How BuzzSumo Can Elevate Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Explore how BuzzSumo empowers marketers with content discovery, influencer identification, and real-time monitoring features to drive success in 2025.

By Andrew Juma – Founder of The AJ Center, an award-winning end-to-end digital marketing firm. Follow Andrew on LinkedIn.

BuzzSumo At a Glance

Year Built: 2013

Owned By: Brandwatch

Users: Over 300,000

Pricing: Starting at $199/month for Pro users in 2025

Website: BuzzSumo

Type of Software: Web-based (no installation required)

Tech Stack: AngularJS, Laravel, WordPress, Mixpanel

How It Works: BuzzSumo indexes billions of articles and social posts, helping users discover the most shared content, identify influencers, monitor mentions, and analyze content performance.

Free Alternatives: Google Trends, AnswerThePublic, Social Mention

BuzzSumo Features: What Makes It Stand Out?

1. Content Discovery

BuzzSumo helps surface trending content in your niche using real-time insights. This allows businesses to stay ahead and meet audience demand.

Example: A home improvement brand can track eco-friendly renovations and affordable housing trends, aligning content for better engagement.

Note: More granular filtering would help capture hyper-local or niche topics more effectively.

2. Influencer Identification

BuzzSumo helps find influencers who match your audience. Filters by platform, location, and content type are available for precision.

Example: A beauty brand can use BuzzSumo to find creators talking about "organic skincare products" for potential collaboration.

3. Content Research Monitoring

BuzzSumo provides alerts for keywords or topics, enabling real-time tracking of competitors and rising trends.

Example: A fitness brand monitoring "healthy living" can quickly release relevant content to maintain industry leadership.

Suggestion: Deeper filtering in alerts would improve niche targeting.

4. Video Marketing Insights

Tracks video performance and viral trends, helping brands understand what drives engagement.

Example: A restaurant analyzing food challenge trends on YouTube could replicate the format to drive traffic.

Improvement: Expand coverage to include TikTok and Instagram Reels for younger audiences.

BuzzSumo Pricing: Is It Worth the Investment?

BuzzSumo’s pricing starts at $99/month, making it accessible for SMBs. Custom plans scale for enterprises with higher feature needs.

Plans Overview:

Content Plan: $199/month – Core features for small businesses
PR and Comms Plan: $299/month – For growing brands
Suite Plan: $499/month – Enterprise-level access
Enterprise Plan: $999/month – For large agencies and household brands

Consider alternatives like Ahrefs or SEMrush if you need SEO-specific tools beyond content discovery.

BuzzSumo Alternatives: What Else Is Out There?

Top competitors include Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz. While these excel in SEO/backlink tracking, BuzzSumo leads in content and social insights.

For Budget-Conscious Users: SEMrush may suit SEO needs better, but BuzzSumo wins for influencer and content trend discovery.

Our Take: Should You Invest in BuzzSumo?

BuzzSumo is a must-have for marketers who prioritize trend insights, influencer discovery, and real-time monitoring. Though pricing can be a barrier, the tool delivers high value for content-driven strategies.

Pros: Strategic edge, great for social visibility, excellent content planning

Cons: Pricing, influencer data limitations

Verdict: Worth it for most marketers focused on digital growth.

The AJ Center - Knowledge Center