Create a Blog
By the end of this you will have a working blog: a place to write posts, two posts in it, one scheduled for later, and the whole thing showing on your site.
Before you start
You need a Vivreal account and a group. A site is useful for the last step, but you can set the blog up first and connect it later.
1. Create the content type
Tap Content in the navigation, then New Content.
The first section of the dialog is Details. Name it Blog Posts.
2. Add your fields
The second section is Fields. Tap Add Field for each one.
| Field name | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Short Text | Yes |
| Body | Structured / Long Text | Yes |
| Cover image | Image | No |
| Publish date | Date | No |
| Web address | Slug (URL Name) | No |
| Topics | List of Items | No |
Why these:
- Body is Structured / Long Text, which gives you headings, bold and lists. Short Text is one line, so a post written into it would be miserable.
- Publish date is what makes scheduling work. Step 5 uses it.
- Web address is the tidy end of the link, so a post lives at
/blog/opening-late-on-fridaysrather than something with an ID in it. Better for readers and better for search. - Topics is a List of Items, which is a simple list you type out. There is no Tags type; this is the equivalent.
For the full list of types, see Content fields.
Save when you are done.
3. Write your first post
Open Blog Posts and tap New.
Fill it in properly rather than with placeholder text. A real post now tells you whether your fields are right, and a "Test post 1" tells you nothing and then embarrasses you by going live.
Write a title, a few paragraphs in the body with a heading and a list so you can see the formatting work, and add a cover image. Set the publish date to today.
Save it.
4. Write a second one
Add another. Two posts is the smallest number that shows you what a list of posts actually looks like, which is what your readers will see first.
Give this one a couple of Topics so you can see how they group.
5. Schedule one for later
Add a third post, and this time set the Publish date to a date in the future.
Save it, and it sits there quietly. A post whose date has not arrived stays off your site until it does. Nothing else to set, and nothing to remember on the day.
This is how you get ahead of yourself
The single most useful habit with a blog is writing three posts in one sitting when you have the time and energy, then dating them a fortnight apart. Publishing consistently beats publishing often, and this is how you do it without having to feel inspired on a schedule.
6. Put it on your site
Open Studio, go to the page you want the blog on, add a section, and point it at Blog Posts.
The section fills itself from your posts. Write another and it appears on its own, with no need to edit the page again.
Save, and it is live. Remember there is no separate publish step in Studio.
7. Write the search text for a post
Worth doing for anything you actually want found.
In Studio's page settings for the post, fill in the title and description that Google shows. Studio previews the search result as you type. See Getting found.
Announcing a post
Once a post is up, Quick Create sends an announcement to your social channels. Write it once, tick the channels, publish.
What you have now
A blog you can write from your phone, that schedules itself, and that updates your site without you touching the page.
If something is not working
- You cannot find a Rich Text or Tags type. They do not exist. Use Structured / Long Text and List of Items.
- A scheduled post went out early or late. Check the publish date, including the year.
- Your scheduled post never appeared. Check the date has actually passed, then see Site not updating.
- Posts do not show on the site. Check the Studio section points at Blog Posts, and that you saved.
- The New button does nothing. You may be at your plan's item limit. See Plan limits.
Next steps
- Publish your first site, if you do not have one yet.
- Getting found by search and AI, so people find what you wrote.
- Editing items, for changing posts later.