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Buffer Zapier integrationAutomate Buffer with Zapier.

The Buffer Zapier integration gives you 9 triggers and 3 actions. All nine triggers are polling ones: Zapier checks Buffer on a timer, every 15 minutes on the free plan, so plan your social posts with that delay in mind.

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Overview

What the Buffer Zapier integration actually does

It connects your Buffer account, where social posts are drafted, approved and scheduled, to Zapier, the tool that runs small automations between apps. Something new in Buffer (an idea, a draft, a sent post, a tag) starts the automation, and Zapier can then queue a post, save an idea or pause a channel.

Ideas that become scheduled posts. When Tag Assigned to an Idea picks up the tag you chose, Add to Queue puts the content into a channel's queue, or sends it at once. Your editorial board decides with a tag, and nobody has to copy text from one screen to another.

A record of everything that went out. New Sent Item catches each post Buffer publishes on a channel, so a sent post can feed a new idea through Create Idea, ready to be reworked later.

A brake you can pull from outside. Pause Queue stops a channel's queue from publishing, a useful reflex when a new channel shows up through New Channel and nobody has checked it yet.

What Zapier does not do for Buffer: it has no search step, so a Zap cannot look up an existing post or idea, and the three actions cannot edit or delete what is already in Buffer. Every trigger is polling, none instant. If that delay or that scope is a problem, the Buffer Make integration is worth checking, and our Zapier review covers the tool itself in depth.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Six words come back throughout this page. Here they are in plain terms.

Zap
The automation you build: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time that trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event that starts a Zap, such as a new draft in Buffer. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it to happen.
Action
What the Zap does after it starts: the step that queues, creates or pauses something in an app for you.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One task is one action that completes successfully, and your plan is a count of those.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer; an instant one is pushed by the app straight away. All of Buffer's triggers are polling.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap carry on only when what arrived meets a condition you set, and stops it there otherwise.
Cost

What a Buffer Zap really costs

Zapier checking Buffer costs nothing, however often it looks. You pay in tasks, one for each action that works.

  • Trigger and checks0 task
  • Each successful action1 task
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, 2-step Zaps
  • Buffer premium app?No

The trigger never costs a task. Each action that succeeds counts, and each action in a Zap counts separately, so a Zap with two actions uses twice what a one-action Zap uses. A failed action is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each Zap is limited to two steps: one trigger, one action. A filter or a second action makes it multi-step, which needs a paid plan. Buffer is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan. Since every Buffer trigger is polling, your plan also sets the delay: the grid below is how long a new item can wait before the Zap sees it.

Connect

Connect Buffer to Zapier in 3 steps

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In your Zapier account, go to Apps and click + Add connection. A connection is your Buffer account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every Buffer step in every Zap.

  2. 02

    Pick Buffer

    Type Buffer in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. You need a Buffer account, with access to the channels and organization your Zaps will work on.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Sign in to Buffer in the tab that opens and allow Zapier to reach the account. Any Buffer trigger or action can then use this connection without asking you again.

First Zap

Your first Buffer Zap, step by step

GoalTurn an idea into a queued post the moment your team tags it as ready.

  1. 01

    Build: choose the trigger

    Create a Zap, pick Buffer and the Tag Assigned to an Idea event, choose your organization, then the tag that means ready to post.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent ideas carrying that tag, so you map the next steps on a real idea rather than a blank one.

  3. 03

    Add a filter

    Add a Filter step and set the field, the rule and the value. Pick a text rule for text. With a filter, the Zap is multi-step and needs a paid plan.

  4. 04

    Add the action

    Add Add to Queue, choose the organization and the channel, then fill the fields that channel shows. Test this step and check the post in Buffer.

  5. 05

    Publish

    Click Publish to switch the Zap on. Each idea tagged from now on reaches the queue at Zapier's next check, not the second you tag it.

Triggers

Buffer triggers on Zapier

9 events start a Zap when something happens in Buffer. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Channel

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new channel is added.”

Starts your Zap when a social account is added as a new channel in Buffer. It is the event to watch when channels are added by several people and you want to know about each one.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
an agency that onboards client accounts in Buffer wants each new channel paused until someone has checked its settings.
Watch out
the trigger only sees channels in the organization you pick, so a channel added elsewhere never shows up.
2

New Contribution Item

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new item has been sent for approval. (Requires Team Plan)”

Fires when a team member sends a post for approval. It turns Buffer's approval step into something the rest of your tools can react to.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a brand manager who approves posts from freelancers wants to know each time a new one is waiting for review.
Watch out
Buffer marks this trigger as requiring its own Team plan; on another Buffer plan, there is nothing for Zapier to find.
3

New Draft Item

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new draft has been added.”

Runs when a new draft is saved in Buffer. A draft is a post that exists but is not scheduled yet, which makes this the earliest point to catch content.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a solo creator writes drafts on the go and wants each one logged where they plan their content calendar.
Watch out
a draft is not in a queue yet; to react to scheduled posts, start from New Queue Item instead.
4

New Idea Item

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new idea has been added.”

Fires when someone adds a new idea in Buffer. Ideas are the raw material before a draft: a link, a hook, a note to come back to.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a content lead wants every idea from the team copied into the brainstorm document used in planning meetings.
Watch out
never answer it with Create Idea; each idea the Zap creates is a new idea, and the Zap starts again in a loop.
5

New Queue Item

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new update has been added to the queue.”

Starts the Zap when a new update lands in a channel's queue, meaning it is scheduled and waiting to be published.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a community manager wants a heads-up in the team's chat with each post scheduled, so the support team is ready for replies.
Watch out
do not pair it with Add to Queue; every post the Zap queues is a new queue item and sets it off again.
6

New Sent Item

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new update has been sent.”

Reacts when Buffer has actually published an update on a channel. Unlike the queue trigger, it tells you the post is out, not just planned.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a marketing team keeps a log of every published post, channel by channel, for its reports to management.
Watch out
besides the organization, it asks you to pick a channel, so one Zap follows one channel; several channels mean several Zaps.
7

New Tag

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new tag is created.”

Picks up each new tag created in Buffer. Tags are how teams label ideas and posts by campaign, theme or status.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
an agency names one tag per client campaign and wants each new one announced to the account team.
Watch out
it reports the tag being created, not the tag being used; to react to a tag put on content, use one of the two assignment triggers below.
8

Tag Assigned to an Idea

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a tag is assigned to an idea.”

Watches for the tag you choose being put on an idea. It turns a simple label into a decision: tag it, and the next step happens.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
an editorial team marks approved ideas with one tag, and the Zap sends each of them to the posting queue.
Watch out
locked tags do not appear in the tag list of the trigger, so pick or create an unlocked one for this job.
9

Tag Assigned to a Post or Draft

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a tag is assigned to post or draft.”

Fires when the tag you pick is put on a post or a draft. It works like the idea version, one step further down the content pipeline.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a team tags posts that need legal review, and the Zap alerts the reviewer for each one.
Watch out
as with ideas, locked tags are not offered, and the tag must be chosen inside the right organization.
Actions

Buffer actions on Zapier

Buffer gives you 3 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Idea

Action

In Zapier“Create an Idea”

Saves a new idea in the Buffer organization you pick, ready to be reworked into a post later.

When to use it
articles from your blog or notes from a meeting tool, collected as ideas without anyone copying them over.
Watch out
a Zap started by New Idea Item must never use this action, or it feeds itself in a loop.
2

Pause Queue

Action

In Zapier“Pause a Channels Queue”

Changes the paused state of one channel's queue, so its scheduled posts stop going out until it is switched back.

When to use it
holding a brand's posts during a sensitive moment, triggered from wherever your team raises the alarm.
Watch out
organization, channel and the Paused value are all required; leave one empty and the step fails.
3

Add to Queue

Action

In Zapier“Add an item to your queue or send an update immediately to any of your Buffer channels.”

Puts an update into the queue of a Buffer channel, or sends it right away. Once you pick the channel, Zapier shows the extra fields that channel needs.

When to use it
publishing a post for each new product page, without opening Buffer.
Watch out
each channel is a separate pick, so one action posts to one channel; plan one action per network.
When it breaks

When a Buffer Zap breaks

Zapier links no Buffer-specific help article and publishes no Buffer rate limit. The failures to plan for are those of any Zap, made sharper by a social account where a mistake is public.

On a social channel, a broken Zap shows: a post that publishes twice, a queue that fills itself, a channel that never gets the post it should have. Design against the cases below before you publish, and turn to Zapier troubleshooting once a run has already failed.

  • The delay of a polling trigger

    All nine Buffer triggers are polling: on the free plan, a new item can wait up to 15 minutes before the Zap sees it. Paid plans shorten the wait, never to zero.

  • A Zap that triggers itself

    New Queue Item feeding Add to Queue, or New Idea Item feeding Create Idea: the Zap writes where it watches, starts again and again, and burns through your tasks.

  • Nothing from before the Zap

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you publish it. Ideas, drafts and posts that already existed are never picked up.

  • A sudden flood of items

    After a bulk import of ideas or posts, a trigger that suddenly returns a huge batch can be held back by Zapier's flood protection.
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FAQ

Buffer Zapier integration: frequently asked questions

01Is the Buffer Zapier integration free?
Yes, as a starting point. Buffer is not a premium app on Zapier, so you can use it on the free plan, which gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps. The limit is size: a free Zap has two steps, one trigger and one action. Add a filter or a second action, for example to pause a queue and save an idea in the same Zap, and it becomes multi-step, which requires a paid plan. The free plan also sets the slowest checking interval.
02How many tasks does a Buffer Zap use?
One per action that succeeds, each time the Zap runs. The trigger is free, and Zapier checking Buffer for new items is free too, however often it checks. A Zap that queues a post for every tagged idea uses one task per idea. If the same Zap also creates an idea, that is two tasks per run, since each action is counted on its own. An action that fails does not count, and a few apps or actions take more than one task.
03Does Buffer trigger Zaps in real time?
No. All nine Buffer triggers are polling triggers: Zapier asks Buffer for new items at a fixed interval that depends on your plan, 15 minutes on Free, 2 on Professional, 1 on Team and Enterprise. The type is set by Buffer's own side and cannot be changed in the editor. On paid plans, you can change how often a polling trigger checks, and run a check by hand from the editor while testing.
04What do you need to connect Buffer to Zapier?
A Buffer account with access to the channels you want to automate. In Zapier, open Apps, click + Add connection, search for Buffer, click Add connection, sign in to Buffer in the new tab, then grant access. After that, every Buffer step reuses the connection. Each trigger and action then asks for an organization, so know which one holds your channels; every Buffer user has a default organization to start with.
05Why does a Buffer trigger find nothing?
Usually because of a setting on the Buffer side, not on Zapier's. New Contribution Item needs Buffer's Team plan, so on another Buffer plan there are no contributions to find. Every trigger is scoped to one organization, and the sent-item trigger to one channel, so items elsewhere stay invisible. The tag triggers never list locked tags. And a Zap only sees what happened after it was published, so older items never appear.
06What if the Buffer operation you need is not there?
Then Zapier cannot do it directly. Buffer on Zapier offers 9 triggers and 3 actions, with no search step: there is no way to look up, edit or delete an existing post from a Zap. In that case, check what other automation platforms expose for Buffer before you commit, or keep that step in Buffer. Any extra step added to work around the gap, a filter included, makes the Zap multi-step, which needs a paid plan.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Buffer?
There is no single winner, only criteria to check against your own flow. Coverage first: write down the Buffer operations you need and see which platform offers each one. Cost next: on Zapier the trigger is free and each successful action is one task. Speed: every Buffer trigger on Zapier is polling, so the plan you pay for sets the delay. Then upkeep: who will maintain the flow once it runs. Score each option on those points.
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