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Uploading a CSV (comma-separated values) is one of the key features of bulk scheduling. Vista Social offers a very simple format that social media managers can follow when designing content. You can download the sample CSV right here or from your dashboard.
🎥 Video guide
Required Columns
The first 4 columns are fixed: they must appear exactly in this order with exactly these headings:
| Column # | Header | Description |
| 1 | message | Post message/caption |
| 2 | type | One of image, video, article, message. |
| 3 | link | Link to image, video or an article |
| 4 | time |
2022-12-15 5:05 pm -or- 2022-12-15 17:05
* Note that time can be in 24 hour format or am/pm. |
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Note
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Optional Columns
The rest of the columns in the CSV are optional and are used to take advantage of post customizations. Here are the columns that can be used and what they mean. You can use them in any order as long as you use the exact heading; they will be mapped correctly. You can also download an example CSV with custom fields.
| Header | Descriptions | Applies to networks |
| comment1 | First post comment |
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| comment2 | Second post comment |
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| comment3 | Third post comment |
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| comment4 | Fourth post comment |
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| comment5 | Fifth post comment |
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| message_<profile> | For a specific message per profile, create additional columns like message_facebook, message_instagram, etc. This way, you can set captions per network |
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| comments_enabled | Enable post comments. Possible values are 'yes' and 'no' |
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| like | Like the published posts. Possible values "yes" or "no" |
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| title | Title (meaning depends on the network) |
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| description | Description (meaning depends on the network) |
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instagram_publish_as |
When this row type is 'image' possible values are: IMAGE, CAROUSEL (multi-images), STORY. When this row type is 'video' possible values are: REELS, TRIAL_REELS, VIDEO, STORY
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graduation_strategy |
Graduation strategy for trial reels MANUAL or PERFORMANCE (default)
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share_to_feed |
Possible values "yes" or "no" | |
| tags | YouTube and Tumblr tags separated by semicolon (:). These are not Vista Social tags. To add Vista Social tags, use publication_tags. |
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| publication_tags | Vista Social tags (formerly post labels). Separate multiple tags with three pipe characters (|||), for example Campaign|||Evergreen. Tags that don't exist yet are created automatically if you have the Manage tags permission in every profile group. | All networks |
| collaborators | Collaborators to invite separated by semicolon (:) | |
| user_tags | Tag users in posts. For example user1[x|y]:user2[x|y] X and Y coordinates are represented as a number between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0.22) | |
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facebook_publish_as |
When this row type is 'image' possible values are: IMAGE, CAROUSEL (multi-images), STORY. When this row type is 'video' possible values are: STORY, REELS, VIDEO | |
board |
Name of Pinterest board | |
section |
Name of Pinterest board section | |
subreddit |
Subreddit name | |
link |
Pin link | |
snapchat_publish_as |
Possible values are: STORY, SPOTLIGHT, SAVED_STORY. Default is STORY. | |
save_to_profile |
Possible values "yes" and "no". If set to "no" Spotlight will not be shown on the public profile. | |
locale |
Locale indicates the language and country. Default is: en_US | |
| category | YouTube video category | |
| thumbnail_url | A link to the video thumbnail. Applicable if "link" is a link to a video | |
| thumbnail_offset | The offset in milliseconds from the start of the video for generating the thumbnail. Applicable if "link" is a link to a video | |
| pin_comment | true or false - Pin Comment | |
Scheduling Multi-Media Posts
If you want to schedule carousels or posts with multiple media, you can do so by adding each media link in a separate row. Make sure to add the same elements (captions, post type, scheduled date & time, additional comments, etc.) of your post to each row. Check out the example below:
Mixed media carousel posts are not supported at this time.
Scheduling Posts to Specific Queue Labels
If you are using Publishing Queues, you can choose which queue label your CSV posts should be added to during the bulk scheduling process. This is useful when organizing content into different categories, campaigns, or posting strategies.
After uploading your CSV file and selecting your posts, choose one of the queue publishing options (such as Queue Next, Queue Last, or another available queue option). Once selected, an All queue labels dropdown will appear in the top-right corner of the bulk scheduling window.
From there, select the queue label where you'd like the posts to be added.
Adding tags to CSV posts
You can tag your posts (formerly labeling) right from the CSV using the publication_tags column. This saves you from tagging each post after scheduling.
- Add a column with the header publication_tags.
- Enter one tag per post, or separate multiple tags with ||| (for example, Fitness|||Wellness).
- If a tag doesn't exist yet, it's created automatically during import.
- Tags don't show in the list of imported posts. Click a post to open Edit bulk post and review or change its tags before scheduling.
- Tags are saved on scheduled posts, drafts, and ideas.
- Don't confuse this with the tags column, which only adds platform tags to YouTube and Tumblr posts.
Expected Behavior
After your CSV is uploaded and processed, Vista Social uses the required and optional columns to determine the content, publishing time, media, and applicable post customizations.
For multimedia posts, rows with matching post details can be grouped together. To publish similar posts separately, make sure each post has a unique scheduled date and time.
Queue labels are selected during the bulk scheduling process rather than through the CSV itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What format should I use when exporting from Excel?
A: Use CSV UTF-8 (Comma-delimited). This format works best with Vista Social and helps preserve special characters.
Q: How many rows can I include in a CSV?
A: CSV imports are limited to 200 rows. However, it is recommended to upload no more than 100 posts at a time to avoid issues.
Q: Why were multiple posts grouped into one multimedia post?
A: Posts with similar elements, such as the same caption, post type, and scheduled time, may be grouped together. To publish them separately, assign each post a unique publishing date and time in the time column.
Q: Can I schedule a carousel using a CSV?
A: Yes. Add each media link in a separate row and use the same caption, post type, scheduled time, and other applicable post settings for each row. Mixed-media carousel posts are not currently supported.
Q: Can I choose a publishing queue label directly in the CSV?
A: No. Queue labels are selected during the bulk scheduling process. After choosing a queue option, use the All queue labels dropdown to select the desired label.
Q: What's the difference between the tags and publication_tags columns?
A: publication_tags adds Vista Social tags to any post. Separate multiple tags with |||, and any tag that doesn't exist yet is created automatically. tags only adds platform tags to YouTube and Tumblr posts.
Q: Why are my emojis showing incorrectly after importing the CSV?
A: CSV files exported from Excel currently do not support emojis. Google Sheets is recommended instead, although some emojis may still not be supported and can appear as �.
Need further help?
If you have any questions or need additional help, feel free to contact our awesome support team. We are here to assist you! 💙
Related Reading:
Finding great social media content
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