Creating and Publishing Blog Posts (Lofty AOS)

Introduction

There are two ways to write blog posts in Lofty: using the AI Blog Assistant (the fastest way) or creating a post manually. Both methods use the same post editor, and both give you full control over content, categories, SEO, and scheduling.

How to Access the Blog Editor

1. Open the Website CMS (from Lofty top nav: Content > Websites, then click your site).
2. Click Quick Actions, then select Blogs.
3. Click the Posts tab.

Option 1: Create a Post with the AI Blog Assistant

The AI Blog Assistant writes a complete blog post draft based on your instructions — you review, edit, and publish.

1. From the Blog editor, open the AI Blog Assistant panel.
2. In the AI chat panel, describe the blog post you want to write — topic, focus, tone, target audience.
3. The AI will offer a few suggested starting points, or you can start fresh with your own description.
4. The AI generates a draft blog post. Review it in the editor.
5. Make any edits to the content, title, and settings.
6. When ready, set a publish date or publish immediately (see Publishing below).

Option 2: Create a Post Manually

1. In the Posts tab, click the blue + Add New button in the top-right.
2. The blog post editor opens with three tabs: Content, Settings, and SEO.

The Content Tab

Title

The heading of your blog post. If you leave the title blank, the post will appear as "no title" in the posts list.

Blog Post Content

The full body of your post. Use the rich text editor toolbar to: - Format text (headings, bold, italic, bullet lists) - Add images and embed videos - Add links - Adjust line spacing - Embed custom HTML or JavaScript via the Source Code option

As you type, a preview panel on the right shows how the post will look on your website.

The Settings Tab

Author

Defaults to the website owner. You can change the author attribution to any team member.

URL Slug

The last part of the post's URL (for example, /blog/my-post-title). The default is based on the post title. To customize it: - Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens - Other characters are automatically converted to hyphens - Keep it short and descriptive for best SEO

Categories

Assign this post to one or more categories. You can select existing categories or create a new one directly in this field. Posts with no category assigned appear under "Uncategorized."

Featured Image

The image that represents this post in listings and social shares. - Default: The first image embedded in the post content - Fallback: If no image is in the content, your website header logo is used - You can upload a specific featured image or delete the current one

Scheduling

Set a specific date and time for the post to be published automatically. If left blank, publishing it manually will publish it immediately.

The SEO Tab

Set the search engine metadata for this individual post.

Meta Title

The title that appears in Google search results. The default format is: Blog Title - Creator Name - Company Name

You can customize this and use the + Insert variable tool to dynamically include values.

Best practice: Keep meta titles under 60 characters and include the main keyword for this post.

Meta Keywords

Keywords that describe this post's content. These are blank by default — add the main topics your post covers.

Meta Description

The short summary shown under the title in search results. Defaults to the first sentence of your post. Customize it and use + Insert variable as needed.

Best practice: Write a compelling 140–160 character description that accurately summarizes the post and encourages clicks.

Publishing a Post

When your post is ready, you have three options:

Publish immediately: Click Publish (or the equivalent publish button) — the post goes live on your website right away.

Schedule for later: In the Settings tab, set a future date and time. The post status will show as "Scheduled" and go live automatically at the specified time.

Save as Draft: Close the editor without publishing, or explicitly save as a draft. The post appears under the Drafts tab and is not visible on your website until you publish it.

Managing Existing Posts

The Posts list has tabs to view different post states:

Columns in the Posts list

• Title — Post title (blank titles show "no title"; drafts show a "Draft" tag)
• Author — Who the post is attributed to
• Category — Category/categories assigned to the post
• Publish Date — When the post was first published (format: mm/dd/yyyy)
• Updated Date — When the post was last edited

Editing, deleting, and recovering posts

Find the Edit, Delete, and Recover icons on each post row.

Deleted posts move to the Trash tab and can be recovered there. Posts recovered from Trash return to Draft status.

Tips

• Use the AI Blog Assistant for topic ideas, even if you write manually. Ask the AI to outline a post or generate a headline — then write the full article yourself in the manual editor.
• Always add a featured image. Posts with a strong, relevant featured image perform significantly better on social media and in search results.
• Write unique meta descriptions for every post. Don't rely on the default (first sentence). A well-written 150-character summary that teases the post's value gets more clicks.
• Use categories consistently from the start. Retroactively recategorizing dozens of posts is time-consuming. Plan your category structure before publishing your first post.
• Publish on a consistent schedule. Google rewards sites that publish fresh content regularly — even one well-written post per week adds up quickly.

Troubleshooting

My post shows as "no title" on the blog page. Open the post in the editor and add a title in the Title field, then republish.

My scheduled post didn't publish at the right time. Check the scheduled time and confirm it was set in your local time zone. If the post is past its scheduled time and still in Scheduled status, publish it manually.

I accidentally deleted a post. Go to the Trash tab in the Posts list and click Recover on the post you want to restore. Recovered posts return to Draft status.

My featured image isn't showing correctly on social media. Social platforms cache images aggressively. If you updated the featured image after the post was shared, the old image may still show for a while. Try using Facebook's or LinkedIn's URL debugger to force-refresh the cached preview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I wrap text around an image in a blog post? Yes. In the post editor: 1. Insert an image and click OK 2. Adjust the image width and height 3. Click Save 4. Add text below the image 5. Click the image and use the Align left or Align right option — text will wrap around the image

Can I change the post author to someone who isn't the website owner? Yes. Open the post's Settings tab and change the Author field to any team member.

Is there a limit to how many blog posts I can have?

Will the AI Blog Assistant post directly to my site? No. The AI generates a draft in the editor. You review and edit it before deciding to publish, schedule, or save as a draft.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding this topic or any others, please reach out to our Support Team via email at support@lofty.com, by phone at 1 (855) 981-7557, or by chat with us through your Lofty CRM.