---
title: "Publishing Presets"
description: "Save platform combinations for one-tap publishing"
---

## What are presets?

A preset is a saved group of platforms that you can select with a single click when creating a post. Instead of manually checking off Twitter, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads every time you want to share a text post, you just pick the "Text-first" preset and all four are selected instantly.

Think of presets as shortcuts for your most common posting patterns.

## System presets

Octopost comes with five built-in presets that cover the most common use cases:

### All Platforms

Selects every platform you have connected. Good for announcements or content you want maximum reach on. Only platforms you have actually connected will be included -- if you have not linked TikTok, it will not try to post there.

### Short-form Video

Selects **TikTok**, **Instagram**, and **YouTube**. Designed for when you have a short video you want to push across all the video-first platforms. YouTube will automatically treat vertical videos under 60 seconds as Shorts.

### Professional Networks

Selects **LinkedIn** and **Twitter**. For career updates, industry takes, company news, and work-related content where you want to keep it professional.

### Decentralized Social

Selects **Bluesky**, **Mastodon**, and **Threads**. For folks who are active on the newer, more open social platforms. These three all support longer text (300-500 characters) and have a more community-oriented feel.

### Text-first

Selects **Twitter**, **Bluesky**, **Mastodon**, and **Threads**. The go-to preset for quick text posts, thoughts, and hot takes. These four platforms are all text-native and work well with the same content.

## Creating custom presets

System presets are great starting points, but you will probably want your own.

1. Go to **Settings > Presets** (or click the gear icon next to the preset dropdown in the post editor).
2. Click **New Preset**.
3. Give it a name -- something descriptive like "My Newsletter Promo" or "Daily Update".
4. Check the platforms you want included.
5. Optionally, enable cross-linking and configure a primary platform (more on that below).
6. Click **Save**.

Your custom preset will now appear in the preset dropdown whenever you create a new post.

You can create as many presets as you want. Edit or delete them at any time from Settings.

## The cross-link feature

Cross-linking is an optional feature you can enable on any preset. Here is what it does:

Instead of posting the exact same content to every platform, cross-linking posts your full content to one **primary platform** first, then posts a shorter message with a link to the original post on all the **secondary platforms**.

### Why use this?

- **Drive engagement to one place.** If you want all the replies and discussion on Twitter, post the full thing there and link to it from Bluesky and Mastodon.
- **Avoid duplicate content.** Some audiences follow you on multiple platforms. Cross-linking means they see the full post once and a pointer everywhere else.
- **Respect platform culture.** Some platforms (especially Mastodon) have norms against fully automated cross-posts. A link with context feels more native.

### How it works

1. When you enable cross-linking on a preset, you pick a **primary platform**. This is where the full post goes first.
2. After the primary post is published and Octopost gets back the post URL, the secondary platforms receive a message based on your **cross-link template**.
3. The template can include variables that get filled in automatically.

### Setting up cross-linking

1. Edit a preset (or create a new one).
2. Toggle **Cross-link enabled** on.
3. Select your **Primary platform** from the dropdown. This is where the full content gets posted.
4. Customize the **Cross-link template** -- this is the message that gets sent to all the other platforms in the preset.
5. Save the preset.

## Template variables

The cross-link template supports these variables:

| Variable | What it inserts |
|----------|-----------------|
| `{platform}` | The name of the primary platform (e.g., "Twitter") |
| `{link}` | The URL of the published post on the primary platform |
| `{title}` | The title of your post, if you gave it one |
| `{excerpt}` | The first ~100 characters of your post content |

### Example templates

**Simple link share:**
```
New post on {platform}: {link}
```
This would produce something like: "New post on Twitter: https://x.com/you/status/123456"

**With context:**
```
{excerpt}...

Read the full post: {link}
```
This grabs the beginning of your post so followers get a taste before clicking through.

**Casual:**
```
Just posted this on {platform} -- {link}
```

You can write whatever you want in the template. The variables are optional; use whichever ones make sense for your style.

## Setting a default preset

If you have a preset you use for almost every post, you can set it as your default:

1. Go to **Settings > Presets**.
2. Find the preset you want as your default.
3. Click the three-dot menu and select **Set as Default**.

Now, every time you open the post editor, that preset's platforms will already be selected. You can always change the selection for individual posts -- the default just saves you a click.

Only one preset can be the default at a time. Setting a new default automatically unsets the previous one.

## Tips

- **Start with system presets** and see how you use them for a week. Then create custom ones based on your actual patterns.
- **Name presets clearly.** "Blog Promo" is better than "Preset 3". Future you will thank present you.
- **Use cross-linking thoughtfully.** It works best when you have a clear primary platform where you want engagement. If you want identical posts everywhere, just skip it.
- **Review your presets periodically.** As you connect new platforms or your posting habits change, update your presets to match.