# Write and publish a content item

> Write a blog post or another content item in the Content tab or in chat, check it, publish it, and fix it if publishing reports a problem.

Last updated: October 16, 2026

Source: https://www.willo.ai/docs/content/write-and-publish-a-content-item

This guide takes one blog post from nothing to live. The same steps work for any collection: a testimonial, an FAQ, a case study.

You need to be an editor, admin or owner of the business.

## 1. Start the item

Pick one way in.

**In the Content tab.** In your business, open **Content** in the left rail, choose the collection (for example Blog) and create a new item. Give it a title. For a collection whose items have their own page, the dialog shows the address the item will have. That address is fixed once the item exists, even if you rename it later.

**In chat.** Ask Willo, giving it what it needs to sound like you:

"Write a blog post announcing our autumn opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 8 to 6, closed Sundays from November. About 300 words, friendly, in the style of our other posts."

Willo writes it as a **draft** in the Content tab and tells you it is there. Nothing reaches your site yet.

## 2. Edit it

Open the item in the Content tab. The editor shows the collection's fields: for a blog post, the title, body, description, author and tags. Type freely; it saves on its own a moment after you stop.

You can also keep editing in chat: "make the second paragraph shorter", "add a line about parking". Willo changes the draft, and the editor shows the result.

Use the description field. It becomes the summary that search engines and link previews show.

## 3. Add an image (optional)

Upload the image in the **Assets** tab first, or attach it in chat and ask Willo to add it to the post. See [Upload and use an image](https://www.willo.ai/docs/assets/upload-and-use-an-image).

## 4. Publish

Click **Publish** and confirm. The item shows "Publishing…" while the site rebuilds, then **Published**. Open the post's address on your live site to check it.

If your business is drafting, the confirm dialog may offer to stage the item instead. A staged item goes live with the next site Publish. Choose **Publish site now** to send it, and everything else waiting on the draft, live at once.

To publish from chat, say "publish it". Willo asks you to confirm before it does.

## 5. If publishing is refused

Publishing checks every field first, so one bad value can't break your whole site. When something is wrong you see "Fix these fields before publishing." and each problem appears on its field, for example "This field is required." Fill in or correct those fields, or ask Willo to, then publish again. Your draft is safe meanwhile.

## Later changes

To change a live post, edit it the same way. The live version stays as it was, and the item shows **Published + edits**, until you click **Publish changes**. Make as many edits as you like first: they all go out together.

To publish at a set time instead of now, see [Schedule a post](https://www.willo.ai/docs/content/schedule-a-post).

Related: [Drafts, publishing and scheduling](https://www.willo.ai/docs/content/drafts-and-publishing), [Content troubleshooting](https://www.willo.ai/docs/troubleshooting/content).