Collaborating on content with Notes

The Notes feature in Buffer gives you instant, easy access to collaborate on updates, mention teammates, and leave vital information on your content to reference from idea to draft.

Notes are available on every Buffer plan, including Free. If your organization used Buffer's previous Notes feature, those existing notes have been automatically migrated.

:::info The Notes feature is not yet available on Buffer's mobile app. :::

How to use Notes

There are a number of ways you can use Notes in Buffer. Let’s take a quick look at how to use them:

• Adding context to a post for future reference: You might want to remind yourself to update a link or add an image to the post before you publish it.
• Giving and getting feedback on a post: Notes are a great way to discuss content with your team. Add a note to start a discussion — you can @ mention teammates, format your text (bold, italic, strikethrough, lists, and links), and react with emoji, with everyone's view updating in real time.
• Responding to messages requiring approval: If you already have a draft in the Approvals tab, starting a conversation about updates that require approval is a great way use Notes.
• Sharing notes on rejected messages: If you’ve rejected a post that was awaiting approval, you can use Notes to share more context.

Creating a Note

You can add a Note to scheduled posts, drafts, channel-less drafts (a draft created in Publish with no channel assigned), and sent posts in Buffer. To add a Note:

1. Click the Notes icon in the top right-hand corner of a post or draft.

2. The Notes composer will open. Type your note, and use the toolbar to format your text (bold, italic, strikethrough, bulleted list, numbered list, and link), or type @ to mention a teammate.
3. Once you're happy with your note, click the send icon to add it.

For drafts, you can also click Expand or the Notes icon from the calendar popover or the Drafts tab. This opens a details dialog showing the draft next to its Notes panel, the same way published posts work. You don't need edit permission to view a draft's details this way, only to make changes to it.

Mentioning a teammate

Type @ in the note composer to pull in a teammate.

• On a channel post or draft, you'll see teammates who have access to that channel.
• On a channel-less draft, you can mention anyone in your organization, since channel-less drafts are visible organization-wide.

Keep typing to filter the list, then select a name to complete the mention. The mentioned teammate is notified by email.

:::info Note: Mentions aren't available on solo (non-team) accounts, since there's no one else to mention. :::

Reacting to a note

Hover over a note and click the emoji icon to react to it. Reactions appear in real time to everyone viewing that post or draft.

Editing and deleting notes

1. Locate the post that contains the note you want to change.
2. Click the Notes icon in the top right-hand corner of the post and locate the note you’d like to update.
3. Hover over the Note and click Edit or Delete.

Marking Notes as read or unread

Notes on your posts and drafts show an unread indicator so you can easily track new activity. Notes are automatically marked as read when you open the Notes thread, and you can also mark them as read or unread manually at any time.

This also applies to channel-less drafts (drafts created in Publish with no channel assigned). Previously, read/unread tracking only worked for drafts connected to a channel.

Email notifications

You can choose which Notes emails you receive. The Collaboration setting covers team activity like contributions, Notes, and approval requests, and includes three options just for Notes.

1. Go to Settings > Notifications.

2. Scroll to the Collaboration section.

3. Turn the Notes email options on or off:

   • Mentions of you: We email you when a Note directly mentions you.
   • Thread updates: We email you about new Notes in threads you've contributed to, been mentioned in, or chosen to follow.
   • Notes on your posts and drafts: We email you about new Notes on posts and drafts you created.

Note: Notes email settings apply across all of your organizations. Following a thread is separate from receiving emails.

Following and unfollowing a Notes thread

You follow a Notes thread when you add a Note, reply to one, or get @ mentioned in it. You can also follow or unfollow a thread yourself if you only want updates on conversations you care about.

1. Locate the post or draft with the Notes thread you'd like to follow or unfollow.
2. Click the Notes icon in the top right-hand corner.
3. Click the three-dot menu at the top of the Notes panel.
4. Click Follow thread or Unfollow thread.

:::info Note: When you follow a thread, you get updates based on your email settings. Unfollowing a thread stops updates from it, except for mentions if Mentions of you is turned on in your notification settings. :::

FAQ

Will I be able to see who created a Note?

Yes. The Note shows the email address of the person who created the note.

Who can see the Notes?

On a post or draft with a channel assigned, notes are visible to anyone in the organization with access to that channel. On a channel-less draft, notes are visible to everyone in the organization, since channel-less drafts aren't tied to a specific channel.

Do I need edit permission to view a draft's Notes?

No. You can view a draft's details and Notes panel without edit permission. Viewing no longer requires the same access as editing.

Can I reply to a Note via email?

Although you can receive email notifications for Notes, you can't reply to a Note by responding to the email. To reply and notify the Note’s author, you’ll need to respond on the Note itself.

Will I get an email for every new Note?

No. We only email you based on your Notes settings: when you're mentioned, when there's new activity in a thread you're part of, or when someone adds a Note to a post or draft you created.

Can I add Notes to ideas?

No, you can't add a Note to an idea in the Create space, since ideas can't be assigned a channel. Channel-less drafts are different: they're draft posts created in Publish with no channel assigned, and they fully support Notes, including read/unread tracking, just like any other draft.