Blog

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In this section

• Create a new blog post
• Publish your blog post
• Saving a draft
• Turn off your blog
• Syndicate blog content from your brokerage

Using your Zap blog, you can publish articles for your consumers. Show off what you know about real estate! This article will cover how to publish and manage your blog posts. 

 

Create a new blog post

1. Click your name or photo in the top right, and click on the “Blog” option from the list. You’ll land on a page where you’ll manage your blog posts, including published posts and drafts. To get started writing a new post, click the blue “Write New Post” button.

2. On this page, you can create a blog post, give it a great title, and choose an eye-catching cover photo to pair with it. You may want to start by writing your post – to do so, click into the field where you see “Start writing your post here!”.
3. Above the box you’re typing in, you should see a row of icons and formatting options. You can use these to change the look and format of your text, and to add in links and images.
   1. You can create headings and change the size of your text, apply bold, italics, or underlines to your text, and insert quotations.
   2. You can also create numbered lists, bulleted lists, and change the alignment of your text.
   3. To insert a link, highlight the text that you want to display as a hyperlink and click the linked chain icon. A box that says “Enter link” will pop up – paste the link there, then click “Save”.
   4. To insert an image, click the icon next to the linked chain icon. You’ll be prompted to select an image from your device. Once you select an image, it should show up on your screen in the text editor. You can insert a .png file, a .jpg file, or a GIF.
4. Want tips on writing a blog post? The light bulb icon labeled “Writing Tips” on the page has a few general tips that you can keep in mind while writing. You can also check out our Knowledge Base article all about writing effective blog posts as a real estate professional.
5. Give your post a title. At the top of the page, you’ll see a field labeled “Title”. Your title should give readers an idea of what your post is about – and should be interesting enough to get people to click and read!
6. Click “Change cover photo” in the upper right corner of the screen to upload an eye-catching image that relates to your content. 1263 x 383 or around this resolution is ideal for the blog cover photo! Select a photo from your device (you’ll need to have the rights to use this photo), and confirm that you want to upload it.
7. You can preview your post by clicking on the “Preview” button in the top right corner.

Publish your blog post

1. Once you’ve got your post written out, a title, and a cover photo, review it to make sure it’s ready to go. If so, scroll to the very top of the page and click the blue “Publish” button in the upper right.
2. You’ll be prompted to select a category for your blog post: Buyer Advice, Seller Advice, Local News, or Trending News.
3. Next, you can add a location tag. This tag won’t be public, but it’ll be used to organize your content in Zap’s records. Just type in the name of a city or neighborhood. It should autopopulate in the list below the field, and you can click on it to select it.

Saving a draft

Started creating a post, but not quite ready to put the finishing touches on it? You can always save a draft and come back to it later.

To find your drafts, click on the drafts tab in the top left corner of your collection of posts. You can click into any draft and pick up where you left off.

Turn off your blog  

Taking a break from blogging for a while – or just don’t want to display your blog to consumers? 

On the page that displays your collection of posts, you’ll see a gear icon in the top right labeled “Settings”. Click the button, and switch the toggle to off (grey) to turn off your blog. All of your posts will be hidden from public view. You can return to this page at any time to turn your blog back on.

Syndicate blog content from your brokerage 

If you want to share interesting blog content with readers but don’t have the time to write at the moment, you’ve got another option as well: syndicating content from your brokerage.

If you choose to share syndicated content, any blog post written by your brokerage will automatically be published on your website simultaneously. 

However, you won’t be able to publish your own articles while you’re syndicating content. Pick the option that works best for you and your schedule. 

Plus, syndicating doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel free to try your own hand at creating content! If you want to create blog posts in the meantime, you can do so – they’ll just be stored in the “Drafts” section. Once you’re ready to turn off syndication and publish your own writing, you’ll be able to do so. 

To turn off syndication, go to Settings on the blog home page, locate the toggle for syndication settings, and switch it to off. Then you’ll be able to click into any individual post and publish it.