Secrets of savable content: How to create content buyers come back for

Like, comment, share. This used to be the holy trinity of social media engagement, but savable content has emerged as a new contender in recent years.

Think about it. What kind of things do you save?

If you’re like me, it’s photos of people and moments you don’t want to forget, maybe a ticket stub from a concert, or a shell from your favorite beach. And, of course, we all try to save money and time. We save things we consider important — things we want easy access to in the future.

The same rings true of savable content or “save-worthy” content.

If audiences save your content, they value it and this has many benefits for your marketing goals and business. Let’s explore these benefits and how you can create top-class savable content to reap them.

Table of Contents

What is savable content?

First things first. When we say savable content, we usually refer to content deemed worthy of hitting the “save” button on social media. It’s information users want to return to later and, arguably, consider better than things they just scroll past.

Not all social media platforms have “save” options, but it is available on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, and X (forever Twitter in my heart) in the form of “bookmarks.”

Learn more about the current state of social media and how consumers are using it in our 2025 Social Media Trends Report.

But what makes content “savable” exactly? Typically, it involves delivering one or more of five things.

1. Utility: Information people can act on

This content enables people to do something they couldn’t do before or do it more effectively. It can take the form of tips, checklists, how-tos, and templates, among other things. Your audience saves this content because they want to use it later.

For example, I saved this shortbread cookie recipe on Facebook:

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And these marketing tips on LinkedIn:

While the information shared can cover many topics, each post gets saved because it is actionable.

2. Personal Resonance: Inspirational, thought-provoking, or relatable posts

When it comes to “personal resonance,” think of human stories or even nostalgia. This content is saved because it strikes a personal connection with the audience. Perhaps, it helps inspire, motivate, or calm them. Maybe it helps them reflect or see new possibilities.

Carousels from wetheurban regularly make it into my saves because of these reasons:

3. Entertaining: Funny, enjoyable

According to Oracle, people crave experiences that make them laugh or smile. Even more telling, 91% of consumers say they want brands to be funny. Knowing this, it should be no surprise that entertaining, humorous content is another popular type of savable content.

For example, this meme from my Instagram saves still makes me laugh.

4. Visual Appeal: Aesthetic images, videos, graphics, carousels, charts

Let’s face it: social media can be a superficial place. High-quality and visually pleasing photos, videos, and graphics grab attention and earn saves.

Some people may save this content for its information while others may save it as inspiration for their own creative endeavors (like a style or mood board).

I’m certainly no stranger to saving photoshoot, decor, and even outfit inspiration.

5. Educational or Informative: Teaches or introduces viewers to something new

Social media can be a wealth of knowledge if you know where to look and who to follow. Great social content can teach audiences something new or introduce them to new things (i.e. new restaurants, products, artists, books, etc.)

For instance, most of my Instagram saves are for restaurants and experiences I want to try.

When planning an outing or trip, I run to my saved posts for ideas of where to go (and frankly, where to give my business).

This is just one of the reasons marketers should care about savable content.

Need help designing or writing your social content? HubSpot’s Content Remix can help.

Marketing Benefits of Savable Content

In a recent informal poll I ran with my network, nearly 60% of marketers said they’re either tracking the number of saves on their content, or recognize that they should be. But why exactly?

Creating savable content has three main benefits for brands and businesses:

Social Proof

Like shares, likes, and comments, some social media platforms display the number of saves a piece of content has. This number acts as social proof.

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When people see that others have saved your content, it makes them think there must be a reason why. If all these people are saving this content, it must be good, right?

Content Longevity

While it varies by platform, the shelf life of online content is generally pretty short. So much can be posted each hour that even the best content can get buried and never seen.

Saves help combat this.

Sure, many posts get saved and forgotten about (RIP to all the restaurants I saved and never visited), but at the very least, they have a greater chance of “return traffic.”

Someone may not revisit the save for a day, a week, a month, or even a year (cue Friends theme song) — but if/when they do, it will kickstart their journey back to your brand.

Just think of me and the restaurant visits that made it out of the saves.

Algorithmic Impact

Marketers looking for organic growth on social media are at the mercy of each platform’s algorithm. While algorithms can be complicated and mysterious, one thing we know for sure is that they almost always consider engagement.

When someone saves your content, this engagement signals to a platform’s algorithm that it’s quality content that it should potentially highlight and prioritize in feeds.

More feed appearances mean higher reach and higher potential impact. What marketer wouldn’t want that?

Tips for Creating Savable Content

Now that you know the perks of savable content, let’s discuss some expert tips for creating it.

1. Address questions and pain points.

What are some of your buyers' biggest questions or pain points? What should they know before purchasing, or what would be helpful afterward?

Create content around these topics. This gives your posts long-term value that doesn’t come with passing trends. It is more likely to be needed in the future and warrant saving, like this post from Fitbit.

2. Share actionable tips.

Have tips or hacks your audience should know about?

Like answering their questions and pain points, offering actionable advice someone can implement on their own gives them long-term value worthy of saving. It’s something they want to remember and try at some point or perhaps even share with a loved one.

I don’t even have a formal YouTube channel, but even I’m tempted to save this tutorial from Canva just in case:

Pro tip: Break down a process step-by-step (like our friends at Canva did above). If you can take a complicated tutorial and make it easily digestible in your content, your audience will love you for it. Videos and carousel posts are ideal for this.

3. Make them laugh.

Humor is powerful. It humanizes your brand, makes your content more enjoyable and memorable, and — when done right — it can earn you a save and a chuckle.

Think relatable memes, clever one-liners, or witty observations about your industry. The goal isn’t to go viral (though that’s a fun bonus), it’s to connect through laughter and give people a reason to come back for more.

Duolingo is a master of this, of course.

4. Inspire them.

Inspirational content, whether a heartfelt story or an uplifting quote, connects with your audience by tapping into emotion.

People save it because it speaks to them on a deeper level. If they’re stuck, discouraged, or need a reminder of what’s possible, boom — back to their saves they go. For brands, this can even come in the form of user-generated content or customer testimonials.

Nike accomplishes this in a simple but effective way, sharing photos of accomplished athletes with motivational quotes.

5. Tell a story.

Long before recorded history, lessons and information were shared through stories. And truthfully, their impact hasn’t stopped. Narratives help people engage, relate, and remember things.

Human stories give your audience something to see themselves in and reflect on.

Capitalize on this by sharing content that reflects your audience’s experiences, shows transformation, or even offers a behind-the-scenes peek at your business.

Shopify does a great job of this, regularly highlighting the success stories of its users.

6. Appeal visually.

High production value is rarely a bad idea. You could have written something brilliant, but if it’s crammed in a blurry slide with tiny font? It’s not getting saved, let alone read.

Yes, less-produced and authentic content has been on the rise thanks to TikTok, but it also has a time and place.

Design matters. Quality matters. Whether it’s a minimal infographic, a dreamy photo set, a dynamic video, or a clean carousel, aesthetic content grabs attention and enhances your message.

7. Incentivize saving.

One trend I’ve seen a lot lately is brands and creators incentivizing “saves” by attaching them to a contest or giveaway. In other words, to enter to win the prize, people need to save the post, among other things.

In this example, beauty brand Laneige asks followers to like, share, and save the post to enter its giveaway, and judging by the over 30,000 likes, I’m assuming many people followed through.

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Go Forth and Save the Day

At the end of the day, savable content is about more than just racking up another engagement metric. It’s about creating something so helpful, resonant, or delightful that your audience wants to return to it.

That’s powerful.

Saves are a signal — a quiet but meaningful nod from your audience that says, “This is good. I’ll need this again.” Whether you‘re solving a problem, sparking a smile, or inspiring someone to take that next step, you’re making content that sticks. And in a world of endless scrolling, that’s no small feat.

So the next time you're about to hit publish, ask yourself: “ Would I save this?”

If the answer is yes, you're on the right track. If not, tweak it until it is. Your audience — and your metrics — will thank you later.