Publish Content as a Draft or Live Post

Overview

Publishing in CntX is a CMS handoff, not an editorial milestone. When you publish, CntX sends the current title, introduction, body, metadata, and destination mapping to the connected WordPress or Webflow account. The action updates CMS status (`CMS draft`, `CMS published`, `CMS scheduled`, or `CMS failed`) and stores the external URL when available.

Editorial status (Draft → In review → Approved → Published in CntX) tracks your internal workflow. CMS publish does not automatically set editorial status to Published in CntX, and moving editorial status forward does not publish to the CMS. Treat the two tracks separately to avoid confusion in reviews and reporting.

When to use

Publish from CntX when:

• Content is structurally complete and you want it in the CMS for final layout, SEO, or stakeholder review.
• You are ready to go live on WordPress or Webflow without re-entering copy.
• The content item has a destination mapped to the correct integration in your strategy.

Use draft publish when a human still reviews in the CMS. Use live publish only when editorial and legal sign-off are done.

Before you start

• WordPress or Webflow connected under Settings → Integrations.
• The content item’s channel has the correct destination (workspace account) in your content strategy.
• Body and title filled in the Content tab; brief fields synced if you rely on angle, key message, or CTA.
• For WordPress: categories available if your workflow requires them.
• For Webflow: target CMS collection selected in integration settings; multilanguage enabled only if workspace language is set.
• Know your team’s rule for Approved editorial status—CntX shows a warning if you publish before approval but allows override.

Steps

1. Open the content item from Calendar, Content library, or Actions.
2. Check the status header at the top:

– Editorial status — your internal pipeline stage. – CMS status — sync state with WordPress or Webflow.

1. Complete edits on Brief and Content tabs; save changes.
2. Click the publish control in the header (wording varies by CMS):

– Publish draft — creates or updates a draft in the CMS. – Publish now / Publish live — publishes immediately on the connected site.

1. If CntX shows a publish warning because editorial status is not Approved, confirm you still want to proceed or move status to Approved first.
2. Wait for the success toast. CMS status updates; an external link appears when the CMS returns a URL.
3. Open the CMS (WordPress admin or Webflow Designer) to verify formatting, featured image, and SEO fields.
4. Optional: set editorial status to Published in CntX when your internal workflow is complete—this is separate from CMS live state.

Expected result

• CMS draft: post or collection item exists in the CMS as draft; CMS status shows CMS draft; team can review before going live.
• CMS live: public URL available; CMS status shows CMS published; `lastPublishedAt` and external link stored on the item.
• Editorial status unchanged by the publish action unless you update it manually.
• Failed handoffs show CMS failed with an error message—content in CntX is preserved; fix credentials or mapping and retry.

Tips

• Default to draft publish for new integrations or new destination mappings.
• Reconcile the published URL on the content item when needed so GSC and GA4 Performance data attach to the right page.
• Scheduled publish (CMS scheduled) depends on CMS support and configuration—confirm behavior on your WordPress or Webflow setup before relying on it.
• Yoast or Webflow SEO fields may need a manual pass if REST or collection field mapping is incomplete.
• If publish succeeds but the wrong site receives the post, check workspace, integration URL, and strategy destination—environment mix-ups are the most common cause.
• Publishing does not regenerate content; run Optimize or edit in CntX before publish if quality gates require it.

Next step

After your first successful draft publish, connect Google Search Console so live URLs feed the Performance tab and Learning Loop. Keep editorial and CMS statuses aligned with your team’s definition of “done.”