# Drafts, scheduling and publishing

> How a post moves from draft to scheduled to published, and how to check the result from the API.

**Source:** https://postprism.app/docs/publishing  
**Updated:** 2026-10-10

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## Post statuses

| Status | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `draft` | Saved, not scheduled. Nothing publishes until it is scheduled. |
| `scheduled` | Publishes automatically at `scheduled_at`. |
| `publishing` | Being sent to the platforms right now. |
| `published` | Sent to every platform in `platforms`. |
| `failed` | At least one platform did not accept the post. Open it in Postprism to see which one and why. |

## Draft first, or schedule straight away

Create a post without `scheduled_at` and it is a draft that waits on the calendar for review. Create it with `scheduled_at` and it is scheduled immediately. For automations you are still testing, and for anything an AI writes, start with drafts.

## Schedule or unschedule a draft

Updating `scheduled_at` alone does not change the status. Send both:

**PATCH /api/v1/posts/{id}**

```
{ "status": "scheduled", "scheduled_at": "2026-10-16T09:30:00Z" }
```

To stop a scheduled post, send `{ "status": "draft", "scheduled_at": null }`. Deleting the post also stops it.

## What gets published

- Each platform publishes `platform_content.<platform>.content`, followed by that version’s `hashtags`. Set a version for every platform in `platforms`; a platform without one fails to publish.
- The post’s `media` is attached to every platform. Each network uses what it supports, described in the [platform guides](https://postprism.app/docs/platforms/linkedin).
- Only accounts connected in the workspace can publish. Connect accounts in Postprism; the API cannot.

## Times and time zones

Send `scheduled_at` as an ISO 8601 date-time. Use UTC with a `Z` suffix (`2026-10-16T09:30:00Z`) or include an offset (`2026-10-16T11:30:00+02:00`). Times are returned in UTC.

## Checking the result

After the scheduled time, read the post with [`GET /api/v1/posts/{id}`](https://postprism.app/docs/api/get-post) and check `status` and `published_at`. To find everything that failed, list posts with `?status=failed`.