workflow · how to

Pick pillars and topics during setup

Follow the pick pillars and topics during setup workflow in Slack.

Goal

Pick content pillars and topics during setup so planning, generation, and review share the same vocabulary for the active brand.

When to use this

Use this workflow when:

  • The activation checklist shows Pick content pillars as incomplete.
  • You finished brand kit review and need to confirm themes before creating drafts.
  • You want a starting taxonomy without building every pillar and topic from scratch in Settings.

Pillars group your content strategy. Topics sit under pillars and appear in create and plan selectors after you save them.

Before you begin

A brand must exist and you must be working on the active brand. Confirm the correct brand is selected in the switcher before you open the pillars modal.

Free plans include up to three pillars; higher plans allow more. See Plans for limits. If you are near the limit, pick fewer suggested pillars or add custom names carefully so submit does not hit a cap.

Steps

Open the pillars step

  1. From App Home setup, choose Resume Setup when the next job is Content Pillars, or tap the checklist row for Pick content pillars.
  2. You can also open Content pillars from the onboarding flow after brand kit review.

The Content pillars modal lists suggested themes and an optional custom pillar field. Suggested themes come from brand kit review when scanning ran; you can accept, adjust, or ignore them.

Select and add pillars

  1. Select any pillars that fit the brand from the multi-select list.
  2. Optionally enter custom pillars one per line or comma-separated in Add a custom pillar.
  3. Submit to save pillars for the brand.

Onboarding merges selected and custom pillars and skips duplicate names. You do not need to pick every suggestion. Start with the themes that match how you already talk about the brand.

Add or edit topics later

You can expand taxonomy after onboarding without changing published posts.

From Settings, open Pillars or Manage topics:

  • Add pillar creates a new pillar row.
  • Add topic attaches a topic under a pillar.
  • Overflow actions on Manage topics support edit and archive.

Add pillar in Settings prevents duplicate pillar names and shows a limit or upgrade message when the brand is at its pillar limit. Onboarding submit uses the same merge and de-duplication rules as settings flows.

Confirm it worked

After pillars save during setup:

  • The activation checklist marks Pick content pillars complete.
  • Plan and create flows show your pillars in selectors.
  • Resume Setup advances to the next job, such as Set posting rhythm or Create your first draft.

Open a create or plan surface and confirm your pillar names appear in the list. Add topics later from Manage topics if you only saved pillars during onboarding.

Troubleshooting

Submit fails validation

Fix the highlighted fields on the modal and resubmit. Empty custom lines and duplicate names are the most common issues. Remove extra commas or blank lines in Add a custom pillar.

You skipped pillars during setup

Open Pillars or Content pillars from Settings or Resume Setup when that row is still incomplete. Saving from settings counts toward the checklist when required pillars exist.

Duplicate pillar name error

Onboarding and Add pillar both reject duplicates. Pick a different name or remove the duplicate from your custom list before submit.

Limit or upgrade message when adding pillars

The brand reached its pillar limit for the plan. See Plans for limits, or archive unused pillars from Manage topics before you add new ones.

Pillars saved but topics are missing

Topics are optional during onboarding. Open Manage topics from Settings, choose a pillar, and use Add topic to build out detail when you are ready.

Selectors still show old pillar names

Switch away from App Home and back, or open create from /social-create after you save. Selectors read the active brand taxonomy after the home tab refreshes.