How to create one-off posts on RecurPost from Pocket using Zapier?

Zapier lets you connect one app to another using ZAPs that helps in automating the workflow to a huge extent.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the process of creating one-off posts through RecurPost from Pocket via using a ZAP. Pocket is an application and web service for managing a reading list of articles and videos from the Internet. This integration will enable you to upload link posts directly to your social accounts.

To get started, you need to log into 3 accounts on your web browser:

1. RecurPost account – If you are not logged in already, click here.
2. Zapier account – If you don’t have an account, create one from here.
3. Pocket account – In case you don’t have a Pocket account, click here to create one.

After logging into all of these accounts in the same browser, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Go to your Zapier account.

You can choose a plan as per your needs, but here we are going to use a free plan.

Step 2: Creating a Zap

• When you go to Zapier’s account, you can see a panel on the left-hand side of the screen. Click on the black button saying “Create Zap”.

• A new window will open. Search for Pocket from the list of apps available and select click on Pocket’s icon.

• In the “Trigger Event” field, select the option of “New item”. You need to select this option here because whenever you add a new item in your pocket account, it will automatically be added to your RecurPost library.

• Click on “Continue.” In the next step, you need to sign in into your Pocket account. Enter your credentials and then press the “Authorize” button. If you are logged in already in another tab, it will directly show you the authorization screen. Click on the “Authorize” button and your account will be connected to Zapier. Then click on continue.

• In the next screen, select “Test Trigger” to confirm that the right account is connected and your trigger is set up correctly.

• If there are any links recently added or found, it will show up here. Click on continue. 

Note: If there is no post found or you get an error, do not worry. Click on “Skip Test” and again “Skip Test” on the prompt and then click continue. 

• The trigger setup is done. In the next step (Action step), search for “RecurPost” and select it.

• In “Action event”, select “Post a one-off update” and click on continue.

• Now select your RecurPost account. If you are signed in, it will show in the drop-down menu. If not, click on “Sign in to RecurPost.” In the pop-up window, you’ll be required to enter your “RecurPost API key for Zapier” and “email-address associated with RecurPost.” You can get your Recurpost API key by visiting the account settings section.

• After selecting the account, click on continue.

• Next, you have to customize your one-off post. Under the Set up action select the social platform on which you want to post the content added on Pocket.

• After that, fill the fields of “Message”, “Attach an image”, and “Link” by selecting “Excerpt”, “Top image URL”, and “Resolved URL” respectively. Note that if you attach a video URL your post will be treated as a video post, regardless of the link or image attached. You can also schedule the post by selecting a date and time. Otherwise, it will share the post on your selected social account as soon as you add a link in your Pocket account. Example for adding the date and time – 2020/07/28 03:00 PM

• Click on continue after filling in the necessary fields.

• Click on “Test and Continue” to upload the selected post immediately on your social account. Alternatively, you can either click on “Skip Test” to avoid posting the sample post to your social account or simply click on “Test and review”. 

• Your ZAP is ready now! Turn it on by clicking on the “Turn on Zap” button. Finally, set the name of your ZAP. 

• You can access your ZAP from the dashboard. To see all the posts automated by Zapier, go to “Zap History” from the left-hand side panel.

Step 3: Start adding links

• Go to your pocket account. Add the links of your favorite articles and see them uploaded directly on your social accounts as a one-off post. 
• If you want to upload the same link content to multiple social platforms, you need to make a zap for each of the social sites.

Note:

• Zapier will check for new data from your trigger every 1 to 15 minutes in order to start your Zap, depending on your pricing plan. So if you’re on their free plan, it will take up to 15 minutes to share the post.

• Make sure to set the time zone in your Zapier account. From your dashboard, click on the profile icon on the top-right corner. From the drop-down menu, select “Settings.” In “My Profile” section, there will be the option to select your time zone. Also, cross check it with the time zone set in your RecurPost account. It should be the same at both places. 

To know how to connect your RecurPost account to Zapier, click here.