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The Ultimate CSV Bulk Scheduler For Social Media

Ervin Kalemi
Import & Schedule posts from CSV Files

We first launched Publer’s CSV bulk scheduler in 2017 when social media didn’t have reels or stories, alt text wasn’t embraced enough, and scheduling first comments wasn’t a thing.

After eight long years, we’re thrilled to announce the ultimate CSV scheduler for social media, along with many improvements to our bulk scheduling capabilities.

The New and Improved CSV Template

The new CSV template has twelve columns (twice as many as the previous version).

While you may not need all the columns, it’s important not to remove them from the CSV file you’re importing. In a few words, simply fill in the columns you need and leave the rest blank without changing the structure.

You can download a blank CSV template, or you can make a copy of this Google Sheet example.

1. The Date Column

The CSV supports two scheduling methods:

2. The Text Column

This is the most straightforward column of the CSV file. It holds the main caption of your post. This column can be left blank if you have already attached a link or a media.

3. The Link(s) Column

This column comes in handy if you need to schedule in bulk:

4. The Media URL(s) Column

You can upload photos and videos through the CSV, using the media public URL, to schedule:

A couple of notes:

We recommend hosting your media files in Publer’s Media Library (unlimited storage)

5. The Title Column

The value from this column will be added as the title to the following post types:

6. The Label(s) Column

Labels from this column, and in Publer in general, have two functions:

We will automatically match the values in the CSV with the labels you may have created in Publer, case insensitive. If we do not find a match, new labels will be created.

7. The Alt Text(s) Column *

This new column will apply to CSV rows containing one or more photos. Media URLs can be separated by commas, while alt texts, which may include commas, should be separated with double pipes ||.

Ensure that the number of alt texts matches the media URLs in the CSV file.

Remember that not all social networks support alt text, and the character limit varies.

8. The Comment(s) Column *

One of the main competitive advantages of using Publer as your social media management tool is the ability to schedule comments across all social networks that support it.

Comments can effectively stimulate organic engagement on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn and create threaded discussions on Twitter, Threads App, Bluesky, and Mastodon.

Similar to alt texts, comments can include commas; therefore, if you want to schedule multiple comments per post, they should be separated by a double pipe ||.

Currently, comments via the CSV file can only be text-based. Please review the limitations we imposed following social network APIs and guidelines.

9. The Board, Album, or Category Column *

This new column is specific solely if you’re scheduling for the following social networks:

If you’re simultaneously crossposting to a specific Pinterest board, Facebook album, or Google category, we recommend creating separate CSV files with this column personalized for each social network.

10. The Post Subtype Column *

In this new column, you can specify the following subtypes, case insensitive:

A couple of notes:

11. The CTA Column *

Even though available only for two social networks, you can now automate CTAs for:

12. The Reminder Column *

Last, if you prefer to receive reminders for your scheduled posts from the Publer app on your phone, fill the last column with the value TRUE, which is also case-insensitive.

Reminders are great for taking advantage of social network options available only through their native apps, such as:

We hope to roll out the reminder workaround to the rest of the social networks and post types.

Other Bulk Scheduling Improvements

While the CSV import is convenient, unfortunately, it’s technically impossible to support all of Publer’s features.

Some options are specific to social networks, like TikTok’s privacy settings; others are difficult to automate, such as auto-sharing, while some are limited by APIs, like mentioning another LinkedIn Page or tagging Instagram products.

After importing the CSV file, you can use the Publer interface to automate tasks that cannot be accomplished through the CSV file.

You can review posts from the CSV import before scheduling them

Apply Scheduling Method to All Posts

If the Date column does not meet your needs, such as when you want to recycle posts in bulk, you can leave it blank. Once the posts from the CSV file have been imported, you can manually change the scheduling method for the first post and then apply that method to the rest of the posts.

Apply Post Options To All Posts

In bulk mode, every post option below the composer, such as auto-delete, can be applied to all posts simultaneously.

Apply Post Details To All Posts

Instead of relying on the Post Subtype column, you can apply the subtype to all posts in the queue using Publer UI.

This quick hack allows you to copy specific settings, such as story reminder preferences for Instagram, to all other posts for that social network.

Choose a Default Board, Location, Signature, or Watermark

Under social account settings in Publer, specify a value for:

The default values above will automatically apply to any new posts you create in Publer, whether or not you’re importing a CSV file.

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