even video marketers at HubSpot have noticed the benefits of incorporating short-form content into their strategy.

In the past year, HubSpot invested in a mix of both short- and long-form videos in our YouTube strategy. As a result, Marketing Against the Grain, our video podcast, has 45,000 subscribers, and The Hustle reached 140K subscribers.

“In just a few months, the team grew The Hustle YouTube channel to over 400,000 views per month, created hundreds of sponsored videos, and built six long-term creator partnerships with YouTubers,” says Kyle Denhoff, Sr. Director of Marketing at HubSpot.

None of this is surprising when you consider consumer preferences.

Your audience craves quick, effective access to useful information, and short-form content delivers just that. From my experience, investing in short-form video has always paid off by meeting this demand and driving higher returns.

How do short-form videos fit into your content strategy?

Santiago notes, “Short-form videos can highlight your band’s personality, succinctly explain and promote your products and services, and build trust with your audience.”

“One of my favorite videos from the Blog Video Program features my colleague, Alana Chinn, as she casually shares return-to-office information while walking her dog,” she says. “In another video, contributor Ramona Sukhraj does her makeup while giving advice on how to go viral as a brand. This is content that can’t be replicated because our creators have unique voices, experiences as marketers, and their own method of storytelling.”

Short-form videos can also help keep your brand in tune with current topics amongst your audience.

On TikTok, for instance, viral songs, trends, and challenges dominate. Brands must join the fun to get on the “For You” page.

As with any new trend or platform, former HubSpot Senior Content Strategist Amanda Zantal-Wiener says you should always consider your audience first:

“It all goes back to an ancient question: Which channels are your audiences using and for what? And therefore, for which channels does it make the most sense for your business to create this short-form content?”

This means that while short-form video is known for its entertainment value, you can adapt it to align with your brand.

If you consider your audience and sufficiently prep for your short-form videos, there’s no trend you can’t tackle in 2025.

Short-form Video Content Strategy

A short-form video content strategy is a well-thought-out plan to leverage brief, engaging videos (typically under 60 seconds) to achieve specific marketing goals. It covers creating, distributing, and analyzing video content to make the most impact.

Here’s how to create a robust short-form video content strategy.

1. Define your objectives.

Your strategy’s foundation lies in clear objectives. Without specific goals, your efforts might lack focus.

Here’s how I approach my content goals:

• Identify Goals: Determine what you want to achieve, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, boosting engagement, generating leads, or enhancing sales.
• Set SMART Goals: Ensure your objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART goals). For example, my goal might be “increase Instagram engagement by 20% over the next three months.”

2. Understand your audience.

You can’t create resonant content without knowing your audience.

I use Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and Instagram Analytics to gather demographic data, such as age, gender, location, and interests.

I analyze psychographic factors — values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles — by gathering feedback through reviews, comments, and direct messages to gain deeper insights.

You can also use social listening tools to monitor conversations and sentiments about your brand, identifying common themes and interests.

3. Research competitors and trends.

Next, you need to stay informed about your competitors and current trends. This will keep your brand relevant while helping you capitalize on popular content formats.

Here’s my two-step approach:

• Competitive analysis: I start by identifying key competitors and analyzing their video content strategy, observing what works well and where they may be falling short.
• Trend monitoring: It is essential to stay updated with trends on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. I use a combination of BuzzSumo and Google Trends to identify trending topics and hashtags relevant to my client’s industry.

4. Plan your video content calendar.

First, I define the main content themes or categories my videos will cover, like tutorials, behind-the-scenes looks, or product demos.

This structured approach helps me brainstorm specific video concepts for each theme, ensuring they align with my brand voice and objectives.

Pro tip: Think about how each idea can provide value to your audience while promoting your brand.

Then, I establish content pillars to represent my client’s core topics and reinforce their brand message over time. Each pillar should cover different aspects of your brand to provide variety. For instance, one pillar would focus on educational content, while another highlights customer success stories.

I also plan the resources needed for video production, including time, budget, and personnel. This gives me a realistic view of what can be published without compromising quality.

Determining the video posting schedule is another crucial factor — how often I’ll post. Remember, consistency is key to keeping your audience engaged. My go-to tool for scheduling posts in advance is Buffer — it’s user-friendly and offers multi-platform support.

5. Make compelling videos.

A well-told story makes a lasting impact even in a short time frame.

The key is having structured videos with a clear beginning, middle, and end. I also try to evoke emotions — whether it’s humor, inspiration, or curiosity — since emotional content is more likely to be shared.

I also like doing as much prep work as possible before a video shoot. Video marketer Tanner Francom describes this as “gathering inspiration.”

He says this “helps to craft shots in both pre-production and on set. Before putting together a shot list, we gather an inspiration board full of shots we want to replicate or have certain aspects we’d like to include in the video.”

6. Optimize for different platforms.

Each social media platform has its own unique style and user habits. To make the most impact, I tailor my videos to fit each platform’s format and aspect ratio.

I also use platform-specific features like polls, questions, and stickers to boost interactivity and engagement.

Here’s a quick guide to help you:

• TikTok: Keep your TikTok videos fun and casual. Use popular sounds to boost your views. You must also stay updated with the latest trends and try weaving them into your content.
• Instagram Reels: Choose visually appealing content with short, punchy captions and smart hashtags. Consistency is key on Reels—regularly posting and engaging with other users can really pay off. Join in on trends, but always stay true to your brand’s vibe.
• YouTube Shorts: Aim for high-quality production with clear, searchable titles and eye-catching thumbnails. Properly tagged videos with compelling thumbnails can drive traffic to your longer videos.

7. Promote your videos.

Once my video posts are live, I share the links in my email newsletters to keep my audience engaged. I respond to comments, participate in discussions, and share user-generated content to build a loyal community around my brand.

Cross-promotion is another great strategy — I include video snippets in my blog posts and podcasts, guiding my audience to watch the full content.

If you have the budget, don’t forget paid advertising. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can help your videos reach the right people, especially for new campaigns or key promotions.

8. Analyze and adjust.

The last step is continuous analysis, where I refine my short-form video content strategy to ensure ongoing improvement and relevance.

I rely on analytics tools — Google Analytics, TikTok Analytics, and Instagram Insights — to track performance metrics like views, engagement, shares, and conversions. Regular performance reviews also help me identify what’s working and what needs improvement.

Additionally, I conduct A/B testing with different video formats, lengths, and styles to see what resonates most with my audience. This provides valuable insights into their preferences and behaviors.

Pro tip: Encourage viewers to leave comments and suggestions to help adjust the content strategy. I’ve found that asking for direct feedback improves content quality and increases engagement.

Short-form Video Trends to Look Out For

1. Brand Challenges

Short-form videos first gained popularity through viral content based on dances, songs, and sounds. Today, brands can make their own sounds, filters, and challenges go viral.

According to our most recent social media trends report, 20% of marketers surveyed leveraged branded challenges, and 42% said they performed better than expected.

Short-form video example: Fenty Beauty Filters

Fenty Beauty found a clever way to gain traction on TikTok while showcasing its wide range of beauty products. Over the last few years, the makeup brand has created numerous TikTok filters that help users find the right products and try out new looks.

One of their most popular filters is called “Which RiRi are You?” and it shuffles through different lip liner and color combinations worn by the brand’s founder, Rihanna.

What I like: Filters, dances, and song trends are catchy, fun, and shareable ways to build brand awareness and steer your audience toward your products and services.

2. Nano- and Micro-Influencer Collabs

Brands have been leveraging influencer marketing for years—that’s nothing new. However, I’m now seeing more brands leverage smaller influencers over mega ones. According to our Marketing Trends Report, marketers greatly benefited from leveraging influencers with audiences smaller than 100K.

For context, there are three types of influencers:

• Nano-influencers have less than 10,000 subscribers/followers
• Micro-influencers have 10,000-99,999 subscribers/followers
• Macro-influencers have 100K – 1 million subscribers/followers

Our trends survey found that 45% of marketers saw the most success with micro-influencers and creators. According to marketers in our survey, the top three benefits of working with smaller creators and influencers are:

• They are more trusted by their followers and subscribers.
• They provide more access to niche, tight-knit communities.
• They are less expensive to work with than influencers and creators with larger followings.

Short-form video example:

Eyewear company Zeelool often partners with micro-influencers to promote their latest glasses designs. In the video below, TikTok influencer @kryspiikreme tries on several pairs and includes a discount code in the caption for her followers to use.

Pro tip: Choosing which influencer to represent your product isn’t easy. You want someone who stands for the same values as your business. Check out this blog on how to choose the best influencer for your brand.

3. Authentic, Value-driven Content

According to our 2025 State of Marketing Report, 1 in 4 marketers are exploring creating content that authentically reflects their brand’s values.

This is largely because more brands will target Gen Z and Millennials in their marketing this year, two demographics known to value authenticity and prefer to buy from companies that share their values.

Short-form video example: Formula One

How can you authentically show your audience that you share their values in a short-form video? One way is to send your products to those who may need them the most.

For example, pet product brand Kong sent animal rescuer and foster parent Rachael Robertson a massive bag of Kong products to gift a cat she’s fostering named Garbanzo, who recently went viral on TikTok.

This shows that Kong supports animal rescuers, foster parents, and cats like Garbanzo, who need extra attention and resources, things the brand’s target audience of pet and animal lovers care about.

Pro tip: Brainstorm with your marketing team on how you can pull back the curtain on your company and let customers know more about what makes your brand tick.

This might look like an interview with your CEO or a video explaining the history of your company. Let your viewers see why you’re passionate about what you do and what you have in plan for the future.

Short-form Video Best Practices

Tip 1: Film vertically.

You can shoot your videos horizontally, but I recommend you don’t.

Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok prefer vertical videos because they fill the entire screen and look more natural on mobile devices.

When you shoot horizontally, you need to crop them, making it look awkward and reducing overall quality.

Tip 2: Engage viewers quickly.

The first few seconds of your video are crucial for capturing your audience’s attention. Start with a strong hook, like a question or surprising fact, and use eye-catching visuals to pique curiosity.

For example, if you’re doing a branded challenge or funny video, start with a preview of the funniest moment. For a tutorial, immediately address the problem that needs solving. Make sure to get the main message or value proposition across quickly — no unnecessary filler.

Tip 3: Ensure quality content.

When I say quality content, I mean stable footage, good lighting, and crisp audio.

Poor audio and video quality can distract from your message and reduce engagement. Before you start filming content, invest in basic equipment like a good camera, proper lighting, and a microphone.

Tip 4: Use quick cuts and dynamic editing.

Think of the quick transitions and dynamic scenes in movies like Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained or Charli XCX’s Boys music video.

Try recreating the same fast, engaging vibe for your short-form videos. Use fast transitions and avoid long, static shots that can cause viewers to lose interest.

Also, animations, text overlays, and other visual effects should be integrated to emphasize key points and add dynamism.

Don’t go overboard, though. Your video shouldn’t be too busy or hard to follow.

Pro tip: For a crisp, professional touch, I also use editing software like Adobe Premiere Rush and built-in editors on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Tip 5: Optimize for mute viewing.

Many viewers watch videos without sound, especially when scrolling social media.

To make your videos accessible and improve viewer retention, use subtitles for dialogue and captions for key points. This simple addition makes your video accessible to those who are hearing impaired or watching in silent environments.

Next, incorporate visual storytelling. Use strong visuals and on-screen text to convey your message effectively without sound.

Tip 6: Optimize for different platforms.

What works on my website might not work on Instagram Reels, and what works on Instagram Reels might not work on TikTok.

To create a broad reach, I adjust my editing slightly for each platform. For example, I place subtitles higher on a reel so they’re not covered by other elements when published on TikTok.

Tip 7: Leverage trends and hashtags.

TikTok and Instagram prioritize trending content, showing it to more users. That’s why I regularly check trending challenges and hashtags before suggesting video ideas to my clients.

However, I don’t follow trends blindly — I give them my own spin. The idea is to integrate the trends creatively into your content for a visibility boost, and not to be dictated by it.

Tip 8: Include a clear CTA.

Without a CTA, viewers might enjoy your content but take no further action, defeating the purpose of your video.

My advice is to be direct, specific, and seamless: Clearly state what you want viewers to do, whether it’s visiting your website, following your account, or making a purchase.

Use phrases like “Shop now” or “Click the link in the bio.” Ensure the CTA fits naturally into the video, whether it’s a visual cue at the end, on-screen text, or a verbal prompt.

Takeaways for Video Marketers

Social Media Content Manager Kelsi Yamada says using short-form videos is a low-commitment and engaging way to connect with your audience.

“You can get a good laugh or learn something new in a minute or less on TikTok or Reels,” said Yamada.

“On the flip side, it’s also relatively easy to create, which means there are more people who can share their humor or points of view. Because of this, brands should figure out what their unique point of view is and how they can stand out in the noise.”

While jumping on every trend is tempting, Yamada advises brands to be selective.

“Not every viral TikTok sound or meme format will fit your content strategy or brand, so don’t force it,“ she notes. ”Focus on catering to your niche and staying authentic. Don’t be afraid to create something new — trends have to start somewhere!”

Finding the balance between what‘s trending and what’s true to your brand is key. For more on video marketing, check out HubSpot Academy’s courses on Video Marketing and Developing a Video Marketing Strategy.

Best Platforms for Short-form Videos

1. TikTok

TikTok is the go-to platform for Millennials and Gen Z, with about 70% of 18-19 year-olds and 56% of 20-29 year-olds using it.

The TikTok homepage has two main tabs: “Following” for videos from accounts I follow and the algorithm-driven “For You” page that curates content based on my activity. I often explore the “Discover” tab for trending topics and hashtags — it’s a great resource for generating new content ideas.

The “Discover” tab on TikTok highlights trending topics and hashtags and, in my experience, is a great resource for marketers to generate new content ideas.

As a creator, I love how TikTok’s algorithm tailors content to my interests, keeping me engaged for longer periods. As a creator, though, standing out can be tough due to the sheer volume of content uploaded every second.

2. Instagram Reels

Some call it TikTok 2.0, but for me, Instagram Reels is proving to be its own beast.

Reels is a scrollable video timeline, similar to Instagram’s Explore page. Users can tap on the music in a Reel to see other videos featuring the same sound.

With over 2 billion active monthly users, Instagram already commands a vast audience. Since launching Reels in August 2020, it’s become a powerful marketing tool, rivaling TikTok.

Instagram targets a wider age range than TikTok, and with its suite of marketing features, Reels offers brands a way to extend their reach in a snappy, engaging format.

I particularly enjoy how Reels integrates smoothly with the rest of Instagram, making it easy for me to switch between photos, stories, and videos. It’s also super user-friendly for quick editing and sharing content.

3. YouTube Shorts

Shorts is YouTube’s answer to the short-form video craze. Launched in September 2020, Shorts has quickly amassed over 2.3 billion monthly active users.

Using the YouTube mobile app, I’ve found the dedicated Shorts tab super convenient. You can easily create and edit videos up to 60 seconds directly within the app. The potential to reach YouTube‘s massive audience and the robust monetization options are other reasons why I’d recommend Shorts.

4. Triller

With its strong music integration, Triller makes content creation really enjoyable.

However, I’ve noticed it’s not as intuitive as TikTok, which can be a bit challenging for new users. Despite this, Triller remains a solid platform for sharing my short videos.

Triller’s homepage feels familiar, similar to other short-form video platforms, but with a unique twist — music is front and center. The platform is popular among musical artists and allows me to edit 60-second videos with music, filters, effects, and transitions.

Triller gained traction during the uncertainty around a potential TikTok ban in the U.S. and has since become a worthy competitor. I find it exciting to use music as a storytelling element in my videos.

For example, a song like “You Got It” by Vedo, which is about unlocking potential, could be perfect for creating a video targeting job seekers or promoting business coaching services.

5. LinkedIn

“If you’re a B2B marketer, I absolutely encourage you to post your short-form marketing videos on Linkedin,” Santiago says. “When experimenting with our own short-form videos for the Blog Video Program, we found that we’d get hundreds, even thousands, of more impressions than what we’d see on platforms like YouTube.”

LinkedIn also began testing a vertical video feed on its app and is seeing a lot of success with its push for short-form video content. The company reported a 34% year-over-year increase in video uploads in Q4 2024 and a 36% year-over-year growth in total video viewership in 2025.

Making the Most of Short-Form

There are hundreds of ways to incorporate short-form videos into your marketing strategy. But no matter which trends come and go, it’ll always come down to your audience—their preferences and interests—and your brand—your voice and what you stand for.

Try a few approaches, and listen to where the data tells you to go next.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

As a content marketer and general marketing enthusiast, I’ve read countless physical books on digital marketing. Unfortunately, physically printed digital marketing books can quickly become obsolete, which is why I’ve turned to digital marketing ebooks.

Don’t get me wrong, I will always read physical books when it comes to evergreen marketing topics. However, when it comes to the latest SEO trends, website-building tips, and innovative content strategies, I’ve found that ebooks can get me the latest information because they don’t take the time for traditional publishing.

More than that, many ebooks are free and easily accessible, making them an easy way to upgrade my digital marketing knowledge.

Are you looking for some resources, too? Read further to discover some excellent ebooks that give you the ins and outs of digital marketing.

Digital Marketing Ebooks

1. Digital Marketing for Small Business by HubSpot

For this ebook, HubSpot teamed up with the experts at Podium and SimilarWeb to build a guide aimed at small businesses. I appreciate that it provides everything startups need to know about inbound marketing and gives a great scope of how to test, learn, and grow in an online marketing landscape.

This ebook takes readers through accessible ways to maximize resources and get the greatest benefit from marketing. It covers must-have strategies like:

• SEO basics
• Buyer persona
• Email marketing
• Text message marketing
• Paid advertising

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for how to start a functional digital marketing strategy from the ground up, this ebook is for you. It even provides templates and concrete examples that will help you organize your strategy.

2. Social Media Trends Report by HubSpot

This 2024 report from HubSpot and Mention gives readers the rundown on what to expect from current social media trends. I like the insights from industry insiders and the exclusive webinar HubSpot recorded with five digital and social media marketing experts — available for free download. I think the timely trends from the ebook make it easy to adapt your marketing strategy to take advantage of the ever-changing social media landscape.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

This report gives readers the inside scoop about how social is changing search and online shopping. It also dives into the latest stats on AI and how you can leverage it for your business.

3. Advanced Technical SEO: A Complete Guide by Search Engine Journal

Already familiar with basic SEO principles and ready to level up? I think you’ll like this advanced guide from Search Engine Journal. This guide goes over SEO-friendly URL best practices, 404 errors, XML sitemaps, HTTP status codes, and more. It’s a one-stop shop for all of your technical SEO needs.

Why I Like This Digital Marketing Ebook

I appreciate that this ebook gives readers the tools they need to improve page speed and perform an in-depth website audit to improve overall website health and performance.

4. SEO for Video by Simplilearn

I’ve found that this ebook from Simplilearn is a great choice if you’re looking to improve your existing video marketing strategy or create one from scratch.

Video content has proven to be far more engaging than written text — especially short-form video. YouTube reports that its Shorts get more than 70 billion views per day.

This guide gives you a quick and accessible overview of how to use YouTube Studio, target the right keywords for your business, and to track video performance.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

I believe this ebook teaches marketers how to create a video content strategy that works and how to use tools like YouTube Studio to manage and track your video’s analytics.

5. Content Marketing: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to What Works by Search Engine Journal

The team at Search Engine Journal put together a comprehensive ebook that focuses on how to build a content marketing strategy for those just getting started. Content marketing encompasses lead acquisition and the growth of your business — but only if it’s done effectively.

In my opinion, this ebook is for anyone who wants to create a successful content marketing strategy. It covers everything from creating a style guide and types of content to tools and channels for your content.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

It provides readers with an understanding of the value of content marketing and how to maximize your resources so you get the most bang for your buck.

6. Sell Like Crazy by Sabri Subi

Sabri Suby’s “Sell Like Crazy” is a great digital marketing ebook for proving that the spectacle isn’t an obsolete marketing technique. I appreciate that this ebook dives into sales tactics that can be applied to multiple industries to make your sales content more powerful.

The ebook does have a small fee attached but a money-back guarantee if you’re not impressed with your read.

Why I Like This Ebook

Suby’s ebook might appeal more to a traditional sales team, but one of its most valuable teachings is how sales and marketing can work together and why they really need each other. In my opinion, this is a great ebook for helping a marketing team understand the role of the sales team and vice versa.

7. Killing Marketing by Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose

Killing Marketing gets into the nitty gritty of ROI and just what kind of investments are worth it. Advocating for a marketing budget can be difficult if you aren’t seeing an ROI, so it’s time to shake things up and actually make money.

“ROI is the wrong kind of metric to use for whether marketing is worth doing. The simple fact is this: Marketing, as we know it, isn’t an investment. It’s currently a cost that sometimes, in total, provides benefits for the money spent.”

My biggest takeaway from this ebook is the necessity of quality content to engage with the audience, with organizations needing 12-20+ interactions before a single dollar is spent.

Why I Like This Ebook

If you have the manpower to make a big change, this marketing ebook can give you a step-by-step guide to new processes, best practices, and strategies that actually work.

8. How to Run an Inbound Marketing Campaign by HubSpot

In this ebook, you’ll learn how to craft and execute a successful inbound marketing campaign. Discover how to put HubSpot’s signature idea of inbound marketing into practice to attract, engage, and delight your customers.

This guide will walk you through how to create a conversion path unique to your business and target audience, campaign ideation, execution, and promotion, and how to create an offer and measure your campaign’s success.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

I think the tips for reporting and measuring the results of your campaign are especially valuable. Learning where you’ve done well and where you have room for improvement is key for making increasingly impactful campaigns.

9. The Definitive Guide to Finding the Right Influencers for Your Campaigns by Shane Barker

We all know that influencer marketing has taken off in the past few years — with marketers reporting it provides the highest ROI (along with short-form video).

If you’re interested in tapping into this marketing channel but unsure of how to get started, let me introduce you to this guide by Shane Barker. It puts a digital marketing lens on the ins and outs of using influencer marketing to your advantage.

You’ll learn how to create a compelling pitch, to find the best influencers for your niche, to negotiate and build long-term relationships with influencers, and to determine ROI on your efforts.

Why I Like This Ebook

This ebook gave me a full understanding of how to effectively use influencer marketing to boost the ROI of digital campaigns, from picking the right influencers to crafting compelling campaigns.

10. Facebook Marketing in 2024: A Complete Guide (Updated) by SocialPilot

Facebook is still a major social media platform for marketing and advertising, with over 7 million businesses using the app to reach customers. I like that this ebook goes step-by-step on how to begin advertising on Facebook in a way that’s both simple and effective so you can stand out from all the other advertisements.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

This ebook is great because it’s free and easy to jump to whatever point you’re starting at when it comes to Facebook advertising. If you’re just beginning, it has advice on setting up your page, or if you’re further along in the process, you can begin there. I also like that this ebook is frequently updated, so you can get the latest advice.

11. What Is Digital Marketing: The Ultimate Guide by RockContent

This digital marketing ebook explores the very basics of what digital marketing is and how you can employ it in your business. I appreciate the basic education it gives readers, as well as the deeper descriptions and statistics it contains.

In my opinion, reading this ebook is like taking a digital marketing course at a college level; you’re going to learn everything you need to jump to more technical courses and ebooks.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

This book will show you how to develop new approaches to digital marketing, how to use tools that are a necessity, and how to keep track of what will help your company the most.

12. The Definitive Guide to Lead Generation With Facebook Ads by AdEspresso

AdEspresso’s ebook focuses on lead generation, targeting only one channel: Facebook Ads. This book will guide you through the process of expanding your reach and finding new audiences using Facebook Ads. It also provides strategic insight into how to use the tool in a way that maximizes ROI.

Reading this, I also learned how to leverage Ad tools to engage my audience and dive into lead nurturing, building landing pages, and how to manage my campaigns. If you want to learn more about how to perfect your Facebook Ads strategy, this ebook will help tremendously.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

The strategies in this book are applicable to several sectors, including ecommerce, marketing agencies, and small businesses.

13. Beginner’s Guide to SEO by Moz

This series of articles, which was put together by the team at Moz, is formatted like an ebook. It provides readers with a detailed introductory lesson on how to use SEO to grow your business.

In my opinion, this ebook works because it provides an in-depth tutorial on how search engines work. Additionally, it provides the fundamentals of how to make your website compatible with search engine results. You’ll become familiar with keyword research and how your content affects search engine rank.

Why I Like This Ebook

This Moz guide explains strategies for making the content you provide to audiences more search-engine friendly, enabling you to develop an understanding of how your target audience interacts with search engines.

14. Get Inspired: 40 Examples Driving Content Marketing Forward by Content Marketing Institute

If you’re comfortable with content marketing but could use some inspiration for your next campaign, this is a great resource. Get Inspired pulls examples from 40 B2B and B2C organizations that outshone the competition with their marketing efforts.

I like that this ebook is easy to read, and you’ll find out how to organize your content planning and up your brand presence online.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

By showing examples of how other brands are using different creative formats and marketing angles, readers can take what works and implement similar strategies in their own campaigns.

15. Digital Marketing: The Complete Guide For Beginners 2025 by Reliablesoft

Reliablesoft is a digital marketing training academy, so you know you’re in good hands when you read their ebook. In my opinion, this is another great book for beginners who want a basic understanding but also want to start implementing the newest digital marketing tips and tricks immediately.

I like that the ebook has break-out links for each section (social media guide, affiliate marketing guide, etc.) so you can go as in-depth as you need to for your marketing role.

Why I Like This Ebook

Whether you read the whole ebook or just dive into the individual guides for each type of marketing, you’ll come away knowing more about what digital marketing looks like in 2025 and how you can take advantage of the latest trends.

16. The Marketer’s Guide to TikTok for Business by HubSpot

While the future of TikTok is still up in the air, it’s still a favorite app for over 1 billion monthly users across almost 150 countries. Savvy marketers and businesses have taken notice of the app’s popularity, and the platform has quickly become an asset for companies looking to market their products.

As someone less familiar with TikTok for digital marketing, I like that this guide explains how to use the platform from scratch. You’ll learn the basics about the types of TikTok ads you can create, how to sell through the app, how to market your business on the platform, and how to track your results.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

This ebook offers tips on all aspects of TikTok video creation, from length to captions to accessibility guidelines. It will also provide insights on using TikTok for ecommerce. If you’re new to the platform, this guide has you covered.

17. Navigating LinkedIn for Sales: The Complete Guide by Melonie Dodaro and Brian Galicia

As someone who personally advertises and posts content on LinkedIn, I know firsthand how tricky the platform can be for those who are just starting out. I think this ebook is a great resource for understanding who you’re advertising to on LinkedIn, how to reach your exact audience, and how to measure your success.

Why I Like This Ebook

Brand identity and image are essential on platforms like LinkedIn, and I appreciated how in-depth this ebook went on how to create the persona you want to be known by. I also love that this ebook has valuable information on how LinkedIn is processing and distributing ads in 2025.

18. The Ultimate Guide to Increasing Your Google Rankings by Web Ascender

I think this is a great resource for those new to SEO as this ebook gives a good overview of how Google ranks your content and what you can do to improve your rankings. You’ll learn about keywords, content marketing strategies, and how to measure your efforts.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

I found this ebook to be an easy-to-read guide that walks you through basic SEO strategies and how to track your metrics. It’s a good starting point for those needing a basic SEO understanding before diving into deeper topics.

19. A Field Guide to the 4 Types of Content Marketing Metrics by Jay Baer

Do you want to have a robust understanding of how to measure the ROI of your marketing efforts? This ebook demystifies metrics reporting and shows you how to use content marketing to meet your business objectives. I like that this ebook doesn’t shy away from the pros and cons of measuring ROI in marketing.

Why I Like This Free Digital Marketing Ebook

Author Jay Baer explains exactly how to analyze lead generation metrics, sales metrics, consumption metrics, and sharing metrics — making it a great choice for new marketers looking to better understand reporting.

20. The $10 Digital Media Startup Ebook by Micheael J. Schiemer

If you’re building your business from the ground up and need a little help, this guide is aimed at guiding you through how to begin that process. I think this ebook is for those starting at level zero with building an online digital media strategy.

It’ll walk you through fleshing out a social media strategy, SEO, influencer marketing, and how to become a successful digital entrepreneur. If you’re in a space where you have to multitask in order to get your business up and running, consider giving this ebook a look.

Why I Like This Ebook

The $10 Digital Media Startup is great for beginners since the information is easy to understand for newcomers and covers all the bases of social media strategy and SEO in one book.

Leveling Up Your Digital Marketing Knowledge

If you’re like me and your undergrad degree isn’t in digital marketing, you probably feel there’s room to learn more about the industry. I’ve found that digital marketing ebooks are a great and low-cost (sometimes free) place to start learning. You can also check out free digital marketing courses that give you certifications, like this one.

In my experience, one of the most important practices all digital marketers should adopt is a thirst for knowledge and learning. Never stop teaching yourself, and don’t neglect to refresh your mind on the basics.

Finally, if you really want your digital marketing ebook reading to pay off, be sure to share what you have learned with your colleagues so that everyone can take advantage of the latest trends.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

AI agents are like the backstage crew at the concerts we attend: Operating independently on the backend to deliver a smooth experience on the user end.

They power many of the tech we use – and have for a while – but haven’t gotten that visibility until recently. In this article, we’ll break down real-world examples of how AI agents are used across industries.

AI Agent Examples in Real Life

1. Recommendation Engines

Every time you sift through recommendations on your Netflix, you’re seeing AI agents at work.

AI agents take action without constant human intervention by recognizing patterns and predicting behavior.

When Netflix is recommending you shows to watch, that rec list has been compiled by an AI agent tasked with analyzing your watch history and ratings for trends and genre preferences.

Brands like Amazon, YouTube, and Spotify all use similar agents to personalize user experience.

2. Dynamic Pricing Models

Hotels, ride-hailing apps, and airlines all have one thing in common: Surge pricing – powered by AI agents.

These companies operate on a flexible pricing structure that fluctuates based on factors like supply, demand, and user trends.

Source

Take Lyft for instance. If I order a ride at 2 a.m. on a Saturday during Art Basel, it will surely cost me more than on a Tuesday night at 8 a.m. When the user even places the request for a ride, the AI agent evaluates these factors, sets the price, and responds to the user’s request.

3. Web Search

OpenAI and Google have both introduced AI agents, – Operator and Mariner respectively – that can search the web independently and serve as a true assistant, filling up shopping carts and getting answers to your most pressing questions.

“It can understand that it needs to press a button to make something happen,” Demis Hassabis, who oversees Google’s core A.I. lab, said in an interview with The NYT. “It can take action in the world.”

4. Customer Support

Source

While AI assistants escalate support requests and direct users toward self-service options, AI agents are working behind the scenes to:

• Prioritize incoming tickets.
• Route tickets to appropriate departments.
• Update customer cases in CRMs.
• Auto-generate responses.

5. Content Moderation

Sites built on user-generated content – think Reddit, YouTube, Meta – require advanced content moderation practices to keep users safe.

Human moderators rely on AI agents to do some of the legwork of flagging, reviewing, and sorting content that goes against the site’s policies.

Think about how good YouTube has gotten at flagging when a video includes copyrighted music. There’s no human reviewing each upload – instead, Google relies on AI systems to analyze content as they’re uploaded to the site and take actions if they’re not compliant.

For instance, on YouTube, an uploaded video will be muted automatically if it includes copyrighted music. On TikTok, a content creator’s video will be first muted, then removed for review. These steps allow moderation teams to focus on higher priority work and automate routine tasks.

6. Ad Optimization

When you’re spending money on an ad, you’re looking for return on investment (ROI). Doing so entails optimizing your ad after it’s placed – that can mean anything from doubling down on the version that performs the best to customizing the ad based on user history.

While this can be done manually, it’s not scalable – and that’s where an AI agent comes in. Based on historical trends and performance data, advertisers can optimize their campaigns in real time, which saves them money and increases ROI.

7. Recruiting Assistants

Recruiters on LinkedIn can now automate routine tasks like finding and following up with candidates, and scheduling interviews.

Source

According to LinkedIn, recruiters report spending around 20 hours a week on these tasks, and these AI agents can cut that time by half – at least.

8. Autonomous Vehicles

While I haven’t had the chance to (read: the guts to) ride in a Waymo, Google’s robotaxi, I can tell you a bit about how it works.

To operate safely, Waymo vehicles must rely on AI systems to perceive their surroundings, understand other drivers’ behaviors, control the vehicle, and make safe driving decisions. It relies on real-time and historical data to guide and adapt its actions.

Tesla’s AutoPilot feature is another example of an AI agent at work.

9. Stock Trading Bots

The stock market is unpredictable. Imagine if you had an AI agent tracking it during pre- and open market hours to recommend strategies?

Beyond recommendations, consumers and businesses alike are beginning to leverage AI agents to make trades based on their own risk profiles and investment strategies.

10. Healthcare Admin

U.S. hospitals and healthcare orgs, like Mayo Clinic, are piloting the use of AI agents for a series of administrative tasks, including:

• Scheduling patient appointments.
• Analyzing health data for public health initiatives.
• Reviewing electronic health records (EHRs).
• Structuring clinical notes.
• Predicting shortages.

“For some years now, we‘ve collected mountains of data in EHRs and data lakes but struggled to translate those insights into meaningful impact. Too often, it’s added more burden to clinicians instead of relieving it,” said the executive director for Atlantic Health System, an org overseeing over 550 medical care sites, to Becker’s Health It.

11. Fraud Detection

The next time you get a fraud alert notification from your bank, you’ve likely got an AI agent to thank. (Or rather the team who configured it.)

In the banking space, AI agents monitor users’ transaction activity and track spending habits. When they flag behaviors that fall outside of routine, they’ll respond by freezing cards, alerting users, and requesting transaction approvals.

12. Manufacturing Robots

BMW is one of many companies using AI-powered robots to streamline production lines. They operate through a series of complex AI systems that assign them tasks and program them to adjust their behavior based on historical data.

Alongside humans, production lines function much more smoothly, allowing workers to focus on higher-impact tasks that require human oversight.

As you can now see, AI agents are working all around us. 

Creating a marketing project timeline template where everyone knows what they’re working on (and when it’s due) can help ward off campaign scope creep and nail those important deadlines.

As a marketing manager, I can tell you the smoothest way for your marketing team to succeed despite the chaos of multiple campaigns, shifting priorities, and tight deadlines is to have a steady hand and an eye on the timeline.

To help you ensure that your next marketing project stays on schedule, I’ll cover the essentials of setting up a marketing project timeline template, the best formats to use, and several marketing-specific examples to inspire your future campaign planning.

Table of Contents

• What is a marketing project timeline?
• Why create a marketing project timeline?
• Marketing Project Timeline Template
• How to Create a Marketing Project Timeline
• Marketing Project Timeline Examples

What is a marketing project timeline?

A marketing project timeline is a visual display that tracks the completion of various steps in a marketing campaign or initiative over time.

It provides a meta-view of all marketing tasks in achieving campaign objectives, enabling a marketing manager to better direct the team members responsible for each deliverable and report the campaign’s status to stakeholders and executives.

Why create a marketing project timeline?

Time management is one of the top skills marketing employers look for in candidates across all levels. Missed deadlines and rushed marketing deliverables can set entire campaigns behind schedule and impact revenue goals.

I don‘t want to be that marketing manager, and I know you don’t either. However, there will always be team members who need support to deliver on expectations, which will affect the larger marketing initiative.

A well-built marketing project timeline is much more than a nice visual to reassure stakeholders. Here are just a few reasons why you should create one for your marketing team:

• Brings leadership and structure to marketing campaigns and initiatives
• Outlines what content and assets are being delivered and by when
• Clarifies who is responsible for each marketing task and sets expectations for the scope, quality, and delivery of work
• Shows how the marketing campaign contributes to overall business and revenue goals
• Decreases risk by accounting for any changes to the campaign scope, budget, creative assets, or launch dates

Ultimately, a marketing project timeline template makes it both easier and more efficient to manage marketing initiatives — particularly when you choose a timeline structure that fits your specific campaign needs.

This is where having a versatile marketing project timeline template can help your team move forward efficiently.

Marketing Project Timeline Template

The ideal marketing timeline brings direction to a campaign, yet remains easily adaptable when inevitable changes arise.

Without the right marketing project timeline template, organizing a campaign can involve a lot of time-consuming manual work — not to mention the formatting chaos once multiple stakeholders and team members start making edits. Woof.

[Download this Marketing Timeline Template for Free]

I like to create a marketing project timeline for any campaign that relies on a schedule (which is all of them these days), like planning content calendars, coordinating product launches, or managing seasonal marketing campaigns.

All you need is a clear understanding of the marketing phases involved and the specific tasks required to complete each stage. Let’s dive into how to create your own marketing project timeline template!

How to Create a Marketing Project Timeline

Crafting the perfect marketing project timeline takes strategy, organizational skills, and solid team collaboration. You need buy-in from leadership and clear directives for everyone involved in the campaign.

To get started, I recommend following this step-by-step guide to set up a structured marketing timeline — whether you’re planning a product launch, content marketing initiative, or multi-channel campaign.

1. Write a marketing brief.

A marketing brief communicates how you will approach a campaign or project. It includes details on the marketing goals, deliverables, timeline, tasks, process, team members involved, and resources needed to take a marketing initiative from concept to completion.

This free marketing brief template can outline the campaign’s goals, roles, and responsibilities. You can then plan your content schedules, creative deliverables, budget, and more.

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Pro tip: While a basic marketing brief is a great starting point for any campaign planning process, if you need a more comprehensive overview that includes key messaging, audience targeting, and distribution processes, a creative brief may be the right fit for your marketing project.

2. List all marketing tasks and action items.

Every task involved in achieving your marketing objectives needs to go into the project timeline. After creating the brief, make a list of these tasks. Start with major marketing milestones and break them down into smaller to-dos.

Let‘s say you’re responsible for creating a marketing campaign to launch your company’s newest product. Your list may include:

• Establish project leads from each marketing sub-team (social, content, design, etc.)
• Set campaign budget
• Create campaign messaging and positioning
• Develop a marketing assets list
• Design landing page wireframes
• Write landing page copy
• Create an email marketing sequence
• Design social media graphics
• Write social media copy
• Produce product videos
• Set up analytics tracking
• Schedule paid media campaigns
• Create PR materials
• Get all marketing assets approved
• Launch campaign

Once I have the major marketing milestones down, I then break down each task into smaller pieces. For example, creating the email marketing sequence might involve:

• Draft email marketing strategy
• Define email audience segments
• Create email content calendar
• Write email copy for each segment
• Design email templates
• Build emails in the marketing automation platform
• Set up A/B testing
• Schedule email sequence
• Create reporting dashboard

3. Connect marketing dependencies.

In a marketing project, certain tasks can‘t be started until another is complete. These tasks are called dependencies. For example, social media posts can’t be scheduled until the copy and graphics are approved. And the graphics can’t be finalized until the campaign messaging is locked in.

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Mapping out dependencies helps you solidify the order of each marketing task and decide which team member is responsible for what. Everyone will know what part of the campaign they’re working on, which tasks must be completed before their own, and who to contact for the deliverables they need.

In a marketing timeline, you might see that finalizing your target audience segments has to happen before writing campaign messaging. But other tasks, like setting up analytics tracking and researching competitors, can happen simultaneously. As you map out each marketing task, determine which steps can overlap and which need to wait for others.

4. Estimate the time it will take to complete each marketing task.

Once you figure out the sequence of tasks, you need to determine how much time each will take. This can be tricky if you don‘t have historical data on similar marketing projects, but try to estimate as accurately as possible based on your team’s capabilities and workload.

Consider the other marketing campaigns and priorities your team is juggling. A designer may be able to create social media graphics in three days, but if they’re also working on website updates, they may need a full week for your campaign assets.

Being mindful of your marketing team‘s bandwidth will make creating a reasonable, reliable timeline easier. It’ll be easier to create the campaign roadmap and understand the project’s overall time frame once you put together all these estimations.

5. Create the marketing project timeline.

Build your marketing timeline by organizing your tasks from the first to the final step.

Make any necessary adjustments to the task durations, add key campaign milestones (like approval deadlines and launch dates), and solidify the overall timeline. If your team works with project management software, organize the timeline and tasks so it’s ready to share after the campaign kickoff meeting.

Pro tip: You can save significant time during this step by using one of the marketing project timeline templates below. It’s simple to customize each template and avoid the extra work of creating your own from scratch.

6. Share the timeline with the marketing team.

Your marketing timeline is complete! Next, share it with all stakeholders involved in the campaign.

You‘ve already listed these people in your brief (during step one), so it’s time to communicate your campaign’s path forward with them.

It’s a good idea to hold a project kickoff meeting for both stakeholders and individual contributors so everyone starts with the same understanding of the campaign objectives and timeline.

You can communicate the marketing goals, deliverables, roles, and deadlines — without going into an overwhelming amount of detail at this stage.

From there, schedule time with your marketing team members to discuss specifics and answer any questions before the work begins.

I recommend including a timeline graphic to give everyone a visual sense of the overall campaign time frame. You can add or remove steps, depending on the complexity of your marketing project.

[Download this Marketing Timeline Template for Free]

7. Adapt as you go.

Every marketing campaign is bound to encounter roadblocks and setbacks. If your team encounters a delay, you’ll need to understand the impact and adjust the timeline if necessary.

While it‘s sometimes possible to make up for delays without changing the final launch date, it’s your job as the marketing project owner to update stakeholders on the campaign’s progress.

Reporting a minor issue like needing an extra day for creative revisions isn‘t always necessary for higher-ups. But if it’s a major roadblock that requires a significant adjustment to the timeline — like shifting the entire campaign launch date — you must communicate the new timeline to stakeholders.

Change is part of every marketing process, so don‘t panic if you have to adjust your timeline. It’s better to be transparent about the scope of work and timeline than to keep people in the dark, hoping it’ll work out. The earlier you adjust to change, the more time you have to pivot — and the easier it will be to get your marketing campaign back on track.

Marketing Project Timeline Examples

Visualizing a marketing project makes it simple to understand what needs to happen from ideation to campaign launch.

Whether you need a template for a product marketing campaign, content calendar, or social media launch, these well-designed marketing project timeline templates are perfect for your next planning session.

Product Marketing Launch Timeline

[Download this Template for Free]

This horizontal product marketing launch timeline helps you see the overlap of processes as the campaign progresses. This gives team members an idea of when their expertise will be needed as the launch approaches.

Best for: This is an excellent communication vehicle for oversight purposes. This timeline doesn‘t get bogged down with details — it’s a roadmap for stakeholders to understand the overall flow, their places in it, and how each marketing function contributes to the product launch.

What I like: The ability to visualize posting frequency across different platforms. This helps marketing teams avoid overwhelming their audience on any single channel while maintaining a consistent presence throughout the campaign period.

Marketing Crisis Response Timeline

[Download this Template for Free]

It‘s okay to hope for the best in any marketing role, but it’s essential to plan for potential issues. The best way to handle a PR problem is to anticipate it and have a response plan ready, which this crisis response timeline does beautifully.

What I like: The very important “Regrouping” step at the end. The best marketing managers I’ve worked with make sure that the last steps include learning from crisis outcomes to improve the response plan for when — not if — something similar happens again.

Marketing Meeting Timeline

[Download this Template for Free]

I love a good meeting timeline. These communicate the who, what, and when your team members need to know to navigate campaign status meetings and understand the overall purpose of each check-in.

They can be made even more useful by providing links to relevant marketing assets, outlining key discussion points for each meeting in advance, and sharing the necessary links for any virtual meeting spaces.

What I like: As a marketing manager who needs to balance creative work with administrative tasks, meeting timelines are particularly valuable. Make sure to specify which team members need to attend, what deliverables to prepare, and when to shift from heads-down creative mode to collaborative discussion mode.

Marketing Gantt Chart Example

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A Gantt chart takes the timeline project examples above and elevates them to the next level. It captures all the various marketing activities and creates a comprehensive view of tasks and timelines.

You can include considerable detail in a marketing Gantt chart and communicate extensive information at once. You may need to train your team members on how to read and utilize this format effectively without being overwhelmed by the information density.

Use Marketing Project Timelines to Stay on Schedule

If you‘re not exactly sure what type of marketing timeline you need yet and want as many templates as possible, download these marketing project timelines (and more) for free. With the right timelines in hand, it’s easy to keep everyone informed and your marketing campaigns on track.

Now all you have to do is make sure your marketing projects stay on schedule and deliver the results your stakeholders want.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in September 2021 and has since been updated for comprehensiveness.

I spend an embarrassing amount of time on Reddit. As a content strategist for B2B SaaS companies, Reddit marketing should be the last thing on my mind — Redditors have a sixth sense for marketing and a hair-trigger for downvotes.

My Reddit homepage is a mishmash of everything that interests me: Deep dives into project management tools. Heated debates about the latest Severance episode. Spending hours on Reddit every day, I started wondering — how do you reach people like me?

So I dug in. Turns out, the brands that win on Reddit participate. Here’s how to use Reddit for marketing without getting roasted in the comments.

Table of Contents

• What is Reddit marketing?
• Why does Reddit marketing matter?
• Why Reddit is So Tricky for Marketers
• Common Reddit Marketing Strategies
• 3 Reddit Marketing Strategy Tips to Avoid Getting Roasted

What is Reddit marketing?

Reddit marketing means building genuine connections within Reddit’s vast network of communities, called subreddits.

Traditional social media tactics don’t work here. To succeed, you need to be a real community member first — a brand rep second. Not the other way around.

The platform runs on authentic discussions and shared interests across thousands of specialized communities. A Reddit marketing strategy takes consistency, expertise, and actual value. Most importantly, it demands patience — building trust and recognition within Reddit communities takes time, but creates lasting relationships with your audience.

Why does Reddit marketing matter?

Reddit’s reach keeps expanding. The platform now sees over 100 million daily active users, a 39% jump from last year.

That’s a lot of people coming to Reddit every day to research products, solve problems, and engage in meaningful discussions.

What makes these numbers particularly interesting is the intent behind Reddit usage. When people come to Reddit, they‘re actively seeking information or solutions. They read product reviews from real users, ask detailed questions about services, and trust the community’s unfiltered opinions more than polished marketing content.

The platform’s structure of topic-specific communities creates natural audience segments. Each subreddit represents a group of people united by shared interests, making finding and connecting with your target audience easier. These communities often become the first stop for people researching purchases or seeking recommendations.

This behavior creates unique opportunities for brands who understand how to participate appropriately. While Reddit users may be marketing-averse, they’re incredibly receptive to genuine expertise and authentic community participation.

Why Reddit is So Tricky for Marketers

Reddit focuses on community building and online discussion rather than highlighting individual profiles or specific content. Posts and comment threads, called subreddits, move up and down on feeds based on user upvotes and downvotes.

As you might expect, upvotes are like Facebook likes which signal Reddit algorithms to move content up. Downvotes do the opposite by moving less engaging content down.

Posts that engage hundreds of others will get moved up and seen by more users. Meanwhile, content that bores or annoys many users gets moved down where it might not even be seen. This causes users to see a feed that might be more engaging. But, this can also mean that non-promoted branded material that feels like a generic advertisement could get downvoted or marked as spam.

Another thing that makes Reddit challenging is that you can’t easily search for legitimate company profiles or official business pages.

Yes. That’s kind of scary.

There is a search filter for “Users and Communities,” but you’ll primarily see results for the most active subreddits — which could be created by anyone.

This is very different from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where you can easily search for people and verify business pages.

If a customer is looking for information on a product and searches for a brand, they might see unofficial community pages that host more specific subreddits about the company. However, almost all of this content is usually created by fans or customers.

Here’s an example of what happens when you search McDonald’s on Reddit:

Although you see a number of communities related to McDonald’s, none of them say they’re official or run by the restaurant chain.

While they aren’t brand-affiliated, these communities can still be helpful to users and even companies. A prospect searching Reddit to learn more about a specific product might find great customer-posted chatter about the item they’re considering.

Gamers, for example, flock to the platform to discuss new launches, pro tips, and issues they might be having while playing a popular video game like Sims 4.

Similarly, users might create a subreddit or community about a restaurant, like Burger King, to talk about the weird or interesting things they’ve seen at the chain.

Since threads show positive and negative feedback, users might even recognize that positive feedback is more legitimate since the product would be destroyed by user comments if it were bad quality.

Common Reddit Marketing Strategies

Reddit can be a tricky place to navigate simply because it’s so different from other social platforms. Here are five strategies that’ll help you learn how to use Reddit for marketing.

Build a community through authentic participation.

This means consistently engaging in subreddit discussions, answering questions, and sharing expertise without pushing your product. To do this, I recommend finding relevant subreddits where your target audience spends time and then becoming a regular, helpful presence in those communities.

I’ve watched brands attempt this hundreds of ways on Reddit. The ones that succeed, like Notion, use community ambassadors who prioritize being helpful over being promotional.

Their ambassador, Mr. Wildenfree, regularly participates in productivity and software subreddits.

He offers detailed advice, creates product feedback threads, and acts as a bridge between users and the Notion team.

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His Notion Certified Ambassador status adds credibility, but it’s his consistent, helpful presence that makes the brand more approachable.

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Here‘s what makes this strategy work, based on successful patterns I’ve observed:

• Long-term commitment matters more than quick wins. Build at least six months of consistent participation to gain real traction. Community trust builds slowly.
• Focus on solving problems first, promoting second. The most respected brand representatives on Reddit respond with detailed, helpful information — even if it means recommending a competitor‘s product when it’s a better fit.
• Share insider knowledge generously. Technical team members who regularly participate in relevant subreddits tend to gain more traction when they offer deep expertise about their industry rather than just their product.
• Document and analyze what works. Each subreddit has its own culture and unwritten rules. Successful brands clearly study and adapt to these community-specific norms.

Host expert AMAs.

Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads are live events where an influencer, executive, or company staff member creates a post introducing themselves and inviting Redditors to ask questions.

Successful AMAs need three core elements: an expert who can share unique insights, genuine, unscripted responses, and dedicated time for meaningful community engagement. Without all three, you risk joining Reddit’s graveyard of corporate AMAs that felt more like press releases than conversations.

This type of promotion is best when you have an influencer or interesting person affiliated with your brand who can answer questions quickly and in an engaging way. However, it can be difficult to draw attention to these types of promotions if you don’t have an interesting host in mind.

When you do have an interesting host, though, it works extremely well. Film studio Lionsgate, for example, hosted actor Keanu Reeves on r/movies.

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He spent hours responding thoughtfully to questions about everything from fun experiences with his co-stars to his favorite kung-fu training.

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His authentic responses about both personal and professional topics drew over 297K upvotes and 33k comments.

You can also coordinate AMAs with multiple experts. I like the one OpenAI hosted with five team members including their CEO, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Scientist.

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Each expert focused on different aspects of AI development, creating a comprehensive dialogue with the community.

Focus on storytelling opportunities. A software founder might share honest stories about failed features that shaped their product vision. A chef could reveal kitchen disasters that led to signature dishes.

Redditors value transparency over polish. They’ll engage more with imperfect but honest responses than with corporate messaging.

Create and nurture branded subreddits.

Creating a branded subreddit is about building a responsive community where users can find help and share experiences. I’ve seen this work well with tech companies who make their support team accessible through Reddit.

Take OpenPhone’s subreddit, for example.

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Their community page is both a knowledge base and support channel, with clear organization and active moderator participation.

What stands out is how they handle challenging situations, like when a user recently posted about service discontinuation.

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OpenPhone’s support team responded promptly and personally, acknowledging the inconvenience and offering alternatives.

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Transparency converted a potentially negative experience into a showcase of their customer service values.

Here‘s what I’ve learned about maintaining engagement in a branded subreddit:

• Pin critical resources at the top. OpenPhone keeps its help center, tutorials, and status page easily accessible in its sidebar.
• Create themed discussion threads. Weekly threads like “Feature Request Friday” or “Tech Support Tuesday” encourage regular participation.
• Enable post flairs. Categories like “Announcement,” “Help,” and “Discussion” make the community more navigable.
• Highlight community wins. When users share success stories or helpful tips, acknowledge them with Reddit awards or special user flairs.
• Monitor mentions across Reddit. Users often discuss your brand in other subreddits — engage there too, but always identify yourself as a company representative.

The most important rule? Never delete negative feedback. Instead, address concerns openly and professionally. Your community will respect honesty more than perfection.

Create high-value content.

Sharing insights that help others succeed. I’ve found the best-performing posts offer genuine learnings rather than thinly veiled promotion.

For example, the founder of the form-building tool, Tally, Marie Martens, does this perfectly on r/SaaS. By detailing Tally’s journey to $150K MRR, she provides actionable insights about product development and business strategy.

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SaaS founders want real numbers, honest insights about what worked (and what didn’t), and practical principles they can apply to their businesses. Her post delivers on all fronts: transparent metrics, clear strategic decisions like choosing simplicity over feature bloat, and specific values that drove their success.

What’s equally important is how she stayed active in the comments, answering detailed questions about pricing decisions and product development choices.

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Ongoing engagement turned a great post into a rich resource of founder insights.

When creating content for any subreddit, I focus on these principles:

• Share real experiences, not theory. Your actual journey, complete with mistakes and corrections, is more valuable than generic advice.
• Include specific numbers and results. Notice how Marie didn’t just say they grew—she shared exact user counts and revenue figures.
• Explain your thought process. Explain why you made certain decisions and what you learned from them.
• Focus on transferable insights. While your exact situation might be unique, extract principles others can apply to their own challenges.
• Document your journey along the way. The most valuable posts often come from keeping notes about your challenges and solutions as they happen.

Understand what your target community struggles with and share experiences that address those pain points. Always start by asking: What unique insights can we share that would genuinely help solve problems this community faces?

Use paid ads.

Consider promoting your posts if you want to get your content front and center quickly. Promoted posts stay prioritized higher up in subreddits and target specific user groups. Like other social platforms, these posts display a “promoted” icon, so users know they didn’t organically rise to the top.

Promoting your posts allows you to keep them prioritized higher up in subreddits as well as target them to specific groups of users.

Like promoted posts on Facebook and other platforms, there will be an icon on the post that says it‘s promoted. So, although the posts will be higher up, users will still know that it didn’t get to the top of the thread they’re reading on its own.

Here’s an example of what one of these posts looks like:

Reddit’s targeting options are more sophisticated than most marketers realize. Beyond basic demographics and locations, you can target by:

• Communities: Select specific subreddits where your audience hangs out
• Interests: Reach users based on their engagement patterns
• Device type: Target mobile or desktop users
• Time of day: Schedule ads when your audience is most active

The platform also offers interest category combinations. I’ve seen this work particularly well when targeting users who follow both technology and productivity subreddits, or combining gaming with entertainment interests.

My rule of thumb: Use paid promotion to amplify content that‘s already proven to work organically. If a post performs well naturally in one subreddit, it’s worth testing as a promoted post in related communities.

3 Reddit Marketing Strategy Tips to Avoid Getting Roasted

Understand the culture.

Each subreddit operates like its own micro-community with unique unwritten rules, inside jokes, and preferred posting styles. Understanding these nuances is crucial before trying to participate or market within them.

Failing to grasp these nuances can lead to downvoted posts, negative engagement, or even bans.

Reddit has its own language that newcomers need to learn. Common acronyms include:

• OP (original poster)
• AFAIK (as far as I know)
• TIL (today I learned)
• CMV (change my view)
• TLDR (too long, didn’t read)
• AITA (Am I the Asshole)

Beyond these platform-wide terms, individual subreddits often develop their own specific terminology. For example, r/wallstreetbets uses entirely different language than r/marketing.

Using the wrong terminology can make your post feel out of place, reducing credibility and engagement.

Study the top posts from the past month in your target subreddit. Note what gets upvoted, how people format their posts, and which topics generate engagement. Ultimately, adapting to each subreddit’s culture is the key to building credibility and engagement on Reddit.

Study subreddit rules.

Subreddit rules are non-negotiable guidelines that determine whether your content stays up or gets removed. Every subreddit has its own specific set of rules listed in the sidebar, and breaking them can lead to deleted posts, temporary suspensions, or even permanent bans.

Some rules are straightforward: r/handbags bans discussion of buying replicas.

Other rules can be more nuanced, like r/science requiring all posts to reference peer-reviewed research, or r/gaming’s strict policy on self-promotion.

Many subreddits follow an informal “10:1 rule” — meaning you should contribute ten non-promotional posts for every one promotional post. Breaking these rules not only gets your content removed but can result in permanent bans from the community.

Reading and following each subreddit‘s rules protects your brand’s reputation and shows respect for the community you’re trying to reach.

Address controversial topics head-on.

Reddit users have exceptional memory when it comes to public figures’ past statements and actions.

Professional wrestler Ronda Rousey learned this the hard way during her AMA, which quickly became a case study in how not to handle controversial topics on Reddit.

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When Rousey launched her AMA to promote a Kickstarter campaign for her comic book, users immediately questioned why someone of her wealth needed crowdfunding.

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They also brought up her extremely controversial tweets.

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Rather than addressing these concerns, she avoided responding to any challenging questions, choosing to answer only safe, promotional topics.

The AMA went horribly wrong for her.

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The top-voted questions — many addressing her controversial past statements — remained conspicuously unanswered, drowning out any positive promotional impact.

For AMAs to succeed, transparency is essential. The community responds better to honest acknowledgment of past controversies than attempts to sidestep difficult questions. When planning an AMA, be prepared to address challenging topics directly—or reconsider whether Reddit is the right platform for your campaign.

Navigating Reddit

The beauty of Reddit marketing is that it rewards what great marketing should prioritize: trust, authenticity, and real connections with your audience. While paid advertising options like sponsoring a post are expanding, organic community engagement remains the most powerful way to build a lasting presence on Reddit.

My advice? Start small. Pick one or two subreddits where your expertise can truly add value. Read the rules, study the culture, and participate genuinely.

The platform may seem daunting at first, but that exclusivity is exactly what makes it a goldmine for authentic engagement and organic reach.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Fueled by the rise of MySpace and a secret Bollywood fandom, I started teaching myself graphic design as a preteen. But thanks to AI image generators, you no longer have to be a lifelong creative like me to turn your ideas into a visual reality.

AI image generators can help anyone create visuals that are weird, wonderful, and…weirdly wonderful. (Remember the Willy Wonka debacle in Glasgow?)

But how exactly do you use AI to generate images, and what’s the best option for marketers? I tested the top options — Here’s the scoop.

Table of Contents

• How do AI image generators work?
• How I Tested the Best AI for Images

How do AI image generators work?

AI image generation can get wild. You can create images in any style and of practically anything. For instance, I made “a photorealistic orange rabbit wearing a traditional Indian sari and playing an acoustic guitar” using Google’s Gemini.

Then I asked for an electric guitar:

Why exactly? Well, as many people justify their oddball AI creations: because I could. But that doesn’t mean using AI to generate images should be taken lightly.

Plagiarism is one of many concerns with even the best AI image generators. And it makes sense, considering the very nature of how they work. AI image generators create by reimagining things that already exist. They don’t copy. They borrow and recycle.

How it works:

1. The AI is “trained” on millions of existing images, descriptions, and captions available across the internet. This is how it “learns” what things look like and what they are called.
2. When you enter a prompt into a tool, the AI reaches into its memory of those images and captions.
3. The AI produces an image or selection of images it believes fit your prompt.

Think of it like a contemporary singer sampling a song from a bygone era. They’ve made it their own, but pieces of the original are still there and recognizable.

How I Tested the Best AI for Images

For the purpose of this article, I focused on a common marketing use case: creating an original image for a blog article.

I tested nine of the most popular AI image generators and evaluated them on their speed, ease of use, and image quality.

To fairly compare the options, I also eliminated variables by:

• Using the same prompt
• Requesting the same edit to the original prompt

I also ran each tool three times after each prompt, giving them a fair opportunity to deliver. Consider these my “trials.” This is science, after all.

The prompt: “Generate an image of a young marketing executive presenting information on a television screen in front of a small group of teammates.”

The edit: Generate a photo-realistic image of a young marketing executive presenting information on a television screen in front of a small group of teammates.

What makes an AI image generator good?

To answer this question, here are the factors I evaluated each tool on:

• Ease of Use: How easy it is to prompt the tool and get results
• Speed: How fast it took to generate the images,
• Image Quality: How high resolution the image is; its clarity, accuracy, etc.
• Diversity and Variety: How original the selection of images is as well as how diverse and inclusive they are with human depictions.
• Customization Options: How specific you can get with your prompt and editing features.

If a tool is fast, easy to use, customizable, and delivers high-quality, creative images, it’s top tier. With all this in mind, let’s get to our test results.

1. HubSpot AI Image Generator

HubSpot’s AI image generator is currently in beta, but it is one of many AI-powered features rolling out across our tools. It can be used within your HubSpot portal to create images for emails, blogs, landing pages, or repurposing with Content Remix.

Pricing: Starting at $450/mo with Content Hub, depending on your plan.

Test Results

HubSpot’s AI image generator can be found across a number of tools, but for the purposes of this experiment, I navigated to the blog. From here, I hit “Insert image” then clicked on the “Generate with AI” button.

I was met with three simple fields to fill out (seen below):

• “Describe your image,” where I would enter my test prompt
• “Choose a style,” where I could pick from 17 different options or allow the tool to decide.
• “Dimensions” where I could choose between square, landscape or portrait.

I entered my details, hit “generate,” and was met with two images in about 10-20 seconds. I was impressed by the speed! Then, I could like or dislike each image, crop and resize them within HubSpot, or edit them using Adobe Express.

At a glance, the thumbnails look pretty promising, but, honestly, when I enlarged them using the “crop and resize” button, I could see there were some very noticeable issues with hands and facial features.

This is common with many AI image generators, so it wasn’t a big surprise.

The images also were both of individuals who presented as White males with rooms filled with White team members.

For my second trial, I used my prompt specifying “photo-realistic” but let the tool decide the style.

The results were actually less photo-realistic, in my opinion, and the feature issues continued, but I was happy to see more diversity in the second iteration.

With its speed and ease of access, HubSpot’s built-in AI image generator is a solid solution for users, but as it’s in beta, there is room to grow. I’d love to see the issues with fine details like facial features refined and more diversity in human depictions.

All that said, the images are still great for use in smaller sizes.

What I like:

• Fast, easy execution
• A lot of style options
• Easily accessible within the HubSpot tools; no need to jump platforms

What can be improved:

• Only two results

Best for: HubSpot users who need simple, small images to break up their content

2. Midjourney

Midjourney is considered one of the most powerful generative AI tools out there, so my expectations for its image generator were high. It focuses on creating artistic and stylized images and is popular for its high quality.

Pricing: $10-120 per month, depending on the plan

Test Results

I’m used to the chatbot setup of ChatGPT, so Midjourney wasn’t what I expected.

To create, you have to join the Midjourney Discord channel (similar to Slack). From there, you use keyboard commands within chats to have the Midjourney bot perform your desired tasks.

In this instance, I had to join a “newbie” chat (there were several to choose from) and enter the command “/imagine” followed by my prompt. Then, the Midjourney bot processed my request (and sometimes those of others simultaneously.)

It delivered four images with each trial.

From there, I could click numbered buttons underneath the images to get “upscales” (U) or variations (V) of a particular image. It isn’t entirely clear to a “newbie” what an upscale or variation means.

Personally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this process. Anyone in the chat can see your prompt, the results, and even download them for their own use. Your results could also quickly be buried by others, and you’d have to scroll up to find them.

Speaking of results, they were quick but varied in quality.

The AI delivered a variety of styles and included some diversity in its human subjects (no glaring mistakes), but it produced the same settings and poses in each option.

Also, there was no clear way to edit the images created. I tried responding to the bot to no avail. My second prompt resulted in less photo-realistic images — even though I specified that’s what I wanted:

Overall, I was disappointed by Midjourney. It was frustrating to navigate and didn’t produce the quality I expected from the hype. Someone with more experience in Discord or prompting it might yield better results, but it didn’t win me over.

What I like:

• Fast (images in under 60 seconds)
• Multiple images at once

What can be improved:

• User-friendliness
• Privacy
• Editing capabilities
• Image style variety
• Photo-realistic quality

Best for: Artistic endeavors, marketers with advanced technical knowledge, web developers, or those comfortable within Discord who can learn to navigate the nuances of prompts.

3. DALL-E 3

Owned by OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT), DALL-E is a pioneer in image generation.

DALL-E 3, the latest iteration of the tech, is touted as highly advanced and is known for generating detailed depictions of text descriptions. This means users can create original images and modify existing ones based on text prompts.

Pricing: It is available to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Enterprise users, as well as developers through the API, starting at $20 per month.

Test Results

Unlike most tools on our list, DALL-E3 generated only one image at a time.

In a world where a search engine can find millions of pictures in seconds, this is highly limiting and, honestly, underwhelming. But the image quality was impressive.

It showed detailed, realistic portrayals of people and had no visible difficulty replicating fingers or eyes, as we often see with AI. It also allows users to edit specific image details:

For example, I requested the main subject of the image above shift to a woman of color and the information on the television screen change to an Instagram profile.

The photo after editing wasn’t as seamless. You could see where the AI spliced in the new content and certainly did not use an Instagram profile, but I digress.

As you may be able to guess from my requested edit, where DALL-E3 fell short was its lack of diversity and variety.

After running two more trials with my initial prompt, the settings of the image stayed the same — a generic, corporate office, while main subject in all of the images looked very similar as well, and most noticeably, all White or European.

While the results for the initial prompt were quite photo-realistic, I ran my second prompt.

The results were consistent, and the diversity issue also remained. Out of curiosity, I ran one more test in a new chat window and found that all images were now of men, but again, they all appeared to be White or European.

I was able to request changes to make the people in the image more racially diverse, but it took several tries.

Stereotyping and bias are common concerns with AI image generators, and that may be an issue with DALL-E3.

What I like:

• High-quality images (crisp, detailed)
• Realistic human depictions
• Ability to edit image details

What could be better:

• Only one photo per prompt
• Lack of diversity without additional prompting
• Lack of variety in the setting
• Lack of control over specifications (dimensions, style, etc.)

Best for: Brands that would benefit from ChatGPT’s greater AI abilities. In my opinion, the cost is not worth it just for image generation, especially considering some of the amazing free options in this list.

Pro tip: If you find yourself getting the same results with each regeneration or requesting edits proves fruitless, try opening a new chat window.

4. Microsoft Designer

Designer is an AI image generator from Microsoft. It’s positioned as a tool to help you “create social media posts, invitations, digital postcards, graphics, and more, all in a flash.” Many say it’s a Canva competitor, and I can see why.

Designer uses DALL-E2 to generate images from text prompts, but you can also start with one of the built-in templates or tools.

Its user-friendly templates include stickers, collages, greeting cards, and social media posts. Users can also perform everyday editing tasks like removing a background from an image.

Pricing: Everyone gets 15 free generations per day, but this jumps to 100 with a Microsoft Copilot Pro membership for $20 per month.

Test Results

Coming from DALL-E3, I was immediately pleased to see Designer deliver four images with each run of my test prompt. I was also happy to see the diversity in gender, race, and even setting.

Like DALL-E3, the Designer results were realistic from the start (with no face or feature issues), but most still had an illustrative stroke.

Nevertheless, after running my second prompt, the results remained similar:

Once I found an image I liked, Microsoft Designer let me download, copy, edit, or use it in another design on the platform:

What I like:

• Multiple images at once
• High-quality images (crisp, detailed)
• Accurate depictions of people
• Lots of diversity (both in people featured and in style/setting of image)

What could be better:

• All images are square by default
• “Photo-realistic” images still have an illustrative look

Best for: Great option for anyone as a free tool, but especially valuable to teams looking for design flexibility or those heavily invested in social media. Microsoft Designer makes it easy to create graphics using its images.

5. Adobe Firefly

Firefly is design giant Adobe’s answer to generative AI. It can generate art or photo-style images in four common aspect ratios (square, portrait, landscape, and widescreen), and it allows users to select or upload resources for reference.

Pricing: Free for 25 credits per month, but premium plans offer more credits starting at $4.99 per month.

Test Results

Honestly, Firefly immediately blew me away.

Not only was it the fastest tool, but it also delivered four images in various styles, with a diverse group of subjects and some of the most photo-realistic results I’ve seen.

The depictions of humans were mostly realistic, but as I ran my additional trials, I did spot flaws like missing faces or choppy cut-outs in the backgrounds.

Since Designer has a built-in option for photos, I deviated a bit from my experiment. I ran the initial prompt under the art filter to evaluate the differences.

Again, they were striking. The results were a mix of vectors and illustrations that employed bold colors, precise details, and visual depth for beautiful results.

The platform also let me edit the images, generate more based on one I liked, and use any of the images in an Adobe Express design.

What I like:

• Free
• Fast
• Multiple images at once
• High-quality, photo-realistic images (crisp, detailed)
• Accurate depictions of people (mostly)
• Lots of diversity (both in people featured and in style/setting of image)
• Easy-to-use images in a design
• Edit specific details of images

What could be better:

• Have to inspect closely for flaws
• More image styles

Best for: Great option for anyone, especially as a free tool. Both the artistic and photo results are top-notch and easy to repurpose into design inside and outside of Adobe.

6. Canva Magic Design

Canva’s AI image generator, Magic Design, brings the power of AI to the masses. You can use it to generate images, graphics, or videos in square, vertical, or horizontal aspect ratios, and you can choose from over 20 visual styles.

Pricing: All users get 10 free Magic Designs over their lifetime, but if you want more, varying usage limits are available in Pro, non-profit, and Education accounts, starting at $120/year.

Test Results

With the initial prompt, Canva delivered four graphic/illustrated images in each trial. Many figures were simple vectors without any defining features, reminiscent of 1990s clip art.

You can see the results of each trial circled in the same color.

Upon entering my “photo-realistic” prompt, the results changed accordingly, but left much to be desired.

The AI appeared to struggle with recreating finer details like hands, fingers, eyes, and on-screen content.

Nevertheless, if you find an image you like, you can easily use it in a new design within the Canva platform.

What I like:

• Fast
• Easy to use
• Lots of visual styles
• Offers video

What could be better:

• Photo-realistic results
• Depictions of people
• Attention to detail

Best for: Those already investing in Canva Pro. This can be useful for art, vectors, or social media designs.

7. Meta AI

Meta AI is a free intelligent assistant from the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The company claims the chatbot is “capable of complex reasoning, following instructions, visualizing ideas, and solving nuanced problems,” including generating images.

Pricing: Free for all Facebook users

Test Results

Meta AI is set up as a chatbot and upon entering my test prompt, I was floored.

With each trial, Meta delivered four images — all vibrant, detailed, and in various settings. They also featured diverse groups of people.

Looking closely at the faces, you can see some imperfections. But, for the most part, the images could easily be used in smaller sizes without any concern.

Meta AI also allows you to click into an image to request edits (though this will change the entire image, not just a part, like with DALL-E3).

Or you can animate the images with the click of a button.

What I like:

• Free
• Fast
• Multiple image at once
• High-quality, photo-realistic images (crisp, detailed)
• Accurate depictions of people (mostly)
• Can animate results with the click of a button
• Lots of diversity (both in people featured and in style/setting of image)

What could be better:

• Specific edits
• Images are watermarked

Best for: Small digital graphics for social media, eBooks, or otherwise.

8. Gemini

Gemini, formerly Bard, was launched by Google in December 2023. Similar to competitor ChatGPT, Gemini responds to text prompts as a chatbot.

However, taking a page out of the Google search engine playbook, it can natively understand images, audio, video, and code. In other words, you can upload a video and ask Gemini to summarize it.

Pricing: It’s free, but “For Business” accounts are available with Google Workspace. Gemini Advanced is also available with a Google One AI Premium plan for $19.99 per month.

Test Results

In February 2024, the ability to create images of people with Gemini was removed noting “some of the images generated are inaccurate or even offensive.” In fact, the first time I researched this topic, I couldn’t even generate an animated depiction of a person.

But in 2025, the ability returned, and honestly, I was shook by the results.

Gemini processed for about 20 seconds and then delivered a single image in response to my prompt, but honestly, it was the most photo-realistic image I’ve encountered from an AI tool.

The image was crisp and not only were there no issues with facial features or body parts, these elements were extremely detailed. Hair had fly-aways, skin had texture, and hands had veins. It looked like it came straight off a smartphone (in a good way.)

From the result, all you could do was download or share the image, rate it (thumbs up or down), or ask Gemini to regenerate it. There’s no dedicated option to edit, but I imagine you can request the chatbot to make changes as you would in other tools.

In my second trial, the results remained impressive.

I liked seeing the tool introduce a new face and setting, but do wish there had been more diversity in the human depictions. After a few regenerations, I was able to get subjects of different cultural backgrounds, but even after five tries, I couldn’t get a result with a woman.

What I like:

• Easy to use
• Free
• Fairly fast
• Images are extremely high-quality

What could be better:

• More customization options
• Only one result at a time
• Vastly improved diversity, but still room for growth.

Best for: Blog, website, or even print images.

9. Jasper Art

Jasper is a platform trusted by over 100,000 leading brands and agencies including Wayfair, Ulta, and MorningStar.

Its AI image generator is called Jasper Art (only available under Pro plans) and promises users the perfect picture to match their messaging.

It offers high-resolution, 2,000-pixel images, royalty-free commercial use, and unlimited generations, all without a watermark.

Pricing: Starting at $49 per month per seat or ($39 per month per seat with annual payment), but a 7-day free trial is available

Test Results

I learned you can start creating from scratch with “free form” or with a “template” which includes categories like food photography, ink art, news graphic, and storybook photography.

In “free form,” Jasper Art allows you to refine your creation with a mood (i.e., calm, gloomy, or whimsical), medium (i.e., collage or ink), style (i.e., pop art or art deco), keyword (i.e., black & white or close-up), or language.

For this experiment, however, I stuck to “free form” and left all of the refinements empty.

Jasper delivered four images and took just a few seconds, but, to be honest, the results were lackluster.

The “young executives” all appeared older and were men with lighter skin tones. Few women were in the photos, and if there were, they were in the background. This was consistent throughout my trials, so, like DALL-E3, I had concerns about AI bias.

Furthermore, Jasper struggled with recreating features like hands and fingers. One image even appears to have an elf leg coming out of a man’s hip onto a table.

Like other tools, Jasper’s results were photo-realistic, but to confirm, I reran the prompt using the keyword filter “photorealistic.” The results were unchanged.

I also experimented with the styles (specifically pop art and acrylic paint) to see how the tool handled those.

Pop art was true to its name, but Jasper appeared to have difficulty with acrylic paint, delivering images that looked half vector and half photo-realistic.

If you like an image, Jasper Art lets you download it in three different sizes, copy it to your clipboard, or share it to X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Reddit.

What I like:

• Easy-to-use
• Multiple images at once
• Offers templates
• Offers high-resolution downloads

What could be better:

• Difficulty recreating human features
• Lack of diversity
• Concerns of bias

Best for: Abstract or creative images. It’s worth playing around with if you already pay for Jasper Pro but wouldn’t pay just for Jasper Art.

Pro tip: In “free form, ”Jasper AI offers to “enhance your prompt” with the click of a button. It expanded my prompt and passed the 400-character limit while allowing me to edit before generating my images. While I didn’t use this feature in the experiment, Jasper’s assumptions seemed to match the pictures it produced.

Reviewing the more detailed prompts may give you more insight into the image it will create by default.

10. Typeface

Typeface is an enterprise-grade multimodal AI content creation platform for creating on-brand, targeted content for various channels.

It is known for its AI product photography capabilities, but its Visual Inspiration Studio also allows users to pick their inspiration from a library of pre-set images and generate images from text prompts using “Magic Prompt.”

Pricing: Starting at $49/month per use, according to Deepgram. 14 day trial available.

Test Results

To test the tool, I started a “new project” and hit “create from blank.”

From there, I entered my prompt with “Magic Prompt” toggled on and let the tool do its thing.

I left the default settings on, but I could have adjusted the size, generation type (or photo style), as well as details like the audience, things I don’t want to see (via the negative prompt), as well as advanced options like camera angle, lighting, etc.

After about one minute, the tool processed the request and produced a more detailed prompt, followed by four images.

The were detailed and definitely photo-realistic, despite not specifying that. Like a few of the other tools I tested, they looked like they came straight out of a smartphone, right down to the lighting and angles.

Upon deeper examination, there didn’t appear to be any issues with hands or fingers, but the tool did seem to have some trouble with the greater details of faces when I zoomed in.

There also didn’t appear to be much diversity in the style/setting of each image or the human subjects within them.

After running my second trial, the results were similar, but I was happy to see a bit more diversity and a new setting from the first collection.

What I like:

• Truly photorealistic results
• Options to give camera specifics

What could be better:

• Difficulty recreating facial features
• Advanced features only available in the enterprise plan
• Learning curve

Best for: Product photography, professional-quality marketing visuals. Businesses can get some great branded photos and images for ad campaigns, e-commerce store listings, brochures, social media, and more.

11. Getimg.ai

While researching this article, I found Getimg.ai in a Reddit discussion. Redditors raved about it, so I had to see why. With a paid plan, it can generate photorealistic, artistic, or anime-style images, up to 10 at a time.

Pricing: Free for 100 credits per month, or paid plans beginning at $12/month which unlock more credits and features

Test Results

Getimg.ai generates four images by default on a free plan, and it can deliver up to 10 with a premium plan. It’s also transparent about its speed, displaying how long it takes to generate each image. The images I created took under 30 seconds.

My immediate reaction: Zero diversity. Except for one or two subjects, everyone in the photos is a white man and many of them look like they could be cousins, brothers, or even twins.

In other words, Getimg.ai seems to use the same face repeatedly in one image.

If this works for you, the tool lets you like, download, generate similar images, or use them in a design. With a paid plan, you can also convert the image into a video.

As the tool defaults to photorealistic, I once again deviated from my test edit to run the prompt in other built-in styles.

“Anime” delivers some beautiful creative images that are very much in line with what you’d expect from the Japanese style. In contrast, “Artistic” is reminiscent of characters in a video game. I personally expected them to look more like paintings or illustrations.

What I like:

• Generous free plan
• Easy to use
• Fast (and transparent about generation speed)
• Multiple images at once
• Can upload reference image and tell it what not to generate with “negative prompt”
• Multiple aspect ratio options

What could be better:

• Diversity (in demographics as well as the setting of the photo)

Best for: Creative or artistic images. Brands or marketers targeting younger audiences interested in Anime.

12. Fotor

Fotor is a popular photo editor and design platform. Fotor has also launched an AI image generator with a user-friendly interface that is a much easier way for users to generate images. This can greatly help users save time and have fun at the same time.

Pricing: New users will receive four free credits as rewards. Fotor Pro users will receive 100 credits and pay $3.33 for a month.

Test Results

Fotor, like many other tools in my experiment, worked with simple text prompts. All I had to do was enter my prompt, and define my photography style (56 options), dimensions, and the number of images (up to 4), I wanted to generate.

The tool also allowed me to input what I wouldn’t like to see in the form of “negative prompts.”

Upon entering my prompt, Fotor delivered two images — and I was genuinely impressed.

The style called Photography 4 produced crisp, high-quality images.

Did they look like they came out of a camera? No. They definitely appeared digitally generated, but they were detailed, showed no signs of issues with facial or body features, and gave very visually different options to choose from.

For the second trial, I asked the tool to produce 3, 4:3 options.

It followed through with the high-quality results, but the faces did appear a bit more graphic. In both trials, there also did not appear to be much diversity in the human depictions.

What I like:

• User-friendly interface
• Customizable
• Cloud save data access
• Various image styles

What could be better:

• Image details
• Image elements variety
• Diversity of human depictions

Best For: Creative and illustrative images generation.

Put the Best to the Test

What you consider the best AI for creating images is subjective. In my opinion, many of the free tools have more to offer marketers than the paid ones.

I was particularly impressed by Adobe Firefly. It delivers some of the most realistic photos and professional-looking artistic images on the list, and it allows you to edit specific details.

For a marketer who is likely using an AI image generator to create an original image for content or a digital graphic, it more than gets the job done at no cost. On top of its creative prowess, it’s hard to top.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2024 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Customers don’t just mindlessly purchase products or services. It’s through customer journey analytics that marketers can understand their journey from discovering a brand, to making a purchase, to potentially becoming brand advocates.

To truly make sense of your customer’s experience, I believe leveraging customer journey analytics is not only beneficial, but key to learning more about them.

Every business, startup or enterprise — in any industry — needs to understand how customers interact with their brand. Insights gathered from customer journey analytics can help, while leading to increased customer lifetime value, customer loyalty, and revenue growth. 

Table of Contents

• What is customer journey analytics?
• Customer Journey Stages
• Customer Journey Analytics Benefits
• Customer Journey Analytics Software
• Customer Journey Analytics vs. Customer Journey Mapping

• Examples of Customer Journey Analytics in Action

What is customer journey analytics?

Customer journey analytics is a collection of data that helps you to understand how your prospects or customers behave, engage, and convert along the customer journey. 

Customer journey analytics often begins with a customer journey map, a visual representation of every step the customer goes through with your business. Then, it applies data on how your customer behaves throughout different phases of that map,  to help you assess the effect your customers’ journey has on your business, or what’s holding customers back from completing that journey and purchasing a product

Customer Journey Analytics Steps

1. Outline a customer journey map.

Create your customer journey map using HubSpot’s template.

The first step to customer journey analytics is creating a customer journey map. A typical customer journey map includes the following: the buying process, user actions, emotions, pain points, and solutions. The customer journey map is the foundation for further analysis.

2. Identify the right analytics tools.

To accurately conduct customer journey analysis, you’ll need the right tools. 

A good customer journey analytics tool will monitor, track, and analyze data like website data, conversion data, and detail data across multiple channels.

Customer data platforms (CDPs) also support customer journey analytics. The platforms assign unique IDs to your website and app to build single customer views, which can include information such as location, browser, device type, operating system, historical transactions, and visitor logs.

3. Collect your data.

A robust analytics platform should enable you to collect data on customer behavior. Data can be broken down into two main buckets: user data and interaction data. 

• User data: Provides context on a user and their traits. Data can include email, age, industry, and occupation.
• Interaction data: Gives information about how a user interacts with your product or service.

4. Analyze data.

Data in itself is not meaningful without analysis. The purpose of customer journey analytics is to make sense of the data and extract insights that can inform your business strategy. 

For example, an e-commerce company might identify, through analysis, that requiring customers to create an account to complete a purchase leads to the customer not completing the purchase — a solution could be implementing a guest checkout option.

5. Update customer journey map.

Using the insights you’ve gained, you can now update the customer journey map accordingly. For example, you might add additional pain points uncovered through data analysis, like requiring customers to create accounts to complete a purchase.

6. Use customer journey analytics to test new strategies.

The next step is to figure out how to enhance the customer journey experience. Testing new strategies like adding a guest checkout option, making the account creation process faster with fewer steps, and sending abandoned cart emails are all examples.

Benefits of Customer Journey Analytics

By leveraging customer journey analytics, you’ll be able to improve your customer’s experience with actionable insights, while unlocking benefits like:

Better Understanding Customers

By gathering and synthesizing data, you will better understand what aspects of the buyer’s journey lead them to purchase a product or service, or not. For example, an e-commerce company might learn that customers that come from a specific social media platform are more likely to buy, or discover that certain audience demographics or affinities are more likely to become leads.

Pinpointing Where You’re Losing Customers

Not all customers follow through, and unless they fill out a survey, it can be difficult to figure out why they churn. By leveraging customer journey analytics, you can pinpoint where you’re losing potential customers. 

For example, a business can lose potential customers during channel or device transitions. A prospect might start filling out a form on a mobile device but choose to complete it on a laptop. If the information entered is lost, the potential customer might not take the time to complete the signup process.

Optimizing and Solving for Prospects

With a better understanding of customers’ pain points and the reasons behind them, you can figure out how to improve and strategize around an accurate customer journey.

Improve ROI

Are your investments in customer experience worth it? By using customer journey analytics, you can measure ROI for customer experience initiatives. From there, you can streamline, remove, or cut initiatives that don’t benefit your bottom line or double down on the aspects of the buyer’s journey that do.

For instance, if you run an incredibly expensive advertising campaign that doesn’t yield the same level of new customers or purchase page visits as unpaid or more in-house content, you can aim to save money on ads and focus on the more affordable strategies that actually earn you money.

Customer Journey Analytics Software

1. HubSpot Marketing Hub: Advanced Marketing Reporting

Get started with customer journey analytics.

HubSpot Marketing Hub is equipped with robust customer journey analytics capabilities and tools, which can map data around conversions, leads, deals, and website engagements around different stages of the customer journey. 

The Advanced Marketing Reporting tool also enables you to attribute every customer interaction to revenue, analyze conversion rates and time between nurturing path steps, and provide further data to help you build informed strategies that can improve ROI and purchase rates.

2. Content Square

Source

Content Square captures UX, performance and product, and content data throughout the customer journey. The platform also enables you to visualize metrics so that they are easily digestible. You will be able to get insights like bounce rate and number of lost conversions, and dig deeper to pinpoint why.

3. Google Analytics

Source

Google Analytics is widely used website analytics software that tracks user behavior on different platforms, including mobile applications. Features like daily traffic reporting give insight into what visitors are engaging with. Plus, its Analytics Amplifier can combine Google Analytics and HubSpot data.

Customer Journey Mapping vs. Customer Journey Analytics

Customer journey analytics and customer journey mapping are often confused with each other. Although they’re complementary, customer journey mapping visually presents customer journey stages from start to finish, while customer journey analytics offers data about a  customers’ interactions in each stage.

Customer journey maps often include the following:

• The buying process: By pulling data from places like CMS and prospecting tools, you will be able to figure out what goes into a customer’s purchasing process. 
• User actions: This part of the customer journey map details the actions the customer takes throughout their journey.
• Emotions: Emotions help color your understanding of how your customer is feeling and reacting as they go through their journey with your business.
• Pain points: Adding pain points to your customer journey map gives you a comprehensive picture of the challenges your customer may experience.
• Solutions: Figuring out solutions can help your customers experience fewer pain points. The data and insights you’ve gathered can help inform your solutions.

Customer journey analytics delves deeper. The customer journey map is the “what” and customer journey analytics is the “why” because it organizes customer or prospect data around each stage.  

Here’s an example of how customer journey analytics works in HubSpot Marketing Hub:

Try out HubSpot’s advanced marketing reporting tool.

Customer Journey Map vs. Analytics Example: Let’s say your business offers CMS tools and your ideal customer, a graphic design firm, finds you through a targeted Instagram ad.

In the customer journey map you’ve built, your target customer considers using your CMS tools to build a new website that showcases their strengths. They schedule a demo before trying the free version and are initially excited, but become frustrated with the limited design elements offered by the free version. Their biggest pain point quickly becomes a lack of versatility. They then look into purchasing the paid version or going to a cheaper competitor.

With customer journey analytics, you’ll apply real-time data to that map: From journey mapping, you’ve identified the steps your customer often takes and their common pain points. A strong customer journey analytics tool can then collect, aggregate, synthesize, and visualize data to help you make sense of your customer’s actions and see if your mapping and journey-based strategies work. 

For example, data might show how your customer is interacting with your product. 

A good customer journey analytics platform combines data like user data, survey results, and website analytics, you can gain a comprehensive view of why your customer is experiencing those pain points and consequently address their concerns.

Before you go, I want to give you a hypothetical business example to help you further understand how customer journey analytics can help your team make business operation decisions to better serve your audience.

Examples of Customer Journey Analytics in Action

Customer journey analytics empowers businesses to gain insights from targeted touchpoints and comprehensive customer experiences across all channels. Here’s how forward-thinking companies, like a bank looking to innovate, are leveraging these powerful tools to transform their customer relationships and operational efficiency.

Transforming the Online Banking Experience

A leading financial institution discovered that its digital onboarding process was causing significant customer drop-off and negatively impacting its Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT).

The journey mapped:

1. A customer decides to open a new account online
2. They navigate to the bank’s website and begin the application
3. The customer completes the identity verification steps
4. The account is activated, and the customer receives welcome materials

The hidden friction points: However, the analytics revealed a problematic alternative path:

1. The customer begins the online application
2. They encounter difficulty with the document upload feature
3. The customer abandons the process after multiple failed attempts
4. They either call customer service or abandon the bank entirely
5. The ones who persist complete the process after significant frustration

The data-driven analysis: By integrating CSAT scores with behavioral analytics, the bank identified a 40% drop in satisfaction when customers encountered the document upload step. Text analysis of customer feedback revealed frustration with technical requirements and confusing instructions. Each abandoned application that converted to a call center interaction increased acquisition costs by 300%.

Strategic intervention: Based on these insights, the bank can implement a multi-faceted solution:

• A redesign of the upload interface with clearer instructions and visual guides
• Added real-time chat support specifically triggered when customers lingered on the upload page
• Developing an AI-powered document quality checker to prevent submission of unacceptable images
• Creating an option to complete the process later without starting over

Measurable transformation: With customer journey analytics continuously monitoring the new experience, the bank measured a 65% reduction in abandonment rates, 28% improvement in CSAT scores, and 22% decrease in customer acquisition costs. The analytics platform also identified which specific design elements contributed most to the improved metrics.

This example shows how customer journey analytics breaks down hidden data silos, linking online behavior to business results and customer emotions. By understanding the complete customer experience and pinpointing exact moments of friction, organizations can make targeted improvements that create measurable business value.

Cultivate an Impactful Customer Journey

Understanding and creating strategies to enhance the customer journey is important to remain competitive, and having a good grasp of customer journey analytics is just one component. Other key steps include creating buyer personas, mapping out the customer journey, and continuously updating strategies based on data.

To improve the customer journey, learn more about HubSpot’s marketing solution Marketing Hub.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in May 2023 and has since been updated for comprehensiveness.

If I was reading a post about request for proposals (RFP), I’d want to get to the point … and fast.

And that’s coming from me, a former marketing consultant of about five years with three different agencies. I used to create RFPs and submit bids, so I speak from experience when I say this isn’t always the most exciting process.

That’s OK because I have a few tips up my sleeve to make your RFP development process a little less daunting (and a little more fun, hopefully).

Table of Contents

• What’s an RFP?
• RFP vs RFI
• How to Write an RFP
• RFP Template
• RFP Sample
• Request for Proposal Examples
• Tips for Writing an RFP

What’s an RFP?

A request for proposal (RFP) is a written announcement designed to collect bids from vendors for a specific project. A good RFP clearly outlines the project details for both parties including what needs to be delivered, when, and for how much.

Since I struggle living in a world with a million acronyms, let’s clear up the difference between an RFP and RFI before we continue.

RFP vs RFI

A request for information (RFI) is used by companies to get a sense of what solutions are available on the market. A request for proposal (RFP) invites vendors to submit bids so companies can make final decisions for a specific business project.

Here’s the TL;DR — If your business has a project and you need external support, and you already know what type of vendor you’re looking for, you can use an RFP to shop around.

When I worked for a small health communication firm, one of our government clients wanted us to create an educational video series for them.

I developed an RFP on their behalf to solicit proposals from video production companies since we didn’t have the capabilities to complete this work in house.

Hold on to this example — I’ll use it to walk you through the RFP writing process.

How to Write an RFP

As a reminder, here’s the example we’re using for this walkthrough: AJC Health is developing an RFP on behalf of a government client, DoGoodGov, for educational video production services.

(The company names are made up, but the experience is real … I promise.)

1. Provide background information.

Your RFP should always start with an introduction and overview of your business. This helps set the stage for potential vendors and allows them to better understand who they’ll be working with.

Pro tip: I like to keep this section brief. Just introduce your business, highlight your mission, and discuss the products and services you provide.

Example:

AJC Health is a health communication firm based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to empower teens and young adults to lead healthier lives.

For over 10 years, we’ve helped clients achieve their goals by providing marketing and communications services including campaign development, copywriting, and multimedia project support.

2. Define your project purpose and goals.

After you introduce yourself, provide an overview of the project. This is your first opportunity to describe what you’re hoping to accomplish and the areas of expertise you’re looking for.

I like to think of this section as a way to help vendors better understand your priorities so they can tailor their proposals accordingly.

Pro tip: I’d recommend keeping this section clear and concise. Focus on the purpose of the RFP, the type(s) of vendors you’re looking for, and your goals. You’ll have an opportunity later to provide specific details about the scope of work later.

Example:

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to invite businesses who specialize in video production, live action, animation, and multimedia for educational purposes to submit proposals to our company.

We’re currently seeking qualified vendors to support the development of a public health video series on behalf of DoGoodGov. Our goal is to build brand awareness, drive web traffic, and increase our YouTube marketing ROI.

3. Outline the budget and scope of work.

In the last step, we described the project at a high level. This section is where you can get into the weeds a little bit. State your budget and describe the specific services you need.

For me, it’s helpful to compare this section to the “Job Responsibilities” section in a job description. Give a complete snapshot of what the role entails.

Pro tip: You can take various approaches when describing the services you’re seeking in an RFP, but I recommend incorporating bullet points or breaking up your information so that it’s easy for vendors to scan.

Example:

The budget for this project is $12,750.

The selected firm will be responsible for the ideation, production, and delivery of a three-part video series to educate teens and young adults about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

Tasks include but may not be limited to the following criteria:

• Ideating video concepts

• Writing and editing video scripts

• Multimedia (audio/video) content development

• Capturing, importing, and organizing raw media

• Editing video footage and audio files

• Creating static and motion graphics

• Adding music, voice-over, and sound effects

• Delivering multi-format video files (e.g., YouTube, social media, web)

• Meeting the requirements of Section 508 Compliance for video

• General account management

• Other assistance as required

4. Call out any barriers or roadblocks.

Here, you’ll want to mention any challenges specific to your project. This may include elements like limited resources or specialized requirements that the average vendor may not have or easily obtain.

This may seem counterintuitive, but I’ve found that this helps you eliminate unsatisfactory bidders and figure out which vendors have the skills to tackle those challenges.

Pro tip: It’s crucial to be transparent here. Otherwise, vendors may not fully understand the potential difficulties that may arise. This lack of knowledge could lead to delayed timelines, increased costs, or worse — an unsuccessful project.

Example:

As a federal entity, DoGoodGov requires all materials, including multimedia content, to meet the requirements of Section 508 Compliance. Vendors must have specialized knowledge in 508-Compliance for video production.

5. Highlight your selection criteria.

Now it’s time to specify which skills, services, and market expertise are required for consideration. This is the time to get specific, just like we did in the scope of work section.

Some examples of selection criteria that you can specify in an RFP are experience, qualifications, cost, availability, and technical compatibility.

Pro tip: When I’m building out this section, I focus on the objective criteria that my business will use to, well, pick a winning bid. I’ve found that clear selection criteria helps increase your chances of receiving proposals that actually meet your needs.

Example:

The ideal vendor:

• Has experience in producing high-quality videos across various formats such as live-action, animation, screencast, whiteboard, and educational video

• Has a clear process from ideation, production, revision, and final delivery

• Has experience creating videos for educational purposes (public health knowledge and experience is a plus)

• Has demonstrated knowledge in the requirements of Section 508 Compliance

• Can provide a highly responsive, collaborative, and transparent communication process

6. Specify your submission process.

The selection criteria and the submission process outline go hand-in-hand to ensure you end up with a strong collection of proposals.

Tell vendors where to submit their bids and to whom, and give them a timeline that includes the submission deadline, date for final selection, and project completion date. Then, tell them exactly what you want them to submit.

Pro tip: I’d treat the submission process as a test for who’s capable of meeting your requirements. If a vendor can’t complete all elements of your proposal, you probably can’t trust them to finish your project, either.

Example:

Submission Information

Submissions may be sent via mail or electronically by the submission deadline.

• Project Name or Description: Video Production Services

• Company Name: AJC Health

• Address: 123 Howie Ave.

• City, State, Zip Code: Silver Spring, MD 20906

• Procurement Contact Person: Alana Chinn

• Telephone Number of PCP: 123-456-7890

• Email Address of PCP: [email protected]

• Fax Number: N/A

Submission Timeline

Proposals must be submitted by February 10th. The award will be granted no later than March 1st. Final video delivery must occur by June 30th.

Submission Criteria

A submission must, at a minimum, include the following elements:

• Description of the firm that includes a general overview, names and credentials of creative team, number of full-time employees.
• A one-page narrative outlining the firm’s strengths and distinguishing skills or capabilities as they might relate to AJC Health.
• A representative selection of multi-channel video content, audio samples, and project management plans created for current and past clients.

RFP Template

Below, I’ve included one of my favorite RFP templates. (It’s ours at HubSpot, so I may be a little biased.)

Download a free, editable RFP template.

You can use this template to build your initial structure, but I’d recommend tailoring your RFP to best articulate your company’s needs.

RFP Sample

1. Introduction

Background

AJC Health is a health communication firm based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to empower teens and young adults to lead healthier lives.

For over 10 years, we’ve helped clients achieve their goals by providing marketing and communications services including campaign development, copywriting, and multimedia project support.

Project Overview

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to invite businesses who specialize in video production, live action, animation, and multimedia for educational purposes to submit proposals to our company.

We’re currently seeking qualified vendors to support the development of a public health video series on behalf of DoGoodGov. Our goal is to build brand awareness, drive web traffic, and increase our YouTube marketing ROI.

2. Budget and Services Requested

Budget

The budget for this project is $12,750.

Scope of Work

The selected firm will be responsible for the ideation, production, and delivery of a three-part video series to educate teens and young adults about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

Tasks include but may not be limited to the following criteria:

• Ideating video concepts
• Writing and editing video scripts
• Multimedia (audio/video) content development
• Capturing, importing, and organizing raw media
• Editing video footage and audio files
• Creating static and motion graphics
• Adding music, voice-over, and sound effects
• Delivering multi-format video files (e.g., YouTube, social media, web)
• Meeting the requirements of Section 508 Compliance for video
• General account management
• Other assistance as required

3. Barriers to Completion

As a federal entity, DoGoodGov requires all materials, including multimedia content, to meet the requirements of Section 508 Compliance. Vendors must have specialized knowledge in 508-Compliance for video production.

4. Selection Criteria

The ideal vendor:

• Has experience in producing high-quality videos across various formats such as live-action, animation, screencast, whiteboard, and educational video
• Has a clear process from ideation, production, revision, and final delivery
• Has experience creating videos for educational purposes (public health knowledge and experience is a plus)
• Has demonstrated knowledge in the requirements of Section 508 Compliance
• Can provide a highly responsive, collaborative, and transparent communication process

5. Submission Process

Contact Information

Submissions may be sent via mail or electronically by the submission deadline.

• Project Name or Description: Video Production Services
• Company Name: AJC Health
• Address: 123 Howie Ave.
• City, State, Zip Code: Silver Spring, MD 20906
• Procurement Contact Person: Alana Chinn
• Telephone Number of PCP: 123-456-7890
• Email Address of PCP: [email protected]
• Fax Number: N/A

Timeline

Proposals must be submitted by February 10th. The award will be granted no later than March 1st. Final video delivery must occur by June 30th.

Submission Criteria

A submission must, at a minimum, include the following elements:

• Description of the firm that includes a general overview, names and credentials of creative team, number of full-time employees.
• A one-page narrative outlining the firm’s strengths and distinguishing skills or capabilities as they might relate to AJC Health.
• A representative selection of multi-channel video content, audio samples, and project management plans created for current and past clients.

Request for Proposal Examples

Now, just explaining to you the formatting of an RFP probably won’t paint you the entire picture, so to better help you understand the range and structuring — we found some real examples for you to familiarize yourself with.

1. Brand Reposition Campaign RFP

Tips for Writing an RFP

Here are three tips from my arsenal to help you optimize your RFPs to achieve a high response rate from vendors.

1. Keep the lines of communication open.

Providing access to a point of contact shows that your company is invested in the vendor response process and helps you proactively establish a rapport.

And if you have flexibility in your timeline, I’d also recommend that you encourage prospective vendors to ask questions and seek clarification before submitting a proposal.

The more they understand your needs, the better their proposals will be.

2. Make sure your RFP is detailed but scannable.

If I was a vendor, I’d be a lot less likely to respond to your RFP if the project details are insufficient or unclear. However, you’ll want to strike the balance between providing enough but not too much detail.

I like to make sure each of my sections are well-defined, and the document is easily scannable. To do this, I take full advantage of formatting options, like bullet points and headings.

This allows me to provide the necessary information in a digestible way.

3. Proofread your RFP before you go live.

Last but never least? Proofread your RFP — then proofread it again. Why? Because even small mistakes could derail project timelines.

Can you imagine if you missed a zero in your budget details, or included the wrong date for your proposal deadline? Both could force a restart of the entire RFP process and waste precious time.

Just the thought of that alone is enough to make sure I never skip this step.

Go Forth and RFP

See, that was kind of exciting … right? Well, at the very least, I hope this helped simplify the RFP process for you.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.