Publish updates and share information with your audience through portal posts that support custom branding, multilingual content, social media sharing, and engagement tracking.

### Overview

- **What it is:** **Posts** let you create and publish articles, announcements, and informational content through your agency's portal for clients, staff, and the public to read.
- **Why it matters:** Keeping your audience informed reduces inbound support requests and builds trust. Posts provide a professional, branded channel for sharing important updates, policy changes, and resources.
- **Who uses it:** Agency administrators, communications staff, and content managers who need to publish updates or share information with clients and the public.
- **Expected outcomes:** Published content accessible through your portal, increased audience engagement, multilingual reach, and clear analytics on post performance.

### Prerequisites

- An active eCourtDate agency account
- Role with permission to manage portal content
- An active portal configured under **Portals**
- Content prepared for publication (text, images, and any translations)

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Navigate to Posts

1. Click **Portals** from the main navigation.
2. Select **Posts** from the submenu.
3. Review existing posts or click **Create Post** to create a new one.

#### Step 2: Create a New Post

1. Click **Create Post**.
2. Enter a title in the **Title** field.
3. Write the post content in the editor. Use formatting tools for headings, lists, bold text, and links.
4. Add a featured image by clicking **Upload Image** and selecting a file from your computer.
5. Select the **Portal** where the post will appear.
6. Click **Save** to store the post as a draft.

#### Step 3: Apply Custom Branding

1. Open the post you want to brand.
2. Configure branding options such as header image, color scheme, and logo placement to match your agency's visual identity.
3. Preview the post to confirm the branding looks correct.
4. Click **Save** to apply your changes.

#### Step 4: Add Multilingual Support

1. Open a post in the editor.
2. Click **Add Translation** and select the target language from the dropdown.
3. Enter the translated title and content for the selected language.
4. Click **Save** to store the translation.
5. Repeat for each additional language your audience needs.

#### Step 5: Publish the Post

1. Open the post you want to publish.
2. Review the content, branding, and any translations.
3. Change the **Status** to **Published**.
4. Click **Save** to make the post live on your portal.

#### Step 6: Share on Social Media

1. Open a published post.
2. Click the **Share** button to access sharing options.
3. Select the social media platform (such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn).
4. Customize the sharing message if needed and confirm.

#### Step 7: Embed on External Websites

1. Open a published post.
2. Click **Embed** to generate an embed code.
3. Copy the embed code.
4. Paste the code into your external website's HTML to display the post.

#### Step 8: Track Engagement

1. Navigate to **Portals** > **Posts**.
2. View engagement metrics for each post, including views, shares, and interactions.
3. Click on a specific post to see detailed analytics.

### What to Expect

Published posts are immediately visible on your portal. Social media shares generate links back to your portal. Engagement metrics begin tracking as soon as the post goes live. Translations are displayed automatically based on the reader's language preference.

### Best Practices

- Write clear, concise headlines that communicate the main point of the post.
- Include a featured image to increase engagement and make posts visually appealing.
- Provide translations for your most common audience languages to maximize reach.
- Review engagement metrics weekly to understand which topics resonate with your audience.
- Schedule posts around key dates (court deadlines, policy changes, community events) for maximum relevance.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I schedule a post to publish at a future date?**
A: Yes. Set the desired publish date and time when creating or editing the post. The post will automatically go live at the scheduled time.

**Q: How do I edit a post after it has been published?**
A: Open the post from the **Posts** list, make your changes in the editor, and click **Save**. Updates appear immediately on the portal.

**Q: Can I restrict who sees a post?**
A: Posts published on your portal are generally visible to anyone who accesses the portal. If you need to restrict access, configure your portal's visibility settings or use a private portal.

**Q: What languages are supported for translations?**
A: eCourtDate supports a wide range of languages for post translations. Select the target language from the dropdown when adding a translation. Contact support if your required language is not listed.

**Q: How do I remove a post from the portal?**
A: Open the post, change the **Status** to **Draft** or **Archived**, and click **Save**. The post will no longer be visible on the portal.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Post does not appear on the portal after publishing.
**Symptoms:** The post status is set to **Published** but it is not visible on the portal.
**Solution:** Verify that the post is assigned to the correct portal. Check that the portal is active and accessible. Clear your browser cache and reload the portal page.

**Issue:** Social media share links are broken.
**Symptoms:** Clicking a shared link returns a 404 error or blank page.
**Solution:** Confirm the post is still published and the portal URL is correct. If the portal domain has changed, update the portal settings and re-share the post.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Portals](/how-to-manage-portals)
- [How to Generate QR Codes](/how-to-generate-qr-codes)
- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)