How to Clone Drafts in Create: A Step-by-Step Guide
All About Cloning Drafts in Create
Introduction
Cloning drafts in Create is simple and intuitive. Whether you're working on a series of posts centered around a common theme or need to replicate a recurring piece of content (like weekly promotions), the Draft Cloning feature in Create can save you significant time and effort. You can clone drafts at any stage, whether they're still in progress or already published, making it easier to manage your content calendar and streamline your workflow.
Why Should I Clone Drafts?
Cloning drafts is ideal for situations where you need to duplicate content while saving time and maintaining consistency. Here are a few reasons why you might want to clone drafts in Create:
- Recurring Content: If you regularly post similar content, such as weekly updates or campaigns (e.g. promotions that go live every Friday), cloning drafts allows you to reuse the structure without starting from scratch.
- Efficiency: Cloning drafts saves you time, particularly when you're managing large amounts of content or need to publish on tight schedules.
- Consistency: It helps ensure uniformity across your posts, reducing the chances of forgetting key information or elements from previous drafts.
Where Do I Clone Drafts?
You can clone drafts in two different ways:
- From the Dashboard, Calendar, or Scheduler Page
- Navigate to your draft card
- Click the 3-dot icon on the card to open the Quick Actions menu
- Select "Clone Draft" from the options
- From the Individual Draft View:
- Open the draft you wish to clone
- Click the 3-dot icon in the upper right corner of the page
- Choose "Clone Draft" to open the cloning panel
Step-by-Step: How to Clone a Draft
- Find the draft you want to clone
- Click the 3-dot icon on the draft card to open the Quick Actions menu OR
- Click the 3-dot menu in the upper right corner of the Individual Draft View
- Select "Clone Draft"--this will open up the cloning panel
- In the cloning panel, you can:
- Edit the draft topic/name (optional)
- Choose the brands(s) yo want the draft cloned to
- Select the date(s) for the draft
- Choose any additional options, like keeping media, assignees, or draft information
- Click the "Clone Draft" button to finish the process.
Can I Clone Drafts That Have Already Been Published or Delivered?
Yes, you can clone drafts at any status, whether they are in progress, approved, published, or delivered. This feature is designed to work seamlessly regardless of the current state of your drafts.
What Options Do I Have When Cloning Drafts?
When cloning a draft, you'll be presented with several options that you can customize:
- Edit the Topic/Draft Name: If you don’t edit the draft name, it will automatically be named "Copy of [Original Draft Name]."
- Select Brands to Copy To: By default, the brand that owns the draft will be selected. If you want to clone the draft into additional brands, select them from the brand selector dropdown. You must select at least one brand.
- Date: You can choose the specific date(s) you want the cloned draft to be scheduled for. This will mark the draft as "time-sensitive" and assign a suggested publish date based on your selection.
- Keep Draft Info: If checked, this option will retain all the original information from the intake form of the original draft (e.g., post info, copy direction).
- Keep Media Attachments: Checking this box will carry over any media files attached to the original draft.
- Keep Copy in My Workspace: If checked, all captions and post copy entered in the original draft’s workspace will be retained in the cloned draft.
- Keep Assignees: This will keep any user assignments from the original draft.
- Automatically Mark the Draft as Approved: If checked, the cloned draft will be created in the "Approved" status. This is useful if you’re not making any changes to the original content and just need to schedule it again.
Can I Clone a Draft Multiple Times?
Yes! You can clone a draft multiple times by selecting multiple dates in the calendar section of the cloning panel. This will create a copy of the draft for each selected date.
Can I Clone a Clone of a Draft?
Absolutely! You can clone a draft that has already been cloned, which allows you to create multiple variations and further customize your content. Each clone can have its own unique date, brand, or other customizations.
How Can I Tell if a Draft was Created as a Clone or an Original Draft?
There are a few ways to distinguish whether a draft was created by cloning or entered originally:
- No Name Change: If you haven't renamed the draft, the topic will display as "Copy of [Original Draft Name]." You can also see the history of the cloning activity in the draft's Updates tab.
- Name Change: If you renamed the cloned draft, you can see the history of cloning activity in the Updates tab of the Individual Draft View. The message "Content Draft was cloned" will appear with a hyperlink to the original draft.
Can I Change the Date or Edit Other Details after Cloning a Draft?
Yes, you can edit virtually anything after a draft is cloned. You can update the post topic, change media attachments, modify post copy, adjust the publish date, add or remove assignees, and more.
HELPFUL HINT: If your draft's workspace is locked and you can't edit the post copy/attachments, it's probably because your draft is in a status where the workspace is no longer editable (Approved, Scheduled, Published, Delivered).
Can I Save my Drafts as Templates?
Currently, Create does not offer a feature to save drafts as templates. However, the Draft Cloning feature serves a similar purpose. By cloning a draft, you can easily replicate content without having to rebuild it from scratch each time. This is the best workaround until "Saved Templates" are potentially added in the future.
NOTE: If you make any changes to a cloned draft (such as editing post copy, media, or assignees), these changes will only apply to the cloned version. The original draft you cloned from will remain unaffected. This allows you to modify the cloned draft as needed while keeping the original content intact.
Conclusion
The Draft Cloning feature in Create is an essential tool for efficiently managing content and streamlining workflows, especially for teams handling recurring or time-sensitive posts. Whether you're cloning one draft or multiple, you have the ability to tailor each cloned draft to suit your needs.
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