Free WordPress Plugin to Auto-Post & Share to Social Media

Note: Publicize is now auto-share and is part of Jetpack Social.

The power of social media is undisputed — it helps you deepen relationships with followers and reach new ones. It also adds another thing to your to-do list.

Whether you use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or something else, the time it takes to manually post to each one adds up. You’ve probably read blogs or heard experts suggest you automate social media posting to streamline business operations and help you remember to post consistently. Sounds great. But what’s the best way to get started with a WordPress site?

Social media automation software allows you to compose, schedule, and auto post content to a variety of social media channels. Two of the more popular options are Hootsuite and Buffer. While these products provide a lot of features and integrations, they also create additional items for that to-do list. It’s another place where you’ll need to log in, monitor, and manage everything.

For some business owners and DIY marketers, a simpler solution makes more sense. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to write, schedule, and automatically post social content from directly inside your WordPress website? That’s where Jetpack Publicize stands out from the pack. 

A closer look at social media automation options

While you’ll find plugins that connect your WordPress website to Hootsuite and Buffer, they primarily send new content to the software for scheduling. Jetpack allows you to schedule your website content for social sharing directly within WordPress.

Let’s compare some options based on several important factors.

Is it easy to use?

Hootsuite includes a lot of advanced and complex features, which can be beneficial, but also may be overwhelming and unnecessary for smaller businesses and independent publishers. 

Buffer is considered somewhat easier to use and has fewer features than Hootsuite. Both these options will require some work in order to integrate the software with your website and social channels.

Once you’ve installed and activated the Jetpack plugin, Publicize can be turned on with a couple of clicks and you can begin automating social sharing. Look for step-by-step instructions below.

Who is it for?

Larger enterprises with various brands and marketing agencies with many clients often use Hootsuite and Buffer. They allow these organizations to manage everything all in one place.

Jetpack Publicize is perfect for small business owners and online publishers. It’s a straightforward way to share content without having to copy and paste links and manually post to your social media channels.

Jetpack Publicize was built specifically for WordPress website owners. Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, developed and maintains the plugin. That means it’s a trustworthy solution that will work with your site. Look for updates in the future, including Instagram integration (coming soon)!

Is there a free option?

Buffer doesn’t offer a free option. Hootsuite’s free plan restricts integrations and the number of posts.

Jetpack Publicize allows anyone using Jetpack to automatically post new content to social media for free. That includes the ability to customize the message if desired. Jetpack users on a Premium or Professional plan can schedule new and existing content for social media amplification. 

What makes Jetpack Publicize a unique social media auto poster?

With the fewest steps required to get content from your WordPress site to social media, Jetpack Publicize is the ideal choice for anyone who needs to quickly post to multiple platforms. 

Scheduling posts

One of the best methods for increasing blog readership and site traffic is re-sharing previously-published content.

Social media moves quickly — posts are visible for a few minutes to a few hours, at most. Re-sharing content helps you reach more readers by connecting with people who missed the original update or by trying different messaging to appeal to people who didn’t click the first time. 

According to the marketing rule of seven, prospective customers need to hear your message at least seven times before they take action. Just because someone saw your post one time a few days ago doesn’t mean they’ll remember to buy from you or visit your site today. Consistently re-sharing posts on social media is a smart way to increase traffic and click-throughs. 

With Jetpack Publicize, you can do this within your WordPress.com account. Older posts will display a button so you can share them on any of your connected social accounts. And if you’re on the go, use the WordPress app to publish content right from your mobile device.

Automated sharing

Because of its direct integration with WordPress, Jetpack Publicize can automate social sharing when you publish a new post, with no additional steps. Choose which platforms you want to share to and include a custom message of up to 256 characters, right from the WordPress editor.

Jetpack Publicize is only the beginning

There’s far more to Jetpack than Publicize. It’s built by Automattic — the people behind WordPress.com — so it’s safe, reliable, and comes with world-class support. The full Jetpack package also offers security, performance, design, publication, and growth tools, replacing dozens of other plugins.

Publicize pairs especially well with Jetpack Sharing to reach a larger audience. Including social media sharing buttons at the end of posts invites readers to share your message with their own friends and family. Couple that with automated social sharing via Publicize, and your content will reach more people without any added work on your end!

Get started with Jetpack Publicize

Begin by choosing a plan (some of Jetpack’s sharing features are, in fact, free) and installing Jetpack on your website. Then:

1. Navigate to your WordPress dashboard and click Jetpack → Settings.
2. Select the Sharing tab at the top of the page.
3. Toggle the option for “Automatically share your posts to social networks.”
4. Click “Connect to your social media accounts” to see all the available social media integrations.
5. Click the Connect button to the right of each platform you want to sync and follow the instructions that pop up on your screen.

That’s it! Your posts will automatically be shared to the social media accounts that you chose. 

If you chose a Premium or Professional plan and want to re-share old content:

1. Navigate to WordPress.com, click My Sites, and select the site you’d like to manage.
2. In the left-hand column, expand the Site tab and select Posts.
3. Find the post you want to schedule and click the three dots to the far right.
4. Toggle on the social media accounts you want to use and write a custom message for your followers.

From there, you can Preview how your post will look once shared or Schedule to lock in the date and time you’ve selected. Schedule posts for a week or a whole month with a few clicks. 

At a glance, you can see the posts you’ve published, along with the date, recent views, and comments. Access to these stats allows you to see which posts are most popular and which ones need a little more attention.

Get started with Jetpack Publicize.

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