How To Schedule A Post in WordPress

The WordPress schedule posts tool helps one to regulate the content they output on their site. It can also help increase traffic as automatic publishing can be done during busy hours. This can be done using the default WordPress editors or a plugin.

How to Schedule Posts Using the Editor in WordPress

WordPress has a built-in scheduling tool in both the Gutenberg and Classic editor.

Using the Gutenberg Editor to Schedule a Post

Once logged in to your website dashboard, you can access the Gutenberg editor, follow the steps below to schedule a post:

1. Click the gear icon in the top right corner and look for the Status & visibility section. Select the Immediately option next to Publish.

• On the date and time picker, schedule your post. Keep note of the time zone when scheduling it.

• Click Schedule to finalize the process.

Post Scheduling Using the Classic Editor

When using the classic WordPress editor, follow the steps outlined below to schedule a post:

1. Under the Publish section, click on the blue Edit link next to Publish immediately.

• Change the publish date and time and click the OK button.

• Click the Schedule button to finalize the process.

Using Plugins to Schedule Posts

The built-in feature for scheduling posts n WordPress has limited features. This is where plugins come in. Most of these plugins also offer an option to post the same to social media channels as well.

Such plugins include:

• SchedulePress
• PublishPress Future
• Scheduled Post Trigger
• Advanced Schedule Posts

• When selecting a plugin, choose one that is compatible with your WordPress version.
• When setting the date and time settings, ensure the time zone is in the location with your largest audience.
• Ensure you don’t have anything being published at the same time. To check your scheduled post, head to Dashboard -> Posts -> All Posts and click on the Scheduled button.

Cancelling a Scheduled Post

If you are using the Gutenberg editor, click on Switch to draft next to the Schedule button to cancel automatically publishing the post. Click Publish for the article to go live right away.

On the Classic editor, click the Edit button under the Publish section, next to Status. Next, click on Scheduled, select Draft, and click the OK button. Click the Update button to finalize the process.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Scheduling WordPress Posts

Here are some of the advantages when you automatically publish a post on a specific date:

• Regularly publish new posts even when away or on a long trip, which helps to keep your website active.
• Have more preparation time to create content for special occasions, promotions, or time-sensitive topics.
• Have an organized editorial calendar to maintain great control over your content.

However, scheduling posts has some downsides, including:

• Error in cron jobs causing WordPress to miss scheduled posts.
• Managing an editorial calendar can be overwhelming.