Auto-post your clips to FB, IG and TikTok with Buffer (free)
Why I stopped posting to each platform by hand, what Buffer's free plan really gives you, and the small things I learned about covers, first comments and the TikTok AI label.
I make short clips every day, and I noticed half my time was going into posting. Open the app, upload, retype the caption, pick a cover. Three times over.
So I looked for a way to have it post itself. I landed on Buffer, and the free plan is genuinely enough.
What Buffer's free plan gives you
What I actually get:
- 3 channels
- Up to 10 queued posts per channel at a time. When a post goes out, the slot frees up and you refill.
- A free API key
The 10-per-channel limit is the catch. You can't prep a month ahead. If you post one clip a day, ten days ahead is plenty.
Why FB + IG + TikTok on Buffer
Three channels, so I picked the three I post to most: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
YouTube I upload in Studio myself. I have to set the title and description there anyway, so it costs little.
Things I learned the hard way
Cover frame. On IG and TikTok you can pick the cover by giving a time offset into the video. Facebook picks its own cover and you can't control it. I lost a while figuring that out.
A few things I checked along the way: Buffer's API is GraphQL, videos have to be a public URL Buffer can fetch, and you can't send a thumbnail image. Only an offset is supported. So I make sure the frame at that point always looks good.
TikTok AI label. If you use an AI voice, tick the AI-generated label yourself. Better than getting flagged later.
First comment. Buffer can add a first comment on FB and IG, but it's a paid-plan feature. On the free plan I put the source link at the end of the caption instead.
Draft first. At the start, don't let posts go out directly. Queue them as drafts and review. My first one went out with a cover frame I did not pick, because I skipped that check.
Write captions per platform. FB/IG: 1-3 short lines plus a question, like asking people to tag a friend. TikTok: keyword near the start, end with a question to get comments. Write it like a friend telling you something, not a press release.
Wrap-up
Buffer solved the posting. The real problem with posting daily is having a clip to post every day.
For that I use Captog Daily: it turns an interesting news item or tool into a Thai short with a caption, and then it goes into Buffer as described above. All I do is pick the story and check it before it goes out.
Daily comes with Captog Cue (long video to shorts with subtitles) at no extra cost. See the details, or comment DAILIES under a clip on the pemlog page.
You can try Buffer for free at buffer.com.