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What Is BuzzSumo

Creating unique content isn’t easy in a world saturated with information. It takes a lot of research to offer something that truly stands out—but that also demands time. Fortunately, we have tools like BuzzSumo to help tackle this challenge.

BuzzSumo is a marketing tool used by thousands of professionals and companies. Today, it has helped freelancers like you identify trends, find growth opportunities, and study the competition quickly.

That makes it useful for building more effective content strategies. From this point of view, reading this post will benefit you.

BuzzSumo: What It Is and How to Use It to Research High-Impact Content

What Is BuzzSumo?

It’s an online platform that lets you discover which content is generating the most interest on the internet. Thanks to its features, it helps you identify in minutes the most popular topics within any sector, audience, or keyword.

That’s why it has become an ally for freelancers working in content marketing or brand management—driving strategy creation based on real data and aligned with current trends.

How Does BuzzSumo Work?

The tool works like a search engine specialized in content.

That is, by entering a domain, keyword, or topic into its search bar, it starts analyzing millions of posts across the internet. This allows it to show you which sites have had the most impact—whether on social media or other channels.

BuzzSumo scans formats, content, or approaches in just a few minutes and tells you which ones are capturing user attention. It also tells you who the main creators or influencers were on that topic.

What Is BuzzSumo For?

BuzzSumo gives you quick access to valuable data that allows you to plan more effective content. These insights also help improve strategies or find collaboration opportunities.

In other words, BuzzSumo helps you:

Find top-performing content in your niche

Most marketing tools have something in common: they save time. BuzzSumo does the same by pinpointing which posts are performing best in your industry.

With this information, you can identify success patterns and apply them to your own projects or client proposals.

Get inspired with new ideas

By analyzing what topics are trending or being discussed online, it inspires you to create new ideas—whether for updating social media, blogs, or ad campaigns. As a result, you ensure your content truly resonates with your audience.

Connect with influencers

BuzzSumo shows you who the most influential people are discussing the topics you're interested in.

This gives you the chance to contact them to build partnerships, exchange content, or even amplify your most important posts. A key move for reaching new audiences organically and credibly.

Validate topics

Before developing an article or campaign, you can use BuzzSumo to check if that topic is in demand. Beyond saving time, it helps reduce the risk of creating content that doesn’t spark engagement.

Make better decisions with real data

With BuzzSumo’s metrics, it's easy to analyze the performance of your content and that of your competitors.

You can identify which platforms work best for you, what formats generate more interaction, and adjust your strategy with greater precision. You’ll see this increases your chances of hitting your goals and succeeding as a freelance digital marketer.

Top BuzzSumo Tools for Content Creation

It’s clear that BuzzSumo shows which topics, authors, or domains are gaining traction on social media. It also stands out for its ability to find and analyze relevant influencers.

However, it also offers many other useful tools to plan, execute, and adjust your strategies in smarter ways. So let’s focus on the ones that can really make a difference:

Apply advanced filters

BuzzSumo displays results in text and other formats thanks to its filters. You can also filter by length, language, country, and domain—allowing you to choose the option that best connects with your audience.

Custom real-time alerts

You can set up alerts to notify you when content relevant to your interests is published. This can include keywords, competitor mentions, or viral posts.

The idea is to adjust the popularity threshold so you only get notifications for articles that are truly gaining traction.

This feature is incredibly valuable if you want to measure the social impact of your content and discover new sharing opportunities. You'll gain access to the links people are sharing on social media (X, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.).

Competitor comparison

The platform lets you compare the performance of multiple brands, media outlets, or websites in a single report. That way, you’ll know what kind of content is working best in your industry—which helps you identify gaps where you could position yourself.

Data export for professional reports

Need to present results to a client or analyze trends in more detail?

Use this tool to export all the information gathered in formats like CSV or Excel—from searches and influencer analyses to performance reports.

How to Use BuzzSumo Step by Step

Now, let’s go over how to practically use BuzzSumo to analyze trends and create winning content:

1. Create your BuzzSumo account

The first step is to register on BuzzSumo’s official website, and you can start with the free version:

  • Click on “Start Free Trial” or “Empieza tu prueba gratuita”

  • Enter your email address and create a password.

Once registered, you’ll get access to a free account that allows up to 50 searches.

2. Access the main dashboard

Enter BuzzSumo’s control panel, where you’ll see all the main features. This includes content discovery, trend analysis, brand monitoring, and influencer search.

In the search bar, type the keyword, topic, or concept you want to research. It could be a service you offer, a brand, a trend, or any term relevant to your content strategy.

Then click “Search” and wait for the platform to analyze and display the results.

4. Explore and analyze the results

You’ll get a list of content, posts, or items related to your search, each accompanied by data such as:

  • The number of shares across different social networks

  • The engagement level

  • The content format

Observe what’s performing best and on which platforms.

5. Filter to get more precise results

At the top or side of the page, you’ll find several filter options to refine your search based on:

  • Date of publication

  • Language

  • Geographic region

  • Content type (article, video, infographic), and other criteria that help focus your analysis.

This will help you concentrate on the most relevant formats and topics for your audience or project.

6. Save or export

If you find valuable information, you can save it within BuzzSumo for later reference. You also have the option to export it in case you want to do a deeper analysis or share it with clients.

7. Set up custom alerts (optional)

If you want to receive automatic notifications when new content aligned with your interests or brand appears, set up alerts. This will make it easier to stay informed without needing to perform regular searches.

BuzzSumo Pros and Cons

BuzzSumo is one of the most comprehensive content marketing tools. However, it does have some limitations every freelancer should consider.

BuzzSumo Pros and Cons:

Pros of using BuzzSumo

  • Interface. If you're just starting out in content marketing or personal branding, you'll likely have no trouble getting started. The interface is known for being intuitive.

  • Quick access to trends and relevant topics. You can learn within minutes which content is currently trending.

  • Better content planning. Study the competition and find new keywords. As a result, you can build a solid editorial calendar that meets market demand.

  • Identification of strategic allies. Finding relevant influencers offers collaboration opportunities to expand your content’s reach more naturally and effectively.

  • Brand monitoring on social media. Thanks to mention and trend monitoring, you can tweak strategies in real time and detect positioning opportunities.

Cons of using BuzzSumo

  • High cost for individual users. Paid subscriptions can be challenging if you're working with a tight budget.

  • No free plan. If you're wondering whether BuzzSumo is free, the answer is no. It doesn't offer a free subscription—just an initial free trial, and it’s limited.

It’s also worth mentioning that results depend on indexed data. So, it's best to complement BuzzSumo with other digital marketing tools to get a fuller picture.

Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs are good options.

BuzzSumo Plans and Pricing

If you try BuzzSumo’s free trial and like it, you can choose one of their four plans, depending on your needs.

BuzzSumo Pricing:

Plan

Price (billed annually)

Best for

Content Creation

$199/month

Content marketing experts and freelancers looking to grow organic reach.

PR & Comms

$299/month

Communication teams that need media monitoring, mention analysis, and journalist relations.

Suite

$499/month

Marketing teams from large brands and agencies.

Enterprise

$999/month

Corporations handling high data volumes with no restrictions.

Fortunately, there’s a 30-day free trial for all plans. So, don’t rush your decision—check BuzzSumo’s features and evaluate which one fits you best.

It’s worth noting that you can pay with DolarCard, as BuzzSumo accepts both credit and debit cards. Plus, it’s more advantageous than other options since it allows you to pay directly in digital dollars.

Additionally, you’ll be able to receive your earnings in USDc through our app. DolarApp only charges 3 USDc per transaction—whether sending or receiving digital dollars—regardless of the amount.

And if you need to convert to local currency, you can do it at a fair exchange rate with no extra fees.

Download DolarApp and receive international payments easily and securely!

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