Just signed up for Later? Or maybe you need a refresher? Here we'll outline Later's key features to get you started.
What is Later?
Later’s an all-in-one platform for visual social media marketing. With Later you can:
- Upload and collect media in the Media Library
- Schedule and publish media posts for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, and LinkedIn
- Analyze post performance
- Drive traffic from your Instagram bio to your sites using Linkin.bio
- And much more!
Add Your Social Profiles
To start scheduling, first you’ll connect your social profiles.
To do this, click the + button at the top of the Calendar. You’ll be asked to log in to the social profile. This will grant Later permission to publish and gather data for you.
Upload Photos and Videos
Later lets you upload and store as many photos and videos as you like in the Media Library. Then you can add Labels and Media Notes to keep things organized.
To upload, drag and drop media into Later. Or click the Upload Media, Google Drive, or Dropbox button at the top of the side library.
Schedule Your Posts
Later helps you plan your entire week (or month) from your computer or mobile device, so you can schedule posts in advance and forget about them. Here’s a quick look at how to schedule posts from Later on the web:
- At the top of the Calendar, select the social profile(s) you want to schedule your post to
- Drag and drop media from your Side Library onto your Calendar, or open a photo or video in the Media Library and click View on Calendar > Create Post
- Edit your media, write a caption, add hashtags, and schedule your post
Publish Your Posts
Later offers two ways of publishing—Auto Publish and notification publishing.
Auto Publish:
Your post will automatically be published at your scheduled time. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn posts are always Auto Published.
To Auto Publish to Instagram or TikTok, you’ll need an Instagram business profile or a TikTok Business Account. You must enable Auto Publish first to automatically publish single-image/video and Multi-Photo (carousel) posts to Instagram, and videos to TikTok.
Due to Instagram restrictions, the following cannot be Auto Published:
These must be posted using notification publishing.
Notification Publishing:
Some Instagram posts must be published through notifications. TikTok Personal Accounts and Instagram personal and creator profiles are also restricted to notification publishing.
We’ll send a push notification to your mobile device when it’s time for you to publish your post. Make sure to download the Later mobile app and set up your mobile notifications first.
Here’s how to publish single image and video posts using notification publishing:
- Open the mobile notification we send at your scheduled publishing time
- Tap Open in Instagram or Open in TikTok
- Select Feed
- Edit your media if you’d like and tap Next
- Tap the caption field and select Paste to paste the caption we automatically copied for you
- Tag people or a location if you want
- Tap Share (iOS) or the checkmark (Android) to publish
Track Your Post Performance
Use Later’s Analytics to see how your posts perform over time. Knowing which posts get the best engagement can help you plan future posts.
Analytics are available for:
- Instagram (Free + paid plans)
- Twitter (paid plans)
- Pinterest (paid plans)
- TikTok (paid plans)
Select Analytics from the left-side menu, then choose your social profile at the top of the screen. From here you can start exploring your data!
Drive Traffic With Linkin.bio
Linkin.bio is like a mini-website built into your Instagram profile. Add buttons and link Instagram posts to build your own Linkin.bio landing page. Drive traffic to your website, blog, online store, and any other web pages right from the link in your Instagram bio. Here’s how to get started:
1. In Later on the web, select the Instagram profile you want to set up Linkin.bio for
2. Go to Linkin.bio and click Get Started
3. Build your Linkin.bio page by adding blocks:
- Buttons: Add buttons to drive traffic to your website, blog, online store, or any other web pages. You can add as many buttons as you like and toggle them on and off. Paid plans can also customize button color
- Featured media: Add featured media to show off your latest Linkin.bio post as an enlarged image
- Linked Instagram posts: Add links to Instagram posts to direct your audience to product pages, blog posts, videos, or any other web page
4. Click Copy next to your Linkin.bio page link
5. Add your Linkin.bio page link to the website field of your Instagram bio
Now your followers can click the Linkin.bio page link to find any page or product you point them to in a post, anytime.
And that’s it, you’re ready to start using Later.
More You Can Do in Later
Once you’ve gotten the hang of planning, scheduling, and publishing with Later, you’ll find a lot more you can do:
- Use the Later mobile app for scheduling on the go
- Save frequently used hashtags in Saved Captions
- Collect content from the web
- Plan the look of your Instagram feed with the Visual Instagram Planner
And for Starter, Growth, and Advanced plans:
- Schedule Stories and Multi-Photo posts
- Get Hashtag Suggestions
- Spend less time scheduling to Instagram with Quick Schedule
- Add hashtags to your Instagram first comment to keep the caption clean
- Optimize your Instagram posting times with Best Time to Post
Related Articles:
Technical Requirements for Using Later
Supported Social Platforms and Post Types
Add or Remove Social Profiles
Enable Auto Publishing for Instagram