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How to Create A New Social Post in Publish

Using Publish in Engage to draft and schedule posts to your social media accounts.

Robert B. avatar
Written by Robert B.
Updated over a year ago

Welcome to your go-to guide on published content to your social media profiles with Meltwater Engage, including immediate and scheduled social posts.

This article includes details on the following areas:

New posts

Post Features

Planning and scheduling

Looking to learn the requirements when posting to different social channels? Check out our "Channel-specific options for Meltwater Engage" for a comparison on each social media channel.

How to Create a New Post

Before getting started, ensure your user profile has been assigned to the social profiles you are managing via the Owned Connections page. If you need to be assigned, check out our how-to guide here.

  1. On the right side navigation bar, select the dropdown menu from Engage and select Publish.

2. Click the Create button and select Post or IG story.

3. Select the social profile(s) you'd like this post to be published to.

4. Compose your post.

5. Select images, video, gifs, links and/or emojis for your post. You can also utilize the Image Editor to update your content.

6. You have the option to select "Use AI assistant". Learn more about this feature here.

7. A preview will appear in the right hand "Post Preview" panel.

8. If you'd like to make further edits to the post details, select Edit.

9. Select a scheduling option of 'Now', 'Schedule date and time' or 'Save as draft'. When saving as a draft, you have the option to assign a date and time.

10. Additional options at this stage include assigning a reviewer to approve the post and adding tags. Learn more about assigning your posts for approval.

11. Select Schedule in the bottom right corner to finish. Depending on your scheduling option this button is labelled 'Post Now', 'Schedule' or 'Save as Draft'.

Check out the gif below outlining all steps:

Create a Facebook post

  • On the Engage Publish page, select Create --> Post

  • Select the Facebook profile to publish to. Note: You can also select multiple profiles to publish the same content across other social platforms

  • Compose your post:

Facebook post options:

  1. Write and edit the text within the post. The body of text can also include embedded & attached links.

  2. Image attachment. Facebook posts can include up to 10 attached images. All images can also have ALT text applied with up to 500 characters, this option is displayed under each image. Learn more under attachments.

  3. Video attachments are supported up to the file size of 1.75GB of 20 minutes

  4. Animated GIFs

  5. Links. This feature has been disabled. Add links directly in the compose box. Learn more here.

  6. Emojis

  7. AI Assistant

  8. Character limit. Facebook posts can include text up to 8,000 characters

  • Once you've formatted all the details of your post, select a schedule option for the distribution of your post. The options are 'Post now', 'Schedule date and time' or 'Save as draft'

  • You can Select a Reviewer, this is an optional step where you can assign someone to review this post. Learn more about Assigning your posts for approval in this article here.

  • You can apply tags to your post. Applying tags to social media content is great for campaign management, organizing your content and reporting. Learn more about managing your posts with tags in this article here.

Thumbnail Customization: to select or change the thumbnail for your Facebook Video post, follow the below instructions:

  1. Hover over the video attachment

  2. Select Edit

  3. Select from the five frames automatically populated from the uploaded video, or upload a custom thumbnail

Note: You can not currently schedule or post Facebook Stories via Meltwater Engage.

Create an Instagram post

  • On the Engage Publish page, select Create --> Post

  • Select the Instagram profile to publish to. Note: You can also select multiple profiles to publish the same content across other social platforms.

  • Compose your post:

Instagram post options:

  1. Write and edit the text within the post. When including @mentions to other Instagram profiles note that you will need to enter the handle as there isn't a drop-down list of profiles. There is a limit of 30 hashtags in body of the post - consider adding these to the first comment.

    1. Instagram posts do NOT require text. Once a user adds more than a single image, you will see that the submit button is available even when no text is entered.

  2. Image attachment. Instagram posts can support up to 10 images, with an image minimum size of 600px width.

  3. Video attachments are supported up to the file size of 100MB and play length of 60 seconds.

  4. Mixed Media: Instagram carousels can support 10 attachments (i.e. images, video, or combination) on both the web app and mobile app

    1. Note: Mixed Media posts are not supported for Instagram stories or reels. Additionally, all images and videos are subject to the same validation rules listed above.

  5. Animated GIFs

  6. Emojis

  7. AI Assistant

  8. Character length of post text can be up to 2,200.

If you would like to add "First Comment" or Unique links:

  • Select "Edit" under Post Preview

  1. Select the post type, Feed vs Reel Post.

  2. Instagram first comment. Comments are limited to 300 characters. This is a great place to add hashtags so they do not clutter your original post.

  3. Unique link for publishing to your Link in Bio page

  • Once you've formatted all the details of your post, select a schedule option for the distribution of your post. The options are 'Post now', 'Schedule date and time' or 'Save as draft'

  • You can Select a Reviewer, this is an optional step where you can assign someone to review this post. Learn more about Assigning your posts for approval in this article here.

  • You can apply tags to your post. Applying tags to social media content is great for campaign management, organizing your content, and reporting. Learn more about managing your posts with tags in this article here.

Link in Bio

As long as at least one IG account selected in step one of the publishing workflow has a hosted site available, a Unique Link option will appear on the Instagram-specific Publish composer under Edit post.

All Instagram publishing rules (image size, character count, etc, still apply). The Unique link field is not a required field and can be left blank if not needed. If a link is not included, the post will not appear on the hosted site.

To learn more about Link In Bio, view this article.

Reels

In typical compose workflow, for Instagram, there is a Post type selector found within Edit under Post Preview. This option allows you to select Feed Post or Reel.

When a user selects Reels, to ‘Reels’ the option to select an image attachment will be removed, and a notification will appear that Reels must have a video. Reels support videos up to 15 minutes in length.

Reel Customization: to select or change the thumbnail for your Reel, follow the below instructions:

  1. Hover over the video attachment

  2. Select Edit

  3. Select from the five frames automatically populated from the uploaded video, or upload a custom thumbnail

Unique links and first comments can be added to Instagram Reels in the same way as other Instagram posts.

The same scheduling, assigning, and tagging options are available.

Create an Instagram story with the mobile app

  • On the Engage Publish page, select Create Content > Instagram story or carousel

  • Select the Instagram profile to publish to and next in the bottom right corner. Note: Posting an Instagram story or carousel requires use of the Engage mobile app.

  • Select your Post type: Story, or Carousel

  • Compose your post, the following pop up window will appear to format your post

Instagram story and carousel options

  1. Media attachment. Instagram stories and carousels can support up to 10 images with a minimum 600px width. Video attachments are supported up to the file size of 100MB and play length of 60 seconds

  2. Write and edit the text. This text will automatically be copied to your clipboard when publishing from the Engage mobile app to Instagram.

  3. Character length of text can be up to 2,200

  • Once you've formatted all the details of your post, select next in the bottom right corner

  • Select a schedule option for the publishing notification to your mobile app. The options are 'Send notification now', 'Select date and time' or 'Save as draft'

  • You can Select a Reviewer, this is an optional step where you can assign someone to review this post. Learn more about Assigning your posts for approval in this article here.

  • Tags cannot be applied to stories or carousels.

Frame Selection for Instagram Video Thumbnail

  • When creating an Instagram post, after uploading a video (for either a feed post or Reel), you are able to hover over the video thumbnail and select Edit.

  • A pop-up will appear, which includes five separate frames from the video. These images are automatically chosen from subsequent points in the uploaded video. Other stills from the video cannot be chosen. Custom thumbnails cannot be uploaded.

  • Click on a thumbnail to select it, and press Update. You also have the option to add a new video title here. After the pop-up closes, the newly selected thumbnail will be present in the editor. Upon publishing, the thumbnail and video name will appear on native Instagram.

Note: Instagram does not allow for custom thumbnail uploads. Thumbnails must be selected from a frame within the uploaded video.

Instagram Collab Posts

Two or more collaborators can now collaborate to create a Feed Post or Reel, which is seamlessly shared on each collaborator's profile at the same time.

One creator will take the lead by inviting others to join in the creative journey. Once the invitation is accepted, the post is shared in an effort to reach a wider audience, increase engagement, and simplify collaboration and content creation. Likes, comments, and shares will appear on all collaborators' profiles.

To add Instagram collaborators to a post, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Post Creation workflow in Publish

  2. Select one or more Instagram profiles

  3. Open the Instagram-specific composer/editor

  4. Select Feed Post or Reel

    1. Note: Collabs are not available via General Compose or for Stories

  5. Click Instagram Collaborators

  6. Add up to three collaborators by entering the Instagram profile handle. Click Enter on your keyboard after entering each collaborator handle to separate profile names

    1. Note: Similar to Instagram mentions, there is no lookup available to verify Instagram handle names. You must enter the Instagram handle names exactly as they appear on Instagram.

      1. This is an Instagram API limitation

      2. Public accounts: Public accounts can invite both public and private accounts to be collaborators.

      3. Private accounts: Private accounts can invite both private or public accounts to be collaborators, but only if the invited account follows the private account. If a public account accepts a private account's invite, the post will be shared publicly through the public collaborator. Private accounts will see information explaining this in detail the first time they invite a collaborator. Once they acknowledge that they understand who can see collaborative posts, they can invite anyone who follows them to collaborate on future posts.

  7. Once added, all Instagram collaborators appear on all post previews

  8. Instragram posts with collaborators will be published and go live on your handles per the standard Engage publishing workflow. For the post to also appear on the accounts of your collaborators, they must accept your collaboration invite via native Instagram.

Create a Post on X (formerly Twitter)

  • On the Engage Publish page, select Create --> Post

  • Select the X profile from the social accounts dropdown. Note: You can also select multiple profiles to publish the same content across other social platforms, however, X only allows posts from one X account at a time.

  • Compose your post:

X post options

  1. Write and edit the text within the post. The body of text can also include embedded & attached links. When entering a direct mention, begin writing the X handle and then select the account from the dropdown list

  2. Image attachments. Tweets can include up to 4 image attachments

  3. Video attachments are supported up to the file size of 1.75GB of 20 minutes

  4. Animated GIFs

  5. Links. This feature has been disabled. Add links directly in the compose box. Learn more here.

  6. Emojis

  7. AI Assistant

  8. Character limit. X, posts can include text up to 280 characters

  • You can Select a Reviewer, this is an optional step where you can assign someone to review this post. Learn more about Assigning your posts for approval in this article here.

  • You can apply tags to your post. Applying tags to social media content is great for campaign management, organizing your content and reporting. Learn more about managing your posts with tags in this article here.

NOTE: Links in Tweets - Whenever a link is added, whether it is attached or embedded, the link counts for 24 characters, no matter its length. The edit icon on the link preview allows you to edit or replace the link, but it does not allow for editing the image or text in the 'card'.

Create a TikTok post

  • On the Engage Publish page, select Create content --> Post

  • Select the TikTok profile to publish to. Note: TikTok only allows you to post from one TikTok account at a time.

  • Use General Compose OR select "Edit" Under Post Preview

    The following pop up window will appear to format your post.

TikTok post options

  1. Video description; 150 character limit (optional)

  2. Video attachment; 1 GB limit (required)

  3. Emojis

  4. Character count - can add up to 150 characters in video description

  5. Allow comments - Users will be able to comment on your TikTok video.

  6. Allow Duet - Users will be able to post your video side-by-side with another video. You must have a public account to allow others to Duet with your videos.

  7. Allow Stitch - Users will be able to use a part of your video as a part of their own video.

  8. Save post

  • Once you've formatted all the details of your post, select a schedule option for the publishing notification to your mobile app. The options are 'Now', 'Schedule date and time' or 'Save as draft'

  • You can Select a Reviewer, this is an optional step where you can assign someone to review this post. Learn more about Assigning your posts for approval in this article here.

  • You can apply tags to your post. Applying tags to social media content is great for campaign management, organizing your content, and reporting. Learn more about managing your posts with tags in this article here.

NOTE: Due to TikTok limitations, you are unable to select a cover thumbnail or access TikTok sounds when using Publish within Meltwater Engage.

Create a LinkedIn post

  • On the Engage Publish page, select Create content

  • Select the LinkedIn profile to publish to and next in the bottom right corner. Note: You can also select multiple profiles to publish the same content across other social platforms.

  • Select Compose your post, the following pop up window will appear to format your post

LinkedIn post options

  1. Write and edit the text within the post. The body of text can also include embedded & attached links. These will be automatically shortened and hyperlinked, but will not show the 'card' below the post. When including a direct mention, begin entering the Company Page's or Personal Profile's social handle and then select the page from the dropdown list. This functionality does not work from the cross-channel editor, only the LinkedIn editor.

    NOTE: Due to a product update if your Linkedin Profile was connected before August 10, 2023 you must reconnect on the social connections tab before ANY LinkedIn mentions will work.

  2. Image attachment. LinkedIn posts can include up to 9 images

  3. Animated GIFs. You can post up to 1 GIF with a maximum file size of 5MB.

  4. Video attachments are supported up to the file size of 2GB and a maximum playtime of 10 minutes

  5. Links. This feature has been disabled. Add links directly in the compose box. Learn more here.

  6. Emojis

  7. AI Assistant

  8. LinkedIn posts can include text up to 3,000 characters.

  • The metadata (title, description, and image) for links in LinkedIn posts can be customized during the publishing process. To start, after adding a link to the compose box for a post, click Edit, on the LinkedIn preview. Note, you can only customize metadata via the LinkedIn-specific channel composer.

  • After clicking edit and opening the channel-specific composer for LinkedIn, hover over the link preview, and click the pencil icon in the top-right-hand corner.

  • This will open the link editor screen. From here, you can customize the Title, Description, and Thumbnail for your link.

    • Title - 400 character limit

    • Description - 256 character limit

    • Image - 1 image limit

  • After making your changes, click Save link to continue editing your post. Click Save again when you are satisfied with your post.

  • You can Select a Reviewer, this is an optional step where you can assign someone to review this post. Learn more about Assigning your posts for approval in this article here.

  • You can apply tags to your post. Applying tags to social media content is great for campaign management, organizing your content, and reporting. Learn more about managing your posts with tags in this article here.

Note: Attachments - Linkedin Posts can currently only support one attachment type at a time. For example, only an image or an attached link.

Create a YouTube post

  • On the Engage Publish page, select Create content

  • Select the YouTube channel to publish to and next in the bottom right corner. Note: You can also select multiple profiles to publish the same content across other social platforms, however, YouTube only allows posts from one YouTube channel at a time.

  • Select Compose your post, the following pop-up window will appear to format your post

YouTube post options

  1. Video attachment; 2 GB limit

  2. Video title; 100 character limit

  3. Video description; 5000 character limit

  4. Privacy: Public or Private

  5. Advanced Settings

    1. Allow embedding: allow users to embed your video on their sites

    2. YouTube tags: tag the video with tags on YouTube

    3. Playlists: add this video to one of your channel playlists

    4. Category: choose from the available YouTube default video categories

    5. License rights & ownership: Standard YouTube License

  6. Video attachment: 2 GB limit

  • You can Select a Reviewer, this is an optional step where you can assign someone to review this post. Learn more about Assigning your posts for approval in this article here.

  • You can apply tags to your post. Applying tags to social media content is great for campaign management, organizing your content, and reporting. Learn more about managing your posts with tags in this article here.

Note: Custom Thumbnail

Engage does not currently support custom thumbnail selection.

Attachments

Media Uploader

When selecting an image, gif, or video, the uploader allows you to access personal and company media already stored in existing systems.

Options include:

NOTE: If you have multiple media assets you are able to reorder attached media assets at the individual channel level, when drafting and scheduling content in Publish, just like in General Compose.

Each connection is single-use, per user*. Users will need to reconnect their accounts each time they wish to upload media. This is a security feature.

Other notable features:

  • Virus detection on all uploads

  • A progress bar shows the status of individual file uploads

  • Drag and drop & Copy and Paste files directly from your computer.

Alt Text can now be added to images being posted to Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. Alt Text is not currently supported in the Instagram API.

Alt Text allows you to add a description of an image for accessibility for those who may be visually impaired and using a screen reader tool. Alt text will also appear in place of an image if it fails to load.

To add Alt Text:

  • Firstly add your images to the composing post

  • Select 'Edit Alt Text' button

  • Enter the image description text

  • Select save

From the individual channel editor, a new "edit alt text" button appears below the images. Selecting it will launch a modal with all of the images and box for alt text. Each channel has it's own character count limitations:

Facebook: 500 characters

X (formerly know as Twitter): 420 characters

LinkedIn: 120 characters

LinkedIn

Linkedin Posts can currently only support one attachment type at a time. For example, only an image or an attached link 'card'.

Using Image Editor

If you'd like to improve your selected image or if it doesn't meet the social media channel's size requirements, the image editor can help you customize your content with the following options:

  • Edit image size(common crops, social channel crops, and custom)

  • Filters

  • Adjust (brightness, contrast, saturation, clarity, etc.)

  • Focus (add blur)

  • Add text

  • Text design

  • Stickers (emoticons and shapes)

  • Brush

  • Frames

  • Overlays

Mentioning another page or profile

When adding a direct mention of another social profile within your posts, begin entering an @ symbol and the social handle before selecting the profile from the dropdown list.

The profile dropdown list is available for Linkedin, X, and Facebook and needs to be used for these social channels. Entering the social handles without selecting the Company Page or Profile from the dropdown list will not link the intended direct mention. Facebook only allows the mentioning of company pages, not personal profiles.

NOTE: Due to a product update if your Linkedin Profile was connected before August 10, 2023 you must reconnect on the social connections tab before ANY LinkedIn mentions will work.

Direct mentions for Instagram posts can be added by entering the exact handle's details into the text of your post. Please note this needs to include the @ symbol before the handle.

Attached Link Process

The attached link process includes the automatic detection of links in all composers (general and channel-specific).

Please Note: The attached link menu option has been greyed out and is no longer available.

Links should be added directly into the message compose box. The attached link preview will automatically display when a link is present in the compose box.

  • Attached links are only available for Facebook, LinkedIn, and X

If multiple links are present in the composer, the last one will be used for the preview.

  • To use a different link as the preview, remove the existing preview and then re-add the preferred link to the composer.

  • You can remove attached links at your discretion.

What if a preview fails to generate?

A warning banner when the attached link preview fails to generate will appear. This is only a warning, so the link can still be used even if no preview image is available.

Instructions are provided in the warning banner for you to include the link as an embedded link, and attach an image or video directly to the post instead.

Once the preview is removed, other media types (i.e. images, videos) can be appended to the message.

To learn more about shortening embedded links through Bit.ly check out the article HERE.

Organizing your Drafts

Posts that have been saved as a Draft can be viewed, scheduled, or deleted in the Calendar or Workbench. Scheduled drafts can be found in the calendar. Unscheduled drafts can only be found in the Workbench.

To post now or schedule a "scheduled draft" for publishing in the future, select Edit and complete the Create Content steps.

To post now or schedule an "unscheduled draft" for publishing in the future, go to Drafts in the workbench and edit or drag and drop the post to the calendar.

Reviewing your Scheduled, Drafts and Published Posts

Your posts are available within the Publish tab to be viewed in the calendar. Learn more about the calendar view HERE.

Calendar

💡 Tip

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