The best way to keep up with the latest trends and industry news? Social media blogs.
Not only do marketing and social media blogs curate recent trends or explain the latest platform updates, but the best ones also provide insightful tips and break down real-life examples from brands that are performing well.
In order to make sure your brand’s social strategy is current, keep your marketing skills sharp, and gather inspiration from other brands who are killing it on social, it’s essential to keep a variety of sources on your reading list.
12 Must-Read Social Media Blogs
1. Social Media Today
Social Media Today is to social media marketers as TikTok is to Gen Z: a trusted source for the latest news and trends.
If you want to be the first to know about platform updates, industry developments, and the latest brand campaigns, make reading this leading industry resource a part of your morning routine.
From Instagram algorithm changes to new ecommerce capabilities on TikTok, Social Media Today covers everything marketers need to know to keep their social strategies current. And if you really want to be the first to know about the latest news, you can sign up for the free daily newsletter.
Best for: Social media marketers that want to stay on top of the most up-to-date industry news.
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2. Digiday
Digiday is a trade publication that covers all things digital media, which includes social media marketing. The outlet takes a more news-based approach, so marketers can expect to find fewer listicles and more reported articles that feature insights from industry experts.
Trends and well-known brands’ social strategies are covered in the marketing section. Readers have access to three free articles per month, but to read more than that you have to pay for a Digiday+ membership which starts at $159 per quarter. Pro tip: If you work at a nonprofit or are currently a student, you may qualify for a discount!
Best for: Social media marketers that want to stay up to date on current events, trends, and conversations in the overall marketing industry.
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3. Adweek
Similar to Digiday, Adweek’s Social Pro Daily is a trade publication that leans more towards news and current events rather than how-to articles. The industry media platform covers the latest social media industry news, agency trends, and strategies.
Adweek is geared towards marketers and agencies in the advertising space, so you can expect to read articles about paid social campaigns, influencer marketing, and brand partnerships featuring brands like Urban Decay, Carl’s Jr., and even NASA.
Readers have access to three free articles per month — after that, you have to subscribe to continue reading. Subscriptions start at $14.99 per month.
Best for: Agency marketers that want to stay informed about the advertising world and keep up with major brand partnerships.
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4. Social Media Examiner
Social Media Examiner has been around since 2009 so there’s no question that this blog has been a leading voice in the industry over the years.
While social media has greatly evolved since this blog began, Social Media Examiner continues to be a trusted source for the latest industry trends and strategies, sharing actionable tips along the way.
On the blog, you can expect to find how-to articles that cover a range of topics from how to set up a new platform or ways to use a new tool. Plus, the site is easy to navigate as the topics are organized by platform.
Best for: Marketers at all stages of their careers who want a straightforward, practical approach to social media.
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5. Rival IQ
Although we might be partial, we couldn’t possibly talk about social media blogs without mentioning our own. Our social media analytics tool makes it easy to not only track your metrics but also analyze your competitors’ social strategies to see how you compare. To support social media marketers along the way, our blog posts offer tips and strategies to improve engagement by providing a breakdown of top-performing social media posts from brands across all platforms.
In addition, benchmark reports are published on a regular basis so that you can keep up with the most recent engagement figures for your industry. If you want to learn ways to improve your brand’s engagement rate across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok, we’ve got you covered.
Best for: Social media marketers that are looking for fresh insights to boost engagement and stand out above the competition.
We also regularly release benchmark reports so you can stay on top of the latest engagement numbers for your industry.
If you want to learn ways to improve your brand’s engagement rate across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok, we’ve got you covered.
Best for: Social media marketers that are looking for fresh insights to boost engagement and stand out above the competition.
6. On Sprout’s blog, you’ll find long-form articles
Guides, and data reports on everything a social media marketer needs to know from strategy and analytics to trends and advertising best practices. It even has a section dedicated to navigating a career in social media — which can be especially helpful to those who are new to the industry or looking to make a pivot.
Best for: Sprout Social’s blog often takes a high-level approach, honing in on social media’s role in an organization. Social strategists or anyone whose job is more strategy than execution-based will benefit from this blog.
7. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a social media scheduling tool that makes it easy for marketers to make sure their content is published consistently and on time. But Hootsuite goes beyond simply being a useful tool by creating helpful content that marketers want to read.
Hootsuite’s blog is chock-full of tips and tricks to make the most out of your social content while keeping it current. Perhaps Hootsuite’s biggest strength, however, is the actionable tips it shares for creating and executing content.
Best for: Social media marketers and creators alike can benefit from the how-to articles on Hootsuite’s blog.
8. HubSpot
If you’ve been in marketing long enough, you’re more than familiar with HubSpot. The CRM tool has built a robust content library that has become one of the top sales and marketing resources over the years. HubSpot’s main blog is divided into smaller blogs based on industry: sales, marketing, service, and website tips. The marketing blog is where you’ll find tips for social media and adjacent topics like branding, content marketing, and copywriting.
