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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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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.
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Note You can download an example of a CSV with custom fields here. |
| 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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| 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 | Tags separated by semicolon (:) |
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| 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:
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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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What format should I use when exporting from Excel?
A: Please use CSV UTF-8 (Comma-delimited). This format ensures special characters are preserved and works best with Vista Social.
Q: I scheduled my posts, but the media was grouped together into a single post with multiple media. What should I do?
A: This can happen when multiple posts share similar elements, such as the same caption, post type, and scheduled time. If you want each post to publish separately, update the time column in your CSV and assign unique publishing dates and times to each post. This ensures the posts are treated as individual posts rather than grouped as a multimedia post.
Q: How to I bulk post to a specific publishing queue label?
A: You can choose which labeled queue to schedule your bulk posts to by first selecting the queue option (between last, next, and available), and then using the "All queue labels" dropdown that will show up in the top right, and selecting your queue label.
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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