Creating public preview links for your unpublished WordPress content can be invaluable. As an experienced WordPress consultant, I‘ve seen many use cases where post previews help my clients.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain multiple benefits of public previews in WordPress. You‘ll learn how the Public Post Preview plugin enables simple and secure access with no user registration needed.
Three Reasons to Allow Public Preview of WordPress Drafts
Here are some common examples where clients utilize public post previews:
Getting Expert Feedback Before Publishing: We recently used post previews when quoting industry influencers in a roundup post on SaaS trends. This allowed sources to verify quotes and facts prior to the big launch.
Sneak Peaks to Build Anticipation: A client launching a new service used preview links to give exclusive sneak peaks to email subscribers. This built significant buzz leading up to the official announcement.
Client Review of Draft Content: Public previews provide a simple way for clients to review and approve content without granting WordPress access or publishing incomplete drafts.
According to HubSpot research, 59% of marketers say producing engaging content is their top challenge. Public post previews are an easy way to get input to improve your content.
How WordPress Public Previews Work
The Public Post Preview plugin by Pete Mall enables simple previews without user registration:
- Checkbox in editor activates preview for a post
- Generates unique preview URL
- Link utilizes secure access key
- Viewers can see draft but not edit
No need to copy content outside WordPress or create site user accounts to share.
Activating Previews in WordPress
Installing and activating Public Post Preview adds preview settings across your site:
Check the "Enable public preview" box on any unpublished post. Then share the URL publicly or privately based on your needs.
That‘s all it takes to allow access and start collecting feedback!
Key Benefits of Post Previews
Public post previews offer several advantages over other approaches to sharing unpublished WordPress content:
| Method | Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Public Post Preview | No WP registration required | Need plugin install |
| Export to Google / MS Docs | Easy for some users | Content leaves WP platform |
| Limited WordPress Account | Uses built-in access tools | Adds site user accounts |
The simplicity and security makes Public Post Preview a great starting choice to enable feedback.
As leaders in the WordPress consulting space, we‘ve seen preview links become vital to smoothing content publication across many sites. Even just a few key previews on high-value posts provides major benefit for the growth of your brand and voice online.
We hope this guide gave you ideas on improving your own WordPress content workflows. Let us know if have any other questions as you implement public previews!
