Normally all posts are publicly discoverable, searchable and viewable, but restricted to a specific audience depending on the channel it has been published in. Examples:
- a post published in a PUBlic channel is viewable to anyone, whether logged in or not. It is also indexed by search engines.
- a post published in a PRIvate channel is public within that channel, and accessible to only those who have access to that channel. It is not indexed by search engines.
Ghost posts 👻 on the other hand:
- Are completely invisible posts, not discoverable in feed or search. It does not matter whether they are in a PUBlic, PRIvate or any other kind of MainCross channels.
- Can only be viewed using the URL.
- Can be viewed by anyone who has access to the link, whether signed in or not.
Ghost posts are very useful when on wants to publish something that is not visible publicly, but shared separately with a smaller audience via the link. Examples:
- Exclusive content: one can create exclusive content for select viewers. By limiting the visibility or accessibility of a post, only certain individuals or groups with specific access can view it. This could be used for private announcements, exclusive offers, or sensitive information.
- Testing and previewing: it can be used by content creators or social media managers to test and preview how a post will look and perform before actually publishing it. This allows them to make any necessary adjustments to the content, formatting, or timing of the post without the audience seeing it.
- A/B testing: Marketers and social media strategists may employ ghost posts for A/B testing different versions of a post to gauge engagement or user preferences. By publishing variations to a limited audience, they can gather insights without influencing the overall metrics of the final, publicly visible post.
Most post types, when being publishing, can be optionally set this option. Once a Ghost Post has been published, it can't be changed to a normal post, and vice versa. In other words, this option is selectable only at publishing.
