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The first time I was assigned to write a budget proposal, I stared anxiously at a blank spreadsheet, wondering where to begin. What was a budget proposal supposed to include? Was there a specific structure to follow? How could I ensure it met all the necessary criteria?

My early attempts at writing a proposal taught me the challenges of building a convincing plan that turns rough ideas into fundable projects. I had to learn to align proposal details with business objectives and articulate the potential benefits in a way that resonated with stakeholders.

It was an overwhelming task at times — but with a strategic approach and a bit of guidance, my ability to synthesize financial data and communicate value gradually became second nature.

In this article, I’ll guide you through how to write a simple budget proposal that delights your audience and secures funding. I’ll also provide practical tips, templates, and sample projects to streamline your planning process.

So, let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a budget proposal, and why is it important?
• The Anatomy of a Budget Proposal
• How to Create a Simple Budget Proposal
• Building My Own Basic Budget Proposal
• 8 Budget Proposal Best Practices

What is a budget proposal, and why is it important?

A budget proposal outlines the financial plans for a project or initiative, detailing the expected costs and resources needed for successful completion.

Budget proposals also show potential funders or stakeholders how their money will be spent and the tangible benefits their investment will achieve.

While the content of your budget proposal will change depending on your project’s parameters and specific goals, a well-crafted plan leads to benefits like:

• Stakeholder buy-in. Providing a transparent breakdown of anticipated expenses instills confidence and trust, encouraging stakeholder support or investment.
• Efficient resource usage. Outlining a clear resource allocation plan ensures that funds are directed to the areas where they are needed most.
• Risk mitigation. Applying a risk management framework helps proactively identify potential costs and contingencies, ensuring that the project remains on track and within budget constraints.
• Project tracking. Identifying key project milestones and benchmarks promotes informed decision-making, maintaining efficient and agile progress.

The Anatomy of a Budget Proposal

Before you begin drafting your budget proposal, it’s helpful to first familiarize yourself with its key components and overarching structure.

Knowing which strategic points to emphasize — and the order in which to present them — improves your ability to create a logical and compelling argument, while also ensuring you effectively communicate your project’s feasibility.

So, let’s examine five critical sections found in every effective budget proposal, drawing on the structure used in Hubspot’s Free Budget Proposal Template.

Free Budget Proposal Template

About the Project

The first section of the proposal lays the foundation of your proposal, detailing the purpose, significance, and intended impact of your project.

It serves to introduce stakeholders to the scope and goals of your initiative, highlighting its value and necessity.

Timeline

A project timeline outlines your proposed schedule from start to finish, providing a clear roadmap of phases and milestones. It helps stakeholders understand the duration of the project and key deliverables at each stage.

Cost Information

This section itemizes the individual expenses associated with the project. It also breaks down costs into categories such as labor, materials, and equipment to provide a transparent view of how funds will be allocated.

Pro tip: If you’re unsure how to approach cost analysis, begin by analyzing past campaigns and other historical data to understand what worked — and what didn’t. This data-driven approach ensures your budget allocations are justified, even if it’s a new or experimental campaign.

Cost Summary

This part of the proposal consolidates all the detailed cost elements into a total funding request. It summarizes the financial needs of the project, presenting the total amount you are asking from stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.

Conclusion

The closing section serves as a final pitch to your funders. It reiterates the project’s benefits and the importance of the requested funding, urging stakeholders to take action and support the initiative.

How to Create a Simple Budget Proposal

Now that we have a big-picture overview of the five essential components of building a budget proposal, I’ll explore how I practically apply them to build out a proposal.

Step 1. Define your project goals.

When I make a budget, I start my proposal by defining the specific objectives and expected outcomes of your project.

This step is crucial for setting the tone for the entire proposal by immediately conveying to stakeholders the significance and feasibility of my project.

It also helps build a compelling case for why the project deserves funding, by aligning my goals with the tangible benefits for stakeholders.

How I define project goals:

• Identifying my target audience. I describe the direct improvements my project will bring to particular groups, clients, or customers.
• Outlining measurable outcomes. I specify clear, quantifiable goals that illustrate what the project aims to achieve.
• Clarifying the project’s purpose. I highlight its importance in the broader context of the business, detailing the strategic value and potential long-term benefits.

Step 2. Build your project timeline.

I try to establish a project timeline early on by identifying the sequence of events needed to reach completion. This step is crucial to align all team members and stakeholders on the planned progression of activities and schedules.

How to I build my project timeline:

• Defining key milestones. I identify major milestones that mark significant phases of the project, such as the completion of the design phase or the first prototype.
• Detailing critical deadlines. I set deadlines that must be met to keep the project on track, such as funding application deadlines or regulatory approval dates.
• Sharing necessary checkpoints. I define phases in the timeline where assessments or evaluations are required to proceed to the next phase.

Pro tip: Ensure your project timeline includes buffer periods between major milestones. This flexibility helps accommodate potential delays or adjustments without derailing the overall project schedule.

Download this project timeline template for free.

Step 3. Estimate your costs.

I detail the financial requirements of my project by categorizing and explaining each type of cost.

This breakdown gives stakeholders an overview of how funds will be allocated, sharpening the project’s financial viability and operational efficiency.

How I estimate my costs:

• Categorizing expenses. I break down costs into categories like labor, materials, equipment, and overhead, explaining each in relation to the project’s needs.
• Quantifying each category. I provide estimates for each cost category, detailing how these figures were derived from data or market research.
• Highlighting cost efficiency. I demonstrate how each expense contributes to the project efficiently, maximizing resource utilization and cost-effectiveness.

Pro tip: Streamline your cost analysis with Hubspot’s Free Budget Templates. With eight different templates to choose from, you can easily monitor your monthly, quarterly, and yearly campaign spending, keeping your team aligned — and within budget.

Step 4. Create a cost summary.

I summarize the financial aspects of my project, consolidating the detailed costs into a clear total.

This overview helps stakeholders quickly grasp the total financial scope and the rationale behind the funding request, improving the proposal’s credibility and clarity.

How I create a cost summary:

• Aggregating total costs. I combine all individual expenses and present them in a unified, total project budget.
• Justifying the investment. I detail how the total expenditure aligns with expected project returns or benefits, illustrating the financial feasibility.
• Detailing funding requirements. I specify the required funding amount and provide clear explanations for these financial needs to assure stakeholders of the necessity and strategic thought behind the request.

Step 5. Reiterate your argument.

I always conclude my proposal text by reinforcing the project’s value and motivating stakeholders to take action.

This ending serves to emphasize the project’s significance, alignment with stakeholder goals, and the strategic benefits it offers, providing a solid basis for funding approval.

How I reiterate my argument:

• Restating project benefits. I summarize the key benefits of the project, emphasizing how it aligns with the stakeholders’ interests.
• Highlighting impact and readiness. I showcase the project’s potential impact and readiness for implementation, stressing any competitive advantages.
• Making a call-to-action. I provide a clear next step for stakeholders to take, whether it’s setting up a meeting, reviewing further documentation, or approving funding.

Pro tip: Compelling budget proposals go hand-in-hand with strong business proposals. Use Hubspot’s Free Business Proposal Templates to seamlessly merge financial planning with strategic business objectives, ensuring a comprehensive and compelling pitch for your next project.

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Step 6. Review, edit, and submit.

Finally, I review all sections of my proposal for accuracy and clarity before submitting it for approval or consideration. This step ensures that my document is free from errors and aligns with the funding objectives.

How I review and edit my proposals:

• Asking for feedback. I ask for input from colleagues to identify what is working in the proposal — and what may require revision.
• Proofreading. I thoroughly re-read the document to catch grammatical errors and ensure that the language is professional and precise. Sometimes, I even read the document out loud to make sure it sounds coherent.
• Following submission guidelines. I always make sure to adhere to the specific submission guidelines, such as format, deadline, and method of submission.

Building My Own Basic Budget Proposal

Using HubSpot’s Budget Template, I developed a basic marketing campaign proposal for how my company could leverage social media influencers to promote our product’s new language availability options.

I started by honing in on the project scope and identifying the target audience — French, German, and Spanish speakers — focusing on how we can enhance accessibility and expand our market reach.

I also paid special attention to describing the strategic value of influencers in gaining traction within these key audience groups, ensuring our approach was both effective and culturally authentic.

Then, in the Key Stakeholders section, I detailed the roles of everyone involved, like the social media manager and community managers, ensuring clarity on each person‘s responsibilities.

This was crucial for aligning our internal teams with the campaign’s objectives.

For the Timeline and Budget sections, I broke down the campaign into phases, specifying activities and dates to ensure a structured approach.

I then estimated costs, breaking them down into specific elements like influencer fees, content production, and paid advertising. This is critical for providing a clear picture of the financial resources needed to avoid over- or under-budgeting.

Finally, for the conclusion, I condensed our campaign’s goals and the strategic importance of the requested funding into a compelling call-to-action.

My goal was to craft a narrative that not only informed — but also motivated our stakeholders to support the initiative.

I then shared the proposal with two of my colleagues for feedback, applied their notes, and submitted it to my manager for review and approval.

8 Budget Proposal Best Practices

Crafting an effective budget proposal demands practice and precision. Here are eight best practices to get you started on the right foot.

1. Engage stakeholders early.

Get relevant stakeholders involved in the budgeting process as early as possible.

For example, I may loop in department heads, finance staff, and other key decision-makers. Soliciting their input and buy-in can lead to a more collaborative (and therefore successful) budget proposal.

I reached out to Kaitlin Milliken, a senior program manager at HubSpot, to get her take on building budgets at the company.

“My manager and I keep track of our annual budgeting cycle, so I can earmark the time to create any budgeting documents for the next fiscal year,” Milliken says. “By making sure I work with her and our accounting team early, I can resolve issues before deadlines loom.”

2. Understand the scale of operation.

The size of the company you’re working with significantly influences the scope and detail of your budget proposal.

If you’re at a smaller business, stakeholders may wish to see a proposal focused on agility, directing funds towards critical growth areas like product development and market entry strategies.

In contrast, larger businesses might be more interested in expanding existing successful initiatives — or more open to testing new ideas.

3. Know your audience.

Tailor your proposal to the audience who will review it. If it‘s for senior management, focus on high-level summaries and strategic goals. If it’s for a finance committee, offer additional financial analysis.

“Most of my budget asks go to our senior director or VP. I know they’re busy and want the perfect balance — enough context to understand the ask in a format that’s quick to read,” Milliken says. “Because I know my audience is tight on time, I make sure to include easy-to-skim charts and tables.”

4. Balance needs and wants.

Aim for a balanced approach that addresses both essential needs and aspirational wants, so that you’re prioritizing critical investments, while also considering opportunities for innovation.

Pro tip: Implement a structured prioritization framework, such as the MoSCoW method, to systematically distinguish between essential needs and discretionary wants, optimizing resource allocation for maximum impact.

5. Think about long-term implications.

Especially in the beginning stages of your proposal, think beyond the immediate fiscal year and consider the long-term implications of your budget decisions.

Anticipate how your proposed allocations may impact future budgets, operational sustainability, and organizational development.

For more context, I asked Kaitlin Milliken about how she thinks about the budget for her program.

“I make assignments to freelance writers. When I ask for budget, I always make sure that I’m realistic about how much we can spend,” she says. “If I ask for too much and can’t spend it, we may limit what we can ask for in years to come. That’s a huge long-term implication.”

6. Consider multiple scenarios.

Similarly, try presenting alternative scenarios or contingency plans to account for potential risks or changes in circumstances.

This shows flexibility and preparedness. Milliken notes that she spent time in startups prior to working at HubSpot. In the past, when making budget proposals, she’s created three scenarios:

• The first is the bare minimum amount of budget a project would require. This may put strain on the team, but anything under this number would be impressive.
• The ideal and realistic amount a project will cost. “This is the amount I will need to comfortably accomplish the project with a limited number of nice-to-haves,” she says.
• A stretch budget. “This budget would allow me to run experiments and test new tools when working on a project,” she notes.
• “With these three numbers in mind, I could pivot and refine my budget request based on what’s available to spend,” Milliken says.

7. Build a story.

Weave in a strong storytelling narrative that provides context, explains assumptions, and addresses any potential concerns or questions. This adds depth to your proposal and helps guide readers through the document.

Pro tip: Incorporate data visualization techniques, such as graphs or infographics, to complement your narrative and enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of your budget proposal.

8. Review, Review, Review

Before finalizing your budget proposal, carefully review it for consistency and completeness. Consider seeking feedback from colleagues or mentors to ensure it’s polished and persuasive.

Perfecting Your Budget Proposal

Crafting a clear and effective budget proposal is an indispensable skill that will dramatically increase your project’s likelihood of securing necessary funding.

By integrating the best practices and strategic steps outlined in this article, you’ll position yourself to clearly present your financial needs — and your overall project vision. Good luck!

What do cross-country road trips, wedding speeches, and social media marketing have in common? Planning. I definitely can’t help you with your road trip or wedding speech (sorry), but I can help you create a social media content calendar to organize your next marketing campaign.

As marketers, we recognize that social media is integral to an effective inbound marketing strategy. With so many social networks available to us, staying organized and planning for when and what we share is crucial, which is exactly where a social media calendar enters the picture.

Before we dive into our list of top tools to stay organized, here’s what you need to know about social media calendars and why they’re essential.

• What is a social media calendar?
• Benefits of Using a Social Media Content Calendar & Content Planner
• How to Create a Social Media Calendar
• Social Media Templates
• Social Media Calendar Examples
• Social Media Content Calendar Tools to Plan Your Messaging
• How To Create a Social Media Posting Schedule for Your Business
• How To Create a Content Calendar
• What is the best social media calendar?

What is a social media calendar?

A social media content calendar is a rundown of your upcoming posts organized by date and time. A social media calendar can be a spreadsheet (HubSpot offers a free one that you can download here), digital calendar, or interactive dashboard.

To get the most value out of your social media calendar, it may include the following:

• The date and time a post will go live
• The social media account or network each post will go live on
• Materials to include, such as copy, hashtags, links, and graphics

 

Benefits of Using a Social Media Content Calendar & Content Planner

We’re all busy, and inevitably, tasks can slip through the cracks. Social media content is no exception.

A successful social media strategy requires regular publishing and engaging with followers to see positive results — whether you’re looking for sales, brand recognition, lead generation, or all three.

So, if you’re not already using a social media content planner, here are a few advantages to pique your interest:

Easily pivot when plans change.

With a social media content calendar, you can plan out posts for entire weeks or months in advance, freeing up your working hours to strategize for the future.

The best part is that you can always leave space for breaking news or current events in your industry. Otherwise, you’ll spend valuable time searching the internet daily for content to share, a known productivity killer.

Curate content just for your audience.

I recommend that all social media marketers take time to craft custom messages for each network because each audience expects to see something different on each one.

For example, your Instagram followers want to see Reels and Videos, while your Twitter followers like quick sound bites and shareable quotes. Planning this content using a social media content planner will save you time throughout the week. It will also make drafting thoughtful and intentional content for each site easier.

A social media content planner can help you post consistently on each social channel. This consistency creates a routine for your followers and helps you build trust.

Improved collaboration.

A shared calendar can improve collaboration with internal teams and external stakeholders. It gives everyone access to what’s on the calendar and gives you a reason to reconnect.

Skip waiting or sending last-minute emails for links, project status, or partnerships. Your social content planner gives you a simple way to let everyone know what you’ll need well before you need it.

Simplified performance tracking.

Without a calendar, we’re all publishing content into the void, and we cannot track big-picture and past performance.

With a calendar, you analyze which content performed best to adjust your strategy accordingly. If a particular type of post received significant views, you can recreate it for a different topic and potentially see the same success.

Content planning with a calendar can also help you track impact and ROI for social media efforts.

Reach new audiences.

With the help of a content planner, you can plan for holidays, events, and observance days, such as National Cat Day or Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day. This makes it easy for you to tailor your content and engage with a broader audience.

How to Create a Social Media Calendar

To create an effective social media calendar, you should:

1. Conduct a social media audit.

A social media audit assesses your social media presence, accounts, and engagement. This lets you see what’s working, what’s not, and where to improve.

In my experience, an audit is about more than just analyzing your social media performance. It can also help you better understand your target audience’s interests, habits, and expectations and give you crucial clues about how they engage with your content.

Auditing your social media channels can also make it easier to see how competitors’ social media presence could affect your performance. It’s a great way to understand what social media trends, tools, and features you should be pay attention to.

As you complete your audit, be sure to:

Review and analyze your current social media content performance.

First, examine your current social media strategy’s performance across all your networks.

This helps you pinpoint areas where you excel, where there is room for improvement, and which social networks might be worth doubling down on. This process involves the following social media metrics:

• Engagement rates: They indicate how many people interact with your contact via likes, shares, comments, etc. High engagement rates mean that your content resonates with your audience.
• Conversion rates: They let you know how much of your audience performs a specific action after seeing your posts, like product purchases or event sign-ups. Good conversion rates indicate your content is persuasive and you offer something your target audience is genuinely interested in.  
• Click-through rates: They signify the percentage of users who click on a link within your social media content. High click-throughs are strong signs that your social posts are compelling enough to get viewers to learn more about you. When coupled with high conversion rates, you have a solid marketing funnel in place.
• Reach: It tells you how many unique viewers your social strategy attracts. Good reach equals strong brand awareness and indicates that you might attract new followers.
• Impressions: They indicate how often your content lands in your audience’s feeds, no matter if they view your post or not. High impressions mean you start gaining exposure.

You can use these metrics across all your social accounts to draw conclusions and adjust your social media calendar from there. If you post content both on TikTok and Instagram Reels, but your TikTok account experiences higher engagement rates across the board, it means that the bulk of your target audience is probably there, for instance.

It’s also important to do some post-level analysis. Take a closer look at your top-performing posts and find out what made them successful. Ask yourself — does your audience love educational content or do they want to be inspired or entertained?

Zoom in on the details here to uncover patterns and understand what made these posts perform better than the others. If most of your top-performing posts in terms of engagement rates were published during particular days of the week or times of day, you just discovered when most of your audience is active on social media — useful to adjust your social media calendar. 

Connect your social content strategy to business goals.

Don’t treat social media as an independent marketing strategy — it should be a piece of a larger puzzle. Find the KPIs that are important for your business, then make sure your social strategy supports those KPIs.

For example, if your company-level KPI is to increase sales by X% for a new product, writing a detailed press release on your website and sharing it on social media to get followers to read more about it is a good idea. In this case, focusing on social media click-throughs to drive traffic to that specific press release contributes to the main KPI.

That’s exactly what Canva does on X.

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Canva’s post doesn’t drive its followers straight to the pricing page. It instead nudges the audience to learn about the new pricing package’s top features via an in-detail blog post — that’s where Canva actually aims to push for conversions. 
Of course, to make this strategy work, you’ll have to keep a close eye on both social media and website metrics. This is where a unified marketing analytics solution comes in particularly handy.

You can use it to monitor your strategy’s performance across all your communication channels and see how each marketing asset contributes to your overall goal. 

Run a competitive analysis.

Review your competitors’ social media accounts with these competitive analysis templates and check:

• The types of content they’re sharing
• Posting frequency
• Audience engagement

Try to get into as much detail as possible — just like when examining your own strategy’s performance. This lets you know exactly where your competitors stand, how you stack yourself up against them, and how to capitalize on their shortcomings. 

Want more details? Click here to learn how to conduct a social media audit step-by-step.

2. Choose your social media channels and the content you’ll post.

Once you’ve completed your audit, it’s time to use what you learned. Your audit should give you a sense of what you’re doing right, where you should experiment, and which channels are best for your audience.

For example, say that Instagram has historically been your top social media channel for engagement, but you’ve seen a drop in the last six months. Your audit should show you what engagement on IG looks like for your competitors, plus what is and isn’t working for your business now.

Choose your social media channels.

Target audience demographics are need-to-know information for planning your content because you’re much more likely to achieve your marketing goals if you share content you know your audience enjoys.

You’ll want to do some market research, which can help you find the most popular social media platforms for your audience. For example, say my target audience is Gen Z. I’m sharing Instagram Reels and posting on X, but nothing is taking. I know from our Consumer Trends Report (which is market research) that Gen Z’s favorite social media channel is TikTok, so I would be better off pivoting my marketing strategy to that channel to drive results.

As you research, don’t forget to assess platform features and strengths.

Next, match your top content types and budget with the platform that best fits your needs.

For example, local coffee shop Café Grumpy focuses its social media presence on a single platform: Instagram. But, cosmetics brand Glossier has a powerful social media presence on many platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn.

Health and beauty brand Golde strikes a balance with a presence on multiple platforms. But it focuses on content publishing and engagement with Instagram Reels.

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Remember that with each platform you add, you’re increasing the number of posts you’ll need to create and manage — thankfully, this makes a social media calendar even more useful

Plan what content you want to create for each channel.

Once you’ve chosen your platforms, it’s time to plan your social media content. To begin the planning process, review your team and budget to get a realistic sense of how much high-quality content you can produce.

You can often produce more high-quality content for less money if you create in batches, which makes careful content planning essential.

Then, use your brand guide and social audit analysis to create content that resonates with your audience. Continuing with my example from above, our research shows that Gen Z prefers funny content and relatable content, so I’m more likely to see the results I’m looking for if I focus on that.

Create a smart mix of social content.

It’s best to create a variety of content. Videos are popular, but images, text-based posts, infographics, testimonials, and live streams are potent too. Mix it up to keep your feeds fresh and appealing. It’s also a handy way to stay up on trends that make the most of each platform.

For example, Instagram is ideal for visual storytelling. With that in mind, Café Grumpy’s social posts feature drawings and art from customers, employee stories, and vendor highlights.

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Glossier uses a unique content strategy for each social audience. For example, its YouTube channel features a “Get Ready with Me” playlist of videos of influencers, actresses, and CEOs using its products.

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Over on LinkedIn, Glossier uses its social feed to highlight its take on culture and events. And on Reddit, the content engages the community with prompts for conversation and critique.

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These content creation templates can speed up the process if you create unique content for multiple platforms.

3. Decide what your calendar should include.

Regardless of how you plan your social content (like by season, strategy, campaign, etc.), I recommend deciding what content you want in your calendar for your desired results to keep things organized.

To start, your calendar should include the following:

• The platforms you’re using
• The day and the time your posts will be published
• Links, graphics, videos, and copy

Having platform image sizes, campaign hashtags, and quick tips on hand makes it easier to build your social media calendar. 

Color coding is also great for at-a-glance decision-making each month. This is how we color-coded content in our monthly social content planner:

As you become more adept with your calendar, you may want to expand it to include the following:

• Platform-specific materials include Reels, TikTok LIVE, polls, shoppable posts, etc.
• Geo-targeting
• The associated or vertical campaigns, such as product launches and contests

4. Get feedback.

Once your calendar is complete, share it with your team and stakeholders to get their feedback and make sure it meets everyone’s needs.

Your social media calendar should be an easy-to-understand plan that aligns with your social media strategy. If everything aligns, there shouldn’t be any big surprises or confusion when colleagues review your plan.

The monthly template in our social media calendar is helpful when sharing your plan with stakeholders who want a sense of the big picture but don’t need to get into granular details.

The other sections of this tool are useful for social media managers who are planning, creating, and posting to social media.

Once you’ve completed all these steps, the next move is to actually create your calendar with a template or tool. 

Social Media Templates

Before working at HubSpot, I handled social media for a small nonprofit. I built its social media presence from zero, so planning and creating a calendar for myself (and the nonprofit leaders) was important. 

I did my planning with a template I found online (which, coincidentally, was HubSpot’s template), and it helped me stay organized and on top of when I needed to share content. 

Overall, a social media calendar template will help you plan and organize the content you’ll share across your social media channels. Most templates include sections for each platform you use, links to media you’ll include in your posts, and posting schedules. 

Below I’ll dive into two of HubSpot’s free social media calendar templates for you to download and their best features.

1. HubSpot’s Social Media Calendar Template

If you’re new to setting up social media calendars, HubSpot offers a free, pre-made downloadable template that you can use to schedule out full weeks of posts.

With the download, you’ll get access to multiple sheets that are helpful for your planning process, including: 

• Platform-specific tabs to plan and organize posts for each platform you use. 

  The download comes with tabs for the most popular platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and you can simply duplicate a sheet and change the name for any other channels you use. This was the best part of the template for my social media work. I created separate plans for the platforms I used, then added the scheduled posts to the monthly calendar for a four-week overview. 

• A monthly planning calendar, where you get a high-level overview of your planned social posts for the month, color-coded for easy reading. 

  This part of the template was extremely helpful for sharing with stakeholders who wanted to know what to expect to see on our channels but didn’t need access to the platform-to-platform breakdown. 

Download this template now

2.HubSpot’s Social Media Content Calendar Template for Startups

HubSpot’s Social Media Content Calendar Template for Startups is similar to the one I mentioned above, but it also includes a content repository tab and helpful tips for posting on social media networks.

Download this free template

I like this template for startups because, as you scale, you can be pressed for time and looking for ways to stay productive. This template makes it easier to organize your campaigns, grow your reach, and stay on task. Here are some of the features I find most helpful for startups: 

• A content repository where you can list your existing content ready to share or write out ideas for the future. You can populate your content repository with ideas using our Blog Ideas Generator. If you’re the sole person in charge of social media (which is common at smaller startups), having this repository makes it easy to find what you’re looking for when planning and posting on social media. 
• If you’re a HubSpot for StartUps user, you can easily bulk upload your planned content in the template to HubSpot Social Inbox with a .CSV file and HubSpot’s bulk uploader. Simply follow the step-by-step instructions in the template. 

Now that we’ve gone over a few template options, let’s look at some high-quality examples of social media content calendars that you can use as inspiration.

Social Media Calendar Examples

1. Jotform Social Media Calendar

Jotform’s social media calendar isn’t just visually appealing and functional. The tabs at the top reveal your social plan for every channel you execute your strategy on, including in-person or virtual events.

If you’re modeling your social calendar after this one, I recommend including a tab for content details and who on your team will be responsible for creating the content. You might also have a separate tab for each month to keep things organized.

2. Firefly Marketing Social Media Content Calendar

Going a more traditional route with your social media calendar? Try a Google Sheets template like the one created by Firefly Marketing. Each tab is dedicated to a different month, while the worksheet includes every channel you might need across the top.

The rows are separated by week, so you can quickly identify the date and time a post is scheduled for publishing. My favorite part of this template is the pre-populated social media holiday column with fun dates that your audience will love.

Social Media Content Calendar Tools to Plan Your Messaging

As I mentioned above, I handled social media for a nonprofit before working at HubSpot. I was mostly a novice, and the nonprofit was small, so I felt that a template was all I needed. 

But, at the same time, a social media content calendar tool would’ve cut my planning time in half and given me more time to focus on creating content to share. A tool is helpful for anyone, regardless of experience level or business size. 

I tested some of the leading social media calendar tools to give you a sense of how to make them work for your needs, and I compiled my main takeaways below. As you read through the options and make your decisions, consider the following factors (based on your needs):

• Functionality – Some tools are simple, and you’d use them to plan content before posting it yourself, and others are more advanced, automated tools that go a step further and post content for you. 

• Features – The tool should offer the specific features you need, like managing multiple social media accounts or giving multiple team members access to the dashboard. 
• Customizations – The tool should let you customize the calendar layout, categories, tags, or other factors relevant to your needs. 
• Ease of use – A user-friendly and intuitive tool makes your job easier and helps you get started faster without a significant learning curve. 
• Cost – You want a tool that is within budget and includes all the necessary features. 

Let’s take a look at my tests. 

Note: I know some of the screenshots of calendars I’ve included look bleak and plain. Yours will undoubtedly look much more complete and valuable than mine. I’m just a helpful guinea pig.

1. HubSpot’s Downloadable Template for Excel

Content Calendar

• Price: Free

Download This Template

If I were to guess, you probably already use Excel to create reports and conduct data analysis. This multifaceted tool is also perfect for social media content calendar organization. You can customize Excel according to the priorities and metrics your team is focused on, making it a great option for planning.

You can easily use our social media content calendar template on Microsoft Excel. Marketers can easily use this template to plan individual social media posts— monthly or annually — while keeping an eye on more significant picture events, holidays, publications, and partnerships.

Why I like this social media calendar tool:

This intuitive template is great for marketers with small teams and heavy workloads. You can add as many line items of scheduled posts as you like and color code every addition to organize your calendar based on your needs.

You can use the monthly planning calendar tab (pictured above) to get a bird’s-eye view of what’s coming down the pipeline in a given month and easily distinguish between posts by color-coding each platform. Or, you can get more granular with platform-specific calendars. Here’s the one for Facebook:

In the content repository tab, you can add the content you’ll be publishing to keep track of what you’ve already published and recall older content you can re-promote. You can also draft and plan social media posts in the social network update tabs. For more on how to use the templates, check out this in-depth guide from my colleague Basha Coleman, HubSpot Blog Writer and Media Amplification expert.

It’s important to note that this template and its included tabs are for organizational purposes. After you’ve planned out your social media posts, you’ll need to manually upload the content from the posts to a social media publisher. If you’re a HubSpot customer, you can organize your content in the spreadsheet and upload it directly into Social Inbox (check out instructions for this here).

HubSpot also offers social media software to create a custom publishing schedule to publish directly to LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Your social interactions all link back to the HubSpot CRM for easy-to-measure ROI.

2. HubSpot Social Media Management Software

• Price: Free tools available; paid plans begin at $20/mo/seat with Starter plan. 

HubSpot’s Social Media Management Software is a great tool for creating a social media content calendar, as you can plan your content and run campaigns in one central dashboard. You can also monitor your social inbox for engagement opportunities and track the ROI of your efforts. 

Why I like this social media calendar tool:

This tool makes it simple to draft your social posts account-by-account. You can quickly draft posts, upload media (like images), and any important campaign information for tracking. 

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I also like that you can easily add desired publish dates within the same draft window to ensure all your content goes live at the right time. Note: you can update any scheduled posts until they go live. 

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The social calendar also gives you a high-level view of your drafted and scheduled posts so you can make sure you have a consistent posting schedule to maximize engagement opportunities. 

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An additional feature I want to call out is the AI assistant, which you can use to draft social media content and save even more time. 

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3. Google Drive

Content Calendar and Asset Organization

• Price: Free for personal use. Google Workspace plans for businesses start at $6 per month.

Google Drive has several helpful features that make it easy for social media marketers to build an effective content calendar.

Why I like this social media calendar tool:

If you’re already familiar with Google Drive, I’m a big proponent of using it as your social media calendar tool. There’s no learning curve because you’re already familiar with all the features; you’re just adapting them for different uses.

Here’s a simple example of how I’d use Google Calendar to track my editorial and social media calendars to make sure posts align with new blog content. I can also easily share these calendars to avoid scheduling conflicts and align campaigns.

You can also use Google Sheets to schedule posts on social media, track the status of different pieces of content, and assign tasks to team members without switching platforms.

Google Docs is also great because you can keep comments in one place and collaborate on different projects instead of emailing back and forth or scheduling a meeting. I find this especially useful when editing your social media content, which may need to be drafted and approved quickly.

It’s also convenient because you can use multiple Google products to create quick and seamless workflows. For example, say I’m in charge of scheduling and publishing content, and my coworker is responsible for making creative assets. I can fill out the shared social media calendar with dates, copy, and scheduling status, and my colleague can easily upload the assets they create to Google Drive and add the link to the calendar so I have quick access when it’s time to publish.

A bonus is that HubSpot customers can easily link their Google Drive accounts to the HubSpot portal to upload files from Drive into the HubSpot software.

4. Loomly

Content Planning, Creation, Publishing, and Calendar

• Price: Base plan is $32/mo for two users and 10 accounts when you choose the annual agreement.
• Free Trial: 15-day free trial, no credit card required

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As I mentioned, some social media content calendars are all-in-one tools offering content planning and publishing. Loomly is one of those tools with content creation, management, and scheduling features.

Why I like this social media calendar tool:

I signed up for Loomly’s free trial quickly because I didn’t have to add credit card info, which I know can be a deterrent if you’re just looking to test a tool. It was extremely easy for me to get started, and the step-by-step walkthrough led me through linking my social accounts and drafting my first post.

I really appreciated that I could preview how posts look on each platform as I created them. This makes for easy editing and updates instead of deleting a post to make edits after it’s live.

I scheduled a few test posts in less than five minutes to get a view of the calendar, and it’s a simple, no-frills look. Each post you schedule uses the platform icon so you can easily tell what’s going where. The image below is an example calendar:

And, since it’s an all-in-one tool, linking your accounts means it will also schedule your posts for you.

Overall, Loomly is a high-quality tool for anyone looking to plan their social media content at a fair price point.

5. Later

Social Media Management Platform & Link in Bio Tool

• Price: Starter plan is $25/mo or $16.67 billed yearly
• Free Trial: Basic 14-day free trial, credit card required for feature-rich trial

Later is a user-friendly social media calendar and publishing tool that simplifies the process of scheduling and automating posts across various platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

 

It’s meant for organic social media content, so you’ll need to use a different tool for your paid campaigns.

I tested the tool for free, but the more feature-rich 14-day trial requires a credit card.

Why I like this social media calendar tool:

I’m impressed by Later’s social media calendar. It took me less than two minutes to link my Instagram account to the calendar, and having it linked means I easily scheduled hypothetical posts for publishing on the exact day and time I designated.

It’s also an extremely interactive tool, as you can upload your multimedia assets and drag and drop them onto your calendar, which really makes it feel like you’re “building” a calendar…fun, right?

The post builder includes all of the elements you’d need to include in your post based on the specific platform you’re scheduling for.

Your calendar will undoubtedly look better and fuller than mine, but here’s the monthly calendar view with two sample Instagram posts I created:

You can also view your scheduled posts in list view to get a detailed breakdown of each upcoming week.

What sets Later apart is its specialized visual planning for Instagram. It offers powerful Instagram scheduling features, including the ability to plan and preview your Instagram grid, schedule carousel posts, and even automatically publish Instagram Stories. I find the focus on the unique visual aesthetic requirements that Instagram demands to be a stand-out feature, making it a go-to tool for businesses or creators heavily invested in the platform.

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6. Sprout Social

Social Publishing and Content Calendar

• Price: Standard plan starts at $249/mo for five social profiles, billed annually.
• Free Trial: 30-day free trial, no credit card required

Sprout Social’s social media calendar and publishing tool make it easy for teams or individuals to plan and schedule their social posts. You can schedule content to automatically post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more.

Why I like this social media calendar tool:

I tested SproutSocial with its free trial. I found the publishing tool extremely easy to use with little learning curve, making it a great tool if you’re under a time crunch to choose a tool and get started.

I quickly linked my X (formerly Twitter) profile, and creating a post took me about five minutes. I especially liked that there’s a live preview option to view your creations come to life in real time.

When your content is scheduled, you can toggle monthly, weekly, or list view for a deeper look or filter the calendar by platform. Here’s what the monthly calendar view looks like with three scheduled X posts:

A bonus feature worth calling out: Sprout Social’s social listening tool lets you uncover niche conversations your audience is interested in so you can join in on the conversation.

I did find that this tool isn’t ideal if you focus on Instagram and TikTok because posting content requires an extra step. You have to download the Sprout Mobile App and designate a mobile publisher who manually publishes posts within the app. The publisher is notified when it’s time to post, but this can take away from the draw of an automatic schedule-and-go tool.

Sprout Social is also the most expensive tool, making it better for teams or individuals with a larger budget.

7. Hootsuite

Social Publishing and Content Calendar

• Price: Professional plan starts at $99/mo, billed annually
• Free Trial: 30-day free trial, requires credit card

Hootsuite’s social media calendar and planner make it easy to create, schedule, and publish content so you can execute your social media marketing goals.

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Why I like this social media calendar tool:

Hootsuite is a robust and high-powered publishing tool to consider. Its primary features for social publishing are exactly what you look for in a publisher: easy content scheduling in advance to share posts with your networks. It also has rich features for collaboration and post approvals.

To create your calendar, you can drag and drop the content to the exact date and time you want content to go live to ensure everything aligns with your marketing goals. Hootsuite stands out on this list because you can see paid and organic social content calendars side-by-side (other tools only allow for organic content).

Since it’s also a publisher, you can relax after you’ve scheduled your content because it will push it live for you.

You also get access to helpful features like uploading Canva templates for your posts and recommended times to post to get the most engagement.

8. Agorapulse

Social Publishing and Content Calendar

• Price: Free individual account for one user and three social profiles; paid plans start at $49/mo per user, billed annually
• Free Trial: 15-day free trial, no credit card required

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Agorapulse offers social publishing tools and a content calendar to easily manage your social media account queuing, scheduling, and bulk uploading posts (incredibly helpful for teams who use quarterly or monthly content plans).

Why I like this social media calendar tool:

I really like how straightforward Agorapulse’s interface is and how the welcome post immediately got me started with linking my social profiles.

The drag-and-drop builder made it easy for me to add posts to my calendar, and you get a preview of what your posts will look like on each platform with the live editor.

You can view your calendar in list, week, or month view, making it easy to get an overview or go more in-depth. As expected, your complete calendar will look nicer than mine, but here’s a basic one I created:

What makes Agorapulse different is its social inbox, which allows you to manage all the interactions from various platforms in a single place. After all, content isn’t just a one-and-done activity; it’s about building awareness and engagement with your readers.

9. StoryChief

Content Planning and Distribution

• Price: Individual pricing starts at $210, billed quarterly
• Free Trial: 7-day free trial, no credit card required

With StoryChief’s smart calendar, you can better strategize and plan your content strategy across channels. StoryChief is described as a “content distribution platform” that unifies analytics and publishing across multiple channels for a more simplified approach to content creation. Best of all, it syncs with HubSpot and your favorite calendar apps.

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Why I like this social media calendar tool:

After signing up for the free trial, I was immediately brought to an extremely interactive and helpful walkthrough of the basics of the tool.

I felt confident enough after the walkthrough to jump right into the tool, and I easily linked my X account and scheduled a few sample posts with the easy post builder.

I forgot to cancel the posts I scheduled and they were posted to my account so, rest assured, the tool works as advertised and your posts will go live as scheduled. Here’s what the monthly calendar view looks like with my scheduled posts:

You can customize how you see your calendar and filter views by channel, campaign level, or content type.

 

How To Create a Social Media Posting Schedule for Your Business

Scheduling your business’s social posts can keep you organized and help you consistently deliver content to your followers without worrying about looming deadlines. Content posting strategies can differ depending on the social media platform, and you should consider not only what you’re posting but also when and how often.

By creating a social posting schedule and adjusting the schedule to fit each platform, you can increase the chances that your posts will reach your audience.

Facebook

Facebook’s Meta Business Suite makes scheduling posts and stories for your business easy.

Scheduling a Facebook Post on Desktop

Step 1: To schedule a post using the Meta Business Suite on your desktop, start by selecting your business’s Facebook Page from the dropdown menu in the top left of your sidebar.

Step 2: Next, click Posts & Stories or Calendar, then click Create Post.

Step 3: Click Facebook News Feed to schedule the post to your news feed.

Step 4: Enter the details of your post, including text, media, and a link or location. If you add a photo to your post, you won’t be able to add a link preview. Click Call to Action or Feeling/Activity to add an optional call to action or feeling/activity to your post. You can’t add both a call to action and a feeling/activity.

Step 5: A preview will appear on the right as you build your post. You can change the preview to see how your post will look on both desktop and mobile by using the dropdown menu at the top of the window.

Step 6: After building your post, click the arrow next to Publish and click Schedule Post. Select the date and time you want your post to be published, and click Schedule to schedule your post.

Scheduling a Facebook Post on Mobile

Step 1: You can also schedule Facebook posts on mobile with the Meta Business Suite mobile app. Start by tapping Post to create a new post.

Step 2: Enter the details of your post, including text, media, links, a background color, and a feeling/activity. Then choose your business’s Facebook page to publish to Facebook.

Step 3: Tap Schedule for later and select the date and time you want your post to be published. Then tap Schedule to schedule your post.

Instagram

Like Facebook, Instagram also uses the Meta Business Suite to schedule posts.

Scheduling an Instagram Post on Desktop

Step 1: To schedule a post to Instagram using the Meta Business Suite on your desktop, start by connecting your Instagram account to the Meta Business Suite.

Step 2: Once your Instagram account is connected, click the dropdown menu in the top left of your sidebar and select your Instagram account.

Step 3: Click Posts & Stories or Calendar, then click Create Post. Click Instagram Feed to schedule the post to your Instagram feed.

Step 4: Enter the details of your post, including text, media, and an optional link or location. If you choose to add a link to your Instagram post, it will not show a photo preview.

Step 5: A preview will appear on the right as you build your post. You can change the preview to see how your post will look on both desktop and mobile by using the dropdown menu at the top of the window.

Step 6: After building your post, click the arrow next to Publish and click Schedule Post. Select the date and time you want your post to be published, and click Schedule to schedule your post.

Scheduling an Instagram Post on Mobile

Step 1: Like Facebook, you can schedule Instagram posts on mobile using the Meta Business Suite mobile app. Start by tapping Post to create a new post.

Step 2: Enter the details of your post, including text, media, and links. Then choose your business’s Instagram page to publish to Instagram.

Step 3: Tap Schedule for later and select the date and time you want your post to be published. Then tap Schedule to schedule your post.

LinkedIn

Only a super or content admin can schedule posts on LinkedIn. Still, by using third-party software such as Hubspot’s social media management tools that are included with HubSpot’s Marketing Hub Professional accounts, you can easily create and schedule LinkedIn posts.

Step 1: To schedule LinkedIn posts using HubSpot’s social media management tools, start by logging into your Marketing Hub Professional account.

Step 2: Next, navigate to Marketing > Social and click Create Social Post.

Step 3: In the right panel, click LinkedIn. Create your post in the text box, including emojis, hashtags, mentions, tags, and a content link. When using HubSpot’s social media management tools, you can only mention or tag LinkedIn company pages, not LinkedIn users.

A post preview will appear if you add a content link to your post. You can add up to four images to your post by clicking the image icon or add a video to your post by clicking the video icon.

Step 4: Click Review, then Preview to see how your post will appear on LinkedIn.

Step 5: Then click Schedule post to schedule or publish your post.

Twitter

Step 1: You can schedule Tweets for your business by logging into your Twitter Ads account and navigating to the Creatives > Tweets tab. To access the Creatives tab in your Twitter Ads account, your account must have a credit card on file.

Step 2: Click on New Tweet in the top right corner and create your Tweet. If you would like your Tweet to only be seen by users you have targeted in a Promoted Ads campaign, click the Promoted Only checkbox. Leave this unchecked if you would like the tweet to be seen organically by your followers.

Step 3: Once you’ve written your tweet, click the down arrow next to Tweet, click Schedule, and select the date and time you would like the tweet to be posted.

Pinterest

Scheduling a Pinterest Post on Desktop

Pinterest allows you to schedule up to 100 Pins. You can schedule one Pin at a time, up to two weeks in advance on desktop.

Step 1: To schedule Pins for your business, log into your Pinterest Business account. Next, click Create at the left corner of your screen, then click Create Pin.

Step 2: Choose an image or video, and add a title, description, and link.

Step 3: Click Publish later and choose the day and time you’d like to publish your Pin.

Step 4: Choose a board from the drop-down menu, or create a new board by clicking Create board.

Step 5: Click Publish.

Scheduling a Pinterest Post on iOS

You can also schedule Pins using the Pinterest app on iOS.

Step 1: To start, log in to your Pinterest Business account.

Step 2: Tap the plus icon, then tap Pin.

Step 3: Take a photo for your Pin, select an image or video from your device, and tap Next.

Step 4: Add a title, description, and the destination website to your Pin.

Step 5: Below Schedule Date, tap the edit icon and select the date and time you would like to publish your Pin.

Step 6: Tap Done.

Step 7: Tap Next.

Step 8: Choose an existing board to save your Pin to or tap Create board to create a new board.

Step 1: Download HubSpot’s content calendar template.

Download Now

Consistently posting content is key to making the most of your business’s social media accounts. HubSpot’s content calendar template makes setting up a monthly posting schedule for your business’s social media accounts easy. You can open the template in Excel or upload it to Google sheets to easily plan content with your team. 

HubSpot’s content calendar template includes a monthly planning calendar, a content repository, and posting schedules for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. With HubSpot’s content calendar template, your team can view and manage your business’s social media posting schedules and deadlines at a glance.

Step 2: Choose your content goals.

Americans spend an average of 151 minutes (over two hours) on social media every day, making it a great way to connect with your business’s current and potential customers. It’s not enough to know what you want to post; you must also understand why your business posts content.

Posting content to social media can help your business achieve many goals, including raising brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, introducing new products and services to your customers, and even launching rebranding campaigns, to name a few.

When choosing your business’s content goals, consider what your brand most needs to accomplish. Are you looking to connect with a new demographic and generate leads? Do you want to increase your customers’ engagement with your business? Knowing your content goals can help to confirm that your business’s content reaches the right audience with the right message.

Step 3: Determine what types of content you want to publish.

Once you know your business’s goals, decide what types of content your business will post. Each type of social media content has advantages and disadvantages. For example, blog posts and articles can help your business build credibility, but they can be time-consuming to create.

Meanwhile, X posts can help your business gain consumer insight and hone its brand voice, but the 280-character limit for standard X users (premium subscribers get 25K+ characters) means your business may have to use long threads to get your message across. Carefully choosing the types of content your business will post can help ensure that your content offers value to your audience.

Step 4: Determine what platforms you will post on.

Once you know your business’s content goals and the types of content you will publish, it’s time to choose where your business will post.

Your business’s social media presence should be informed by its content, goals, and target audience demographics. For example, while posting on Instagram may help your business reach a young audience and market goods, the photo and video sharing platform may be a poor choice if you want to increase blog traffic among professionals in your industry. Likewise, a LinkedIn post may help drive traffic to your business’s blog but may not help you drive traffic to your online store.

Considering each social media platform’s strengths and weaknesses can help you accomplish your business’s content goals without wasting time and money marketing to users who outside of your target audience.

Step 5: Determine the most efficient posting schedule for your content.

After deciding on your business’s goals, the types of content you will publish, and where you will post the content, you need to create the posting schedule that your business will use. Each social media platform has peak engagement times — certain days and times of day when users are most likely to view and engage with posts.

So, knowing the best times to post on each social media platform will help you maximize the reach of your business’s posts. For instance, user engagement on Facebook peaks between 12 – 3 PM on Saturdays and Fridays. Engagement is lowest on Thursday and Sunday between 6 and 9 AM each day.

When creating your business’s content calendar, account for the engagement patterns for each of your accounts to demystify the scheduling process, save time, and get your posts in front of your audience when they are most likely to see them.

What is the best social media calendar?

Now that I’ve reviewed a few helpful tools to kick your social media strategy into high gear, it’s time for you to experiment with them. The best social media calendar saves you time, streamlines processes, and helps you work smarter, not harder.

Several of the platforms I’ve suggested are free to use or offer a free trial. Have one person on your team test one out and report their findings. You might find the tool that helps you reach your next social media KPI. Remember, every social media team is different. Combining these tools could help you execute your strategy efficiently to drive ROI.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Gaining more followers on Instagram is key to successfully scaling your marketing efforts on the platform. But how do you increase followers on Instagram, especially if you have fewer than a thousand?

It’s no secret that opportunities are continuing to grow on Instagram for Business. Approximately 90% of Instagram’s 1 billion active monthly users follow a business account on the platform, and there are more than 200 million business accounts.

But here‘s the deal: Unless you’re famous, it’s tough to amass a huge following on Instagram without some hard work. It’s especially difficult if you’re a small business using Instagram marketing to gain more clients. How do you even get started?

Luckily, you can do a few things right away to collect at least 1,000 quality followers for your personal or professional Instagram account. It‘s all about knowing where to invest your time and effort. In this post, we’ll discuss a few strategies to help you gain those followers, from creating a follow-worthy Instagram profile to using contests and staying true to your brand.

Types of Instagram Followers

Before we talk about how to attract IG followers, let’s talk about who you want to attract. There are three main types of Instagram followers, and the first two are the kind of followers you want to avoid.

Fake Followers

Fake IG followers are usually bots or fake accounts that inflate your follower count. Fake followers don‘t engage, and engagement is a factor in how IG’s algorithm pushes new users to your feed.

Ghost Followers

Most of these “ghosts” are inactive users. They‘re not engaging with your content, so these followers can skew your engagement metrics. This means it may be a good idea to clean ghost followers from your list if you’re looking for growth.

Organic Followers

Organic IG followers are your active audience — the people who find your profile and engage. Within your authentic followers, there are a few sub-groups you’ll also want to pay attention to.

Customers

These followers have made a purchase and often follow your IG for product updates, sales, and discounts. To engage more customers, highlight your products on Instagram and offer exclusive offers on this platform.

Competitors

Some organic followers are also following your competitors. They might be comparing brands before making a purchase or doing some research. To engage these followers, take cues from competitor content when you’re coming up with Instagram content. You may also want to use specific hashtags or location tags to improve your visibility with this group.

Influencers

Micro and nano influencers are Instagram accounts with 10-75K followers. These niche influencers can lead to useful partnerships and increased sales for your business. To attract influencers, produce consistent, high-quality content for a specific audience.

Now that we‘ve covered who you want to follow your brand, it’s time to talk about how to get their attention.

To get more followers on Instagram, you’ll need to post consistently over time while using best practices. If you’re new to Instagram marketing, this can be challenging.

Before you start optimizing your Instagram profile, you’ll want to create the Instagram Strategy you need to hit the ground running.

Next, we’ll cover Setting up Your Instagram Account to help you level up. Then we’ll go into actionable tips for Engaging IG Followers, Instagram Content Creation, and Promoting Your Instagram Account.

Even if you’ve never tried your hand at Instagram marketing, and even if you don’t have a team of content creators, you can grow your Instagram account with the right tools. With that said, let’s jump right in.

Instagram Strategy

1. Use a social media content calendar to plan your Instagram posts ahead of time.

Download a Free Content Calendar to Grow Your Instagram Followers

Most of the work of increasing your Instagram followers happens before you open the app. For one, you must plan to publish new Instagram posts consistently, and even though it’s tempting to post when inspiration strikes, it’s essential to find a rhythm that helps you capitalize on trends. Not to mention it will also help you nurture a community that will expect specific posts from you at a specific time.

Consistently planning, writing, and publishing Instagram posts requires an exceptional level of organization. For that reason, we recommend using a social media content calendar to plan your posting schedule ahead of time.

Here are some resources you can use to jumpstart your Instagram content creation process:

• What to Post on Instagram: Photo & Video Ideas to Spark Inspiration
• Best Instagram Captions: Good, Cool, Funny, & Cute
• How to Plan Your Instagram Posts [+ Free Instagram Planning Templates]

2. Use a  social media management tool to schedule your posts in advance.

Get Started with HubSpot’s Social Media Tool

A social media management tool will help you post consistently without the extra work of logging into Instagram each time. If you’re serious about increasing your Instagram following while minimizing work, then you want to schedule your posts using a tool and then let the software do the rest.

Instagram has a wide variety of post types, from the traditional square photos to Stories to the more recent Reels. This wide variety gives you a lot of choices for growing your followers, but can be daunting or overwhelming without a tool to help. You can always post manually, but scheduling your posts in advance can help you use these content formats more effectively.

Here are more articles to help you choose the right tool and learn how to schedule Instagram posts:

• Best Social Media Management Tools
• Scheduling Instagram Posts: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
• When Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram?

3. Adhere to a regular posting schedule.

Set a schedule for posting to build trust with your audience. Optimizing your schedule for your specific audience might take time and experimentation.

Experiment with these times and days to see what works for your audience. You may find that your target users are most active and engaged at different times. Once you find the best times to post to Instagram, stick with a consistent schedule to set expectations for your audience.

Keep your target persona in mind as you plan out your posting schedule, as that can drastically impact your posting timing and frequency — especially if you’re targeting an audience in a different time zone. (Download this free template for creating buyer personas if you don’t have a few already.)

Setting up Your Instagram Account

4. Download an Instagram for Business kit with templates and how-tos.

Download a Free Kit to Help You Grow Your Instagram Profile

A series of templates and how-to guides are an essential addition to your Instagram growth toolbox. HubSpot’s kit will allow you to expedite content creation and stay on top of Instagram’s latest trends, including its recent shift from static photos to short videos.

Having this on hand is helpful especially if you’re new to Instagram content creation, or don’t know how and where to start. At this point, you should also arm yourself with tips and tricks for Instagram. Here are a few articles to help you out:

• Instagram Features, Hacks, & Tips Everyone Should Know About
• Free Instagram Post Templates for Your Brand

5. Make your account into a business profile.

While you could technically grow using just a personal profile, we recommend turning your account into an Instagram business profile, or starting one anew. This will give you access to Instagram Insights, which will allow you to understand how quickly your following is growing and how well your strategy is working.

Even if you only plan to become an independent content creator, you should still consider operating your account as if it were a business.

To switch from a personal to a business account, take the following steps:

• On the Instagram app, go to your profile.
• Tap the Menu hamburger button on the upper right-hand corner.
• Tap Settings on the pop-up.
• Scroll down and tap Account type and tools.
• Tap Switch to professional account.

You’ll then have the option to switch entirely to a business account or to stay as a professional account.

6. Customize your Instagram for Business profile.

Next, customize your Instagram profile to make it look good. Tell your potential followers who you are, and give them a reason to follow you.

How? Start by making sure your username is recognizable and easily searchable — like your business name. In the example below, The Journal Shop uses the username @thejournalshop.

If your business name is already taken, try keeping your business name as the first part of your username so that people searching for your business are more likely to come across you. For example, the Australian activewear line Lorna Jane uses the username @lornajaneactive.

Below are more Instagram profile optimization tips.

Step 1. Choose a profile picture that’s on-brand with your other social networks, like your company logo.

Step 2. Fill your bio with delightful, actionable information about your brand. Information like this lets people know what you’re about and gives them a reason to follow you. Include who you are and what you do, and be sure to add a hint of personality.

Here are a few examples for inspiration:

• @cheekbonebeauty: “🧡 Indigenous Roots. 🌱 Sustainable By Nature. 💚 @bcorporation Certified 🌎”
• @oreo: “Playful moments from your favorite cookie.”
• @mrsbrittanyhennessy: “wife, boy mom x2, sagittarius. professional opinion giver✍🏾🎤🎬. creators, parenting, the interwebz.”
• @CalifiaFarms: “⁣Because life’s too short for one type of milk. 🌱”
• @coragedolls: “Instilling cultural pride with products & stories that finally reflect her. #blackowned”

Step 3. Add a link tree to your bio to make it easy for people to go straight from Instagram to your other platforms if they want to. The space allotted for URLs is precious real estate.

There are just a few places on Instagram where you can place clickable links, so use it wisely (ever heard the line “link in bio“?). We recommend using a shortened, customized Bitly link to make it more clickable. When you receive 10,000 followers, you can add links to your Instagram Stories.

Step 4. Enable notifications so you can see when people share or comment on your photos. This’ll let you engage with them more quickly — just like a lot of companies do on Twitter. To enable notifications, go to “Settings and privacy” and then “Notifications.” Select “From everyone” for every category.

Note: We don’t recommend you link your Instagram account to Twitter or other social media platforms for automatic posts. Why? Because each platform caters to a different audience and needs different types of posts.

Instagram Content Creation

7. Designate an experienced content creator.

Just like there should be one (maybe two) people managing your other social media accounts, there should only be one or two people managing your Instagram account.

If possible, choose someone with experience on the platform who will “get” it — and be sure they stay updated on all new features Instagram has to offer from Reels to Instagram Shopping.

That said, you can also learn how to become a content creator for Instagram by learning how to become a digital creator, downloading content creation templates, and pursuing an Instagram Marketing certification.

Learn How to Increase Followers with HubSpot’s Free Instagram Marketing Course

Alternatively, you can hire freelance content creators from marketplaces such as:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• People Per Hour

As to what gets specifically posted: You’ll have a lot of freedom if you’re an entrepreneur or solo professional. If you work for a large organization, you might find that a lot of people want a say in what‘s posted. That’s when an organized social media request form or guidelines document comes in handy.

This document should inform people how to request a post on your Instagram account, when to post it, what the value of the post is, and why your company should post it.

8. Follow photography and editing best practices.

On Instagram, post quality matters. A lot. Your Twitter followers might forgive a few bad tweets, but a bad photo on Instagram is a big no-no.

Fortunately, you don’t have to take a photography course to be a good Instagram poster — nor do you have to practice for weeks before you start. But you should get familiar with basic photography tips and photo editing apps.

Photography Best Practices

Since Instagram is a mobile app, chances are, some content you post to Instagram will be taken on your mobile device. That’s expected.

If your budget allows, consider investing in professional photography for your Instagram photos, as that will elevate your profile. Otherwise, a smartphone and a few editing apps will do. Then, follow these photo tips:

• Focus on one subject at a time.
• Embrace negative space.
• Find interesting perspectives.
• Look for symmetry.
• Capture small details.
• Make your followers laugh.

Edit Photos Before You Post

Instagram has some basic editing capabilities, but oftentimes, they aren’t adequate to make visuals really great.

Most of your photos should go through at least one or two photo editing apps on your mobile phone before you open them on Instagram. Some options include:

• Canva
• Photoshop Express
• VSCO Cam

Create an Instagram Theme

Additionally, consider creating a cohesive Instagram theme across your feed, so anyone visiting your account for the first time can get a sense of your brand. The below example from the @the.plottery uses similar typography and purple colors throughout.

You can also use Instagram templates to create a consistent look and feel for your images.

9. Write engaging, shareable captions.

Captions are an essential part of your post — the icing on the cake if you will. Consistently great captions can do wonders for humanizing your brand, winning over followers, and making your content more shareable — thereby giving you more exposure.

Here are a few things you might see in a winning Instagram caption:

• Clever or witty comments
• Calls to action
• Relevant emojis
• Hashtags

Clever or Witty Comments

Some brands and influencers have used clever or witty captions, or even audience-appropriate jokes to further humanize themselves on Instagram.

Kelly Hendrickson, HubSpot’s former Head of Brand Social, says that she loves Netflix’s account and sub-accounts, particularly because of the post captions.

“They have such a clear brand voice, and you laugh along with them. They’re in on the joke, just like one of your friends,” she says.

Netflix’s voice is casual, trendy, and humorous while still staying on brand.

In the post above, the caption is funny, authentic, and relatable.

Calls to Action

Another way to increase the shareability of your caption and engage your followers is to ask questions or have some sort of call-to-action in the captions of your photos.

For example, you might write, “Double-tap if you find this funny,” or “Share your story in the comments.”

In the example below, we asked followers of the HubSpot Instagram account to drop a tip on measuring social media ROI:

Relevant Emojis

Adding just a few relevant emojis can add even more personality to your posts. It could also make them even more noticeable on an Instagram feed. Many content creators and brands include witty text with relevant emojis to make the post pop. For instance, @ugarteaurelia uses taco emojis to highlight the topic of her post (tacos, of course).

Along with the three items listed above, you’ll also want to include hashtags.

10. Use a consistent, platform-specific brand voice.

Photos and videos might be the most important part of your Instagram posts, but captions, comments, and other text should never be an afterthought. If you’re building a brand on Instagram or have more than one Instagram manager, consider developing a consistent voice that humanizes your brand.

This shows potential followers that you are credible and relatable, rather than formal or intimidating.

When developing a voice, you should keep the platform and your audience in mind.

For example, many influencers and prominent accounts on Instagram have a super casual voice and style but stay professional and on-brand. Once you’ve got your voice down, make sure it stays consistent and natural in your captions, comments, messages, and your bio, like this example from Barbie the movie:

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Once you‘ve created and optimized your profile, have someone managing it, and have your creative assets ready, it’s time to start posting. We’ve already shared some resources to get started, but it’s worth going over again because posting consistently will have the largest impact on your follower count:

• Free Instagram Business Templates
• What to Post on Instagram: Photo & Video Ideas to Spark Inspiration
• How to Plan Your Instagram Posts [+ Free Instagram Planning Templates]

11. Post content your followers want to see.

To gain your first 1,000 followers on Instagram, it‘s important to know who your audience is. Once you’ve created your Instagram account, you should take note of which posts perform best.

Is it interactive content, behind-the-scenes stories, funny and relatable posts, or something else? When you have a general idea of what performs best, continue to create that type of content.

Additionally, Instagram has many tools and features you can use: IG Reels, Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, Highlights, and more. Begin by posting several types of content formats and see which one does best. Then, come up with a strategy and become an expert at that one tool. Doing so will help you create content your followers want to see and gain new followers.

12. Post user-generated content.

Brands can publish user-generated content to show appreciation for existing customers and generate social proof at the same time.

If I see a regular person endorsing a product on Instagram, I’m more likely to believe they really like the product.

The same is true for most consumers. That’s why sites like Yelp are so popular.

Ultimately, user-generated content can be an excellent strategy when trying to increase brand awareness and trust in your products or services.

For instance, Bevel reposted a video from athlete Peyton Wood using and recommending their products to their 115K followers.

Posting Wood using Bevel is a smart move.

Firstly, the product is designed with black men in mind. Having Wood, who is part of the brand’s target demographic, recommend the product serves as the social proof the brand wants.

Furthermore, part of Wood‘s audience will likely fall within Bevel’s target audience. Simply put, the two brands have similar audiences and brands that align well, which is why it‘s a good opportunity for Bevel to promote Wood’s content.

13. Share educational content with Instagram carousels.

You can also create educational content in the form of Instagram carousel posts. Instagram carousels have become a popular way to educate audiences on an idea or topic.

Think about what you can educate your audience on and then create a simple Instagram carousel post with an engaging title that entices users to click on the post.

With this type of content, you can share the post on your Stories, and then hopefully other users will be compelled by the content to share on their Stories as well.

Engaging IG Followers

It‘s a good idea to have a solid number of great posts up — maybe 15 or so — before you start engaging people and working down this section of the list. That way, when people visit your profile, they’ll see a full screen of photos and will know you’ll post great content regularly.

If you haven’t already, download this social media content calendar template and plan out your posts. It‘s best to build a backlog of content that’s ready to post a few days or weeks ahead of the publishing date.

This will ensure you always have content during holidays, vacations, and even creative blocks.

14. Allow outside contributors to curate your content.

Although it‘s best to have only one or two people manning your account, one or two people can’t be everywhere at once taking photos. What about that fun sushi night the engineers had last night? Or the event your head of sales spoke at earlier this week?

There‘s a whole breadth of content you’ll want to post to Instagram, and more often than not, one person won’t be able to keep track of it all.

One solution? Create a system where you can curate photos and content from members of your team.

There are a few ways to do this. The first option is to create a specific email address for employees to send their photos, short videos, memes, hyperlapses, and so on.

Encourage people to add a descriptive subject line so you can easily sort through the content they‘re sending. While this doesn’t seem like the smoothest way to curate photos, it‘s actually the easiest for the people sending you photos — and the easier you can make it for them to send content, the more content you’ll get.

If your team shares a Box or Dropbox account, you could also create a shared folder where people can automatically drop their photos and videos.

15. Explore Instagram Stories’ interactive features.

Instagram has always given brands the platform to share beautiful, curated photos to represent their companies.

But with ephemeral Instagram Stories, brands can also share on-the-fly, behind-the-scenes looks for 24 hours that may not be as polished as a published photo, but give your brand more personality on the platform.

Along with sharing video clips and static images through Instagram Stories, users can also use polls, event reminders, and the “Ask a Question,” tool to gain more engagement and learn more about their audiences.

Once a user is verified or has over 10,000 followers, they can even include a link to a webpage within a story.

How Brands Can Use Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours unless they are marked as a “Story Highlight.”

Highlighted stories will show up at the top of your profile between the photo feed and your bio.

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Here are a few other brands we recommend following to see what they’re sharing:

Dana Shultz (@minimalistbaker) publishes easy vegan and gluten-free recipes on her blog. Her Stories feature neat how-to videos of her making breakfast and testing out new recipes in her kitchen. The behind-the-scenes aspect of her Stories provides a lot of human context for her blog’s brand, and everybody loves a good how-to video.

Casper publishes quirky Instagram content to advertise their mattresses — without overtly doing so. The main theme of their content? Staying in is better than going out (because you can stay in and lay on a comfy Casper mattress, naturally).

They‘ve even created a gallery for followers to use as backdrops for their Snapchat and Instagram stories to make it look like they’re out at a party when in reality, they’re laying in bed.

Here are our tips for using Instagram Stories for your brand:

• Whether it’s funny, sad, or unique, be authentic. Your photo gallery is where content can be perfect and polished. Instagram Stories are for the raw, unscripted, and unretouched. Use Stories to share the other side of your brand that followers might not be able to see elsewhere. Do you have a dog-friendly office? Is your team trying out the latest challenge? Start filming to showcase the more human side of your brand.
• Go behind the scenes. These are by far our favorite types of content for ephemeral video sharing. Show followers what goes into the planning of an event or the launching of a product, and make it fun. Your followers want to feel included and in the know. You could also use Stories to cultivate a brand loyalty program that only rewards people who check out your content.

16. Use the Instagram Live feature.

Instagram also lets users record and share Live videos, another content format that‘s proven to be hugely popular on other social networks. What’s unique about Live videos on Instagram? They disappear when users stop filming.

This authentic, bi-directional experience lets brands share unscripted, raw moments with their audience to incorporate human elements into a social media platform that’s highly edited and polished in its traditional use.

Since the Live feature launched, Instagram has added even more features to inspire engagement, such as:

• Request feature to go live with the live account
• Pinned comment
• Q&A box
• Up to four accounts on Live at a time
• Filters

Live video is a growing trend across a variety of social media platforms, so if something interesting is happening, start rolling. Whether it‘s an event, a team birthday party, or behind-the-scenes footage, your devoted followers want to see what you’re up to.

And if you want to make it even more interesting, you could collaborate with an influencer or another brand to host a Live. With people that your audience is interested in, you can promote this Live event, and then host it on your profile.

Promoting this type of event will help you tap into someone else’s audience while interacting and engaging with your followers by answering their questions and talking to them during the Live.

17. Diversify your audience to resonate with different types of users.

As your followers grow, it can be tricky to identify what content types will resonate with them. With this in mind, divide your audience into sub-groups and target your content to various demographics.

For instance, if you have 200K followers, those followers probably come from different regions of the world, have different interests and hobbies, and likely have different careers. Rather than post all-encompassing content that will satisfy all your followers at once, conduct some analytics research to separate them into smaller sub-groups.

Take Starbucks as a good example of this. Starbucks has millions of followers. There‘s no way the global coffee brand can post content to satisfy millions of people at once — and it doesn’t try to.

Instead, Starbucks regularly posts more exclusive content geared toward particular groups, such as this post they published showing a typical workday at a Starbucks location:

This post won‘t appeal to Starbucks followers who don’t work from home, but that’s OK.

You don‘t always need to post content to please everyone. Instead, show your company’s ability to connect and engage with sub-groups and post what aligns with your own brand’s values.

Creating a work-friendly atmosphere is something that matters to Starbucks, so by posting about coffee shop work days, they‘re doing more to demonstrate their values than they are appealing to everyone. Which is kind of the point, isn’t it?

18. Tag relevant users.

Another way to gain more followers on Instagram is to tag relevant users in your posts. Your posts will then show up in that person’s tagged posts, and anyone who looks through there will find your page (and hopefully, follow). This is also a great way to highlight creators or vendors your business collaborates with, like in the example from Therapy Stores below:

But it’s important that you only tag people who are in the photo or relevant to the photo. For example, many times, influencers tag the clothing or makeup brands they wore in a photo.

19. Host an Instagram account takeover.

When you’re collaborating with influencers and other brands, think about hosting an Instagram account takeover. You can have an influencer take over your Stories for the day, and promote this on their own Stories.

Then, you’ll get their followers to follow along with the Stories and hopefully follow your account.

Additionally, you can ask an influencer or brand if you can take over their Stories, and interact with their audience as a way to promote your own account.

20. Get on the Instagram Explore page.

Getting on the Instagram Explore page is easier said than done. We get that. However, creating posts that are aimed at getting on the Explore page means you’ll be creating easily shareable and trendy content.

Think about viral trends and create a video that your audience might engage with. Additionally, use hashtags and tag other users and brands in those posts.

Instagram’s Explore Page algorithm also seems to grab content that has more engagement, especially if said engagement happens in the first few hours of posting. In Instagram’s case, quality is better than quantity, and getting interaction from influential users is one of the best ways to do it.

Promoting Your Instagram Account

21. Optimize posts with relevant hashtags.

On Instagram, a hashtag ties conversations from different users who wouldn’t already be connected into a single stream. If you use relevant Instagram hashtags, your posts will gain exposure to a wider audience and help you become discoverable to potential customers.

The key to using hashtags effectively is to be selective and use them sparingly. Try to limit the number of hashtags per caption to around three. Similarly, don’t use “like for like” hashtags, like #like4like or #like4likes.

This is a shortcut tactic that’ll only leave you with low-quality followers.

To find the hashtags your audience might be using, do a little research on relevant hashtags in your niche or industry. The easiest way to do this research is in the Instagram app itself, in the Explore tab (also known as the magnifying glass icon).

When you search for one hashtag, it’ll show you a list of related hashtags at the top of your screen.

For example, when I search for #digitalmarketingstrategy on Instagram, it shows me relevant hashtags like #digitalmarketingexpert, #digitalmarketing, and so on.

To help relate to your followers on a personal level, you might consider hopping on hashtag trends like #tbt (“Throwback Thursday”), #MotivationMonday, #TransformationTuesday, or other trending hashtags.

Once you build up a following, you can try creating your own hashtags — like your company name or a slogan that applies to your content. This is a great way to build up your brand on the platform and build a more cohesive presence.

22. Try Instagram promotions and ads.

Additionally, to promote your Instagram, it’s important to get started with Instagram promotions and ads. This will help you reach a wider audience. I know it might seem like ads are only effective for selling certain products, but I’ve followed several business accounts because of a sponsored post I saw.

Here are a few articles to get you started:

• The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Stories Ads
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Advertising on Instagram
• The Guide to Instagram Ad Costs
• Instagram Ad Specs & Sizes: an Updated Guide

23. Share your profile link on your website and social media channels.

Have a website? Newsletter? YouTube channel? Make sure you include a link to your Instagram on every single platform. Embed posts in your blogs, post on your other social media platforms, and share social links in your email newsletters. A great way to gain followers on one platform is to ask current followers on other platforms if they want to follow you somewhere else as well.

The first place you’ll want to make sure to add an Instagram badge is your website, specifically your footer and “About Us” page.

Here’s what the badge could look like:

If your brand has brick-and-mortar locations, put out a good ol’ print call-to-action letting people know you have an Instagram account and encouraging them to follow you. You can also place them on your business cards. You might even offer a discount code for doing so.

Also, be sure to promote your Instagram account on your other digital platforms. Chances are, the folks who already follow you on Facebook and Twitter will also follow you on Instagram without much prodding.

Let those followers know you’re on Instagram and encourage them to follow you there.

In this example, wine company The McBride Sisters encouraged their email subscribers to follow them on Instagram with a simple CTA: “Join the community.”

24. Cross-promote with influencers and brands with similar audiences.

Once you build rapport with the folks behind accounts with similar audiences to your own, consider collaborating with them.

Partnering with Instagram influencers and brands helps with discoverability, reach, and social proof.

For instance, influencer @lavishlyjackie posted a sponsored video with Olive Ateliers. The vintage shopping brand then used the video in its collateral.

With this partnership, both accounts can expand their reach and gain new followers. It’s a win-win. However, be sure to create content that seems natural and makes sense for your brands and collective audience.

25. Apply for a verification badge.

When an account on Instagram is verified, it has a blue dot, called a badge, next to the username. When another user comes across this profile or finds the verified username in search, the blue dot confirms to them that the account is the business, individual, or brand that it’s claiming to be. Author @angiethomas has one such badge.

While Instagram has a list of eligibility requirements for the badge, the platform does allow users to apply for one. You can learn more about that process on Instagram’s Help Center.

26. Create your own filters and badges.

When it’s time to promote a new product or feature, creating your own filters, stickers, or badges can help you reach a new audience. You can learn how to create your own filter to jazz up your Instagram Stories.

The best way to do this is to use these on highly shareable posts that followers will want to add to their own Stories. This way, you’ll reach their audiences and your users will promote your page for you.

How to Get More Out of Your Existing Instagram Followers

Once you have a solid foundation of followers, use them to your advantage. Here are some ways you can keep your followers coming back for more.

1. Engage with users through follows, likes, and comments.

Instagram is very much a community, and one great way to get involved in that community is to follow back the people who follow you. It’s the most natural way to draw attention to your own Instagram account.

This accomplishes two things: for one, when they get the notification that you‘ve followed them, there’s a good chance they’ll engage with your profile more. This goes back to the importance of having great content on your account before you start connecting.

Secondly, it means you’ll be seeing their recent posts in your feed, so you can Like and interact with them if you choose to.

As you build a following, celebrate your followers by responding to and pinning their comments, and even reposting their posts for user-generated content.

2. Run Instagram contests to encourage engagement.

Another great way to expand your reach while increasing engagement with your photos is to run an Instagram contest or giveaway. As part of your contest, you can ask users to follow your account, like, and/or comment on the post to be eligible to win.

I mean, come on. Who doesn’t love winning free stuff?

You can also add a user-generated content (UGC) element to the contest, too, where people post a photo of their own and use a specific hashtag.

3. Post content that’s meant to be re-shared.

Each post on your Instagram should have a purpose. It could be to generate likes, comments, engagement, or shares. But you can’t expect followers to re-share content just for the heck of it. There needs to be a reason.

Because of this, reverse engineer your Instagram posts. Think, “What type of content would my audience re-share?” Then, create that content. It could be a quote, a meme, an infographic, statistics, etc.

To gain new followers, you should post content that’s meant to be re-shared, so that when others do re-share it on their own Instagram Stories and tag you, their audience will find you and follow you.

4. Lean into trending content formats.

With the arrival of TikTok on the social media scene, short-form videos have become one of the most effective content formats on social media.

In fact, according to a HubSpot Blog survey, 85% of marketers who use short-form videos find them to be the most effective content format. And 95% of marketers who use short-form videos plan to increase their investment or continue investing the same amount in the following year.

That‘s why it’s important to lean into trending content formats. After TikTok, Instagram came out with IG Reels, and this feature is a great way to post funny, relatable content.

When Instagram comes out with new tools, like IG Reels, don’t be afraid to use those features because they can help you gain Instagram followers.

How Not to Increase Instagram Followers

Now that we’ve discussed some tips on how to increase your Instagram followers, here are some things you should never do. These tactics often do more harm than good and can result in losing followers, decreased engagement, penalizations, or even bans from Instagram.

Buy fake Instagram followers.

Authenticity and honesty are key if you want to grow your audience on Instagram. But to quickly grow their IG accounts, some resort to buying followers.

If this is a step you‘re considering, first think about the philosophy of this decision. At its core, buying followers is unethical and in violation of Instagram’s community guidelines. This move can damage your brand’s reputation by eroding trust.

Then there are the tactical impacts of this approach.

Fake followers can‘t engage, and they won’t like, comment, share, or repost your content. This lack of engagement sends a signal to the platform that your content isn’t interesting or useful to your followers.

While inflating your follower count, fake followers will erode metrics like:

• Organic reach
• Likes
• Comments

An inflated follower count will also make it tougher for you to measure the actual effects of social campaigns and strategies. Instead, focus on growing organic followers who are excited about your brand and content.

Overuse hashtags.

Using too many hashtags in your Instagram captions can have a negative impact on your follower count for a few reasons:

• It can dilute the message or storytelling behind your post, distracting viewers from the core content and making your captions appear less clear and cohesive.
• It can attract an audience that is not genuinely interested in your posts. This can lead to low engagement and a high bounce rate, as those followers are unlikely to interact with your content or become loyal followers.
• It can make your posts look spammy or desperate for engagement. This can deter users from viewing or following your account, as it may appear less authentic or professional.

Instead of casting a wide net with numerous hashtags, focus on using relevant and targeted hashtags that align with the content of your post. This way, you are more likely to attract users who are genuinely interested in your niche and increase the chances of engagement and follower growth.

Post low-quality or unoriginal content.

If you consistently share low-quality content, your account is unlikely to attract new followers. Users’ feeds are oversaturated with content as is — unoriginal posts will likely be scrolled passed because they don’t cut through the noise.

Your content is a reflection of your brand or personal image on Instagram. Posting low-quality content can make you appear unprofessional, inauthentic, or disinterested in providing value to your audience. This can damage your brand reputation and make users less likely to engage with your posts or follow your account.

High-quality and original content is essential for capturing users’ attention, creating a positive brand image, and attracting and retaining followers.

By focusing on producing visually appealing and unique content that provides value to your audience, you can enhance engagement, increase reach, and foster a positive perception of your brand on Instagram.

Quality Over Quantity Still Matters

Ultimately, it’s important to focus less on the number of followers you have, and more on the quality of content you create. Your audience will grow naturally if you put effort and time into creating engaging, informative, or inspirational content without worrying about “quick fixes” for boosts in followers.

You want to play the long game on Instagram, and that starts with focusing on what you can control: the quality of the content you produce, the messages you promote, and the brand you build.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Confession: I’m squatting on probably 10 different blogs and even more URLs. What can I say? This marketer gets a bit idea-happy — but how much does it cost to start a blog that I can afford this quirky habit?

Lucky for people like me, starting a blog costs next to nothing, which is surprising considering its power.

Blogs are still one of the most effective ways to share thought leadership, drive traffic to a website, build a brand, and market a business today. And in my day, I have started and successfully managed many with little to no budget.

I know what it takes to get one off the ground and fly it to the top of Google without breaking the bank. So, let’s talk. I’ll break down how much it costs to start a blog and unpack some tips on keeping the price low.

The (Brief) State of Blogging in 2024

Blogs (a shortened form of the phrase “web logs”) first appeared in the late 1990s. At the time, they were limited to hosts like LiveJournal and topics like entertainment fandoms. But today, the landscape looks a little different.

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Tumblr — where I turn for all my blog minimum viable products like the one below — hosts over 600 million blogs alone. By comparison, WordPress is believed to host over 60 million.

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Huffington Post, TechCrunch, and Engadget are trusted news outlets and sources of information. And, most impressively, 90% of businesses use blogs to achieve their marketing goals.

Blogs are no longer just internet havens for niche communities. They’re powerful media voices and reliable marketing mediums. So, how much will it cost for you to start capitalizing on one?

How much does it cost to start a blog?

Honestly, you can start and maintain a blog with literally no money down. I’ve done it many times.

But things get more complicated when you scale your operation or integrate it into a larger strategy (e.g., setting up a blog subscription or generating leads).

It’s like a car. Sure, you get everything you need to function at the lowest price point. But the cost goes up if you want extras like a sunroof, leather seats, or — my favorite — a heated steering wheel. As you want more than just the basics, you have to spend more.

That said, the cost of having a blog can vary depending on your specific needs, but getting started is roughly the same for everyone.

I can include a lot here, but Iet’s cut the fluff. Based on my 10+ years of experience, here is a breakdown of the true non-negotiable costs of starting a blog.

Upfront Costs of Starting a Blog

Web Host

Estimated Cost: ~$0-25/month

A blog exists on a website, so you can’t have one without a web host. Thankfully, there are dozens of free web hosts and blogging platforms available today, including:

• Tumblr
• Blogger
• WordPress (paid plans beginning at $4/month)
• Medium
• Substrack
• WIX

All of these will give you a free place to publish your content and build an audience. However, they do come with their share of trade-offs.

For instance, some don’t allow much customization in terms of design and user interface (i.e., Substack and Medium). Others come with a long, clunky subdomain (e.g. WIX).

Some also have usage limits or are prone to security issues (looking at you, WordPress).

Pro Tip: You can set up a blog for free using HubSpot’s Content Hub. With it, you get tons of customization options as well as free marketing, sales, and service tools.

For more flexibility and security, you may want to opt for a paid web host. These typically cost between $3 and $30 per month. Some of the most popular are:

• Bluehost (starting at $2.95/month)
• GoDaddy (starting at $5.99/month)
• Squarespace (starting at $25/month)

Several of the free platforms we mentioned earlier also offer monetization and premium features with paid plans.

Domain Registration

Estimated Cost: ~$10-20/year

If you start a blog paying for nothing else, let it be your domain registration.

A unique or branded domain gives you a short and memorable URL for audiences to visit. It also helps establish awareness and credibility for your brand.

Think about it. Sending someone to “ramonasukhraj.com” (still pending) has a much bigger impact than saying go to “webhost.com/site/ramonasukhraj051101” right?

A custom domain shows you’re starting your own foundation, not just building on someone else’s.

Many web hosts we mentioned offer domain services. If you register yours separately, the price tag will vary on your choice. But generally, it’s pretty affordable.

For example, a dot com on Bluehost costs around $12.99/year, but a dot net on GoDaddy could be as low as $0.01 for the first year.

HubSpot Chief Technology Officer, Dharmesh Shah, ran “wordplay.com” on his domain appraiser on agency.ai recently, showing just how much things can range:

But this is an extreme. Considering variations, it’s safe to estimate that domain registration will cost about $10-$20 per year.

Website Theme/Design

Estimated Cost: ~$0-500

If your platform allows for customization or you’re building your own website, a theme or template can help give you a running start.

Like a domain, a unique theme is a highly effective way to affirm your brand and have more control over user experience.

Many of the hosts I mentioned offer free templates/themes (including HubSpot), but you can also purchase premium themes with advanced functionality on ThemeForest.

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This can cost anywhere from $2 to $10,000, but like domain names, this is extreme. You’ll find that most premium themes suitable for a blog are around $200-500.

Talent

Estimated Cost: ~$0-150/hour/person

If you’re a solopreneur doing it all on your own, you can add $0 to your tab for talent. However, if you have a larger venture, help may be in order.

Let’s say you want to publish at a high volume or you haven’t already delegated blogging to a team member. You will need to hire a writer or content creator. If you have a complex web experience, you may need a designer and/or developer.

Hiring professionals in these areas with a conservative 3-5 years of experience can cost you about $15-40/hour or $15-150/hour, respectively.

Hidden Costs of Starting a Blog

At this point, you can certainly just drop everything and start publishing. But as you get going, I wouldn’t be surprised if you realized there are some incidentals you may have overlooked.

Tools, Software, and Equipment

Starting a blog may call for additional tools to supplement your blog’s functionality, increase security, or even improve content quality.

This may include but is not limited to:

• SEO Tools
• Analytics
• Editing/Writing (i.e. Grammarly)
• Multimedia Plugins/Integrations
• Camera Equipment
• Video Editing Software
• Graphic Design Software (i.e. Adobe Creative Suite or Canva)
• Social Media Scheduling Tools (i.e. Buffer)
• Email Marketing Tools (i.e. MailChimp)

These items may not be make-or-break, but they can help take your blog’s performance to the next level. Costs will vary depending on specific vendors and features, but make sure you research and account for them.

Skill Development

If you’re in the tech space for the first time, blogging may come with a great deal of new skills to learn (or sharpen).

Aside from the obvious writing and editing, you may need to learn a bit about search engine optimization, social media marketing, conversion rate optimization, user experience, and even code.

In many ways, these skills are like the additional “tools” on our list. You can start a blog without them, but having them in your toolbelt makes success much more attainable.

Time & Commitment

Now, here’s the biggy. Financials aside, the biggest investment you make when starting a blog is time.

Time for writing, research, editing, interviewing, strategizing, staging, optimizing for search, and promoting. Time to learn new skills and keep your finger on the pulse of your industry and audience.

And this isn’t limited to just when you’re getting started. It is a consistent habit.

Blogging is a full-time job and a long-term strategy that requires commitment. One of my previous employers had been blogging for nearly five years before it started seeing the organic traffic and high ranks in Google they set out for.

Whether you’re a team of one or many at an organization, you must be ready to dedicate this time to see results.

Learn more about using HubSpot for Blogging in our Free Academy Course.

How much does it cost to maintain a blog?

While many of the big-ticket items like your website theme are one-time or annual investments, most are recurring monthly expenses.

Again, many hosts offer “free publishing forever,” but add-ons will cost you.

In my experience, you’ll want to make sure you have an email marketing and social media publishing tool in your arsenal — at a bare minimum. That said, I would say plan on dedicating a minimum of roughly $50-100 a month to maintain your blog long-term.

How to Start a Blog for Free (or Almost)

Now, time is one expense you can’t avoid, but you can very well cut costs in other areas when starting a blog. How, you ask?

Lean into free tools.

There is no shortage of free tools available to start and maintain the basic functions of a blog — writing, publishing, and hosting.

Leaning into them will help you lay the foundation for a successful blog. You’ll also be able to test things out before making a big monetary investment.

Some free tools I have used and recommend:

• Blogging: Tumblr, HubSpot, Medium
• Design: Canva
• Video Editing: CapCut
• Social Media Scheduling: HootSuite, Buffer
• Email Marketing: MailChimp
• Leading Code: Codecademy

Supplement efforts with AI.

HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report found that 81% of marketers who use generative AI say it’s effective at assisting them in their role. How exactly? Well, specifically, they reported it helps them:

• improve the quality of the content they create (85%).
• create content more efficiently (84%).
• make significantly more content (82%).
• create more personalized content (77%).

In other words, they’re supplementing their content efforts with AI, not replacing them.

I’m a writer, and I will never tell you to let AI entirely create your content for you, considering the risks of plagiarism and other concerns. But AI truly can help you be more efficient and cost-effective, especially if your operation is lean.

Need an image for a blog? There’s Adobe Firefly and several AI image generators to help instead of designing one or hiring someone to do so.

Stuck on blog titles or topics? Try HubSpot’s free blog title generator.

How about an outline for an article? HubSpot’s free AI content writer can help.

Need suggestions on how to improve a piece? Run it through ChatGPT.

Supplementing your content creation efforts with AI tools like these can help you cut talent costs and move more quickly.

Blog With Benefits

So, there you have it: a straightforward, no-nonsense breakdown of how much it costs to start a blog from someone who’s done it an embarrassing number of times.

Starting a blog shouldn’t be an expensive initiative, but it should be a fruitful one. With everything I outlined in this article, you’ll be well on your way to crushing your brand awareness, traffic, leads, and sales goals.

Welcome back to our Summer Series on B2B Content Strategy. 

In our first installment, we explored the importance of How Studying B2B Content Consumption Patterns Can Drive 2024 Success. 

Today, we take the next step. Let’s focus on a critical element that will significantly affect everything in your business: artificial intelligence intent data.

Intent Data is the Hot New Thing

Intent data isn’t new. 

This may come as a surprise to some.

Before 2024, however, intent data struggled to resonate. For years, intent solutions delivered underwhelming results, leaving paying customers to question its validity and use case. 

When NetLine introduced INTENTIVE in June 2023 at Forrester’s B2B Summit, interest was limited among attendees. Most were focused exclusively on AI.

Yet, by Forrester 2024, the market had matured. Demand for intent data surged, with attendees eager to learn more. 

Why the shift?

Because B2B professionals realized that account-level data, alone, can’t cut it.

But intent data isn’t just about capturing actions—it’s about understanding them. 

Intent Data Without Context is Useless

Matt Heinz is a respected figure in B2B marketing. He is also a good friend of NetLine. 

We’ve spoken to him many times on the subject of intent data in 2024. Each time, he emphasizes that “intent-driven demand seems to be all the rage right now.” 

He highlights that while intent data can significantly enhance lead quality, marketers must understand the context behind the data. 

Simply knowing that a prospect is researching a topic isn’t enough; understanding their stage in the buying process and their specific needs is what truly drives successful engagement.

Why the Application of Intent Data Matters

There is a significant gap between possessing intent data and effectively utilizing it to drive business outcomes.

Heinz has quite a bit of frustration with the way intent data is currently used.

“What frustrates me most about intent data right now is that a lot of people have it but very few people are using it. So many companies have access to or have a repository of intent data but don’t have the process and playbooks to put it into motion.” 

Separating the Serious From the Curious

Ultimately, this is why intent data matters.

Businesses and prospective buyers don’t want to waste time or energy on a relationship with no future.

By leveraging intent data, marketers can ensure they target the right prospects at the right time with the right message. 

Tools like NetLine’s INTENTIVE provide real-time insights into who is showing intent, what they are interested in, and when they are most engaged. 

This allows you to tailor your outreach and content to address the specific needs and interests of these high-intent prospects.

Referencing Forrester for the last time, this section’s sub-header was uttered by an intrigued booth visitor during a demo of our intent solution.

“So, essentially, INTENTIVE allows you to separate the serious from the curious?”

My ears perked up instantly. That was precisely correct, I told the gentleman. 

(I also told him that I would 100% be stealing his perfect quote.)

With all of this in mind, let’s review what NetLine discovered about B2B professionals thanks to INTENTIVE.

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Understanding Who’s Ready to Buy

Studying buyer-level intent signals can feel like a sneak peek into a prospect’s preferences. 

It’s somewhat like having a good idea of where the ball might go on the next play or anticipating what your date might order at a restaurant. 

However, it’s important to remember that needs can change, and even the strongest signals don’t guarantee a prospect is ready to buy.”

Data like this can revolutionize your selling motion. 

Let’s dive into how Job Levels, Job Areas, and Industries influence purchase readiness.

Here’s a deep dive based on the report’s findings from pages 23-25.

How Demographics Influence Purchase Readiness 

By addressing the specific needs of Job Levels, Job Areas, and Industries, you increase your chances to enhance engagement, build trust, and drive higher conversion rates. 

A truly targeted approach ensures your content is relevant and impactful, leading to more effective marketing strategies and better business outcomes.

What we learned about intent by analyzing Job Levels

It would be safe to assume the following regarding content consumption: the more senior a professional is, the more seriously we should take their intent to purchase. 

Senior professionals, especially executives, show higher purchase readiness. They have more on their plate, more experience, and greater influence. They’re the decision-makers who can greenlight a purchase quickly. 

As shown in the table above, the spectrum of intent is quite interesting. 

Professionals indicating greater purchase intent are either junior (we’re assuming that the majority of Individual Contributors are either entry-level professionals) or senior while those in middle management indicate lesser purchase intent.

Therefore, we can presume that while middle management consumes the most content, their overall influence over purchases is limited.

Intent Data Helps You Craft The Right Message

Buyer-level intent data can help you tailor your messaging to address strategic concerns for anyone. For example, let’s hone in on the needs of executives:

• Identify which professionals within an account demonstrate both the greatest engagement and highest purchase intent.
  • Review content requests by format and timeline 
  • Review subject matter
• Develop content that speaks to the high-level concerns and strategic needs of senior executives.
  • Focus on creating high-impact, concise content like executive summaries and strategic reports that cater to their need for quick, informed decision-making.
  • Remember: Executives are just like the rest of us when it comes to information; the simpler the better.
  • Provide insights and data that help executives make informed decisions swiftly.
• Refer to their consumption behaviors…but don’t be too precise
  • There’s a fine line you don’t want to cross with these messages, lest you be thought of as… creepy.

What we learned about intent by analyzing Job Areas

The nature of your job—whether in marketing, IT, or finance—can shape how engaged you are with your work.

For instance, manufacturing and Human Resources departments will vary in their engagement levels.

Manufacturing professionals are constantly looking for ways to improve production efficiency and reduce costs, while Human Resources is likely reviewing ways to improve employee engagement tools. 

Each department is busy—but it’s more likely that those in Manufacturing roles will be consuming more consistently than their HR peers.

Customize your content for each area to enhance relevance and impact.

Let’s stick with these two Job Areas in our examples.

What Manufacturing Job Areas Need

• Provide detailed eBooks on the latest production technologies and guides on implementing lean manufacturing practices.
• Offer interactive webinars on supply chain optimization and hands-on tutorials for new manufacturing software tools.

What Human Resources Job Areas Need

• Produce eBooks on innovative employee engagement strategies and what it takes to build a strong company culture and guides for implementing data-driven HR processes to improve overall workforce productivity.
• Write case studies on successful retention programs using the latest HR tech solutions.

What we learned about intent by analyzing Industries

Different industries have unique consumption patterns. Each industry has its pain points and opportunities—target these to maximize your reach.

Tech will always be a frontrunner. But two industries that should not be overlooked are Biotech and Manufacturing. Each area has seen steady growth in the past half-decade. 

Biotech and Pharmaceuticals

• Content Focus: Emphasize innovation in drug development, regulatory compliance, and advancements in medical technology.
• Insight: Demand for AI-related content in the healthcare sector, including Biotech and Pharmaceuticals, grew significantly, highlighting the industry’s interest in integrating AI into their processes.

Advertising/Marketing

• Content Focus: Focus on digital marketing strategies, consumer behavior analytics, and innovative advertising techniques.
• Insight: The advertising and marketing sector saw a substantial increase in content consumption, with a significant interest in data-driven marketing strategies.

Actionable Tips for Industry-Specific Content

• Create in-depth whitepapers on emerging trends and regulatory updates.
• Develop interactive webinars and eBooks tailored to industry-specific challenges.
• Produce case studies showcasing successful implementations and strategies.

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Consumption Probability and Purchase Intent

Higher consumption is often directly correlated to greater purchase intent. 

This isn’t just a nice-to-know fact—it’s a call to action.

Pages 31-34 of the report reveal a goldmine of information on how content consumption correlates with purchase intent. 

Key Findings

Frequent content consumption is a strong indicator of purchase readiness. It’s not just about getting eyes on your content; it’s about ensuring your content is valuable and engaging.

Actionable Insights

Focus on producing high-quality content that addresses the pain points of your audience. When your content resonates, it doesn’t just inform—it converts.

• High-Quality Content: Invest in producing content that offers real value, such as detailed guides, in-depth case studies, and interactive webinars.
• Engagement Tracking: Monitor which types of content drive the most engagement and refine your strategy accordingly.

Don’t Overlook the Importance of Intent Sequences

Tracking intent sequences offers a deeper understanding of how prospects navigate their content journey. Pages 35-36 emphasize how these sequences can predict future behaviors and inform your strategy.

User Progression from eBooks

Imagine tracking how users engage with your eBooks. It’s not just about the initial download—what comes next? By following their journey, you can predict and influence their next steps.

• Engagement Tracking: Use tools to follow how users move from eBook downloads to other actions, like webinar registrations or case study requests.
• Predictive Analysis: Analyze these sequences to forecast future behaviors and tailor your follow-up strategies accordingly.

Strategic Implementation

B2B marketers and sellers need to pay close attention to intent sequences. These insights help tailor your strategies, making your marketing efforts more effective and your sales processes smoother.

• Customized Follow-Ups: Develop follow-up strategies based on user engagement patterns to guide them through the funnel more effectively.
• Future Behavior Prediction: Use historical data to predict future actions and prepare your strategies accordingly.

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Crafting Tailored Content

Personalization is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. 

For years, the term personalization felt like lip service; often used but holding little to no weight. 

Intent data, specifically buyer-level intent, enables true personalization—allowing the word to live up to its hype.

There are three basic steps to addressing your prospect’s unique challenges.

Segmentation: Identify distinct segments within your audience based on their behaviors and interests. Content Development: Craft bespoke content pieces, such as eBooks, webinars, and case studies, that address specific challenges faced by each segment. Journey Alignment: Ensure that your content is designed to guide prospects through every stage of their buyer’s journey—from awareness to decision-making.

Tailored content strategies aligned with the buyer’s journey can significantly boost engagement. 

Imagine speaking directly to someone’s needs instead of shouting into the void, hoping it resonates. How novel!

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” – Abraham Lincoln

In an era where ROI and privacy are paramount, precise buyer-level intent data has become table stakes, underscoring its newfound importance.

Much like Lincoln’s ax metaphor, spending the necessary time to refine your approach and strategy with intent data before executing your plan of action ensures that your efforts are more focused and effective.

One of the most significant advantages of intent data is its ability to help marketers identify high-intent leads. These are prospects who are actively researching solutions and are more likely to convert into customers. 

By focusing on these leads, you can prioritize your marketing efforts and resources more effectively, much like spending time sharpening the ax before chopping down the tree.

Recommended Approach: Establish a Playbook

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”  – Alexander Graham Bell

Intent data is meaningless without a plan of action. 

Pages 34-36 underline the importance of having detailed processes and playbooks. These pages highlight the need to pay close attention to which content format your prospects engage with (and when).

For example, Courses are popular as a second registration choice. However, Courses don’t typically indicate purchase intent. Case Studies, despite being the least requested format (at 0.1% of second registration choices), represent a strong intent signal, with users being 78.5% more likely to make a purchase decision within 12 months, second only to Playbooks (+115%).

While the volume of Case Studies may be low, the prospects interested in them are highly likely to convert.

Imagine if you had a single playbook for each content type. You’d be wasting your time with a Course user when you could have prioritized the Case Study registrant.

Without a roadmap, even the best data can lead you astray. 

Your sales and marketing teams, quite literally, need to be on the same page.

• Process Documentation: Create detailed guides for how sales and marketing teams should utilize intent data.
• Training: Regularly train teams on interpreting and acting on intent data insights.
• Alignment Meetings: Hold frequent alignment meetings to ensure both teams are synchronized in their approach.

Key Takeaway: How B2B Marketers Can Leverage Buyer-Level Intent Data

1. Invest in Personalization

• Use intent data to craft highly personalized content that speaks directly to your audience’s needs. Personalization is no longer optional; it’s a necessity for driving engagement.

2. Align Sales and Marketing

• Ensure both teams are following the same playbook. Alignment is key to maximizing impact. Regular alignment meetings and shared KPIs can help keep both teams on track.

3. Emphasize Quality Over Quantity

• Produce fewer but higher-quality content pieces. Build trust and authority, which leads to conversions. High-quality content is more likely to engage and convert high-intent leads.

4. Continuous Improvement

• Regularly review and refine your intent data strategies. Stay ahead of trends and adapt continuously. Use feedback and performance data to make informed adjustments to your approach.

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Don’t Just Follow the Data—Lead with It

NetLine’s 2024 Report isn’t just a collection of data—it’s a strategic playbook. By focusing on high-intent leads, personalizing content, and aligning your sales and marketing efforts, you can drive greater engagement and achieve better business outcomes. As Matt Heinz aptly puts it, “It’s about using the data to inform your strategy, not dictate it.”

Stay tuned for our next installment, where we’ll dive into actionable tips for optimizing your content distribution strategy.

Imagine the leaders that inspire you. Each is likely unique, with a different style they use to meet goals, motivate, and animate their teams.

There are many different styles of leadership, and each can have a different impact on a company.

In my experience, leadership styles can evolve over time, and I would argue that many of us can identify with several. Different circumstances or teams ask for different leadership approaches.

For example, I lead a boutique marketing agency with a small team, and I identify most with the democratic leadership type.

Over the years, though, my leadership style has definitely changed. Earlier in my career, I might’ve said my leadership type was transactional or pacesetting leadership. Now, I’m more aligned with democratic leadership.

Knowing your leadership style in depth can help you become a better leader for your team. In this post, I’ll cover the most common types of leadership, how they influence businesses, and tools to help you figure out what styles are best for you.

Start reading, or jump to the section you’re looking for:

• What is a leadership style?
• Types of Leadership Styles
• Deciding Between Different Leadership Styles
• How to Choose the Right Leadership Style for You
• Leadership Style Assessment

Why It’s Important to Know Your Leadership Style

Knowing your leadership style helps you provide adequate guidance and feedback to employees, and better understand your thoughts, how you make decisions, and strategies you can consider implementing when making business decisions.

It can also help you understand how your direct reports see you and why they may give you specific feedback.

For example, if employees feel stifled at work and don’t have many opportunities to speak their minds, they may tell you that you’re an autocratic leader who can benefit from changing their style.

Knowing your leadership styles may help you improve with limited feedback.

Each leadership style has its pitfalls, allowing you to proactively address areas of improvement. This is critical because some employees might hesitate to speak up, even in an anonymous survey.

Ready to find out your leadership styles? Check out the most common styles below.

1. Democratic Leadership

Also called: Participative or Facilitative Leadership

Democratic leadership is exactly what it sounds like — the leader makes decisions based on each team member‘s input. Although a leader makes the final call, each employee has an equal say in a project’s direction.

Democratic leaders often have the following characteristics:

• Inclusive.
• Collaborative.
• Effective communicator.
• Empowering
• Supportive and empathetic.
• Trust-building.
• Emotionally intelligent.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

This leadership style resembles how leaders often make decisions in company board meetings.

For example, a democratic leader might give the team a few decision-related options in a company board meeting.

They could then open a discussion about each option. After a discussion, this leader might consider the board’s thoughts and feedback, or they might open this decision up to a vote.

Why This Leadership Style Works

The democratic leadership style is one of the most effective because it encourages everyone to participate in all processes, share their opinions, and know that you will hear them.

It also encourages employees to be engaged because they know you will hear their feedback.

Team members feeling like they have space to participate can also increase employee empowerment, motivation, and participation.

Potential Challenges

Reaching a consensus can take considerable time, resources, and communication with a democratic style. It can also impact decision-making because some team members may not have the right expertise to make critical decisions.

My Experience as a Democratic Leader

I love identifying as the democratic leader type, and I feel I’ve grown into it over time. Previously, I might’ve identified as a transactional or maybe a pacesetting leader, depending on my environment and project needs.

Democratic feels more like where I’m ‘supposed’ to be; it fits perfectly and feels authentic.

As a democratic leader, the characteristics above are true for me. I reap the benefits and value of this leadership style. That said, the challenges are equally as apparent.

I live my life assuming that everyone knows something that I don’t. This can be challenging because even the administration of reaching a group consensus is a lot.

And while I love to give everyone equal weight in discussions and decisions, I worry that this can pressure team members who aren’t ready for such input. I have to remind myself that this isn’t everyone’s idea of fun.

As a democratic leader, I aim to curate genuine relationships with my team and find opportunities for them to make meaningful contributions.

In Dharmesh Shah’s free ebook, Lessons on Leadership the value of these goals are highlighted as a service to employees.

Genuine relationships builds trust and gives employees a reason to work beyond the paycheck. Opportunities for contribution help employees feel valued.

Featured Resources

• How to be a good leader
• Tips for remote leadership

2. Autocratic Leadership

Also called: Authoritarian, Coercive, or Commanding Leadership

Autocratic leadership is the inverse of democratic leadership. In this leadership style, the leader makes decisions without taking input from anyone who reports to them.

Autocratic leadership is typically characterized by:

• Centralized decision-making.
• Direct and top-down communication.
• Minimal delegation.
• Limited autonomy for team members.
• Emphasis on hierarchy and status.
• Resistant to feedback or criticism.

This style is most useful when a business needs to control specific situations, not as a standalone leadership style. For instance, it can be effective in emergency or crisis situations where quick and decisive action is necessary.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

Autocratic leaders carry out strategies and directives with absolute focus.

So, when a situation calls for it, an authoritative leader can make a quick best-fit decision for a business without needing to get additional input (helpful on a case-by-case basis).

Why This Leadership Style Works

This type of leadership is most effective when a company makes difficult decisions that don’t benefit from additional input from others who aren’t fully knowledgeable on the subject.

Responsible parties can make a decision and give employees a clear sense of direction, and it can also make up for a lack of experience on a team.

Potential Challenges

Most organizations can’t sustain such a hegemonic culture without losing employees, which can significantly lower morale and creative problem-solving.

An example of authoritative leadership gone bad could be when a manager changes the hours of work shifts for employees without consulting anyone.

Other challenges with autocratic leaders include:

• Intimidation.
• Micromanagement.
• Over-reliance on a single leader.

3. Laissez-Faire Leadership

Also called: Delegative or Hands-off Leadership

If you remember your high-school French, you’ll accurately assume that laissez-faire leadership is the least intrusive form of leadership. The French term “laissez-faire” literally translates to “let them do.”

Leaders who embrace it give nearly all authority to their employees and don’t often interject unless the situation calls for it.

Some key characteristics of laissez-faire leadership include:

• Limited guidance, direction, and feedback.
• Minimal interference and control.
• High autonomy and freedom.
• Empowerment and trust.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

Laissez-faire leaders make employees accountable for their work. This gives many employees an incentive to do their best work.

This type of leader often creates a more relaxed company culture. This makes it a good model for creative businesses like ad agencies or product design. It’s also a good fit for a business with a highly-skilled team.

Why This Leadership Style Works

In a young startup, for example, you might see a laissez-faire company founder who makes no major office policies around work hours or deadlines.

They might put complete trust in their employees while they focus on the overall workings of running the company.

Because of this high level of trust, employees working for laissez-faire leaders feel valued. They get the information they need and use their resources and experience to meet business goals.

Potential Challenges

Although laissez-faire leadership can empower employees by trusting them to work however they’d like, there are downsides.

It can limit team development and pose a challenge for new or inexperienced employees who would benefit from guidance as they get ramped up. Roles and responsibilities can also become unclear, and it can build a culture of working in silos where people might work autonomously rather than as a cohesive group.

This style can lead to overlooking critical company growth and learning opportunities, so keeping this leadership style in check is important.

Experiences as a Laissez-Faire Leader

Meg Prater is the senior manager of content at HubSpot. Prater describes herself as a mix of laissez-faire and coaching leadership styles.

Prater says, “I like to trust the people I hire to do great work, but I also like to tailor my approach to each person on my team to best fit their working styles and career goals.”

Prater notes that some of her team thrive with more structure, and others thrive with more autonomy. What’s universal is the need for strong alignment and communication within our team.

“My priority (and my job) is to ensure that my direct reports understand our team and company-wide goals and how their individual output contributes to those goals,” she says. “Once we‘re aligned on expectations, we can work together to identify initiatives that push the needle … while fulfilling each person’s interests and professional growth on the team.”

One of the challenges for a laissez-faire leader is balancing the desire to trust the team while providing the guidance needed for inexperienced team members.

In my early career, my senior manager was a laissez-faire leader, and I sometimes felt a lack of guidance. However, as a bold problem-solver, I also appreciated the autonomy I had under this type of manager.

In some ways, the need to solve the problem alone helped develop those problem-solving skills, but I can see how it would be difficult for some team members.

Prater’s coaching leadership style also comes into play because she values the role of the leader and the benefit of feedback to employees.

Prater says, “I had the luxury of working with a fantastic leadership coach shortly after becoming a manager. She drilled into me the notion of ‘Being a kind manager rather than being a nice manager.’”

Prater notes that it‘s tempting to water down feedback or expectations — to be nice. It feels less uncomfortable but doesn’t always benefit either the manager or the direct report in the long run.

“Being clear, actionable, and direct can lead to uncomfortable conversations, but ultimately, those are the conversations that help both sides grow. That advice has really shaped me as a manager. While I don’t always nail it, ‘kindness over niceness’ gives me a North Star,” she says.

Featured Resources

• Guide to management

4. Strategic Leadership

Strategic leaders sit between a company’s primary operations and its growth opportunities. This form of leadership requires vision, competitive awareness, and adaptability.

These leaders accept the burden of executive interests but also ensure that working conditions are stable for everyone else.

Strategic leaders aim to guide their organization toward its long-term goals. By utilizing this leadership style, you can create a forward-thinking, agile, and adaptable organization that can thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

Strategic leaders tie plans for growth and strategy to how they manage a team. They ask questions, develop and execute strategies, and consider future growth. This approach supports popular business goals like:

• Accountability.
• Productivity.
• Collaboration.
• Transparency.

Why This Leadership Style Works

This is a desirable leadership style in many companies because strategic thinking supports many types of employees at once.

Strategic thinking supports many employees at once, so it’s a desirable style for many companies. It encourages visualization, planning, and making the most of existing resources, and it can motivate employees.

Potential Challenges

Leaders who work strategically might take on too much and risk thinking too far into the future of possibilities while missing critical present-day issues.

It’s important to learn how to delegate with this leadership style and share the weight of decision-making.

Compromise, communication skills, and consistent outreach are also essential.

Featured Resources

• Crafting a team vision
• Strategic planning
• Developing leadership skills

5. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders gain the trust and confidence of their teams, encourage team members, and lead employees toward meeting company goals.

Transformational leadership also always improves upon the company’s conventions and motivates employees to grow and further develop their skills.

Ultimately, the goal of a transformational leader is to create a lasting positive impact, uplift their team to achieve their full potential and drive success for the organization.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

Transformational leaders can inspire their teams to think in new ways. This can help companies update business processes to improve productivity and profitability. It can also help with employee satisfaction, morale, and motivation.

Why This Leadership Style Works

This is a highly encouraging form of leadership where employees are supported and encouraged to see what they’re capable of.

When starting a job with this type of leader, all employees might get a list of goals to reach and deadlines for reaching them. The goals might begin quite simple, but as employees grow and meet their goals, leaders will give them more tasks and challenges to conquer as they grow with the company.

Potential Challenges

Transformational leaders can lose sight of everyone’s individual learning curves in place of the company’s goals. Employee burnout can also become an issue, so it’s important to work with your team to update benchmarks.

Experiences as a Tansformational Leader

Pam Bump is HubSpot’s head of content innovation and research. She feels an alignment with a few styles but identifies most strongly with transformational leadership as her dominant style.

Bump describes her experience as a transformational leader. Before she was a manager, her role involved audience growth, brand development, experimentation, and tapping new markets.

“I’ve always jumped at major problem-solving opportunities, ambiguous requests from leadership, and identifying big bets for my companies,” she says. “Now … I encourage my team to do the same — whether they’re working on a joint team experiment or are individually investigating, launching, and scaling their own high-ROI projects.”

She is an inspirational leader who makes a conscious effort to balance the business‘s goals, the team’s needs, and individual needs. As listed as a challenge, transformational leaders can forget individual learning needs and the overall company’s needs.

Bump has the solution, “To balance ambitious overall, transformative team-wide goals, and individual teammate needs, I check in with my direct reports about their growth, what they’re working on, and work that can help them grow their skills or visibility while also supporting team goals.”

Beyond weekly 1:1s, Bump also holds semi-regular career chats to discuss their personal long-term goals and the tactics or skills they can use to get there.

Featured Resources

• Transformational leadership

6. Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership is based on reward and punishment to motivate and direct the behavior. These managers set specific rules and standards, and they closely monitor their employees’ performance.

They tell employees they can expect rewards if a goal is met. However, they may require more 1:1s or check-ins if people aren’t meeting goals.

This leadership style is concerned with maintaining the status quo and ensuring that predetermined goals and standards are met.

It also assumes that teams need structure and monitoring to meet business goals and that they are reward-motivated.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

This style is popular in enterprise companies as it focuses on results, existing structures, and set systems of rewards or penalties. This leadership style also recognizes and rewards commitment.

Why This Leadership Style Works

Transactional leaders can offer helpful clarity and structure of expectations, which can help employees feel safe because they understand expectations. Employees also have a clear view of what they get in return for meeting business goals.

Potential Challenges

This style is more about using rewards to motivate and less about building relationships with employees, coaching, and developing team morale.

Keeping a diverse team engaged can be hard if only some are reward-motivated, and it can lead to low creativity and fear of punishment.

7. Coaching Leadership

Also called: Conscious Leadership

A coaching leader focuses on identifying and nurturing the individual strengths of each team member and developing strategies that will enable teams to work better together.

This style is similar to strategic and democratic leadership, but it emphasizes individual employees’ success.

A manager with this leadership style might help employees improve on their strengths by:

• Giving them new tasks to try
• Offering guidance
• Meeting to discuss constructive feedback

They might also encourage one or more team members to expand on their strengths by learning new skills from other teammates.

Coaching leaders focus on building trust and establishing strong relationships with their team members.

They foster an environment of open communication and psychological safety that encourages individuals to share ideas, seek feedback, and work together toward common objectives.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

Coaching leaders actively support skill development and independent problem-solving. They meet ambitious business goals by creating a strong company culture and add to a business’s long-term vision as valuable mentors, often even after leaving a company.

Why This Leadership Style Works

This leadership style can motivate employees as they feel supported on the team. It recognizes that each employee is unique and can build diverse and exciting teams where each employee offers something different.

This leader focuses on high performance, with employees who can communicate well and embrace unique skill sets to get work done. They also encourage team members to seek new challenges, learn from experiences, and continuously improve their skills and knowledge.

Potential Challenges

It can take a lot of time to develop employees with a coaching style, but mentoring isn’t effective for every employee.

My Experience Working With a Coaching Leader

Marja Vitti is an editor at HubSpot who identifies with the coaching leadership style. I’ve received great feedback from Vitti on my pieces, and I think the coaching leadership style is a great fit.

On her leadership style, Vitti says, “While working with freelance writers and content creators, I quickly realized both the team and the work would benefit from leadership that recognized their individual strengths.”

Vitti notes that she gave everyone on my team the same opportunities but also showed up for them as individuals. One team member might need more positive reinforcement to gain confidence, another might show signs of needing a new challenge, and another might be burning out and need a lighter load.

“It was intuitive for me to lead with this coaching style, and it wasn’t till after that I realized this was a designated leadership style,” Vitti notes.

Vitti’s guidance on my writing is always conscientiously given. She always invites further feedback and discussion, which I find empowering but soothing.

Any writer will know it can be hard to receive feedback on the work you’ve poured your soul into, but she knows how to balance the value of encouraging improvement with the writer’s need to feel supported.

Featured Resources

• Servant leadership

8. Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leaders follow the rules. Unlike autocratic leadership, they might listen and consider the input of employees, but they might reject input that doesn’t align with company policy or past practices.

Some key features of bureaucratic leadership include:

• Centralized decision-making.
• Strict adherence to rules and procedures.
• Clear chain of command.
• Limited autonomy.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

This style works best for larger, older, or traditional companies that are successful in their current processes.

This leadership style works for these businesses because they want to maintain existing business models and processes because their current strategies are successful, and trying something new that doesn’t work could waste time and resources.

Why This Leadership Style Works

This leadership style can be challenging for some, but it has many benefits. It lowers the risk of favoritism and replaces it with central duties, job security, and predictability.

This clear and efficient leadership style can lead to high levels of creativity for some employees.

Potential Challenges

Employees might not feel as controlled as autocratic leadership, but there can be a lack of freedom in how much people can do in their roles.

This approach can shut down innovation and is not the right fit for companies chasing ambitious goals and quick growth.

Featured Resources

• Organizational culture

9. Visionary Leadership

Also called: Affiliative Leadership

Visionary leadership focuses on future and long-term goals. They aim to inspire and guide their team towards the achievement of a shared vision.

This type of leader encourages collaboration, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. They also foster a culture of innovation and change, encouraging individuals to embrace new ideas and approaches.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

Visionary leaders can create a clear plan for employees to follow and execute. They are powerful and persuasive communicators, which helps them energize teams toward impactful business growth.

As the focus is on future growth, visionary leaders can forecast potential roadblocks and outline action plans, giving employees increased confidence during uncertainty or challenging times.

Why This Leadership Style Works

Teams can do more and enjoy their work more if they have a vision to work toward. This type of leader offers vision statements and other tools to inspire and motivate teams to engage at work.

Potential Challenges

Visionary leaders can skip over day-to-day issues to focus on long-term ideas, missing roadblocks that could build up and cause problems in the future.

Another common challenge is hyper-focusing on a single goal, which can impact consideration for other ideas that may be just as valuable to the business.

Experience as a Visionary Leader

John Xie, co-founder and CEO at Taskade, identifies as a Visionary Leader. Like me, Xie developed his leadership style over time.

He says, “It took me a while to develop this leadership style. However, after working with many people at many different companies over the years, I realize that I’m best when I am encouraging a positive long-term vision for the team. Then they can see how their work will be impactful and stay motivated to keep going.”

As a visionary leader, Xie recognises the pitfalls and potential challenges. He knows he can be “a little too strategic,” but he’s found a way to “lean back and motivate the team.”

On overcoming the challenges of a visionary leader, he says, “Everyone has their own unique style, and it‘s best to find the one that suits you naturally. When you try to force a different leadership style, you’ll notice the team quickly becoming disengaged, and that’s when you know you should revert back to your natural style.”

Featured Resources

• Crafting a team vision
• Management styles
• Leadership training

10. Pacesetting Leadership

A pacesetting leader sets ambitious standards and expects employees to meet those goals in the exact manner they’ve laid out.

These leaders expect productivity and high-quality outputs from employees, and they may step in to ensure things are done correctly and on time. As a pacesetter, this leader type paves the way and leads by example.

Some characteristics of a pacesetting leader include:

• High performance standards.
• Leading by example.
• Results-oriented.
• Preference for speed and efficiency.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

This type of leader sets ambitious goals with a clear and focused effort, so employees know exactly what is expected of them. For example, pacesetting sales leaders set and exceed ambitious quarterly sales cadences.

These leaders might also work alongside their team and push performance, boosting team morale.

Why This Leadership Style Works

Skilled and experienced teams often thrive under this kind of leader. They use the abilities of motivated and competent team members and make meeting goals feel urgent and exciting.

It can also be gratifying for team members to see their leader working hard alongside them.

Potential Challenges

Pacesetting leaders can sometimes create a high-stress workplace environment if goals are unrealistic, which can overwhelm and demotivate teams.

This can impact engagement and lead to burnout, where people struggle to meet goals and perform as expected.

Focusing on goals can also stifle creativity and diversity of thought, so employees don’t feel they can use their expertise to suggest alternative goals or strategies.

Featured Resources

• Leadership behaviors

11. Situational Leadership

Situational leaders change their management style to meet the needs of the situation or team. It suggests that effective leaders must adapt their leadership style to match the readiness and development levels of their team members.

This leadership style involves analyzing specific situations, assessing the competence and commitment of individuals, and adjusting the leadership approach accordingly.

It is proactive and recognizes that change is the only constant.

Why This Leadership Style Works for Businesses

This leadership approach can motivate employees and ensure that people aren’t stuck working in a way that doesn’t make sense for the situation.

It’s also valuable for startups or businesses requiring frequent changes and flexible talent and support.

Why This Leadership Style Works

Situational leaders are great communicators and use team feedback to make decisions. They also analyze market changes and can quickly evaluate and update processes to ensure success.

This can create strong relationships and help employees see and feel their value to the business.

Potential Challenges

Leaders need a high level of expertise in all business processes and functions to make decisions, and they must be able to pivot quickly.

It’s important to remember long-term goals and meet immediate needs; not every leader can do this effectively.

It can become confusing and stressful for teams if a leader’s approach changes too often, as they won’t know what to expect.

My Experience Working with a Situational Leader

Kaitlin Milliken is a senior program manager at HubSpot. She’s the editor who hired me to work with HubSpot, and we’ve been working together for eighteen months.

On her leadership style, Milliken says, “Throughout my career, I’ve found myself changing how I lead based on who I’m working with. I naturally adapt to what other people need, so this type of leadership definitely fits my style.”

Milliken notes that this type of leadership allows her to work with people who have varying experience levels. Someone new to the field may need more mentorship. An expert may want to focus on organizational needs.

“It’s challenging to lead if I’m not very familiar with a person’s expertise. That’s something I’m always working on,” she says.

As someone working directly under Milliken, I’ve always appreciated her openness to provide autonomy. I feel comfortable recommending ideas and edits where I think they make sense. As a situational leader, Milliken welcomes these ideas but also expresses her genuine appreciation and praise.

Writing for HubSpot has always meant a lot to me. Early on, this led to some imposter syndrome, but thanks to Milliken’s leading style, I grew to feel empowered, trusted, and comfortable.

Featured Resources

• Trait theory leadership
• Self-awareness in leadership

Deciding Between Different Leadership Styles

There’s no single “best” leadership style, so figuring out what is best for you and your environment is essential.

How to Understand Your Instinctive Leadership Style

Leaders need good instincts, and many leaders focus on their own experiences and habits as they develop a leadership style.

As you start your path toward leadership, you may want to keep notes. Write down how you would handle specific situations or problems.

Doing this can help you be a confident and capable leader, but if you notice things aren’t going as expected, you may want to reconsider your approach.

Your instincts and habits will always impact the way you lead. But if you find yourself in situations that you’re unsure how to respond to, you may want to look at other leadership styles.

For example, if you’re an extrovert with a shy member on your team, you may want to work on active listening.

If you’re an introvert leading a team of outgoing people, you may need to learn new ways to nurture, support, and inspire your team.

Lisa Lanier, President and CEO of Lanier Law Group, P.A., values the role of instinct in leadership. Lanier says, “I naturally have strong maternal instincts, so I love to guide and support my team in a nurturing way.

But I can also be firm and decisive when the situation demands it. Similarly, if someone is going through a challenging time, I’m there to offer understanding and support. It really comes down to empathy and compassion — leading with my heart, but also being direct and clear.”

Instincts will always influence leadership, but as Lanier says, sometimes you need to rely on your own decision-making for when a situation needs a leader to take control.

Lanier continues, “This adaptability, I think, comes from a combination of nature and experience. I‘m naturally drawn to helping and guiding others, but I’ve also learned a lot from my mistakes and failures.

Being resilient and learning from those experiences has helped me refine my approach and become more effective in different situations.”

Can you change your leadership style?

While it may take some time and effort, you can always change your leadership style and improve your processes.

I personally shifted my leadership style from transactional or pacesetting leadership to democratic leadership. I like and value all of these leadership styles — but with confidence and experience, I feel most authentic when leading with a democratic style.

The first step to making changes is recognizing the need for change. Whether this comes from direct employee feedback, noticing that goals aren’t being met, or people seeming to experience burnout, identifying this is the first step.

Scott Knutson, founder and chief serving officer at Leading2Serve, shifted his leadership style based on feedback. He initially followed the lead of the leaders he was exposed to when he was promoted into a leadership role.

“Since command and control was what I saw, command and control is how I led. And it worked. Our numbers were always good, and usually better than what was required. I liked showing company leadership that I could lead a team to success,” he says.

However, Knutson notes, “My success was totally about me. I wasn’t concerned about anyone else. This became abundantly clear when I was required to complete a 360-degree assessment and learned that my team hated me. That was a figurative kick in the gut that forced me to begin to learn about different leadership styles.”

As Knutson highlights, your leadership style may be effective for your team, but you might have a more challenging time connecting with people.

You don’t necessarily want to throw out your current style, but you’d want to identify what is and isn’t working. Then, get curious, and begin the work of adjusting the way you lead.

Knutson took back control by researching leadership styles. He says, “Successful leaders led me to understand that leadership is not about the leader but about the team. Focusing on my team and helping them to be successful became what drove me.”

Knutson initially called this style people-centered leadership. But then, he discovered the writings of Robert K. Greenleaf and his focus on servant leadership.

“I was immediately drawn to his belief that by focusing first on your team, not the company or the customer, this would bring the success that everyone wanted,” Knutson says.

Though you’re making a change for the better, changing your leadership style might not be easy.

In his pivot to a new leadership style, Knutson found it challenging to manage the reactions from other leaders.

He says, “Many times I was scoffed at and disregarded because of some misinformation — that [his new leadership style] was soft [and] had no backbone.

It wasn’t until the turn of the century and the plethora of research … that started to be shared that those of us who chose to be servant leaders had the data to back up our claims.”

There is a lot to learn from Knutson’s experience: Changing leadership style is sometimes necessary, but it won’t always be easy. If changing your leadership style feels right for you, you should try it.

The key, in my opinion, is authenticity. When I identified more with a transactional or pacesetting leadership style, I was left with more challenges and few benefits.

Benefits are abundant to both styles, but I struggled to connect with them when I wasn’t truly being me.

How to Choose the Right Leadership Style for You

There are many ways to find a leadership style that works for you. Because of this, it can be tough to know where to begin. If you’re not sure what leadership styles will work for you, these steps can help.

1. Get to know yourself.

Everyone has a unique path to self-discover. Some take risks and try new things and others prioritize quiet time, writing exercises, and listing strengths and weaknesses.

Another path to learning about yourself is through physical activity and spending time with other people. However you go about it, getting to know yourself is an important first step toward being a leader.

The journey of getting to know yourself will lead you to a sense of authenticity. Gauri Manglik, CEO and co-founder at Instrumentl, values the role of authenticity in leadership.

She says, “Leadership is a journey, and you never stop learning. But staying true to your values and leading with authenticity is key.”

2. Outline your values and challenges.

Knowing yourself will help you understand what’s important to you and where you struggle. Being a leader means working quickly and making decisions quickly, so having your values mapped out can be extremely helpful.

As you write out your values, look at pivotal moments in your life to date. Then, look for trends, people you’re drawn to, and common themes. If your list is long, group similar ideas together.

Having an outline can help you see how you react, your strengths and weaknesses, and a base for your core values.

Mark W Lamplugh Jr., CEO at South Jersey Treatment Management Company, is heavily driven by his values around shared decision-making.

He says, “The leadership journey I have been through was heavily influenced by my experience in marketing and the mental health domain, where empathy and understanding are very crucial. In the style of participative leadership, I feel most connected with its values that support shared decision-making.”

Lamplugh noted the progression was natural. As he began to advance professionally, it became clear that collective brainstorming sessions were the best places for ideas to flourish.

“In fact, in mental health care particularly, respecting and recognizing different perspectives is vital not only for creative thinking but also for delivering compassionate care,” he notes.

3. Watch leaders you respect.

Observing leaders you respect can also help you define your leadership style. As you watch them in meetings, client conversations, and presentations, take notes of what you like.

Another approach is to view their actions with specific leadership styles in mind, helping you figure out what their approach is and whether it will work for you.

The important thing to note is that the leadership style must work for you. Gauri Manglik found her way to her leadership style after emulating the bosses or mentors she admired.

She says, “My leadership style developed organically over my career. Early on, I tried to emulate bosses or mentors I admired. But I quickly learned that I needed to develop my own style that fit my personality and strengths.”

Watching leaders is a great place to start, but developing your own style is a must. Even our most aspirational leaders might not hold all the clues to our leadership style.

4. Try different leadership styles.

A hands-on option is to try out different leadership styles. You can create an outline of what interests you and review your notes before your next meeting to see how you can incorporate it into your interactions.

I spoke to many leaders when writing this article, and there’s a common theme: leadership styles are developed over time.

Connor Gillivan, CMO at TrioSEO, started experimenting with leadership styles in college. He says, “I got real-life experience [of leadership] starting my own e-commerce business in college and building a team of 30 plus team members over four years.”

In over 15 years of being an entrepreneur, Gillivan’s leadership style has evolved.

His goal as a leader is to put people in a win-win-win situation: “a win for them in their personal growth, a win for the company in its growth stage, and a win for me in terms of growth,” he says.

5. Find a business coach or mentor.

Working with a business coach can also help you hone your leadership style.

A mentor can be someone in your workplace you respect and would appreciate feedback from, whether it’s another leader or a colleague you respect. You can also check out this guide on how to find a business coach.

Matthew Sanjari, founder and business coach at PRIME Consulting, says, “I’ve spent a significant amount of time developing my leadership style by being coached and mentored myself.”

6. Ask colleagues and leaders for feedback.

Another way to find the best style for your needs is to ask other colleagues, leaders, and team members for feedback.

The best approach for this strategy is to plan out what you want to ask and why so you get the feedback you need. Think about how people might respond and also set clear guidelines and expectations.

When you get feedback, make sure to listen carefully. You’ll gain valuable information about your strengths and weaknesses that will help you understand where you need to improve and the style that will help you improve.

Bhavik Sarkhedi, CMO at Write Right, credits feedback with helping him develop his style. He also describes his leadership journey as “transformative.”

He says, “My leadership style leans towards transformational leadership — I strive to inspire and motivate my team by setting a vision that pushes boundaries and fosters innovation.”

Sarkhedi notes that this style didn’t emerge overnight. It was cultivated through continuous learning, feedback, and adapting to different challenges.

“Early in my career, I observed various leaders, noting what resonated with their teams and what didn’t. Reading extensively, from classic leadership tomes to contemporary articles, provided theoretical backing to the practical insights I gathered,” Sarkhedi says.

7. Complete a leadership style assessment.

Leadership assessments are helpful tools for leaders, yourself as an individual, and teams.

A leadership quiz can make it easier to understand your strengths and skills. It can surface habits and qualities you might not be aware of and give you a clear direction for growth.

If this is something you want to try, the leadership assessment below is a great place to start.

Inge Von Aulock, CEO of Top Apps, believes that high self-awareness makes a good leader.

She says, “There are a few key aspects of strengths-based leadership to consider. It requires you to have self-awareness because you have to get brutally honest with yourself about your own strengths through assessments and feedback.”

Leadership Style Assessment

Leaders carry a mix of the leadership styles mentioned above. At the root of these styles, leadership experts Bill Torbert and David Rooke say, are what are called “action logics.”

These action logics assess “how [leaders] interpret their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged.”

That’s the idea behind the Leadership Development Profile, a popular management survey tool. Created by professor Torbert and psychologist Susanne Cook-Greuter — and featured in the book Personal and Organizational Transformations. 

The survey uses a set of 36 open-ended sentence completion tasks to help researchers better understand how leaders develop and grow.

Below, we’ve used open-ended sentences to outline six action logics that describe each one. Review the sentences, see how they resonate with you, and figure out which leadership style upholds based on the action logic you most align with.

1. Individualist

The individualist is self-aware, creative, and primarily focused on their actions and development as opposed to overall organizational performance.

This action logic is exceptionally driven by the desire to exceed personal goals and constantly improve their skills.

Here are some things an individualist might say:

Individualist 1: “A good leader should always trust their own intuition over established organizational processes.”

Individualist 2: “It’s important to be able to relate to others so I can easily communicate complex ideas to them.”

Individualist 3: “I’m more comfortable with progress than sustained success.”

2. Strategist

Strategists are acutely aware of the environments they’re in and have a deep understanding of the structures and processes that make their businesses tick. Still, they’re also able to evaluate what could be improved.

Here are some things a strategist might say:

Strategist 1: “A good leader should always be able to build a consensus in divided groups.”

Strategist 2: “It’s important to help develop the organization as a whole, as well as the growth and individual achievements of my direct reports.”

Strategist 3: “Conflict is inevitable, but I‘m knowledgeable enough about my team’s personal and professional relationships to handle the friction.”

3. Alchemist

Rooke and Tolbert describe the alchemist as highly evolved and effective at managing organizational change.

They differ from other action logics in their unique ability to simultaneously see the big picture and minute details. No department or employee gets overlooked with an alchemist leader.

Here are some things an alchemist might say:

Alchemist 1: “A good leader helps their employees reach their highest potential, and possesses the necessary empathy and moral awareness to get there.”

Alchemist 2: “It‘s important to make a profound and positive impact on whatever I’m working on.”

Alchemist 3: “I have a unique ability to balance short-term needs and long-term goals.”

4. Opportunist

Opportunists are guided by a certain level of mistrust of others, relying on a facade of control to keep their employees in line.

“Opportunists tend to regard their bad behavior as legitimate in the cut and thrust of an eye-for-an-eye world,” Rooke and Tolbert write.

Here are some things an opportunist might say:

Opportunist 1: “A good leader should always view others as potential competition to be bested, even if it’s at the expense of their professional development.”

Opportunist 2: “I reserve the right to reject the input of those who question or criticize my ideas.”

5. Diplomat

Unlike the opportunist, the diplomat isn’t concerned with competition or assuming control over situations.

Instead, this action logic seeks to cause minimal impact on their organization by conforming to existing norms and completing their daily tasks with as little friction as possible.

Here are some things a diplomat might say:

Diplomat 1: “A good leader should always resist change since it risks causing instability among their direct reports.”

Diplomat 2: “It‘s important to provide the ’social glue’ in team situations, safely away from conflict.”

Diplomat 3: “I tend to thrive in more team-oriented or supporting leadership roles.”

6. Expert

The expert is a pro in their given field, constantly striving to perfect their knowledge of a subject and perform to meet their own high expectations.

Rooke and Tolbert describe the expert as a talented individual contributor and a source of knowledge for the team. But, this action logic does lack something central to many good leaders: emotional intelligence.

Here are some things a diplomat might say:

Expert 1: “A good leader should prioritize their own pursuit of knowledge over the needs of the organization and their direct reports.”

Expert 2: “When problem-solving with others in the company, my opinion tends to be the correct one.”

Which Leader Are You?

So, which action logic above felt like you? Think about each sentence for a moment.

Now, check out which of the seven leadership styles you embrace on the right based on the sentences you resonated with on the left.

Alt text: Table shows action logic sentences with associated leadership styles so you can identify your leadership style using examples.

The more action logics you agree with, the more likely you are to practice a mix of leadership styles.

For example, if you agreed with everything the strategist said, this would make you a 66% strategic leader and 33% democratic leader.

If you agreed with the third statement and everything the alchemist said, this would make you a 50% transformational, 25% strategic, and 25% democratic leader.

Keep in mind that these action logics are considered developmental stages, not fixed attributes — most leaders will progress through multiple types of leadership throughout their careers.

Learn Your Leadership Management Style to Become a Better Leader

Whether you manage a big or small team, your leadership style heavily impacts how your direct reports see you and how your team works together to achieve your company’s goals.

There are many different styles of leadership, so choosing one that works for you can make you a more effective leader.

If you want to be a leader that makes a difference, you’ll need to keep growing and embrace change. Are you ready to get started?

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

While many landing pages look different and use a variety of strategies to pull in audiences, they all serve one major purpose — to convert visitors to the next stage in the buyer’s journey.

Table of Contents

• What is the purpose of a landing page?
• What is a good landing page conversion rate?
• Great Examples of Landing Page Design
• Simple Landing Pages
• Product Landing Pages
• Webinar Landing Page Examples
• Course Landing Page Examples
• B2B Landing Page Examples
• Membership Landing Page Examples
• Newsletter Landing Page Examples

Rather than serving as a basic advertisement that shows a customer a product, a landing page aims to engage a customer by offering them something that relates to the product or the company’s industry.

When they fill out the form and receive a interesting content, they might be even more likely to trust your brand and become a customer.

Quick tip: Want an easy way to add a form to your landing page? HubSpot’s free form builder tool can help you fill your CRM with leads from your website.

I’ll share an example of when a landing page can be especially effective.

If a business wants to sell an AI product that helps salespeople, it might create a landing page that offers audiences a free video on how to use AI in the sales industry. Interested audiences might offer their contact information in exchange for valuable information.

If they enjoy the video they’ve received, they might be more likely to respond to or purchase a product from a company rep who calls them.

Another quick tip: How about an AI product that helps with landing pages? HubSpot’s Campaign Assistant turns your key value props into effective landing page copy in just a few clicks.

Plus, the Landing Page Creator GPT can craft copy for you in minutes and even create a designed page in HubSpot’s CMS with the click of a button.

In another scenario, a publishing company that targets an audience of chief executives might create a landing page that invites audiences to sign up for a webinar hosted by an executive at a major company.

After giving their email address on the signup form presented on the landing page, the leads get an email with the webinar dates and login information, as well as instructions on how to sign up for the publication’s newsletter or subscription.

If the webinar pleases the user, they might sign up for the newsletter or a subscription to keep up with similar publication content.

Although their purpose is simple, designing a successful landing page requires some detailed planning and creative testing.

Even after launching your landing page, you‘ll want to pay attention to conversion rates to see how well it’s doing.

To determine your conversion rate, simply divide the number of conversions a web page generates by the number of people who visited that page.

If your conversion rate isn‘t close to the average just yet, don’t worry. Nailing those percentages can be challenging at first, especially if you have a lot of regular page visitors.

Luckily, there are several simple conversion rate optimization strategies that can help you boost your current rate quickly.

Regardless of what your business is selling or the conversion action you hope to instigate, it’s helpful to get inspired by seeing what other great landing pages look like.

And because there‘s no one “right” way of designing a landing page, you’ll want to check out examples from lots of different industries for different stages of the buying process.

Want to get inspired? Check out the great landing page examples below.

Great Examples of Landing Page Design

1. AirBnB (Travel and Leisure)

This AirBnB landing page is a one-stop shop for visitors curious about where to book a holiday rental. It features several options like beachfronts, cabins, and amazing views.

What I like: Once a user clicks, they can easily view the potential home, read testimonials, and view the pricing. What’s even better is a user’s ability to select a date to book on the same page and convert on the spot if the info is convincing.

How to Implement This Yourself

AirBnB’s design style is clean and platform agnostic, which makes for a pleasant site for users on iOS and Android. Follow conventions on important elements like navigation, system iconography, contextual actions, and interactions for a similar experience.

2. Wix (SaaS: Web Development)

Wix has turned its landing page into a creative playground with a captivating digital illustration that follows you down the page. It‘s not overwhelming or distracting — it’s carefully balanced with white space and clear text.

What I like: Wix’s use of design to emphasize certain touchpoints on the page. For instance, the mountain’s peak in the illustration points to the main CTA encouraging visitors to get started.

How to Implement This Yourself

Explore your brand’s color palette and story. Make it reflect your mission and identity in an eye-catching way that differentiates yours from competitors. And if you need a guide, create a custom color palette for your brand here.

3. ExpressVPN (Digital Privacy and Security)

What do I love most about this landing page? It’s not what it has, but what it doesn’t — a navigation bar! By removing the navigation bar, ExpressVPN shines a spotlight on the primary CTA.

Why do we take an anti-navigation stance for landing pages? They distract visitors and lead them away from the intended action. Not only is this a landing page design best practice, but our A/B tests experiment shows that removing navigation links from landing pages increases conversion rates.

How to Implement This Yourself

The choice to use a serif typeface speaks to ExpressVPN’s established trust and authority. Differentiate your brand from the trend of straight lines and rigid, sharp edges and try to find fluidity and warmth in your style.

4. Row House (Fitness)

Besides its sleek design, this landing page gets bonus points for the header that gives prospects a free first class.

I also like the copy, which speaks to both new and experienced fitness pros. What’s better is including access to a fitness community that can help keep customers accountable to their fitness goals.

How to Implement This Yourself

Row House focused its website design to be minimal and get people straight to sign up. When you design your own landing page, ditch a fussy design and focus on how you can turn prospects to customers quicker.

5. Codeacademy (SaaS: Education)

I like this page because it’s simple in both copy and design.

The form on the page is simple and only requires an email address and password. Or, you can use your LinkedIn, Facebook, GitHub, or Google Plus login, shortening the conversion path even further.

The landing page also offers real-life success stories, testimonials, and other forms of social proof for visitors who need more information before creating an account. This helps make the potentially intimidating world of coding more approachable for beginners.

How to Implement This Yourself

Lead your landing page design centered on value. Let your webpage be more of a blank canvas to showcase your satisfied customers.

6. Sunbasket (Ecommerce: Food and Nutrition)

Sunbasket’s landing page ticks all the boxes by communicating its audience’s challenge in simple terms. People like me want an easy and convenient process in making meals.

I want the best quality food that’s organic. And I want my meals on autopilot. Sunbasket nails all these and that means my chance of becoming a customer is high.

How to Implement This Yourself

List the pain points of your audience and confirm you’ve answered them on your landing page. Doing this makes your audience feel seen and this can boost your odds of converting them.

7. Curology (Beauty)

I‘d argue that the top fold is the most important element of a landing page, alongside the CTA.

Curology’s top fold is clean, visually appealing, and to the point — and the copy is less than 50 characters long. Users immediately understand the offer and how it can benefit them.

Even if the brand is new to you, its message is loud and clear: regardless of your skin issues, Curology has a custom solution for you.

How to Implement This Yourself

Make your landing page reflect how your customer will feel when they use your product. An open and clear visual of a room with plants and clean tile gives a pleasant impression that your audience may be looking for.

8. Breather (Productivity: Co-working Space)

Here‘s another example of clever, delightful design on a landing page.

As soon as you visit Breather.com, there’s an instant call to action: indicate where you want to find a space. Plus, it uses location services to figure out where you are, providing instant options nearby.

I love how Breather uses simple, to-the-point copy to let the visitor know what the company does, followed immediately by the CTA to select a city.

The negative space and soothing color scheme also align with the product — essentially, room to breathe.

How to Implement This Yourself

You want to make customer sign ups as easy as possible. Place your CTA as a focal point and design your landing page in a way that guides users to click them.

9. Mailchimp (SaaS: Marketing)

For starters, check out the two sunny yellow calls to action — they are impossible to ignore. It’s a bold departure from its more subdued home page, yet still on brand.

Besides the color, this landing page gets a shoutout for its CTA placement. It displays a consistent CTA (“Start free trial” and “Get started”) and is visible on the page.

This is a solid strategy since the CTA operates as a gateway for converting clients. It should be available to visitors as they move down the page, not just once on the top fold.

How to Implement This Yourself

Soft colors are the modern norm, but that doesn’t mean your brand has to fall in line. Go against the grain like Mailchimp and make a bold landing page background with cool tone CTAs to compliment.

10. Paramount Plus (SaaS: Entertainment)

This landing page design has it all. It’s visually appealing, interactive, and offers scannable yet descriptive headers. Plus, the background makes each fold look slightly different, creating a captivating scrolling experience.

The landing page also features a repeatable CTA (“Sign In…”) and several strategically-placed content offers, culminating in multiple touchpoints for visitors to convert.

How to Implement This Yourself

Don’t be afraid to place more than one CTA on your landing page. Space them out appropriately and even experiment with the wording to see which gets the most clicks.

11. CarMax (Automobile: Cars)

CarMax is ready to empower visitors to do their own research right on the landing page. It features a search bar that leads to a large database of cars and a calculator that allows visitors to estimate their ideal monthly budget.

For those looking to sell their car, it also includes a form that users can fill out to receive a quote.

It‘s clear CarMax wants the buying or selling experience to be as painless as possible. By translating the company’s customer-centric approach on its landing page, CarMax effectively turns a universally dreaded event — purchasing a new car — into a straightforward process without gimmicks or barriers.

How to Implement This Yourself

Sometimes, you don’t need to do a lot of convincing on your landing page.

Instead of relying on text heavy monologue or testimonials, present customers with a means to get the information they want first, and then get into the details as they explore your site.

Simple Landing Pages

12. Uber (Ride-sharing)

People are flooded with information online. This is why creating a skim-able landing page is essential — like this one from Uber.

It features a black-and-white color scheme, short and easily-digestible sentences, and a simple call to action that leads to a sign up form. The combination of these elements results in a professional and approachable page.

How to Implement This Yourself

If your product or service doesn‘t target a specific or niche market, but instead a broad range of people, you should focus your web design on conveying a clear message over complicated design styles.

Anyone can use Uber, so you don’t want to drive any customers away.

13. Spotify (Ecommerce: Audio Streaming)

This landing page takes a dramatic detour from Spotify‘s classic green and black colors — and perhaps that’s the point. It could be a way to signal to visitors that the page serves a different purpose from its other content.

Even though the landing page is relatively simple, the stark color contrast emphasizes the text and CTAs. To entice visitors even more, Spotify lists different pricing plans for its different audience segments.

How to Implement This Yourself

Incorporate some original graphic design elements into your landing page to add to the visuals on your landing page. We’ve already discussed how important it is to display clear CTAs, but a visual indicator of what the product or service is like can further push prospects to convert.

14. Canva (SaaS: Design)

Sometimes, you need to admire a landing page for its attractive and straightforward design.

Similar to the example above, this one features an abundance of white space that accentuates the text and balances the bright colors throughout.

To seal it off, the page ends with a FAQ section.

If you suspect visitors will have additional questions about your products or services, you may want to include a similar section too. It lets potential customers better understand what you’re trying to sell them, and sends a message that you’re open to questions.

How to Implement This Yourself

Canva incorporates its product as a part of its landing page design and so can you. If you want people to see the product range or capabilities of your service, show them upfront.

Product Landing Pages

15. Mooala (Ecommerce: Food)

Playful isn‘t usually the first word that comes to mind when you think of dairy-free milk, but Mooala’s bright and colorful landing page is exactly that.

This example illustrates how you can embrace simplicity while using relatively bold striking colors — like neon green — to highlight important headers and CTAs.

To pull this off, stick with colors that correspond with your brand while also capturing the attention of visitors.

How to Implement This Yourself

Mooala uses a distinct color story to off its product range, and it‘s done with earth tones intentionally. There’s an added layer of trustability when your product/site design looks trustworthy, and for an organic product line, earthy tones add to that motif.

16. Nauto (Shipping)

When writing website copy for a product or service, a helpful rule of thumb is to expand on the benefits rather than the features. Such advice also applies to writing landing pages.

For example, instead of bombarding visitors with technical information, Nauto, a fleet safety platform, chooses to highlight its benefits with clear and engaging copy (“Your roadmap for fleet safety”). In doing so, Nauto makes its content offer more appealing.

How to Implement This Yourself

Focus your landing page on what your product or service can do for the people that come across it. They need to know how it will improve their lives or processes, not the specs or minute details.

17. Rover (Pets)

Putting your pets in the care of another person can be nerve-wracking. Which is why Rover, an on-demand pet care service, leans on social proof to build trust with visitors.

The landing page includes testimonials from real clients and copy about its “Rover Guarantee” and 24/7 support. Of course, the cute pictures of animals help too.

How to Implement This Yourself

Rover knows what its customer base is visiting its website for, and that’s to easily book pet services. When you think about what your customer base is trying to accomplish, meet them with a solution as soon as they get to your landing page.

18. Gong.io (SaaS: Call Recording)

There are many intelligence platforms on the market, and Gong knows that. So how did it make its landing page stand out? By calling itself an AI platform and using social proof of 4,000+ customers to show that the platform works.

Gong is a revenue intelligence platform, and when you go into the site, you may be curious to know what all that means — you may want to see conversion analytics, sales training capabilities, or more depending on your business.

Gong solves that need on its landing page by displaying messages such as,“Engage customers, forecast accurately, and improve team productivity, all in one revenue intelligence platform.”

And to make it even more convincing, Gong adds lots of average review ratings it has got from third-party websites. This adds more credibility to the platform and can spur prospects to demo the software.

How to Implement This Yourself

Try out an interactive landing page. Look at different themes or code that can move automatically or with the viewer as they scroll your site to reveal more interesting and positive information about your product or service.

Webinar Landing Page Examples

19. Gartner (Consulting)

The headline of this webinar landing page made me lean forward.

First, it focuses on the trending issue of AI and its role in the future of work. But most remarkably, the topic is contrarian. Experts say AI lacks empathy. So, the notion that AI could be “your most human-centric leader” is intriguing.

Note that Gartner doesn’t claim AI is human-centric. The webinar’s description reveals that its goal is to show how AI can augment, not replace, workplace leaders. This theme is common in conversations around the “AI and future of work” topic.

However, by crafting the topic in a thought-provoking way, Gartner effectively captures its audience’s attention without using click-bait.

How to Implement This Yourself

According to a 2021 BrightTALK report, your webinar topic has the greatest impact on registration and attendance. So, getting it right is crucial.

Choose a topic relevant to your target audience’s needs and goals. You can attract more interest by selecting trending topics or approaching the subject from a contrarian angle.

What I like: Gartner’s signup form is conspicuous and short, requiring email only. Per our survey of 101 U.S-based marketers and advertisers, 30.7% believe four form questions are ideal for maximum conversions. However, we believe there’s no one-size-fits-all for the number of questions to ask on your landing page form.

My recommendation? Only request information that you absolutely need from visitors.

20. ConvertCart (SaaS: Marketing)

This webinar landing page also nails its webinar topic. Audiences prefer real-life experiences over textbook knowledge. So, the case study format of the webinar is appealing.

Learning email secrets gathered from other successful eCommerce businesses will likely interest other eCommerce business owners. I’d wager that a different headline, like “Effective Email Strategies for a Successful eCommerce Business,” could have a lower conversion rate.

How to Implement This Yourself

The landing page copy states that ConvertCart studied emails of 500+ e-commerce brands to uncover the secrets they shared. You, too, can find valuable insights by auditing your audience insights, interviewing your most successful customers, or just conducting a research study.

21. Calendly (SaaS: Scheduling Automation)

In my experience, most webinar landing pages present the webinar details using text-based copy. But here, Calendly used a 43-second video. This move is smart, given the growing popularity of video marketing.

I also like that they partnered with an SME — sales educator Morgan J. Ingram — for the webinar and promo video. This partnership signals Calendly’s commitment to addressing customer pain points, potentially boosting webinar lead conversions.

Morgan’s experience includes training at Salesforce, Google, Slack, and other high-growth startups. His presence in the video will attract sales professionals who are familiar with his work.

How to Implement This Yourself

90% of video marketers say that video gives them a positive ROI. Consider featuring a video promo on your webinar landing page. Bonus points if you can collaborate with an SME or an influencer.

Course Landing Page Examples

22. Radical Design Course by Jack McDade (Design)

If you wanted to take a design course, your first question would probably be, “Is this designer worth learning from?” Jade instantly shows his expertise by using a landing page that stands out for its unique, retro-style design.

I like the insights I get about the course creator’s personality, thanks to the personality-infused video sales letter and copy.

How to Implement This Yourself

Everyone appreciates beauty. Thankfully, you can create an attractive course landing page using drag-and-drop builders like HubSpot. You don’t need a design or technical background.

For course creators, your unique personality is one of your strongest differentiators. So, let your personality shine through your landing page. It makes your copy more engaging.

23. Part-Time YouTuber Academy by Ali Abdaal (Video)

This landing page excels in several areas. First, the title “Part-Time YouTuber Academy” directly addresses a common concern of new creators: “I don’t have time to make videos.”

As expected from a YouTube content creation course, the page features a compelling sales video from Ali.

However, it also includes reviews from successful students and popular creators like Tiage Forte, author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Building a Second Brain, and Chris Williamson, host of the popular “Morden Wisdom” podcast.

I love that all the testimonial videos were recorded in high resolution. I’ve seen course pages from well-known creators with low-resolution video reviews, which weaken the impact of the testimonials and their brand. We know this landing page converts well because Ali reported earning $2.5 million in course sales in 2023.

How to Implement This Yourself

The right course name can make the difference between a high and low-converting landing page, so choose one that makes a solid first impression on your audience.

Additionally, details like the resolution of testimonial videos might seem minor, but they matter. Ensure every element of your landing page reflects careful craftsmanship.

24. Freelancing School by Joanna Weibe (Copywriting)

Joanna Wiebe is a highly respected and experienced copywriter, and she shows her skills on this landing page. The headline appeals to readers’ emotions by addressing a common aspiration among freelance writers: earning six figures.

Rather than simply saying, “I can help you achieve that dream,” she takes an authoritative stance, challenging readers to leverage her resources to achieve their dreams. This authoritative tone continues in her video sales letter.

The landing page also features other experts like Jillian Smith, Aaron Orendorff, and Jesse Gernigin as instructors. Collaborating with these marketing veterans builds trust and increases the likelihood of conversion.

How to Implement This Yourself

Don’t shy away from using an authoritative tone in your landing page copy.

Potential customers need to be convinced of your competence, so confidently list your achievements and collaborate with other experts to build trust.

An authoritative tone, balanced with empathy, can help persuade and engage your audience.

25. Notion Mastery by Marie Poulin (Project Management)

Notion is an increasingly popular and versatile tool that combines project management, knowledge management, and collaboration tools into a single software platform.

Marie describes her course as “the world’s best Notion training.” This claim triggered my BS instinct and made me think, “Just anyone can say that.” I wanted proof.

Fortunately, she shared feedback from Notion Founder Ivan Zhao that completely solidified her claim. Ivan described her as a world-class Notion expert who’s able to do with Notion things that are beyond his imagination. In Ivan’s words, Marie’s skill “blew our minds.” I was ready to pull out my credit card at this point.

How to Implement This Yourself

Landing pages often make big claims but fail to justify them. Without evidence, these claims can come across as empty promises.

Thanks to unethical marketers, buyers have learned that some people would say anything to make a sale. Your audience wants to believe you, but they need proof. So, always provide evidence to back up your big claims.

B2B Landing Page Examples

26. Survicate (SaaS)

Survicate nailed its messaging. Without scrolling past the hero section, I completely understood Survicate’s use case and value proposition.

The pre-headline, “Effortless Survey Software,” clearly shows the product category. The personality-infused headline and bullet points effectively communicate the company’s value proposition. They further reinforce this message with images of common survey types on their platform.

Further down the page, Survicate highlights what makes it different.

How to Implement This Yourself

B2B copy often lacks personality, which is unfortunate because everyone appreciates a bit of fun. Brainstorm opportunities to infuse personality in your messaging without coming off as unprofessional.

Pro tip: Ask yourself, “How would a delighted customer describe our product without corporate jargon?”

27. Plus Docs (SaaS)

This landing page headline tells us what Plus Docs does, but they go further by demonstrating the product’s use cases with a 5-minute video.

SaaS tools rarely include a demo video on their homepage. They usually place it in their help center or YouTube channel. Including a demo on the homepage shows that Plus Docs has thoughtfully considered the questions site visitors may have.

How to Implement This Yourself

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for creating an effective landing page.

However, the right mindset is crucial. Ask yourself, “Does this landing page address the common questions readers will have?” Don’t hesitate to adopt relatively uncommon practices if they help answer these questions.

28. Hack the Box (Cybersecurity)

Though this landing page is in an unfamiliar niche, it took me less than 15 seconds to understand they’re a cybersecurity company.

The headline, “Cyber Performance Center,” seemed vague at first, but as I scrolled down, I realized they provide security training to individuals and organizations.

I like how Hack the Box promoted their event — Business CTF 2024 — near the top of the landing page in a non-distracting way.

Further down, they included a quote to highlight the necessity of their service: “50% and more of significant cyber incidents are caused by a lack of skills or human failure.” This quote would be more compelling if they cited their source.

How to Implement This Yourself

Ensure your headline passes the grunt test. Within 5 seconds of landing on your site, visitors should know what you offer, how it will improve their lives, and how to take the next step: purchase.

Membership Landing Page Examples

29. Exitfive by Dave Gehardt (Community: Marketing)

I love the design of this landing page. It uses interactive animations to create an immersive experience for visitors. The membership benefit is also clear: access to proven knowledge to succeed in B2B marketing.

The community’s founder, Dave Gerhardt, was VP of Marketing at Drift, leading the company to a $1B+ valuation. He was also CMO at Privy, a brand that was acquired for $100M+. So, Dave has the credentials to match Exit Five’s promise.

However, he makes it risk-free to join by offering a 7-day free trial.

How to Implement This Yourself

Simple landing pages built using drag-and-drop builders are sufficient. However, if your budget can accommodate it, consider investing in an exceptional landing page. It’s an effective way to stand out.

30. Pavillion (Community: Marketing)

This landing page design is nice and vibrant. I like how the headline gets the spotlight on this landing page. Also, the text-light hero section helps to reduce the probability of overwhelm. The page remains scannable as you scroll down.

How to Implement This Yourself

Leonardo Da Vinci asserted that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry also said, “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” The lesson? Be rigorous about ensuring your landing page contains no unnecessary parts. Simplicity sells.

Newsletter Landing Page Examples

31. Justin Welsh (Marketing)

Justin Welsh is one of the world’s foremost authorities on solopreneurship, and I love how he frontloads his authority on this landing page.

While landing pages typically place testimonials in the middle or near the bottom, Justin features endorsements from well-known entrepreneurs like Dan Go, Sahil Bloom, and Dan Koe right in the hero section.

His hero section also highlights his impressive readership of 215K+ people. I appreciate that Justin shares the estimated reading time for his newsletters. With so many unread emails, knowing his emails take less than 4 minutes per week to read makes it easier for me to commit.

Additionally, he includes links to previous issues, allowing visitors to sample the emails before subscribing.

How to Implement This Yourself

Third-party reviews are powerful. If you have testimonials from notable people, feature them prominently on your landing page rather than near the bottom.

Additionally, find creative ways to establish your expertise and address your target audience’s common objections right from the start.

32. The Gist (Sports)

I hadn’t heard of The Gist until recently, but its 900K+ subscriber count is huge social proof. This large following suggests an established reputation, making me more attentive to its offer.

They further strengthened their credibility by adding, “As seen in Forbes, TechCrunch.” These efforts are essential because people want news from credible sources. True to its name, The Gist’s landing page content is snackable — the entire page fits my screen, so I didn’t have to scroll.

How to Implement This Yourself

As mentioned earlier, ensure your landing page addresses your target audience’s biggest objections. Also, strive to frontload this information and keep it brief.

33. 3-2-1 Newsletter by James Clear (Self-improvement)

James makes a bold claim, describing his newsletter as “the most wisdom per word of any newsletter on the web.” But I’m inclined to believe his claim since I know he authored “Atomic Habits,” a book that’s sold over 15 million copies as of 2023.

Plus, self-improvement newsletters with three million+ subscribers are rare. So even if a page visitor were unaware of his success as an author, that social proof could spur them to subscribe.

Like Justin, James‘s landing page also features past issues of the newsletter so visitors can scan it and determine if it’s worth their time.

How to Implement This Yourself

Many authorities avoid taking a stance because they don’t want to seem cocky.

But true authorities don’t (or shouldn’t) hedge. Like Joanna Weibe, Maurie Poulin, and Justin Welsh in the examples above, confidently brag on your landing page… within reason.

Your best customers will find this confidence attractive, not repulsive.

Ready to build your landing page?

Whether you’re using a landing page template or building one from scratch, it’s essential to keep these best practices top of mind. And remember to test your landing pages to improve their effectiveness.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in January 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.

As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, it’s easier for you to learn how to write a good one.

So what does a good business plan look like? And how do you write one that’s both viable and convincing? I’ll walk you through the ideal business plan format along with some examples to help you get started.

Table of Contents

• Business Plan Types
• Business Plan Format
• Sample Business Plan: Section by Section
• Sample Business Plan Templates
• Top Business Plan Examples

Business Plan Types

Ultimately, the format of your business plan will vary based on your goals for that plan. I’ve added this quick review of different business plan types that achieve differing goals.

For a more detailed exploration of business plan types, you can check out this post.

1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas. If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

You can check out this guide for more detailed business plan inspiration.

2. Feasibility Studies

Feasibility business plans focus on that business’s product or service. Feasibility plans are sometimes added to startup business plans. They can also be a new business plan for an already thriving organization.

3. Internal Use

You can use internal business plans to share goals, strategies, or performance updates with stakeholders. In my opinion, internal business plans are useful for alignment and building support for ambitious goals.

4. Strategic Initiatives

A strategic business plan is another business plan that’s often shared internally. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

When a business is moving forward with an acquisition or repositioning, it may need extra structure and support. These types of business plans expand on a company’s acquisition or repositioning strategy.

6. Growth

Growth sometimes just happens as a business continues operations. But more often, a business needs to create a structure with specific targets to meet set goals for expansion. This business plan type can help a business focus on short-term growth goals and align resources with those goals.

Business Plan Format

I’m going to focus on a startup business plan that needs to be detailed and research-backed as well as compelling enough to convince investors to offer funding. In my experience, the most comprehensive and convincing business plans contain the following sections.

Executive Summary

This all-important introduction to your business plan sets the tone and includes the company description as well as what you will be exchanging for money — whether that’s product lines, services, or product-service hybrids.

Market Opportunity

Information about gaps in your industry’s market and how you plan to fill them, focused on demand and potential for growth.

Competitive Landscape Analysis

An overview of your competitors that includes consideration of their strengths and how you’ll manage them, their weaknesses and how you’ll capitalize on them, and how you can differentiate your offerings in the industry.

Target Audience

Descriptions of your ideal customers, their various problems that you can solve, and your customer acquisition strategy.

Marketing Strategy

This section details how you will market your brand to achieve specific goals, the channels and tactics you’ll utilize to reach those goals, and the metrics you’ll be using to measure your progress.

Key Features and Benefits

This is where you’ll use plain language to emphasize the value of your product/service, how it solves the problems of your target audiences, and how you’ll scale up over time.

Pricing and Revenue

This section describes your pricing strategy and plans for building revenue streams that fit your audiences while achieving your business goals.

Financials

This is the final section, communicating with investors that your business idea is worth investing in via profit/loss statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets to prove viability.

Sample Business Plan: Section by Section

Okay, so now that we have a format established, I’ll give you more specific details about each section along with examples. Truthfully, I wish I’d had this resource to help me flesh out those first business plans long ago.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. It is essentially an overview of and introduction to your entire project.

Write this in such a way that it grabs your readers’ attention and guides them through the rest of the business plan. This is important because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary: your company description and your products and services.

Company Description

This is the perfect space to highlight your company’s mission statement and goals, a brief overview of your history and leadership, and your top accomplishments as a business.

Tell potential investors who you are and why what you do matters. Naturally, they’re going to want to know who they’re getting into business with up front. This is a great opportunity to showcase your impact.

Need some extra help firming up your business goals? I’d recommend HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set meaningful goals that matter most for your business.

Products and Services

Here, you will incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive, as it is just a chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business. I recommend including snippets of information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here as well.

Keep in mind that you’ll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. The executive summary should be clear and brief, only including the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template. What makes this executive summary good is that it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Example 1:

Our Mission

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels offers gluten-free bagels, along with various toppings, other gluten-free breakfast sandwich items, and coffee. The facility is entirely gluten free. Our team expects to catch the interest of gluten-free, celiac, or health-conscious community members who are seeking an enjoyable cafe to socialize. Due to a lack of gluten-free bagel products in the food industry currently, we expect mild competition and are confident we will be able to build a strong market position.

The Company and Management

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels was founded in 2010 by Maria Jones, who first began selling her gluten-free bagels online from her home, using social media to spread the word. In 2012 she bought a retail location in Hamilton, MA, which now employs four full-time employees and six part-time employees. Prior to her bagel shop, Maria was a chef in New York and has extensive experience in the food industry.

Along with Maria Jones, Gluten Free Bagel Shop has a board of advisors. The advisors are:

1. Jeni King, partner at Winding Communications, Ltd.
2. Henry Wilson, president of Blue Robin, LLP.

Our Product

We offer gluten-free products ranging from bagels and cream cheese to blueberry muffins, coffee, and pastries. Our customers are health-conscious, community-oriented people who enjoy gluten-free products. We will create a welcoming, warm environment with opportunities for open mic nights, poetry readings, and other community functions. We will focus on creating an environment in which someone feels comfortable meeting a friend for lunch, or working remotely.

Our Competitive Advantages

While there are other coffee shops and cafes in the North Shore region, there are none that offer purely gluten-free options. This restricts those suffering from gluten-free illnesses or simply those with a gluten-free preference. This will be our primary selling point. Additionally, our market research [see Section 3] has shown a demand for a community-oriented coffee and bagel shop in the town of Hamilton, MA.

Financial Considerations

Our sales projections for the first year are $400,000. We project a 15% growth rate over the next two years. By year three, we project 61% gross margins.

We will have four full-time employees. The salary for each employee will be $50,000.

Start-up Financing Requirements

We are seeking to raise $125,000 in startup to finance year one. The owner has invested $50,000 to meet working capital requirements, and will use a loan of $100,000 to supplement the rest.

Example 2:

Marianne and Keith Bean have been involved with the food industry for several years. They opened their first restaurant in Antlers, Oklahoma in 1981, and their second in Hugo in 1988. Although praised for the quality of many of the items on their menu, they have attained a special notoriety for their desserts. After years of requests for their flavored whipped cream toppings, they have decided to pursue marketing these products separately from the restaurants.

Marianne and Keith Bean have developed several recipes for flavored whipped cream topping. They include chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon almond, and strawberry. These flavored dessert toppings have been used in the setting of their two restaurants over the past 18 years, and have been produced in large quantities. The estimated shelf life of the product is 21 days at refrigeration temperatures and up to six months when frozen. The Beans intend to market this product in its frozen state in 8 and 12-ounce plastic tubs. They also intend to have the products available in six ounce pressurized cans. Special attention has been given to developing an attractive label that will stress the gourmet/specialty nature of the products.

Distribution of Fancy’s Foods Whipped Dream product will begin in the local southeastern Oklahoma area. The Beans have an established name and reputation in this area, and product introduction should encounter little resistance.

Financial analyses show that the company will have both a positive cash flow and profit in the first year. The expected return on equity in the first year is 10.88%

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

• Start with a strong introduction of your company that showcases your mission and impact, then outline the products and services you provide.
• Clearly define a problem, explain how your product solves that problem, and show why the market needs your business.
• Be sure to highlight your value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential.
• Keep it concise and support ideas with data.
• Customize your summary to your audience. For example, you might emphasize finances and return on investment for venture capitalists, whereas you might emphasize community benefits and minimal environmental impact for progressive nonprofits.

For more guidance, check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary.

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you’ll detail the opportunity in the market. Ask and answer: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you’ll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, SOM analysis, a SWOT analysis, and perform market research on your industry to get some insights for this section. More specifically, here’s what I’d include.

• The size of the market
• Current or potential market share
• Trends in the industry and consumer behavior
• Where the gap is
• What caused the gap
• How you intend to fill it

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

I like this example because it uses critical data to underline the size of the potential market and what part of that market this service hopes to capture.

Example: The market for Doggie Pause is all of the dog owners in the metropolitan area and surrounding areas of the city. We believe that this is going to be 2/3 of the population, and we have a goal of gaining a 50% market share. We have a target of a 20% yearly profit increase as the business continues.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

• Focus on demand and potential for growth.
• Use market research, surveys, and industry trend data to support your market forecast and projections.
• Add a review of regulation shifts, tech advances, and consumer behavior changes.
• Refer to reliable sources.
• Showcase how your business can make the most of this opportunity.

3. Competitive Landscape Analysis

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you‘ll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are. After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you’ll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

My favorite part of performing a competitive analysis is that it can help you uncover the following:

• Industry trends that other brands may not be utilizing.
• Strengths in your competition that may be obstacles to handle.
• Weaknesses in your competition that may help you develop selling points.
• The unique proposition you bring to the market that may resonate with customers.

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are. It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location. This demonstrates useful experience in the industry, helping to build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Example:

Competitive Environment

Currently, there are four primary competitors in the Greater Omaha Area: Pinot’s Palette Lakeside (franchise partner), Village Canvas and Cabernet, The Corky Canvas, and Twisted Vine Collective. The first three competitors are in Omaha and the fourth is located in Papillion.

Despite the competition, all locations have both public and private events. Each location has a few sold-out painting events each month. The Omaha locations are in new, popular retail locations, while the existing Papillion location is in a downtown business district.

There is an opportunity to take advantage of the environment and open a studio in a well-traveled or growing area. Pinot’s Palette La Vista will differentiate itself from its competitors by offering a premium experience in a high-growth, influential location.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

• Complete in-depth research, then emphasize your most important findings.
• Compare your unique selling proposition (USP) to your direct and indirect competitors.
• Show a clear and realistic plan for product and brand differentiation.
• Look for specific advantages and barriers in the competitive landscape. Then, highlight how that information could impact your business.
• Outline growth opportunities from a competitive perspective.
• Add customer feedback and insights to support your competitive analysis.

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience? I’d recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear about why you’re targeting them. Here are some questions I’d ask myself:

• What demographics will most likely need/buy your product or service?
• What are the psychographics of this audience? (Desires, triggering events, etc.)
• Why are your offerings valuable to them?

Target Audience Business Plan Example

I like the example below because it uses in-depth research to draw conclusions about audience priorities. It also analyzes how to create the right content for this audience.

Example:

The Audience

Recognize that audiences are often already aware of important issues. Outreach materials should:

• Emphasize a pollution-prevention practice
• Tell audience a little about how to prevent pollution
• Tell audience where they can obtain information about prevention.

Message Content

• Focus the content for outreach materials on cost savings, such as when and where pollution prevention is as cheap as or cheaper than traditional techniques. Include facts and figures.
• Emphasize how easy it is to do the right thing and the impacts of not engaging in pollution prevention.
• Stress benefits such as efficiency or better relations with government, for businesses not primarily concerned with public image.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

• Include details on the size and growth potential of your target audience.
• Figure out and refine the pain points for your target audience, then show why your product is a useful solution.
• Describe your targeted customer acquisition strategy in detail.
• Share anticipated challenges your business may face in acquiring customers and how you plan to address them.
• Add case studies, testimonials, and other data to support your target audience ideas.
• Remember to consider niche audiences and segments of your target audience in your business plan.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you‘ll discuss how you’ll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier. I’d suggest including these details:

• Your brand positioning vision and how you’ll cultivate it.
• The goal targets you aim to achieve.
• The metrics you’ll use to measure success.
• The channels and distribution tactics you’ll use.

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler. In my opinion, it works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

Example:

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Tips for Writing Your Marketing Strategy

• Include a section about how you believe your brand vision will appeal to customers.
• Add the budget and resources you’ll need to put your plan in place.
• Outline strategies for specific marketing segments.
• Connect strategies to earlier sections like target audience and competitive analysis.
• Review how your marketing strategy will scale with the growth of your business.
• Cover a range of channels and tactics to highlight your ability to adapt your plan in the face of change.

6. Key Features and Benefits

At some point in your business plan, you‘ll need to review the key features and benefits of your products and/or services.

Laying these out can give readers an idea of how you’re positioning yourself in the market and the messaging you’re likely to use. It can even help potential investors gain better insight into your business model.

Key Features and Benefits Business Plan Example

In my opinion, the example below does a great job outlining products and services for this business, along with why these qualities will attract the audience.

Example:

Products and Services

The ArtSphere is expanding its offerings. Our primary focus is now on offering art instruction classes. We will tailor our classes according to market segment and time of day, providing instructional opportunities during the morning and mid-day, after-school sessions, and evening classes.

We will have a wide range of art supplies available to complement student sessions as well as for sale to the general public.

Additionally, the owners will continue to show and sell their own work in the Gallery, as well as produce commission portraits and other work.

Tips for Writing Your Key Features and Benefits

• Emphasize why and how your product or service offers value to customers.
• Use metrics and testimonials to support the ideas in this section.
• Talk about how your products and services have the potential to scale.
• Think about including a product roadmap.
• Focus on customer needs, and how the features and benefits you are sharing meet those needs.
• Offer proof of concept for your ideas, like case studies or pilot program feedback.
• Proofread this section carefully, and remove any jargon or complex language.

7. Pricing and Revenue

This is where you’ll discuss your cost structure and various revenue streams. Your pricing strategy must be solid enough to turn a profit while staying competitive in the industry. For this reason, here’s what I’d might outline in this section:

• The specific pricing breakdowns per product or service.
• Why your pricing is higher or lower than your competition’s.
• (If higher) Why customers would be willing to pay more.
• (If lower) How you’re able to offer your products or services at a lower cost.
• When you expect to break even, what margins do you expect, etc?

Pricing and Revenue Business Plan Example

I like how this business plan example begins with an overview of the business revenue model, then shows proposed pricing for key products.

Example:

Financial Overview

Revenue Model

Plum generates revenue through the sale of our Plum hardware products, including Plum Lightpad Dimmer, Plum Smart Plug, and Plum Duplex Outlet.

All Plum hardware products are strategically priced at a level that places them significantly below competing products [which retail for an average of $200 or higher] making Plum an accessible home automation option for a broader range of consumer budgets.

Plum Lightpad Dimmer: COGS: $21Wholesale $39Retail: $79

Plum Smart Plug: COGS: $24Wholesale: $43Retail: $84

Tips for Writing Your Pricing and Revenue Section

• Get specific about your pricing strategy. Specifically, how you connect that strategy to customer needs and product value.
• If you are asking a premium price, share unique features or innovations that justify that price point.
• Show how you plan to communicate pricing to customers.
• Create an overview of every revenue stream for your business and how each stream adds to your business model as a whole.
• Share plans to develop new revenue streams in the future.
• Show how and whether pricing will vary by customer segment and how pricing aligns with marketing strategies.
• Restate your value proposition and explain how it aligns with your revenue model.

8. Financials

To me, this section is particularly informative for investors and leadership teams to figure out funding strategies, investment opportunities, and more. While some business plans might include more or less information, according to Forbes you’ll want to include three main details:

• Profit/Loss Statement. This answers the question of whether your business is currently profitable.
• Cash Flow Statement. This details exactly how much cash is incoming and outgoing to give insight into how much cash a business has on hand.
• Balance Sheet. This outlines assets, liabilities, and equity, which gives insight into how much a business is worth.

Financials Business Plan Example

This balance sheet is a great example of the level of detail you’ll need to include in the financials section of your business plan.

Example:

Assets

Current Assets

1000 Cash

1010 Checking 583,961

1020 Savings 224,600

1030 Petty Cash 89,840

Total Cash – 898,402

1100 Accounts Receivable – 3,593,607

1200 Work in Process – 589,791

1300 Other Current Assets

1310 Prepaid Rent 164,593

1320 Prepaid Liability Insurance 109,728

Total Other Current Assets – 274,321

Total Current Assets – 5,356,121

Tips for Writing Your Financials Section

• Growth potential is important in this section too. Using your data, create a forecast of financial performance in the next three to five years.
• Include any data that supports your projections to assure investors of the credibility of your proposal.
• Add a break-even analysis to show that your business plan is financially practical. This information can also help you pivot quickly as your business grows.
• Consider adding a section that reviews potential risks and how sensitive your plan is to changes in the market.
• Triple-check all financial information in your plan for accuracy.
• Show how any proposed funding needs align with your plans for growth.

Sample Business Plan Templates

Now that you know what‘s included and how to format a business plan, let’s review some of my favorite templates.

1. HubSpot’s One-Page Business Plan

Download a free, editable one-page business plan template.

The business plan linked above was created here at HubSpot and is perfect for businesses of any size — no matter how many strategies we still have to develop.

Fields such as Company Description, Required Funding, and Implementation Timeline give this one-page business plan a framework for how to build your brand and what tasks to keep track of as you grow.

Then, as the business matures, you can expand on your original business plan with a new iteration of the above document.

Why I Like It

This one-page business plan is a fantastic choice for the new business owner who doesn’t have the time or resources to draft a full-blown business plan. It includes all the essential sections in an accessible, bullet-point-friendly format. That way, you can get the broad strokes down before honing in on the details.

2. HubSpot’s Downloadable Business Plan Template

We also created a business plan template for entrepreneurs.

Download a free, editable one-page business plan template.

The template is designed as a guide and checklist for starting your own business. You’ll learn what to include in each section of your business plan and how to do it.

There’s also a list for you to check off when you finish each section of your business plan.

Strong game plans help coaches win games and help businesses rocket to the top of their industries. So if you dedicate the time and effort required to write a workable and convincing business plan, you’ll boost your chances of success and even dominance in your market.

Why I Like It

This business plan kit is essential for the budding entrepreneur who needs a more extensive document to share with investors and other stakeholders.

It not only includes sections for your executive summary, product line, market analysis, marketing plan, and sales plan, but it also offers hands-on guidance for filling out those sections.

3. LiveFlow’s Financial Planning Template with built-in automation

This free template from LiveFlow aims to make it easy for businesses to create a financial plan and track their progress on a monthly basis.

The P&L Budget versus Actual format allows users to track their revenue, cost of sales, operating expenses, operating profit margin, net profit, and more.

The summary dashboard aggregates all of the data put into the financial plan sheet and will automatically update when changes are made.

Instead of wasting hours manually importing your data to your spreadsheet, LiveFlow can also help you to automatically connect your accounting and banking data directly to your spreadsheet, so your numbers are always up-to-date.

With the dashboard, you can view your runway, cash balance, burn rate, gross margins, and other metrics. Having a simple way to track everything in one place will make it easier to complete the financials section of your business plan.

Why I Like It

This is a fantastic template to track performance and alignment internally and to create a dependable process for documenting financial information across the business. It’s highly versatile and beginner-friendly.

It’s especially useful if you don’t have an accountant on the team. (I always recommend you do, but for new businesses, having one might not be possible.)

4. ThoughtCo’s Sample Business Plan

If you want to reference an actual business plan while writing your own, ThoughtCo has got you covered. It created a fictional company called Acme Management Technology and wrote an entire business plan for it.

Using its sample business plan as a guide while filling out your own will help you catch and include small yet important details in your business plan that you otherwise might not have noticed.

Why I Like It

This is a fantastic template for an existing business that’s strategically shifting directions. If your company has been around for a while, and you’re looking to improve your bottom line or revitalize your strategy, this is an excellent template to use and follow.

5. BPlan’s Free Business Plan Template

One of the more financially oriented sample business plans in this list, BPlan’s free business plan template dedicates many of its pages to your business’s financial plan and financial statements.

After filling this business plan out, your company will truly understand its financial health and the steps you need to take to maintain or improve it.

Why I Like It

I absolutely love this business plan template because of its ease-of-use and hands-on instructions (in addition to its finance-centric components). If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of writing an entire business plan, consider using this template to help you with the process.

6. Harvard Business Review’s “How to Write a Winning Business Plan”

Most sample business plans teach you what to include in your business plan, but this Harvard Business Review article will take your business plan to the next level — it teaches you the why and how behind writing a business plan.

With the guidance of Stanley Rich and Richard Gumpert, co-authors of “Business Plans That Win: Lessons From the MIT Enterprise Forum“, you’ll learn how to write a convincing business plan that emphasizes the market demand for your product or service.

You’ll also learn the financial benefits investors can reap from putting money into your venture rather than trying to sell them on how great your product or service is.

Why I Like It

This business plan guide focuses less on the individual parts of a business plan, and more on the overarching goal of writing one. For that reason, it’s one of my favorites to supplement any template you choose to use. Harvard Business Review’s guide is instrumental for both new and seasoned business owners.

7. HubSpot’s Complete Guide to Starting a Business

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know writing a business plan is one of the most challenging first steps to starting a business.

Fortunately, with HubSpot‘s comprehensive guide to starting a business, you’ll learn how to map out all the details by understanding what to include in your business plan and why it’s important to include them. The guide also fleshes out an entire sample business plan for you.

If you need further guidance on starting a business, HubSpot’s guide can teach you how to make your business legal, choose and register your business name, and fund your business. It will also give small business tax information and includes marketing, sales, and service tips.

Why I Like It

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of starting a business — including writing your business plan — with a high level of exactitude and detail. It also offers other resources you might need, such as market analysis templates. So if you’re in the midst of starting your business, this is an excellent guide for you.

Since writing this article, there’s now an amazing suite of products available for new business builders called HubSpot Starter.

It’s essential for businesses trying to get their plan in motion, giving you all the tools you need to build your brand online. It can be a huge help in finding critical information to build out your business plan with realistic numbers — among many other benefits — and I highly recommend it.

8. Panda Doc’s Free Business Plan Template

PandaDoc’s free business plan template is one of the more detailed and fleshed-out sample business plans on this list. It describes what you should include in each section, so you don’t have to come up with everything from scratch.

Once you fill it out, you’ll fully understand your business’ nitty-gritty details and how all of its moving parts should work together to contribute to its success.

Why I Like It

This template has two things I love: comprehensiveness and in-depth instructions. Plus, it’s synced with PandaDoc’s e-signature software so that you and other stakeholders can sign it with ease. For that reason, I especially love it for those starting a business with a partner or with a board of directors.

9. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers several free business plan templates that can be used to inspire your own plan.

Before you get started, you can decide what type of business plan you need — a traditional or lean start-up plan.

Then, you can review the format for both of those plans and view examples of what they might look like.

Why I Like It

We love both of the SBA’s templates because of their versatility. You can choose between two options and use the existing content in the templates to flesh out your own plan. Plus, if needed, you can get a free business counselor to help you along the way.

Top Business Plan Examples

I’ve compiled some completed business plan samples to help you get an idea of how to customize a plan for your business.

I chose different types of business plan ideas to expand your imagination. Some are extensive, while others are fairly simple.

Let’s take a look.

1. LiveFlow

One of the major business expenses is marketing. How you handle your marketing reflects your company’s revenue.

I included this business plan to show you how you can ensure your marketing team is aligned with your overall business plan to get results. The plan also shows you how to track even the smallest metrics of your campaigns, like ROI and payback periods instead of just focusing on big metrics like gross and revenue.

Fintech startup, LiveFlow, allows users to sync real-time data from its accounting services, payment platforms, and banks into custom reports. This eliminates the task of pulling reports together manually, saving teams time and helping automate workflows.

“Using this framework over a traditional marketing plan will help you set a profitable marketing strategy taking things like CAC, LTV, Payback period, and P&L into consideration,” explains LiveFlow co-founder, Lasse Kalkar.

Why I Like It

When it came to including marketing strategy in its business plan, LiveFlow created a separate marketing profit and loss statement (P&L) to track how well the company was doing with its marketing initiatives.

This is a great approach, allowing businesses to focus on where their marketing dollars are making the most impact. Having this information handy will enable you to build out your business plan’s marketing section with confidence. LiveFlow has shared the template here. You can test it for yourself.

2. Lula Body

Brooklyn Business owner and Pilates instructor, Tara Kashyap, saw a need in her community for a Pilates, tissue, and bodywork studio. In response, she opened Lula Body in Crown Heights.

Pictured above is a hypothetical pricing and revenue statement based on Lula Body’s business plan. As you can see, Kashyap breaks down the cost of classes, start-up expenses, monthly expenses, and her monthly sales projection.

Everything from equipment costs to loan interest is included in the expenses to give the most accurate picture of operating costs and revenue.

If you’re seeking outside funding for your business, you’ll want to make sure this section of your business plan is as thorough as possible.

Why I Like It

This is a good business plan example for service-based businesses such as gyms, boxing classes, dancing studios, etc. For starters, the plan shows how to budget for the business loan and what to focus on buying first.

Everything is well presented, including what to charge the customers in different scenarios and the expected revenue. This is a good foundation from which business performance can be evaluated with time.

3. Patagonia

Sometimes all you need is a solid mission statement and core values to guide you on how to go about everything. You do this by creating a business plan revolving around how to fulfill your statement best.

For example, Patagonia is an eco-friendly company, so their plan discusses how to make the best environmentally friendly products without causing harm.

A good mission statement should not only resonate with consumers but should also serve as a core value compass for employees as well.

Why I Like It

Patagonia has one of the most compelling mission statements I’ve seen:

“Together, let’s prioritize purpose over profit and protect this wondrous planet, our only home.”

It reels you in from the start, and the environmentally friendly theme continues throughout the rest of the statement.

This mission goes on to explain that they are out to “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to protect nature.”

Their mission statement is compelling and detailed, with each section outlining how they will accomplish their goal.

4. Vesta Home Automation

This executive summary for a smart home device startup is part of a business plan created by students at Mount Royal University.

While it lacks some of the sleek visuals of the templates above, its executive summary does a great job of demonstrating how invested they are in the business.

Right away, they mention they’ve invested $200,000 into the company already, which shows investors they have skin in the game and aren’t just looking for someone else to foot the bill.

Why I Like It

This is the kind of business plan you need when applying for business funds. It clearly illustrates the expected future of the company and how the business has been coming along over the years.

5. NALB Creative Center

This fictional business plan for an art supply store includes everything one might need in a business plan: an executive summary, a company summary, a list of services, a market analysis summary, and more.

One of its most notable sections is its market analysis summary, which includes an overview of the population growth in the business’ target geographical area, as well as a breakdown of the types of potential customers they expect to welcome at the store.

This sort of granular insight is essential for understanding and communicating your business’s growth potential. Plus, it lays a strong foundation for creating relevant and useful buyer personas.

It’s essential to keep this information up-to-date as your market and target buyer changes. For that reason, you should carry out market research as often as possible to ensure that you’re targeting the correct audience and sharing accurate information with your investors.

Why I Like It

Due to its comprehensiveness, it’s an excellent example to follow if you’re opening a brick-and-mortar store and need to get external funding to start your business.

6. Curriculum Companion Suites (CCS)

If you’re looking for a SaaS business plan example, look no further than this business plan for a fictional educational software company called Curriculum Companion Suites.

Like the business plan for the NALB Creative Center, it includes plenty of information for prospective investors and other key stakeholders in the business.

One of the most notable features of this business plan is the executive summary, which includes an overview of the product, market, and mission.

The first two are essential for software companies because the product offering is so often at the forefront of the company’s strategy. Without that information being immediately available to investors and executives, then you risk writing an unfocused business plan.

Why I Like It

It’s essential to front-load your company’s mission if it explains your “Why?” and this example does just that. In other words, why do you do what you do, and why should stakeholders care? This is an important section to include if you feel that your mission will drive interest in the business and its offerings.

7. Culina Sample Business Plan

Culina’s sample business plan is an excellent example of how to lay out your business plan so that it flows naturally, engages readers, and provides the critical information investors and stakeholders need.

Why I Like It

You can use this template as a guide while you‘re gathering important information for your own business plan. You’ll have a better understanding of the data and research you need to do since Culina’s plan outlines these details so flawlessly for inspiration.

8. Plum Sample Business Plan

When creating your own business plan, make sure the pictures and design you use make sense for your branding. The images in this plan are cutting-edge, which makes sense for an innovative company like Plum.

Why I Like It

This is one of my favorite sample business plans because you can see how implementing visuals can help tell your brand‘s story. Additionally, the financial charts included are an excellent guide if you’re not sure what financial information to include.

9. LiveShopBuy Sample Business Plan

With this business plan, the focus is the investment opportunity. This is an excellent template to use if you’re going to use your business plan to seek funding.

Why I Like It

The investment opportunity section is placed right up front and is several pages long. Then, it goes into more detail about the company and its key services. Nice.

Get Started Writing Your Business Plan

When you’re first getting started on your business plan, I know it can be daunting. The business world moves fast, and it’s full of ambitious companies scrambling to gain the majority of their industry’s market share.

That‘s why it’s important to make sure you understand the value your business offers and can communicate that through a properly formatted business plan.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

Google’s firm grip on the search engine market is a marketer’s dream — and nightmare.

Commanding nearly 92% of the worldwide search market share, Google is where most of us focus our search engine marketing.

But that market share also makes it a lot harder to hang on to high-ranking search engine results pages (SERP). The good news is that despite those high numbers, there are still opportunities for the savvy marketer to reach the millions of people who use other search engines.

Especially now that AI-powered search engines have quite literally entered the chat, there’s renewed interest in non-Google search engines for both users and SEOs. (And if you’re a marketer looking for some ground-up support on how to get started with SEO — we’ve got a pack for that.)

Note: To compile this list, I looked at the worldwide market share of search engines on desktop and mobile from June 2023 to June 2024.

I averaged each search engine’s market share over 12 months with data from Statcounter GlobalStats, unless otherwise noted.

1. Google

Google dominates in the US, handling 60% of all search queries — but that still presents a huge opportunity for marketers to reach the other 40%.

It’s the logical place to start for marketing, running paid marketing campaigns, and developing organic traffic strategies.

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But keep in mind that Google‘s algorithm works to fulfill users’ needs directly on Google so they don’t need to click any links. Features like this, plus Google’s popularity, might make it hard for you to capture as much website traffic as you want.

Google recently rolled out AI Overviews, which uses Gemini, its proprietary AI, to summarize your search results.

Although Google began releasing improvements to AI Overviews as soon as it was released, it’s still a good idea to double-check the results for accuracy.

Despite Google’s dominance, there’s plenty of other search engines — and potentially a large audience for marketers and SEOs looking to expand their audience.

We rounded up 17 other search engines, including several powered by AI, as alternatives to Google.

Other Search Engines

2. Microsoft Bing

Microsoft Bing trails at a distant second with an overall average of 3.23% of the market share worldwide and just 0.55% on mobile. This engine also powers Yahoo!, the U.S.’s third-biggest search engine.

Bing’s search pages look similar to Google’s, with the same categories and a similar white background, with blue links and green URLs.

Bing additionally offers Microsoft Rewards, a program that gives you points when you search or shop on the engine. You can redeem those points for gift cards, nonprofit donations, and more.

Bing also recently added an AI component, called Copilot, which summarizes search results for you.

However — this is a pretty important “however” for marketers and SEOs who rely on organic traffic — the direct links are harder for users to find and the first link it provided was to a different landing page than the one linked above.

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Copilot tries to be encouraging about the likelihood of the recent Eurovision winner touring my city. Its human-like tone stands out from other AI-powered searches.

3. Yahoo!

Its news-heavy page isn’t the sleekest search engine interface, but Yahoo! is still one of the more popular alternatives to Google, with just over 1.16% of the worldwide market share.

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Yahoo! is powered by Microsoft Bing, so search results are similar. Its search results page has a minimalist, text-heavy interface.

However, it’s still an important search engine in its own right, with over 4 billion monthly users in 2023.

4. Yandex

In some local markets, smaller search engines go head-to-head with Google — and win.

Russian search engine Yandex has roughly 1.62% of the worldwide market share, but in its home country, that skyrockets to nearly 71%. (Google holds the number two spot.) If you do business globally and are looking to reach Russian customers, there are a few things to keep in mind.

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For example, Yandex has many quality indicators, or badges, that it can display alongside search results. One of the most prominent is the site quality index (SQI), which indicates how useful your site is to users.

Like Google, Yandex considers whether a user’s query has local intent, and it will display regional-dependent results. To account for this, you’ll need to go into Yandex’s webmaster tools and set a site region.

It’s not advertised anywhere on its search engine, but Yandex’s corporate website notes that AI technologies are delivered to all its products, including search.

5. DuckDuckGo

If you‘re uneasy about targeted ads or don’t want your search data stored, you might want to try DuckDuckGo, which touts itself as “the search engine that doesn’t track you.”

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It also doesn’t collect or store any information, so you can search for shoes without being bombarded by subsequent Macy‘s ads. It’s worth noting there are still ads on DuckDuckGo — just not personalized ones.

DuckDuckGo has a clean interface that makes it easy to navigate. With more than 4.5 billion users every month in 2023, it’s slowly gaining steam in the search market, especially as users become more concerned about privacy.

6. Baidu

Baidu is China’s largest search engine, capturing 52.15% of China’s search market.

The search engine is in Mandarin, but otherwise looks similar to Google, with a white background, blue links, and green URLs. Like Google, Baidu aims to incorporate more rich features in the SERPs.

If you’re looking to appeal to the Asian market, Baidu is a good option to consider.

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However, the search engine censors certain images and blocks pro-democracy websites. If you’re comparing search results, you’ll find a more comprehensive results list on Google.

7. Ask.com

Ask.com, formerly known as Ask Jeeves, is a search engine that was designed — pre-AI-powered search — to answer questions.

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Ask.com’s interface is similar to Yahoo!’s, with news under the search bod. However, unlike Yahoo!, which is powered by Bing, Ask.com is a standalone search engine.

8. Naver

Naver is South Korea’s second most popular search engine, claiming 53.04% of the country’s search engine market. Naver’s interface is entirely in Korean, with no English version.

More than a simple search engine, Naver users can access news content, search suggestions, and more.

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Although it’s in Korean, I used Google Translate to view the landing page in English.

Notably, Naver is a localized search engine, meaning that it does not crawl and catalog the entire internet.

If you’re targeting the South Korean market with your content, make sure your SEO matches the criteria of South Korea’s second-most popular search engine.

9. Ecosia

Ecosia is “the search engine that plants trees.” For every search a user makes with Ecosia (either the webpage or its free browser extension), Ecosia will allocate part of its profits to plant trees in vulnerable areas.

To date, Ecosia has planted nearly 210 million trees and dedicated another 85 million euros (about $92 million) to climate action.

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Note to marketers: Ecosia’s sponsored spots push your content nearly below the fold.

Ecosia is most popular in its home country of Germany, where it has 0.87% of the market. Like Yahoo!, Ecosia runs on Microsoft Bing.

10. AOL

AOL, formerly known as America Online, is both an online media company and a search engine. The interface features a search bar and national news articles, along with local news and weather.

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AOL’s search results page is very ad-heavy — you’ll have to look below the fold to see your results.

Most of AOL’s traffic is generated from the United States, but it’s on the decline, at only 0.09% of the market.

11. Internet Archive

Internet Archive is a different kind of search engine. As its name implies, Internet Archive is a free archive of books, movies, software, music, websites, etc.

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Instead of attempting to rank in this search engine, users can sign up for a free account and upload their content to the archives.

Most of Internet Archive’s audience is located in the United States. However, the search engine is gaining popularity in other countries, such as Great Britain and India.

12. Yep

The popular SEO tool Ahrefs launched Yep, an AI-powered search engine, in 2022.

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Yep’s business model distinguishes it from the rest. It shares 90% of its ad revenue with content creators in an effort to encourage more people to share their knowledge and high-quality content.

13. Brave Search

Of the half a dozen or so AI-powered search engines I tested for this article, Brave was one of my favorites. In our own research, it was the AI search engine of choice, preferred by 8% of respondents.

Brave’s default settings don’t include AI search, but once you toggle on “search with AI,” it delivers AI summaries above traditional search results.

It has a clean interface and some of the most enhanced privacy features of any search engine on this list. It blocks ads and cross-site cookie tracking, and it doesn’t collect any info about its users.

HubSpot’s research suggests that will be key to capturing regular AI search users — privacy and security were among the top concerns, and a quarter of respondents said they’re only likely to use AI search engines if their concerns are addressed.

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Brave’s search results were impressively thorough. When I asked for help writing a listicle about search engines, it began with the history of search engines — but it still gave me relevant information about current search engines.

14. Andi

Andi has a vertically split interface, with the typical AI search engine chat box on the left, and sources on the right. That’s useful for marketers and users alike, both of whom want high placement of the most relevant results.

Seeing familiar, credible sources may alleviate consumer anxiety around AI. Getting incorrect information was the top concern cited in recent HubSpot research..

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15. Perplexity AI

Perplexity has gotten a lot of buzz in 2024. It has a similar design to other AI search engines, with source links above a longer answer in easily skimmable bullet points. It also features citations that reveal the source when you hover over them — essential to ensure that you’re not falling prey to misinformation.

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HubSpot’s research showed that Perplexity tied with You.com as the second-most popular AI search engine, preferred by 5% of all respondents.

16. Phind.com

Phind.com bills itself as “an answer engine” designed specifically for developers. It still does a fine job handling the more mundane queries, but if you need help getting “from idea to working product,” this search engine was built for you.

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17. You.com

You.com has four assistants to choose from to support a variety of more complicated queries: Smart, Genius, Creative, and Research.

I tried out the Research assistant to see if it could recommend some prestige dramas for me.

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It prepared an easily skimmable report that began, “If you are a fan of prestige dramas, you are likely looking for TV shows that offer high-quality storytelling, complex characters, and often, a cinematic feel.”

The results included the usual suspects (The Wire, Sopranos), but also a few more recent recs (The Crown, Succession).

It also has 15 AI models to choose from — if you’re an AI enthusiast, this is the one to use. You can select from different versions of GPT, Gemini, Claude, and others.

18. Komo

I asked Komo to tell me about HubSpot’s website grader, and it quickly summarized it, calling it “a powerful and comprehensive tool” (stop it, we’re blushing).

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Like other AI search engines, it has bibliography-style citations that make it easy to sort fact from fiction.

Emerging Search Engine Trends

Social Media Search

TikTok and YouTube aren’t search engines per se, but think about how often you use their search functions.

Recent HubSpot research showed that 42% — not quite half! — of respondents turn to social media to search for information. That’s more than any other search engine except Google.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has already incorporated its proprietary AI search into all three platforms.

Google Updates

Google is always working to prioritize good content, with improvements like the 2024 Core Update, which penalizes lower-quality, unoriginal, often AI-generated content. HubSpot’s Manager of EN Blog Strategy, Amanda Sellers, says it has huge implications for the industry.

“First, Google is sending a strong signal that content written by humans is preferable to content by computers. (Ironic, given virtually all of the SERPs are algorithmized.)”

Sellers also points out that this update should encourage SEOs to take a more comprehensive approach to site performance.

“This update prioritizes user-first content over keyword-first content,” Sellers explains. “With this in mind, SEOs should be looking at their site as a whole and making sure they’re creating helpful, reliable content for their users — not for search engines.”

Think Beyond Google

Ultimately, it’s essential to consider alternative traffic opportunities besides Google when creating an SEO strategy.

By diversifying your sources, you’re more likely to capture the first page on SERPs, and you’re in a better position to find a truly ideal target audience.

This article was originally published in September 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

There’s always a new tool, platform, process, you name it, that you just have to try.

It’s exhausting as a content creator to try to keep up with the latest trends and time-consuming to learn how to use completely new platforms. It can also feel risky to start creating content somewhere new when where you are is already working for you.

But it is my professional opinion that if you are a writer (or reader), you must get acquainted with Substack.

Self-described as “a new economic engine for culture,” it launched in 2017 and has become a popular space for everyone from famed, professional authors to young 20-somethings looking for a place to air their grievances.

It’s the perfect blend of blog, magazine, and newsletter, with the bonus of a kind and thought-provoking community. Still skeptical? Read on for more information about Substack and some tips and best practices for writers and readers alike.

Table of Contents

• What Is Substack?
• Why Use Substack as a Content Creator or Writer?
• How to Use Substack as a Writer
• How to Use Substack as a Reader
• Substack Best Practices

The model allows writers to keep approximately 90% of the money from paid subscriptions, while 10% goes back to Substack.

Substack does more than allow writers to curate a space for their content — it also provides tools for authors to send and manage email newsletters.

Content creators can also discover new writers on the platform, and pay the love forward by subscribing to other writers.

Why Use Substack as a Content Creator or Writer?

As a writer, I struggle to know where I should share my writing. I could stick to social media and post content on X, but this limits my audience to followers and similar thinkers.

While there are many ways to make money on social media, they typically involve partnering with brands on sponsored content or paid ads, which takes away some of the autonomy in your writing.

The beauty of publishing content on Substack is that it’s designed to give creators freedom of thought and speech while helping those creators monetize their work. You’d be hard-pressed to find a platform that is as determined to help writers succeed — after all, Substack only makes money if you do.

Substack is popular amongst writers, journalists, and creators looking to publish independent content digitally. On Substack, writers own their intellectual property while still publishing it in a public space.

It differs from competitors like WordPress because it lets writers set up podcasts, upload videos, and build a consistent audience.

Something that sets Substack apart from other content creation platforms is the chance to connect authentically with your audience. George Saunders mentioned in an Esquire article, “With Substack, I’m talking to the same people almost every day, every week. It’s given me a deeper experience of my readers.”

If you’re a fan of Saunders’ work, you’ll be pleased to hear he is one of many celebrated writers and creators who publish on Substack, including Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

According to Backlinko research, Substack has more than 2 million paid subscriptions and more than 500,000 paying subscribers. More than 17,000 writers get paid for their newsletters on Substack, and the 10 highest-paid authors on Substack collectively make more than $25 million per year.

While you may not have plans to be in that top 10, it’s evident there is a market for subscribers willing and excited to pay for access to your original content.

The ability to publish and easily send email newsletters of your work via Substack is a huge plus, as it helps you reach audiences that may not be on Substack.

Email newsletters can be tricky to manage and perfect, so you can refer to our guide to email newsletters to ensure you apply the best tips and tricks for your Substack publication.

How to Use Substack as a Writer

I’ll admit I had only read a few free Substack posts before and had never published my own, so I set off to do just that before diving into this post. See some steps below for how to start using Substack as a writer.

1. Create an account.

I know; I’m truly starting with the basics. But, I think it’s important to understand how best to set up your account for success.

If you have an existing mailing list from another platform, like WordPress or Mailchimp, you can upload it when you set up your account.

If not (like me), you can manually add people to your subscriber list, if you so choose. To get started, I included 13 friends as subscribers.

If you have an existing audience, I strongly advise you to import it.

It’s possible to build your audience from the ground up on Substack (more than 50% of all new free subscriptions and 25% of paid subscriptions come from within its network, according to the platform).

But it never hurts to start with the cushioning of people who already consume and enjoy your content.

I also decided to set up my account for free and not connect to Stripe (yet).

Since I don’t currently have an audience on Substack, it doesn’t make sense to ask readers to pay to subscribe to my content. They don’t even know what they’re signing up for!

If you have a large audience who already pays for your work elsewhere, you may consider immediately diving into a paid subscription model, but you can always add this later. Why not give your fans a taste of what they can expect, first?

2. Manage your writer dashboard.

Once you’ve created your account, you’re ready to begin your journey as a Substack writer! But first, you should take a look in your writer dashboard to see what steps are still pending your review.

Since I’ve already written my first Substack post and uploaded more than 10 subscribers, you will see that both are checked off on my dashboard. Other tasks to work on are turning on paid (which you can do at any point) and sharing your Substack (which I recommend doing as soon as you’ve written your first post).

At the bottom of your writer dashboard, you’ll find some resources to help you get started on Substack.

I especially enjoyed the “When should I turn on paid subscriptions?” guide, which detailed some great options to utilize a paid subscription, such as pay-walling your posts but using the free preview tool to give readers a sample of your work to entice them to subscribe.

Your writer’s dashboard is also where you can edit your Substack’s name, look, and feel. If you toggle to the tab “Settings” you can update your publication name, site design, about page, logo, branding, and much more.

3. Create your first post(s).

Finally, we’re on to the fun part! I decided to write a brand-new post for my Substack debut (which you can check out here!) but many writers may consider uploading an existing piece of content to begin.

This can either be a piece you’ve previously written that has yet to see the light of day or, more usefully, a piece you’ve already published that has gained traction elsewhere. If there was a likeability and shareability to the topic on a different platform, that’s a good sign that it will perform well on Substack.

If you decide to go the paid route, you could repost some existing posts as free content to grab the attention of new subscribers, and then start posting new content under a paid subscription model.

4. Test and publish your post.

Once you’ve finished your post, you can preview how the post will look in various formats: mobile versus desktop, web versus email, and free versus paid subscribers.

If you’re happy with how the post looks in its various formats, you can send a test email to yourself to ensure the text and image formatting looks correct. I also used this to verify my first post didn’t appear too long on mobile.

I knew it would be a 4-minute read, but I didn’t want subscribers to be deterred by a lengthy email.

After you’ve tested, you can finally publish your post! Substack will bring you to the below screen, where you have the option to share your post to many platforms, such as Instagram or LinkedIn, or copy the link if you’d prefer to distribute it yourself.

Substack creates free images you can download and share on Instagram Stories or in-feed to promote your post. It’s another example of how Substack can offer so much to content creators for free that helps you advertise your work.

I shared my post to my Instagram Story and then checked my email where I received my published post as an email newsletter.

In the top right corner of the email, it says “Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more.” This is another great tip — you can forward a copy of the email newsletter to people, free of charge, to encourage them to subscribe (paid or otherwise) to your publication.

5. Keep track of your stats.

Your writer’s dashboard has a Stats tab that’s an amazing place to track the performance of your posts and newsletter.

I can see the traffic to my Substack after my first post and how those readers found it (outlined below), my email open rate, info on my subscribers, and more.

As important as our freedom of thought is, it’s equally as important to ensure people are actually finding and reading our thoughts. Substack gives you some power as a writer with the Stats tab to figure out where most people find your content and meet them where they are.

You can also edit and create a New Reader Survey which can help you get more demographic information about your readers. This also enables you to understand your target audience and can encourage you to produce content that would be most appealing to those audiences.

For instance, if I saw most of my readers were based in the U.S. and aged 18-24, I could research what current American college students are most interested in, and try to incorporate some of my findings into my writing.

6. Discover and recommend other writers.

Any writer knows the value of a recommendation from another writer. That gives you a much-needed ego boost while also opening you up to the fans of that writer’s work.

Subtack has an Explore feature which you can use to discover other content. While this feature is especially helpful for readers, it’s a great way for writers to find other strong or similar writers.

Once you find a writer you feel passionate about, you can click “Recommend” on their Substack. On your profile, their publication will appear under “Recommendations” to anyone who views your page. Below, you can see that I’ve recommended my friend Ginny King’s Substack.

Recommending writers offers your readers other trusted publications to invest time and money and positions you as a writer willing to support other writers. And that is sure to encourage other writers to return the favor.

How to Use Substack as a Reader

While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first experience at writing on Substack, I’ve especially loved exploring the platform as a reader. Read on for some of my best tips for using Substack as a reader:

1. List your interests during sign-up.

The hardest part about joining Substack as a reader may be finding the publications that spark your interest.

Like a social media platform, it takes some time for Substack to figure out your “algorithm” and target you with content it believes you will enjoy.

You can help move this process along by initially selecting your interests when you sign up for your account.

Above, you can see some of the interests I selected when setting up my account. My first suggested publications were curated based on my preferred topics of Culture, News, and Health & Wellness, among others.

You still may need to do some digging, but it will help weed out any subjects you’re not as drawn to.

2. Search for your favorite writers.

Once you’ve created your account, you should see a flood of Notes on your homepage from various creators suggested to you based on your interests.

While you can read through these suggestions and find some writers to start subscribing to, I recommend first searching for writers you already know and enjoy.

I used the “Search” function to search for friends I knew had a Substack to show my love and support. Then, I searched for some of my favorite writers to see if they happened to have a Substack.

Hetty Lui McKinnon is one of my favorite New York Times Cooking recipe developers and cookbook authors, so I quickly found and subscribed to her Substack.

You can repeat this process for whatever writers you would like, and it’s a simple way to educate the platform on the kinds of publications you’d be interested in.

Pro tip: Wait to become a paid subscriber to any accounts unless you’re already a die-hard fan. Many writers will have a free subscription option, even if it limits the content you can access, and it can help you get a sense of their Substack before you fully commit to paying.

While I’d love to financially support every writer, I want to make sure I pick and choose the publications that most speak to me before putting down my credit card.

3. Explore relevant new writers.

Once you’ve subscribed to some already-known writers, you may want to find new writers who poke your fancy. This is where you can use the Explore feature again.

Here, you can browse under the For You tab, which includes publications that Substack thinks will align with your interests. Otherwise, you can look through Staff Picks or, my personal favorite, by topic, as I did in the example above by clicking Food & Drink.

This is especially helpful if, as a reader, you have made a Substack to read more about a particular subject. I’m interested in spicing up my home cooking, so I clicked on Food & Drink to filter for food-related content.

Another great feature is the Leaderboard on the right-hand side, where you can view some of the top publications within that topic. It’s a quick and easy way to find and subscribe to some of the most popular writers without scrolling mindlessly.

4. Download the Substack app.

I highly recommend using the Substack app instead of the desktop interface, if you’re not already. The app mimics a social media platform and makes some of the lengthier posts less intimidating to read.

It’s much easier to scroll through suggested publications on the app and subscribe to the ones you prefer. You’ll get an email notification when you subscribe to someone’s publication, alerting you that you’ve subscribed to a free plan but have options to upgrade your subscription.

I prefer to receive push notifications from the app, so I turned off email notifications, but you have the option to keep both.

What I also appreciate about the app interface is that Notes from both subscribed and suggested publications appear in chronological order, similar to your Facebook Timeline or X Feed. This helps Substack feel natural and current, with the ability to catch up on the latest updates first.

5. Get involved in the community.

I’m in a book club, and I’ve discovered how much more excited I get to read a new book when I know I will get to discuss it for hours with my friends. Humans are naturally social beings, and there is immense satisfaction in the discussion of thoughts and sharing of ideas.

I think this is why the comments sections in Substack publications are such a selling point for writers and readers alike. And since Substack is a platform people gravitate to for specific intentions, rather than a large public medium like social media, the discourse is much more forgiving and thoughtful.

It’s a place where you can voice your reflections without fear of societal shame and cheer on beloved writers directly, as you can see below in a comments thread on one of Alison Roman’s Substack posts of readers congratulating her on opening a grocery store in upstate New York.

Substack Best Practices

My experience testing Substack was incredibly eye-opening. It’s an amazing opportunity for writers of all genres and levels of fame to publish their work in a unique space for dedicated, paying readers.

Of course, just because it’s a recipe for success doesn’t mean we all have the right ingredients. See below for my four best practices to help get your Substack off the ground and running.

1. Select a topic that you can continuously deliver on.

What makes an idea unique? It seems you can’t imagine anything these days that doesn’t already exist — I recently expressed how cool it would be if you could “test out” a book to see if you like it before making a purchase, then realized that’s what a library is for — which can make it difficult to find your Substack niche.

My advice: Pick a topic you could write almost endlessly about. Don’t choose a genre that is too niche just to try to make your publication stand out. It’s essential to find a balance between a broad enough topic that allows for continuous ideation and a hook that makes your content unique to you.

Karen Cherry wrote, “For your Substack publication to be successful, you must have something of value to offer your subscribers.”

Cherry goes on to list five niches you can align with, which are educational (teaching skills), informational (teaching information), entertainment (providing humor, nostalgia, or joy), time-saving (bringing everything they need into one place), or money-making (sharing tips for investing or businesses).

You can select any topic you like, so long as it continuously delivers on one of the above goals. This can also help you uncover why you are starting a Substack, what you hope it does for readers, how it will compare to other publications, and how it can help you make money.

Take former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has since started a Substack. He told CBS News, “There are times when you don‘t have any choice but to speak the truth…I’m at this point in my life, and this is exactly what I have to do.”

While not all writing needs to feel quite as revolutionary, it’s an important message that what you write about on Substack should be something you enjoy, appreciate, and find important.

2. Publish often and consistently.

Summer Brennan wrote, “Someone [told me] it wasn’t fair to those who did not have the bandwidth to publish very often to have to compete with more established writers. They thought they should be given some kind of leg up by the platform, so they could receive the same attention and growth.

While I can certainly relate to the frustration… the reality is that if you want to build a readership, you do have to publish.”

Achieving success as a writer on Substack while not an already-famed writer means you may need to achieve some sort of virality or at least strong shareability to grow your subscriber base. The more often you publish, the more likely you are to post something that resonates and increases your recognition.

If you post something that goes “viral” — be warned that virality may look much smaller on Substack than on X — keep up the momentum. Ride the coattails of that popular post and use it as an opportunity to encourage readers to keep tuning in for more of the same.

If you are trying to produce a high volume of posts and struggling to come up with innovative formats and styles, check out our complete collection of content creation templates that can be applied to all forms of content.

3. Connect and build relationships with other content creators.

Being a writer can often feel like a lonely, independent job. It’s something you do every day by yourself, and you don’t typically receive live feedback. But with Substack, you can connect with a wide ecosystem of writers and readers.

Subscribing to other Substacks is essential for a writer. It shows your willingness to support other people in your industry, and reading their publications can shed some light on different best practices and help you play with style, length, and formats to attract new, wider audiences.

Commenting on and recommending other publications is a great way to connect with and show your support for other writers and build your network, especially in your early days. This will likely encourage those writers to check out your work and give you the same badge of approval.

Substack is a welcoming place with room for everyone. Don’t treat it like a competition — when your network grows, you grow with it, so expand your network as much as possible.

4. Don’t take it too seriously.

I’m a writer because I love to write (you can read more about that in my inaugural Substack post). I hope that anyone who writes finds some joy in it, even if it brings frustrations and worries. Sometimes, you just need a spark of inspiration to switch up your writing and make it feel fresh.

Sophia Efthimiatou, the Head of Publisher Relations at Substack, said it best:

“What will you write about? Who cares… You would think known writers with large audiences have it easy here, but the pressure to succeed is felt more among them. The stakes are low if you are not at all known. There is no audience to lose, only one to gain. And gain you will.

Perhaps when you start your only subscribers will be your best friend, your lonely neighbor, and your aunt—who can’t even read English. And then, one day, a fourth subscriber will roll in, a total stranger. That person will be there just to read you.”

If you are starting a Substack primarily as a new means of income, that is of course serious and something to take seriously. But it’s very possible to be serious and fun. Take some risks and try something new. You can always try again after.

The important thing is that your audience will come and grow, especially if you have something to say and a genuine way of saying it.

(Sub)Stacks of Opportunities

I didn’t expect to love Substack as much as I did. I truly see the vision and why it has more than 20 million monthly active subscribers.

There is a wide breadth of content to be consumed, from hilarious fictitious tales to hard political news to travel tips for every corner of the world. There is a place for every writer and every kind of writing, and an audience to match.

I’ve never used a platform that was so seamless to write a post right within the platform. My debut Substack post was one of the fastest pieces of writing I’ve ever written, and a massive part of that was how uncomplicated it was to use Substack.

It was also extremely easy to add my friends and family as subscribers, preview and send the email newsletter of my post, share it on social media, and even customize my Substack profile to make it feel special. I’ve used Mailchimp and WordPress, and neither is as effortless to use or track stats.

While I created my Substack to test it for this blog post, I will absolutely continue using it to publish some of my more personal and creative writing (If you feel so inclined, I’d appreciate a subscribe).

I encourage any writers and content creators to give the platform a chance; it can bring your audiences from blogs, social media, or other places to a much more collaborative, accepting environment.