---
key: create-a-social-post
title: Create a social post
audience: staff
section: marketing
routes: ["/social/calendar"]
permissions: ["social.posts.create"]
features: ["social.calendar"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Write a social media post on the Social Calendar, attach approved photos or video, choose which connected Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X or TikTok accounts it goes to, and save it as a draft.
keywords: [facebook post, instagram post, social media, draft post, marketing post, post a photo, write a post]
related: [schedule-and-publish-a-social-post, connect-a-social-account, find-a-file-in-the-media-center]
---

In the sidebar, open **Marketing**, then **Social Calendar**. The page address is `/social/calendar`. Posts start life as drafts here, sit in the **Drafts** queue beside the calendar, and move onto the calendar once they are scheduled.

## Before you start

- Your role needs permission to create social posts. Without it the **New post** button is hidden and empty calendar slots do nothing when clicked.
- At least one social account has to be connected before a post can go anywhere. See [[connect-a-social-account]].

## Steps

1. Press **New post** at the top of the calendar, or click an empty slot on the day you have in mind. The **Create social post** drawer opens.
2. Type a **Title**. This is for your team; it is not published.
3. Type the post in **Caption**. The character count updates under the box.
4. To add a photo or video, press **Upload file** under **Nova media library**. Nova checks the file before it can be used; the media row reads **Ready to publish** once the check is done. Use the arrows to change the order of several files.
5. Under **Target accounts**, tick each connected account the post should go to. Once you tick one, **Optional per-account overrides** appears so you can give an account a different caption.
6. Press **Create post**. The drawer switches to **Edit social post**, and the post appears in **Drafts**.

## What you see

- A draft can keep its selected library media while checks finish. Media must be ready before scheduling or publishing; deleting a library item that a post still uses is refused.
- The drawer shows a warning when a network's rules are not met, for example Instagram needs at least one approved image or video, and Facebook cannot mix images and video in one post. You can still save the draft, but it cannot be scheduled or published until the warning is fixed; if you have already filled in a schedule time, **Create post** stays off too.
- **Schedule (local time)**, **Duration (minutes)** and **Timezone** can be filled in now or later. Filling them in does not schedule the post by itself; see [[schedule-and-publish-a-social-post]].
- **Action notes** is a free box for reviewer or publishing notes. Comments on a saved post go under **Add comment** at the bottom.
- A post's card on the calendar or in **Drafts** shows a status chip: **Draft**, **Pending approval**, **Approved**, **Scheduled**, **Published** or **Failed**.

## If something looks different

- **Target accounts** reads that there are no connected accounts: press **Accounts** in the calendar toolbar and connect one first.
- **Upload file** is greyed out or a video will not upload: your role lacks the media-upload or video permission, or image uploads are switched off for your organization. The message under the button says which.
- **Create post** is greyed out with a message about the title: the **Title** is empty.
- You closed the drawer before saving: Nova asks whether to leave without saving. If you chose to leave, the post is gone; open **New post** again.

[[route:/social/calendar|Open the Social Calendar]]