Getting started with Buffer's analytics features
Once your Buffer posts have been published, it's time to see how they landed with your audience. Buffer's analytics feature is called Insights. It gives you a quick, lightweight view of your performance, right inside Buffer, so you can check on follower growth, engagement, and impressions without ever leaving your publishing dashboard.
:::warning Insights is free to use on all plans. Some options, such as Last month, Custom date ranges, and data exports, are available only on paid plans. :::
Video: How to Get the Most Out of Your Buffer Insights
Watch the video below to learn more about Buffer's Insights feature, including both ways to access it: an aggregated view across all your channels, and AI-powered Takeaways that surface what's working.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-pKOtV4_PA
Overview of Insights
With Insights, you can check a single channel's follower growth, engagement, and impressions, or get a cross-channel overview of how everything is performing, all without leaving Buffer.
:::info Note: Insights covers Instagram (Professional accounts), Facebook Pages, X/Twitter, LinkedIn Pages and Profiles, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, YouTube, and Mastodon. Google Business Profiles aren't supported, due to API limitations. :::
Two ways to access Insights
For all channels — Click Insights in the left sidebar of your Buffer dashboard. You'll see an aggregated view across every connected channel.
For a specific channel — Select the channel from the left sidebar, then click Insights beneath the channel name. You'll land on that channel's Summary, Metrics chart, and Performance per Post table.
:::info Note: Any team member with access to a channel can view its Insights. Members with view-only access can see Insights but can't export. :::
Coming from Analyze or another tool?
If you're used to Buffer Analyze, Insights works a bit differently. It's built for quick, in-dashboard check-ins rather than deep reporting, so a few things look different: no drag-and-drop custom report builder, no audience demographics yet, and no Best Time to Post recommendations. It also covers more networks than Analyze ever did.
:::info Good to know: Buffer Analyze is retiring on October 7, 2026. See Using Buffer Analyze for what's changing and when, and its "What's different about Insights?" FAQ for the fuller comparison. :::
If you're coming from a different analytics tool entirely, the fastest way to get oriented is to connect your channels, then check the All Channels view for a cross-channel snapshot before drilling into any one channel's Insights.
Exporting your Insights
You can export your Insights data at any time, from either a single channel or the All Channels view. The export reflects exactly what's on screen, including your date range and any filters you've applied.
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Click Export at the top of the Insights page, near the date range and filter controls.
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Choose a format:
- Export to CSV — a .zip file with three CSVs: summary, posts, and timeseries. Good for spreadsheets and custom analysis.
- Export to Markdown — a single .md file with all three sections. Good for pasting into docs or AI tools.
- Export as PDF — a short configuration step lets you set a report name, upload a cover logo, and choose which sections to include, then Buffer generates a branded PDF.
- Download Snapshots — downloads every chart as an image, packaged into a .zip. Available on every plan, including Free.
:::info Good to know: CSV, Markdown, and PDF exports are available on paid plans. Downloading snapshots is available on every plan, including Free. :::
:::tip Ready to dive deeper into Insights? Check out our full guide: Using Insights in Buffer. :::