Click ＋ New post in the left-hand menu (on a phone, it's the first button in the bar at the bottom) to open the composer. From top to bottom:
Post to
Tick each account the post should go to. One post can go to all your networks at once. PilotPost checks each network's rules as you work and warns you about anything that would stop the post from publishing.
Title
Used as the YouTube video title and the Pinterest Pin title. Other networks ignore it.
Caption
Your main text. A counter shows how many characters you've used against the strictest network you've ticked. For example, X allows 280 characters and Instagram allows 2,200.
Hashtags
Type hashtags here instead of in the caption. They're added on a new line at the end of your caption. Separate them with spaces or commas; the # is optional. You can save a set you use often and add it again with one click. See Hashtags and saved sets.
Link
Optional. Used as the Pinterest Pin link and the link preview on LinkedIn, and added to Facebook posts.
Media
Add images (JPG, PNG, WEBP or GIF) or videos (MP4 or MOV), up to 250 MB per file. PNG and WEBP images are converted to JPG automatically where a network needs it.
Sound (optional)
Appears once you've added media. Add an audio file to a video, or to images to turn them into a video. See Adding sound and music.
Video cover (optional)
Appears when your post has a video. The cover is the still picture people see before they press play.
- Pick a frame: drag the slider until the video shows the moment you want as the cover. Instagram Reels and TikTok both use this frame.
- Upload a cover image (Instagram): use your own picture instead, for example a designed title card. Use a vertical JPG or PNG, ideally 1080 × 1920 pixels. Instagram Reels use this image; TikTok still uses the frame you picked, because TikTok only accepts a frame from the video.
YouTube and Facebook choose their own cover from the video. To change it, open the video in YouTube Studio or Meta Business Suite after it's published.
Tags (optional)
Tag settings appear under Network options when the post goes to these networks:
- Tag people (Instagram): type Instagram usernames separated by commas, for example
@anna, @bobsbakery. They're tagged on a single photo or a Reel (up to 20). Instagram doesn't allow tags on carousel posts. - Invite collaborators (Instagram): up to 3 usernames. Once they accept the invite in Instagram, the post also appears on their profile and shares its likes and comments.
- YouTube tags: search keywords for your video, separated by commas, up to 500 characters in total. They help people find your video in YouTube search.
Labels (optional)
Labels are for you and your team only and are never published. Use them to group posts, for example Promo, Client A or Summer sale. Type a label and press Add (or Enter). Labels you used before appear as suggestions, so you can add them with one click.
In the Calendar, tap a label to see only the posts with that label.
Network options
Shows extra settings only when they apply:
- TikTok photo post: tick Let TikTok add recommended music and TikTok picks a popular track for your photos.
- Instagram Reel audio name: give your Reel's sound a name instead of "Original audio".
Preview
Below the options, Preview shows roughly how the post will look on each network you ticked. Tap a network to switch. It shows where the caption is cut off with "… more", how photos and videos are cropped (square or tall on Instagram, vertical on TikTok, wide on YouTube and X) and, for X, Bluesky and Threads, any text past the limit in red. Networks change their apps often, so treat it as a guide.
Warnings
If something breaks a network's rules (too many hashtags for Instagram, no video for YouTube, and so on), a yellow box lists what to fix. You can't schedule until every problem is fixed or that account is unticked.
When to post
- Schedule: pick a date and time, shown in your local time, and click Schedule.
- Post now: publishes straight away.
- Save draft: keeps the post without scheduling it.
Best times: under the date, PilotPost suggests 3 times. Once at least 5 of your posts have results, these are Your best times, worked out from the likes, comments and shares of your recent posts. Until then you see Popular times that suit most accounts. Tap one to use it.
After you click Schedule
The post appears in your Calendar under Upcoming and publishes automatically at that time. You don't need to be online.