How to Use SproutSocial: Save 10+ Hours Weekly in 2026

by Fahim Joharder | Last updated Jan 15, 2026

Do you feel overwhelmed by too many social media accounts?

It is hard to keep up with every post and message. You might feel like you are falling behind your competitors.

This stress can make you want to give up on social media entirely.

There is a better way to work.

Sprout Social makes everything simple and organized.

In this guide, we’ll learn how to use SproutSocial to simplify your workflow.

Stop stressing and start growing your brand today.

Sprout Social

Over 30,000 brands trust Sprout Social. Our in-depth review helps you decide if it’s right for you. So give it a try.

Try Sprout Social for FREE Read full review Check alternatives

Ready to learn how to use Sprout Social? It is like a remote control for all your apps.

This guide makes it easy to set up.

You will learn to post, listen to fans, and use AI tools. Let’s get started now!

TRY Sprout Social for free

Managing multiple platforms is easy with Sprout Social.

You can create content for all your social channels in one place. It helps you engage with customers and improve customer care.

Use these steps to master your social media management.

Step 1: Set Up Your Publishing Calendar

Connect your accounts to manage publishing across multiple platforms.
Open the publishing calendar to see all your drafted and live posts.
Start scheduling posts at the best times to reach your audience.

TRY Sprout Social for free

Step 2: Streamline Team Workflows

Use message approval workflows to make sure every post is perfect.
Let your team share content and collaborate on new ideas.
Try AI Assist to write captions faster and deliver faster business impact.

Turn on social listening to hear what people say about your brand.
Use actionable insights from reports to grow your business impact.
Check your data often to see how well you connect with your audience.

TRY Sprout Social for free

You can create a better growth plan with the power of AI.

Sprout Social helps marketers and agencies identify data trends to serve their clients better.

This overview shows you how to measure your performance and focus on engagement.

Step 1: Analyze Trends and Data

Look at the features to see how people talk on Facebook and Twitter.
Use AI insights to see what your audience likes so you can plan better campaigns.
Get a free look at your data to see where your business can grow.

TRY Sprout Social for free

Step 2: Manage Your Conversations

Use AI to manage many conversations at once for your clients.
This tool supports marketers so they can focus on big ideas.
It helps you create better marketing by knowing what people want.

sprout social AI-powered social strategy

Step 3: Boost Your Business Impact

Look at your campaign performance to see what works.
Use the power of AI to measure if your business is winning.
Follow the trends to stay ahead and keep your growth going.

TRY Sprout Social for free

It is time to advance your strategy and uncover what people really think.

This platform lets you tap into global discussions to inform your team.

You can track mentions on LinkedIn and other sites to hone your brand voice.

Step 1: Start Monitoring Conversations

Use the monitoring tool to track important keywords and tags.
See all the discussions happening about your brand on the platform.
Analyze the data to break down what people like or dislike.

TRY Sprout Social for free

Step 2: Craft Better Content

Use what you learn to craft new content that people want to see.
Streamline your collaboration so creators can work together on one point.
Schedule your new posts to accelerate your growth and get more impressions.

Step 3: Use Reporting to Grow

Open the reporting section to see a full track of your progress.
Use these facts to inform your team on how to reach more people.
This step helps you advance your goals and keep your fans happy.

TRY Sprout Social for free

Here are some alternatives to Sprout Social, each with a key strength:

Metricool: Dive deep into your social media performance and keep a close eye on your competitors, often at a more accessible price point.
Socialpilot: Streamline your content calendar with powerful and affordable scheduling features, including efficient bulk uploading.
Sendible: Enjoy a user-friendly interface coupled with a wide array of integrations to connect all your essential marketing tools.
Content Studio: Discover trending content and efficiently publish across multiple platforms, sometimes at a more budget-friendly cost.
Heropost: (Information limited – explore if it caters to a specific niche or offers a unique pricing structure for your needs.)
Agorapulse: Manage your social media effectively with robust listening tools and a unified inbox, often providing excellent value for its features.
Zoho Social: A smart choice if your business already utilizes the Zoho ecosystem, offering seamless integration and cost-effectiveness.
Buffer: Get started quickly with its intuitive interface and reliable scheduling capabilities, a great option for straightforward social media management.
Sprinklr: For large organizations with complex requirements, this enterprise-level platform offers extensive social media management and customer experience tools.
Later: If visual content, particularly Instagram, is your focus, Later provides specialized planning and scheduling features.
Loomly: Enhance your team’s content creation process with its collaborative calendar and efficient approval workflows.
Blaze: (Information limited – investigate if it offers a specific feature or caters to a particular social media marketing need.)

TRY Sprout Social for free

Sprout Social vs Metricool: Metricool is for e-commerce with a focus on conversions. Sprout Social is geared towards larger teams and offers more in-depth corporate analytics.
Sprout Social vs Socialpilot: SocialPilot is a great value for content scheduling. A Sprout Social review will show it excels in advanced analytics and social listening, making it better for deep insights.
Sprout Social vs Sendible: Sendible is known for its user-friendly interface. Sprout Social focuses more on detailed reporting and sentiment analysis.
Sprout Social vs Content Studio: Content Studio is more focused on content discovery for small businesses. Sprout Social is a powerhouse for advanced analytics and team collaboration.
Sprout Social vs Heropost: Heropost has strong competitor analysis. A Sprout Social review highlights its more advanced social listening and reporting.
Sprout Social vs Agorapulse: Agorapulse is a more affordable alternative with a great inbox. Sprout Social provides more in-depth reporting and is better for enterprise-level paid social reporting.
Sprout Social vs Zoho Social: Zoho Social is an affordable option with an easy-to-use interface. Sprout Social offers a more robust and comprehensive set of features, though with a higher price.
Sprout Social vs Buffer: Buffer is famous for its simplicity. Sprout Social offers a more extensive set of features for large teams and more in-depth analytics.
Sprout Social vs Sprinklr: Sprinklr is for large enterprises. Sprout Social is often rated as having a more intuitive user interface and better support for its complex features.
Sprout Social vs Later: Later is a visual-first platform, especially for Instagram. Sprout Social is a broader social media management tool that supports more social alternatives and offers more advanced social listening.
Sprout Social vs Loomly: Loomly focuses on team collaboration. Sprout Social provides more advanced social listening and detailed analytics.
Sprout Social vs Blaze: One version of Blaze is a social media tool. Another, more common version, is a cannabis software suite and not a direct competitor.
Sprout Social vs Hootsuite: Hootsuite is a long-standing competitor. Sprout Social is often praised for its superior social reporting and customer support.

TRY Sprout Social for free

Conclusion

Now you know how to use this great tool.

It helps you watch over your fans and grow your brand.

You can use searches to find new people who will love your work.

Make sure to filter your messages so you only see what is important. You should also track your favorite keywords to stay smart.

Using these tools is the best way to succeed.

It makes your daily work feel much lighter. Do not be afraid to try new things.

Start your journey today and see your social media thrive!

TRY Sprout Social for free

Frequently Asked Questions

How to use Sprout like a pro?

Use the AI Copilot to find the best times to post. Tag your messages to organize them. Check your reports weekly to see what your fans love most.

Sign up for an account and link your social profiles. Follow the prompts to invite your team. Then, set up your Smart Inbox to see all your messages.

Yes, it is very user-friendly. Most people learn the dashboard in just a few minutes. The layout is clean and simple for beginners and pros to navigate daily.

It is great for managing many social accounts at once. It helps you schedule posts, talk to customers, and track your growth with smart data and AI tools.

It is best for teams that need to stay organized. It excels at deep social listening, professional reporting, and helping large groups work together without making any mistakes.

You can start with a free 30-day trial. You do not even need a credit card. After the trial, you must pick a paid plan to keep working.

Yes, it is a very safe and trusted platform. It uses secure logins to protect your accounts. Big brands around the world trust it to keep their data private.

TRY Sprout Social for free

Smart Inbox: This tool puts all your private messages and comments from different apps into one folder. It even shows a warning if two people try to answer the same message at the same time, so you don’t repeat work.
Planning Posts: You can use the “Compose” tool to write one post and send it to many different social media accounts at once.
Best Times to Post: A feature called ViralPost® looks at when your fans are online. It automatically sends your posts out at the exact time they are most likely to be seen.
Content Calendar: There is a big digital calendar that shows all your planned posts. This helps you see if you have missed any days or if you are posting too much.
Asset Library: This is like a safe folder where you can keep all your company’s approved pictures and videos so everyone uses the right ones.
Social Listening: This tool lets you “listen” to what people are saying about your brand online. It helps you find trends and see if people are happy or sad about your products.
AI Help: In 2026, Sprout uses artificial intelligence to give you tips on how to talk to customers better and make your work faster.
Approval Steps: Before a post goes live, it can be sent to a boss or teammate to double-check it. This makes sure there are no mistakes.
Employee Advocacy: This tool makes it easy for people who work at your company to share official news on their own social media pages.
Team Roles: You can choose who is allowed to change things and who is only allowed to look. This keeps the account safe.
Reports: You can make professional charts and graphs to show your boss how well your social media is doing. These can even be sent out automatically.
Price: Sprout Social is a premium tool. The Standard plan starts at $249 per month for each person. Professional and Advanced plans cost more, up to $499 per person.
Other Options: There are cheaper tools like Zoho Social (starting at $15) or Hootsuite (starting at $99), but Sprout is often liked more because it is easier to use and has better reporting.
Strategy: Sprout works best when you focus on posting high-quality stories rather than just posting a lot of junk.