Saving a post as a draft before publishing is a great way to prepare your content and save it for finishing later. Here are some tips on how to save posts as drafts.
Why Save Posts as Drafts?
There are a few key reasons you may want to save a post as a draft instead of publishing it right away:
- To finish writing or editing the content later
- To have time to add images, proofread, or fact check
- To schedule the post for publication at a specific date/time
- To allow time for someone else to review or approve the post
- To segment parts of a long post into a series with logical breaks
Saving as a draft allows you flexibility in when and how you publish your content. You don’t have to rush to complete a post or publish before it’s ready.
How to Save a Post as a Draft
The specific steps to save a post as a draft depend on where you are publishing:
Save a Draft in WordPress
If you use WordPress for blogging or content management, saving drafts is very straightforward:
- Log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Posts > Add New to start a new post.
- Add a title and begin writing or formatting your content.
- In the Publish box on the right, click the Save Draft button instead of Publish.
- To return to the draft, go to Posts > Drafts from your WordPress dashboard.
Your draft is now saved in WordPress and can be edited or reviewed before publishing.
Save a Draft in Blogger
For Blogger sites, the steps are very similar:
- Click New Post and add a title and content.
- At the bottom of the editing screen, click Save Now instead of Publish.
- To continue working, go to Drafts under Posts in the left menu.
This drafts the post in Blogger for future editing.
Save a Draft on Facebook
For personal Facebook profiles or Facebook Pages, you can save draft posts:
- Start writing a new post at the top of your News Feed or Facebook Page.
- Click the arrow next to Post and select Save Draft instead.
- To return to drafts, click on the arrow next to Post again and choose Edit Drafts.
Facebook drafts are saved until you’re ready to post them.
Save a Draft on LinkedIn
On personal LinkedIn profiles, you can draft updates:
- Click Share an article/image/video at the top.
- Compose your post but click the X icon to close the window.
- The draft is automatically saved to your LinkedIn profile under Drafts.
For LinkedIn company Pages, the same steps apply except you start from the Company Page instead of personal profile.
Save a Draft in Other Systems
Most social media sites, blogging platforms, and content management systems allow saving posts as drafts in some form. Check for a Save Draft, Save Now, or similar option before posting.
Tips for Working With Drafts
Here are some tips for effectively using drafts in your workflow:
- Give drafts clear titles or names so you can find them easily later.
- Note the purpose or next steps for a draft as you save it.
- Use scheduling or calendaring to remind yourself to return to drafts.
- Have a process for reviewing, finalizing, and publishing drafts.
- Delete or discard drafts you no longer need so they don’t clutter your workspace.
Benefits of Saving Drafts
Leveraging drafts provides many advantages:
- Gives you flexibility with publishing timelines.
- Allows collaborating with others on draft posts.
- Enables batching content creation vs. single-time publication.
- Allows quality control through reviews and edits.
- Helps organize content pipelines and calendars via scheduling.
- Reduces mistakes by not rushing unfinished content live.
In summary, saving posts as drafts is an impactful content creation practice. All major publishing platforms accommodate it. Use drafts to your advantage for creating high-quality content that resonates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions around saving drafts:
Where do my drafts get saved?
Draft location depends on the system, but they are usually saved to a drafts folder or view within the platform. This keeps them separate from live, published posts.
How long are drafts saved?
There is no limit or expiration for drafts in most systems. Drafts remain saved until you are ready to resume, finalize, and publish them.
Can other people see my drafts?
Usually drafts are only visible to you, the author. However, some CMS solutions allow collaborator views. Check your platform’s permissions if you want to limit draft visibility.
What happens if I delete a draft?
If you delete a draft, it is permanently removed from the system and cannot be recovered. Deleting is useful for removing drafts you no longer need.
How many drafts can I save?
You can save an unlimited number of drafts in most platforms. However, to stay organized, it’s best to publish finalized drafts and discard ones you won’t use.
Conclusion
Saving blog, social media, and other content posts as drafts is an invaluable tool for creating great content. Take advantage of drafts to optimize your workflows, collaborate, improve quality, and give yourself flexibility. Now you know exactly how to save posts as drafts across all the top platforms.
