📝 If you see that your social channel is marked as "Unavailable" (like this), checkout our article: Why channels are appearing as "Unavailable" when attempting to connect them to Buffer
⚡️ You're in the right article if you're looking to…
- connect your channels to Buffer.
- learn which channels are supported across our tools.
Connecting your channels is the first step to taking full advantage of your Buffer account. Once you connect your channels to Buffer, you can:
- cross-post click-worthy content
- analyze what works
- gain insight about your audience
- engage with post comments
We support 12 different types of channels (with more on the way!). If you’re curious to see which ones are supported across Buffer’s tools, we’ve made you a cheatsheet below. Then, when you’re ready to connect your channels, follow our Connecting your channels guide below and we’ll walk you through the steps. 😊
| Channel | Publishing | Analytics | Engagement |
| Facebook Pages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Facebook groups | ✓ | ||
| Instagram business accounts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Twitter profiles | ✓ | ✓ | |
| LinkedIn Pages | ✓ | ✓ | |
| LinkedIn profiles | ✓ | ||
| Pinterest business accounts* | ✓ | ||
| Shopify stores | ✓ | ||
| TikTok business accounts | ✓ | ||
| Google business profiles | ✓ | ||
| Start Pages | ✓ | ||
| Mastodon | ✓ | ||
| YouTube Shorts | ✓ |
📝 Start Pages don't need to be connected because you can create create a Start Page from the toolbar at the top of your dashboard or from the Connect new channel screen.
📝 Notes about personal profiles
- Facebook: In July of 2018, Facebook removed the ability for third-party apps like Buffer to publish on behalf of personal profiles. It is not possible to connect your Facebook personal profile to Buffer.
- Instagram: In August of 2020, Instagram removed the ability for third-party apps like Buffer to publish on behalf of personal profiles. It is not possible to connect your Instagram personal profile to Buffer.
- Pinterest: If you connected your Pinterest account prior to June 22nd, 2021, it's possible you still have a Pinterest personal account connected. Once that channel is removed, it can't be connected again unless it is converted to a Pinterest business account. Pinterest personal profiles don't have access to video pins.
Connecting your channels
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Log into the channel you'd like to connect. For example, if you're connecting your Twitter profile, start by logging into that profile at https://twitter.com.
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Click on your profile avatar at the top right of your dashboard and then click Account from the drop-down menu.
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Click the Channels option from the menu on the left hand side of your screen.
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Click on the type of channel you'd like to connect. (If you already have channels connected, click Connect New Channel and then click the channel you'd like to connect.)
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The remaining steps are different for each channel. For Twitter profiles and Pinterest business accounts, you should just need to authorize Buffer to access your account and you should be all set. For other channels, please refer to the guides linked below.
- Connecting your Facebook Page to Buffer
- Connecting your Facebook group to Buffer
- Connecting your Instagram business account to Buffer
- Connecting your LinkedIn profile or Page to Buffer
- Connecting your Google Business Profile to Buffer
- Connecting Mastodon to Buffer
- Connecting your TikTok business account to Buffer
- Connecting your Facebook Page to Buffer
- To change the order your channels appear in the channel menu, you can drag and drop into your desired order by clicking on a channel, moving it with your mouse, and then releasing it.
📖 Once you've connected a channel, we'd recommend hopping over to your posting schedule and setting up the times you'd like to post content. Learn more about the posting schedule here.
⚠️ Important things to note
- When connecting a new channel past the amount of channels in your current plan, you'll be prompted to "Confirm and Pay" and will be charged. You'll also have the option to cancel at the prompt.
- If you're looking to connect a second or an additional Twitter profile and are running into issues, this might be because Buffer is automatically connecting to the profile that you're logged into in your browser. Please try opening Buffer in an incognito window and then following the above connection steps. Alternatively, you can log out of Twitter natively and then use the login credentials for your desired account when going through the above connection steps.
- For users on a team (including Admins): If you are able to view all of your connected channels in Manage Channels, but cannot see certain channels when you're on your Dashboard, it is likely because you do not have the appropriate permissions to access that channel. This can be fixed by the owner of your organization's account by following the steps in this guide.