How to Use Jetpack Publicize

Before you begin this tutorial, you'll need to install and activate the free Jetpack plugin. For instructions on how to install Jetpack, please refer to this post.

Promoting your blog and new posts upon publication is a crucial aspect of building a successful website. To help simplify this process, Jetpack includes a highly useful feature called ‘Publicize,’ which automatically shares new posts on designated social networks like Facebook and Twitter whenever they are published. In this chapter, we’ll explore how to set up this invaluable feature to help spread the word about your new content.

Jetpack supports the following social networks for automated posting: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Reddit, Digg, and StumbleUpon. Additionally, you can define your own custom services if you wish to promote your posts on unsupported social networks.

Activating the Publicize Feature

If the Publicize feature is disabled, you will need to activate it before you can link your social media profiles in order to have Jetpack post and promote your blog posts on your behalf.

1. In your administrator dashboard, click “Jetpack” in the top-left corner, scroll down the page and click “View all Jetpack Features”.

2. Scroll down the list of features until you find “Publicize”. Click on the link and click “Activate” on the window which appears.

3. In the same manner, also activate the “Sharing” feature, since it will allow you to add social media sharing buttons automatically to your posts.

Connecting to Your Social Networks

In order to have Jetpack publish posts on your social media profiles on your behalf, you will need to give the plugin your permission to access them:

1. Navigate to Settings > Sharing in your administrator dashboard to connect the social media accounts you use with Jetpack.

2. Click on “Connect” beside the name of the social network you want to add, and enter your username and password.

3. Once your connections to the services you wish to use have been approved, a list of them will appear in the “Publish” box whenever you write a new post.

Whenever you publish a new post, it will automatically be shared on your connected social media accounts, including an image such as a featured image, an image attached to the post or any other image that Jetpack can find in your post (in this order of priority). Note that only posts will be publicized; static pages, draft posts and duplicate posts will not be publicized. 

Adding Sharing Buttons

In the Sharing page in your administrator dashboard, you’ll also be able to add sharing buttons automatically to every post that you publish, allowing your readers to quickly and easily share your posts on their own social media profiles.

1. Drag the buttons you want to add to your posts from the “Available Services” section to the “Enabled Services” section beneath it.

2. Modify any additional options, such as “Sharing label” and “Button style” as required. Any changes will be displayed in the “Live Preview” window above.

3. Click on “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page, and the sharing buttons will go live on every post on your blog.

With sharing and post publication set up, a great deal of your social media promotion will already be taken care of, and Jetpack and your readers will be able to start spreading the word about your hard work!