Zapier integration with Buffer

As of April 2023, Zapier is an official partner of Buffer, opening up new opportunities for users to connect Buffer with a wide range of apps. This partnership allows users to create "Zaps" (automated workflows) that seamlessly connect Buffer with a variety of other apps, enabling a host of actions and triggers to automate your social media management processes.

In this article:

  1. What actions and triggers are possible through the Buffer-Zapier integration?
  2. How to connect Buffer and Zapier and create Zaps
  3. Automating RSS feeds using Feedly and Zapier
  4. Sharing media to Buffer using the Zapier integration

What actions and triggers are possible through the Buffer-Zapier integration?

Through the Buffer-Zapier integration, users can set up various triggers and actions, including but not limited to:
Triggers:
  1. New Sent Item: Initiate a Zap when a new update is sent for a specific channel.
  2. New Draft: Trigger a Zap when a draft is added to a specific channel.
  3. New Contribution: Activate a Zap when a new contribution is added for approval for a specific channel.
  4. Idea Created: Trigger a Zap when a new idea is added for a selected organization.
Actions:
  1. Add an Idea to a Specific Organization: Add ideas to a specific organization directly.
  2. Image Uploads: Upload images (including multiple images) to your Buffer account.
  3. Support for Threads: Publish a post to Threads
  4. Support for Pinterest: Manage Pinterest posts with options like selecting a Subprofile, setting a title, and specifying a destination URL.
  5. Support for TikTok: With video uploads supported, you can manage TikTok posts.
  6. Support for GBP What's New Button Type and Link: For What's New Post Type, allowing for added complexity.
  7. Instagram Enhancements: Added Shop Grid Link Field, Reels Support, First Comment Support, and the ability to select a campaign if available.
  8. More Post Management Options: Save to drafts, choose from various scheduling methods, and pause the queue.
  9. Support for Video Uploads: Upload videos to your Buffer account.
  10. Support for Multiple Image Uploads: Upload multiple images in a single post.
  11. Adding Alt Text (Image Descriptions): Enhance accessibility by providing alt text for images.
  12. Link and Cloud Storage Support: Import images and videos from links or cloud storage solutions.
  13. Pause Queue Action: Control whether to pause or unpause your posting queue.
  14. Create Idea Action: Quickly create new ideas.
  15. Add to Buffer Action: Combines the functionality of the old "Add to Schedule" and "Add to Buffer" actions.

How to connect Buffer and Zapier and create Zaps

To utilize the Buffer-Zapier integration and explore the various "Zaps" available, follow these steps:
  1. Sign Up for Zapier: If not already a user, sign up for a Zapier account at https://zapier.com/apps/buffer/integrations.
  2. Connect Buffer: In Zapier, create a new Zap and select Buffer as the trigger or action app, depending on your desired workflow.
  3. Configure Your Zaps: Set up your automated workflows by selecting the specific triggers and actions you want to use, customizing the settings to fit your needs.
  4. Test and Activate: Test your Zaps to ensure they work as expected, and then activate them to begin automating your social media management tasks.

Automating RSS feeds using Feedly and Zapier

If you're looking to automatically send posts from RSS feeds to your queue in Buffer, we recommend using Zapier with Buffer! Here's a direct link to where you can set this up. You'll need to create a (free) Zapier account to do so, then can link your Buffer account to set up this "Zap"/trigger.

đź“ť You will need to create multiple versions of this Zap if you'd like posts to be sent to multiple channels.

Sharing Media to Buffer via the Zapier Integration

The Zapier integration can be used to pass an image, images for a carousel post, or a video over to Buffer. While this can help you to efficiently create and schedule content, you will need to ensure that the URL you include is a direct link to the media that Zapier is passing along to Buffer. 
Many cloud drives or image hosting services provide “share links” for the media they host. That said, not all of these share links will allow third-party services to access and download the content automatically. Therefore, regardless of whether a cloud drive or image hosting service is used, you will need to locate and include the direct link for the media within the Zapier integration.
Example:
To illustrate the above, we’ll look at two different types of URLs from Google Drive. 
When attempting share an image or a video from Google Drive, the service will provide a “share link” similar to the below URL ( with the FILEIDHERE portion being the unique id for the media):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/FILEIDHERE/view?usp=sharing
While this URL allows you to share with other users, it doesn’t provide a direct link to the media for services like Buffer. Instead, you would need to use a link like the following:
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=FILEIDHERE
The above URL would allow Buffer to directly access the media to include it in the post that is created.
Each cloud drive or image hosting service will have their own types of links for media. Using those will be key to ensuring that your Zap works properly. 
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.