What Is Hootsuite Used For: Features, Reviews & Alternatives
Platform to manage multiple social networks.
Editorially updated Oct 25, 2025
The overview
What Hootsuite is for
1Core Capabilitie
- Unified content composer for multiple network
- Scheduled post queue management
- Social stream monitoring dashboard
- Audience engagement inbox
- Basic analytics reporting interface
2Specialized Workflow
- Content library for asset storage
- Approval workflow for draft post
- Team member permission setting
- Campaign performance tracking module
- Social listening keyword setup
Who it helps
Useful ways to use Hootsuite
A practical path
Sign In and Connect Social Account
Navigate to the web application, sign in, and use the 'Add Social Network' wizard to authorize connections to your brand's Facebook Pages, Instagram Business Profiles, LinkedIn Pages, and X account
External signals
Reviews & reputation
Aggregated review score
A robust, browser-first platform for social media professionals to centralize content scheduling, engagement monitoring, and performance reporting across diverse social networks, though some users note occasional UI complexities and pricing tiers.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
1Can I manage Instagram Stories and Reels directly from Hootsuite, or is it limited to feed posts?⌄
Hootsuite supports direct scheduling and publishing for Instagram feed posts and Reels. For Stories, you can schedule them, but the final publishing step often requires a push notification to the mobile app for manual completion due to Instagram's API limitations for Stories.
2What kind of approval workflows are available for content, and can I customize them for different team roles?⌄
Yes, Hootsuite offers content approval workflows. You can designate specific team members as 'Approvers' who must review and approve scheduled posts before they go live. This is customizable, allowing you to set up different approval chains based on team roles or client accounts.
3How does Hootsuite handle social listening beyond just mentions of my connected profiles?⌄
Beyond direct mentions, Hootsuite's 'Streams' feature allows you to set up custom search streams for keywords, hashtags, and specific users across X and other networks. This enables monitoring broader industry conversations, competitor activity, or trending topics relevant to your brand, even if your profiles aren't directly tagged.
4Is there a way to integrate Hootsuite with our existing CRM or marketing automation platform for lead tracking?⌄
Hootsuite offers an App Directory with various integrations, including some CRM and marketing automation tools. While direct lead tracking from social interactions into a CRM might require specific app integrations or custom webhooks, the platform primarily focuses on social engagement and content distribution.
5What happens if a social network API changes or experiences an outage? Will my scheduled posts still go out?⌄
If a social network's API changes significantly or experiences an outage, Hootsuite's ability to publish or monitor may be temporarily affected. Hootsuite typically works quickly to adapt to API changes. During an outage, scheduled posts to that specific network might fail, and you would usually receive a notification within the platform.
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