> ## Documentation index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dash.robopost.app/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Create a post The composer is where every post starts. You write the post once, pick the channels it goes to, and Robopost publishes a copy on each channel at the time you choose. This page walks through the composer from top to bottom. **You need:** at least one connected channel ([Connect a channel](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/channels/connect-a-channel.md)) and the **Schedule Posts** right on your team. Admins have every right. ## Open the composer 1. In the sidebar, click **Posts → New post**, or go to [New post](https://dash.robopost.app/new-post). 2. Under **Quick Start**, click **Simple Post**. The composer opens with the channel list on the left and the post editor on the right. The other cards on the [New post](https://dash.robopost.app/new-post) page start a post differently: - **Import from CSV** creates many posts from a spreadsheet. See [Import posts from a CSV file](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/csv-bulk-import.md). - The cards under **AI-Powered Creation** (**From Images**, **From Video**, **From URL**, **From Prompt**, **From Knowledge Base**) draft posts for you. See [Generate post ideas](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/ai/post-ideas.md). ## Choose the channels Under **Select channels**, click each channel you want to post to. A selected channel shows a check mark. - Channels are grouped by [category](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/channels/channel-categories.md). Use **Select All** or **Unselect All** under a group to pick the whole group at once. - Type in the **Search** box to find a channel by name. - You only see the channels your team role lets you post to. - If you have no channels yet, the composer shows **Please connect a channel.** Click it to connect one. When you pick a network that has its own options (for example Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest), a settings card for it appears above the text box. See [Network options](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/network-options.md). > **Note:** A WordPress post goes to one WordPress site and can't be combined with other channels. If you > try, the composer shows **WordPress posts can only be scheduled once at a time.** ## Write the text Type your post in the **Content** box. Above it, a counter shows how many characters you've written. When an X (Twitter) channel is selected, it also shows how many characters you have left on X, and turns red when you go over. The buttons under the text box help you write. Hover a button to see its name. | Button | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Insert Image**, **Insert Video**, **Insert GIF** | Add media. See [Add images, video or a GIF](#add-images-video-or-a-gif) | | **Import from Canva** | Bring in a Canva design. See [Media](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/media.md#import-a-design-from-canva) | | **Insert Hashtag** | Add AI-suggested hashtags or a saved group. See [Hashtag groups](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/hashtag-groups.md) | | **Insert Short Codes** | Insert a `{CODE}` that is replaced when the post publishes. See [Short codes](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/short-codes.md) | | **Insert Contact** | Insert a saved @handle. See [Contacts](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/contacts.md) | | **Insert Emoji** | Pick an emoji | | **Shorten URL** | Turn a long link into a short one you can track. See [Short links](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/engage/short-links.md) | | **Check Spelling** | Fix spelling with AI, then click **Apply Fix** | | **Compose Text with AI** | Ask the AI to draft the text. See [AI assistant](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/ai/ai-assistant.md) | Hashtags, short codes and contacts are added at the end of your text. Move them where you want them. ## Add images, video or a GIF 1. Click **Insert Image**, **Insert Video** or **Insert GIF**. 2. In **Upload Files**, choose where the file comes from: - **Upload**: drag files onto the dialog or click to browse your computer. - **AI Generator** (images only): describe an image and click **Generate Image**. See [AI images](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/ai/ai-images.md). - **Media Gallery**: pick files you saved in your [Media library](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/media.md), then click **Use Selected**. 3. Before you upload an image, you can click **Edit image** on it to crop, resize, filter or annotate it. 4. Click **Upload**. The files appear under the text box. | Type | Accepted files | Max size per file | | --- | --- | --- | | Image | JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP | 50 MB | | Video | MP4, MOV, AVI, WEBM, MKV | 500 MB | | GIF | GIF, one per post | 50 MB | You can add several images. You can also add more than one video: Instagram uses them all in a carousel, and other networks use the first one. Each network also has its own limits, for example X takes up to 4 images and Pinterest takes 1. The composer warns you before you schedule; see [Network options](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/network-options.md#limits-the-composer-checks). On each image you added, the small buttons let you: - **Edit image**: open the image editor again. - Alt text (the lines icon): describe the image for screen readers. Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Pinterest use it. The icon is highlighted once alt text is set. - Tag people (the person icon): tag a saved contact on Instagram. See [Contacts](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/contacts.md#tag-people-in-an-instagram-photo-or-video). - Delete the file (the trash icon). Drag the files to change the order they are published in. ## Fill in the network settings If you selected Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Google Business Profile or WordPress, fill in its settings card: the post type (post, reel, story), a title, a link, a call-to-action button and so on. Each field is explained in [Network options](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/network-options.md). When X is selected, a box also shows how many X credits the post will use, for example **Estimated cost: 1 X credits · 400 available**. See [X credits](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/x-credits.md). ## Set the posting options The **Posting options** card appears when one of your channels supports it: - **Add first comment**: Robopost posts this text as the first comment right after the post goes live. Use it for links or hashtags you don't want in the caption. Works on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky and YouTube. - **Mark media as made with AI on supported networks**: labels the media as AI-generated. It applies to TikTok when the post has a video, and to X when the post has media. ## Tag the post In **Post Tags**, pick one or more tags. Tags are labels for you and your team, not hashtags: they help you filter your post lists later. Click **+** to create a new tag without leaving the composer. See [Tags](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/tags.md). ## Choose when it goes out In the **Schedule** card: - **Now** publishes the post as soon as you click **Schedule Post**. - **Later** lets you pick a **Timezone** and a date and time. > **Tip:** Pick the timezone first, then the date and time. If a channel you selected has its own > timezone set in its [channel settings](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/channels/channel-settings.md), the composer switches to it. Turn on **Recurring post?** to publish the same post again on a schedule, such as daily or every Monday at 9:00. See [Schedule and repeat posts](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/schedule-and-repeat.md). ## Add UTM parameters To track clicks in Google Analytics or a similar tool, open **Advanced settings** and fill in any of **UTM Source**, **UTM Medium**, **UTM Campaign**, **UTM Term** and **UTM Content**. When the post publishes, Robopost adds these parameters to every link in the text, for example `https://example.com/sale?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social`. Write your links without UTM parameters and let Robopost add them. Fields you leave empty fall back to the channel's default UTM parameters, if you set any in its [channel settings](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/channels/channel-settings.md). ## Preview the post Click **See a Preview** to see roughly how the post will look. Previews exist for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Google Business Profile, Pinterest and TikTok. Other networks show **No preview available**. ## Publish or schedule the post Click **Schedule Post** at the bottom of the composer. - With **Now**, confirm with **Yes, post now.** Robopost sends the post to each channel. It can take a few minutes to appear on the networks. Click **View Published Posts** to follow it. - With **Later**, you see **Posts successfully scheduled**. Click **View Scheduled Posts** to find it in the list or the calendar. Robopost creates one scheduled post per channel, so a post sent to three channels appears three times in [Scheduled posts](https://dash.robopost.app/posts-scheduled). You can edit, move or delete each one on its own. See [Manage scheduled posts](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/manage-scheduled-posts.md). ## Save it as a draft, add it to a collection or ask for approval Open **More actions** at the bottom of the composer: - **Save Post as Draft** keeps the post without scheduling it. See [Drafts and approvals](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/drafts-and-approvals.md). - **Add to collection** puts the post in a collection that publishes on a schedule. See [Collections](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/collections.md). - **Request for approval** sends the post to a teammate or a client to approve before it can be scheduled. See [Ask for approval](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/drafts-and-approvals.md#ask-for-approval). ## Why won't the composer let me schedule? The composer checks the post against each selected network before it schedules it, and tells you what to fix in a message at the bottom of the screen. The most common ones: | Message | What to do | | --- | --- | | **Please select at least one channel.** | Pick a channel on the left | | **Please select a date.** | With **Later**, pick a date and time | | **Instagram requires at least one image, gif or one video.** | Add media, or unselect Instagram | | **YouTube requires a video title.** | Fill in **Video Title** in **YouTube Settings** | | **Pinterest Pins requires a non-empty title.** | Fill in **Pin Title** in **Pinterest Settings** | | **X (formerly Twitter) maximum text length is 280 characters.** | Shorten the text for X | | **Plan Limit Hit** | You've used your plan's scheduled posts. See [Usage and limits](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/account/usage-and-limits.md) | | **Account frozen** | Your subscription isn't active. See [Plans and billing](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/account/plans-and-billing.md) | Every network's limits are listed in [Network options](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/network-options.md#limits-the-composer-checks). ## Next - [Network options](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/network-options.md): the settings card for each network. - [Schedule and repeat posts](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/schedule-and-repeat.md): timezones and recurring posts.