Posts are the most flexible content you can make in Activate. They can be just about anything that has a start and an end date—events, announcements, requests, and a lot more. You can also make them interactive, so members can submit requests, RSVP to events, or make purchases.
In this guide, we'll explore what a Post can be and how to get some basic Posts made for your Channel.
Using Posts
Posts are your go-to when it comes to getting content to your members. You can configure any kind of message you can imagine, choose your audience, then schedule the content to appear exactly when you need it. While Notices are quick and urgent and Pages are long-standing and static, Posts let you get temporary, time-sensitive information across exactly how you like.
You can use them for service requests, surveys, announcements, events, information, education, promotions, celebrations, and just about anything else you can think of. Check out the templates in the content builder if you ever need ideas.
Making the card
Whenever you want to make a new Post, click the + New Content button, then choose Post.
The first step—the Info step—is to enter some basic information and create the card that'll show up for your members to interact with. There are three styles you can choose—hero, horizontal, and standard.
Enter your title and description and choose an image—you can use anything already in your library or upload a new photo. You can use the Post's end date for a subtitle, or write a custom one of your own. Note that the Info card title is limited to 44 characters, including spaces. The description is limited to 255 characters, including spaces.
Under Data collection, Category is used for Insights & Reports. Categorizing your content is the best way to gauge its effectiveness—you can see a breakdown in Insights & Reports. Tags are used to place content into Dynamic Sections.
You also choose when to schedule the event in the Info step using set this as an event. Enable the toggle, then use the dropdown to pick dates and times. You can configure a different range of dates that you want the content to display later in the Publish step.
| 💡 In Activate, you can configure the event time to be different than the publication time—sometimes the event you're describing runs for a certain period, but you might want the message to be visible ahead of time to spread awareness, for example. Schedule the event in the Info step, and schedule when members can actually see it in the Publish step. |
Editing your Post
Whether you use one of VTS' templates or build your own Post from scratch, the most important step is using Activate's content builder to make every Post your own. Everything you need is in the Editor stage.
Drag or double-click the content blocks on the left to add elements to your post, then edit or move them around to build your Post. You can use the block outline on the right to keep track of everything at a glance.
If you want to engage your members, use Activate's interactive features to add things like reservable items, payments, or calendar elements. You can find the interactive toggle above the content blocks.
| 💡 Use a template to get the hang of things, or visit our guides that cover every last feature in the content builder. |
Targeting
Once you've made your Post, you'll choose who should see it in the Targeting step.
By default, the Post will go to your whole channel, but you can unselect this option and send the content to a specific audience, team, tenant, or even another channel, if you're an admin of several. You can check how many people will see the message at the top to make sure your content is going to the right audience.
Publish your Post
In the Publish step, choose when you want the content to be visible to members. This might be different than the times you set up in the Info step—for example, if you want to drive awareness for an event before it happens.
To send messages to your members, configure your notifications before you publish. You can check the box to set up a notification when it publishes or use the + Set up another notification button to add more.
The default time and date will be the start date you chose, but you can add and configure as many notifications as you like. Use the same text for repeat notifications, or make a series with different messages. See our guide to Notifications for more information.
Once everything's set, click the Save button. Your Post is all ready, and the members on your Channel will see it as soon as it goes live.
If you ever need to make edits, you can find all of your Posts in the Content Center—whether they're published or still drafts.
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