Bulk upload and schedule content via CSV
Easily schedule hundreds of posts across multiple channels and languages using a simple CSV file. Whether planning campaigns or automating your workflow, this guide will help you master bulk scheduling in no time! 🚀
This feature is useful when you want to perform a similar action multiple times in a single go.
Let's explore 🤩
In this article:
The bulk uploader provides a template CSV file in which you can:
- Populate multilingual data for your posts.
- Choose your social channels.
- Schedule your posts.
Accessing bulk upload 📤
First, sign in to your ContentStudio Account and go to Compose -> Automation.
Bulk Uploader is the fifth Automation recipe. Click on the New Upload button to create a campaign.
How to use bulk upload
- 1
- Upload your CSV
In this step, you have to upload a CSV file. You can download and edit the template CSV file, but your file must contain the following information.
- Date and Time
- Message
- Image URL
- Link
- First Comment
- Include link in message
- Video URL
Date and Time
In this column, you must enter the date and time (in the format dd/mm/yyyy hh: mm or mm/dd/yyyy hh: mm) for the posts you want to schedule. You have to strictly follow the date and time format for it to get executed successfully.
Message
This column lets you add messages to your posts (better known as captions for images or link posts). You can customize messages for four different kinds of posts.
Note: You can schedule up to 500 posts for your social channels via the bulk upload recipe.
| Text only post | If you want to create a post in which you just want to add some text, you can do that by adding that text in this column. |
| Text with image post | If you want to create a post in which you want to add an image and some text along with it. You can do that by adding your custom text in this column and then the image URL in the next column. |
| Text with link preview | If your post has a link and you want to add some message with it, enter your message here and the link in the fourth column. |
| Text with Custom Image on Link preview | If you want to create a post in which you want to add a link, a custom image, and a message, enter your message/ caption in this post and image URL and link in the next two fields, respectively. |
Image URL
You can add images to your posts by adding the image URLs in this field. Use the URLs of any public image.
Link
Add links to your posts for articles, blogs, or any public content by entering the link URL in this column.
First Comment
This column lets you add the first comments to your posts
Include Link in Caption
This column controls if a link should be included with the caption. The default value is "Yes"; change it to "No" to exclude the link for a specific post.
Important ✍️
- Users with older CSV templates (without the new columns) can still upload posts, but:
- The system will assume "Yes" for the Include Link in Caption field.
- Only images will be processed if no Video URL column exists.
- If both image and video URLs are added then the video URL will be prioritized.
- The Include Link column will default be treated as "Yes".
Video URL
Add a video URL in the Video URL column to upload a single video. The video will be prioritized if both video and image URLs are provided.
Note 🗒️
ContentStudio 2.0 provides multi-lingual support, allowing you to broaden the spectrum of your social media posts. The language support in the new version will be diversified by allowing you to choose any language in your bulk posts.
In the end, your CSV file should look something like this.
Note: The first section is strictly for Post date and time. Please follow the pattern exactly, otherwise the Bulk Uploader may not go through.
- 2
- Select Channels
In this step, you have to select the social channels you want to create your Bulk Upload campaign. You can select the Content Category or the individual accounts. Once done, click Next.
- 3
- Scheduling Options
In this step, you have to schedule your posts for your selected social channels. You have four scheduling options for your bulk posts.
- Custom Time Slots from CSV: This option allows you to schedule posts at specific times by importing a CSV file that contains the desired time slots. This is useful if you have a predefined list of dates and times for posts and want to bulk upload them into your scheduling system.
- Regular Intervals: This option lets you schedule posts to be published at regular intervals, such as every hour, every day, or every week. You set the frequency, and the system will automatically publish posts at the specified intervals.
- Add to Content Category: This option allows you to assign posts to a specific content category and publish posts according to the slots.
- Queue: With this option, posts are placed in a queue, lined up for publication in the order they are added. The posts in the queue will be published automatically when the next available slot arrives.
Click Next once selected.
- 4
- Finalizing your posts
After clicking Next, the system thoroughly reads and processes your CSV file.
Once the processing is finished, a list of all your scheduled posts appears in the tabular form. You can perform the following actions on your posts.
Edit an individual post.
You can edit a post by clicking on the pencil icon in front of it under the Actions heading.
Your post will appear in the editor, where you can change the text, add any link or image, change the time and date, change social channels, add labels, images, or tasks, etc.
Approve/ Delete posts in bulk or individually.
You can select an individual post and approve or delete it by clicking the two buttons under Actions.
You can also select all the files and perform a bulk operation (approving or deleting them in bulk).
Troubleshooting: Invalid Date Error
When your posts are processed by the system, it verifies the posts by showing you the status of each post. Seeing a green tick in front of your posts means your post is fine and has no errors.
If you see a warning sign in front of your posts, the most probable reason is that the date and time format in your CSV file, which you selected in the third step, doesn't match. To avoid this error, make sure that both formats are the same.
Note: Please ensure you have only added Date and Time in the correct format in the first row
FAQs
Q1: How many posts can I schedule using the Bulk Upload feature?
A: You can schedule up to 500 posts for your social media channels via the Bulk Upload recipe.
Q2: What format should I use for the date and time in the CSV file?
A: The date and time should be in the format dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm or mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm . Ensure consistency to avoid errors.
Q3: What data can I include in the CSV file?
A: The CSV file should include columns for Date and Time, Message, Image URL, Link, First Comment, Include Link in Message, and Video URL.
Q4: Can I upload both images and videos for a single post?
A: Yes, you can include both image and video URLs in your CSV file. However, videos will take priority if both are provided.
Q5: What happens if my CSV file's date and time format don’t match the selected format?
A: An invalid date error will occur. To avoid this issue, ensure the formats in the CSV file and the system settings match.