How to Schedule Messages in Bulk

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Video Transcript | Intro

Posting and scheduling messages on a daily basis to multiple accounts can be time consuming and tedious. Hootsuite’s Bulk Composer lets you schedule hundreds of posts in advance. 

Let’s get started by navigating to the Publisher tab. From the menu select “Bulk Composer” and under “How to prepare your messages”, download the example CSV file.

A maximum of 350 messages can be scheduled at one time, including existing scheduled messages. 

Formatting your CSV

Here it is important to follow the formatting rules when filling out the file. In the first column, input the date as month / date / year or date / month / year. Next, enter the time you’d like your message to publish, which will be rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. Remember to use the 24 hour time format.

Note, the times also need to be posted at least 10 minutes into the future from when you intend to import the CSV file into Hootsuite. In the second column, enter your message as you want it to appear. Please note any social network character restrictions. In the third optional column, enter a URL. Due to the limitations of the CSV format it’s not possible to add emoji, images, or videos to your bulk messages. However, once uploaded you can edit your messages and attach these types of media.

Uploading your CSV

Once your file is complete, head back to the “Bulk Composer” inside of publisher. Then select your CSV file, the social profiles you’re going to publish to, and the date format you used. You can also shorten your link using ow.ly, or check the box to keep the links as they are in your CSV file. Now, upload your file and schedule your bulk messages. 

Once your file has been uploaded, you can review AND edit your messages. 

Bulk composer makes troubleshooting easy by showing error messages along with an explanation of what went wrong. To fix an error in a message, click it and revise as needed. Once errors are resolved click into individual messages to adjust copy, or add emoji, images, or videos. Finally, schedule your messages. Bear in mind that it may take a few moments to process them all.

Making Changes

To make any additional changes, review your scheduled messages within Planner. Here you can make any individual edits up to the time your message is published. 

Check out our features page to learn more about what you can accomplish with Hootsuite.