Is it A Hidden Gem Of A WordPress Plugin?

Hey everyone! Welcome to another blog post from your’s truly. I’m Ben 👋, and today I want to talk about a nifty WordPress plugin called Public Post Preview. This free plugin has over 100,000 installations from WordPress.org, but not many people seem to know about it. I use it every day, and I’d love to show you why you should add it to your WordPress toolkit.

What is Public Post Preview?

Public Post Preview is a simple yet powerful plugin that allows you to share a preview of your WordPress posts with anyone, even if they don’t have access to your WordPress backend. It’s perfect for situations where you need feedback or approval on content before making it live.

Key Features

• Free to use
• Over 100,000 active installations
• Allows you to share drafts without giving backend access
• Easy to set up and use

How to Install Public Post Preview

Installing Public Post Preview is super straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard: Navigate to “Plugins” and click “Add New.”
2. Search for Public Post Preview: Type in “Public Post Preview” and hit return.
3. Install and activate: Find the plugin in the search results, click “Install Now,” and then “Activate.”

That’s it! The plugin is now installed and ready to go.

Using Public Post Preview

Once the plugin is activated, you might wonder where the settings are. Don’t worry; it’s designed to be as simple as possible. Here’s how to use it:

1. Create a new post or edit an existing draft.
2. Enable Public Preview: In the post editor, switch the post status to “Draft.” You’ll see a new box appear titled “Enable public preview.”
3. Share the Link: Click on “Enable public preview” and copy the generated link. You can now share this link with anyone you want to preview the post.

Real-World Applications

Public Post Preview can be incredibly useful in various scenarios:

• Client approvals: Share drafts with clients for their approval without giving them backend access.
• Team collaboration: Easily get feedback from team members on your content.
• Portfolio pieces: Showcase your work without making it publicly available yet.

Example: Previewing a Product Listing

Let’s say you’re a retailer working with a manufacturer who wants to approve product descriptions. Instead of giving them backend access, you can use Public Post Preview to share a draft of the product listing.

1. Draft the product: Create your product in WooCommerce and save it as a draft.
2. Enable Preview: Enable public preview and copy the link.
3. Share the Link: Send the link to your manufacturer for approval.

The manufacturer can click the link to see exactly how the product will look once published.

Extending the Preview Duration

By default, the preview link is active for 48 hours. If you need more time, you can extend this period by adding a small code snippet to your site. Here’s how:

1. Install a code snippets plugin: Such as “Code Snippets” from the WordPress repository.
2. Add a new snippet: Go to “Snippets” and click “Add New.”
3. Paste the snippet: Enter the following code to extend the preview time.

add_filter( 'ppp_nonce_life', function() {
    return 60 * 60 * 24 * 7; // 7 days
});

This code changes the preview duration to 7 days. You can adjust the number of days by modifying the value in the return statement.

Is it a hidden gem?

Public Post Preview is an underrated gem in the WordPress plugin ecosystem. Whether you’re a web designer, a developer, or running a web agency, this plugin can streamline your workflow, making it easier to get feedback and approvals. Give it a try and see how it can benefit your projects.

Best of all it’s free, and you can’t beat free!

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👉 Tim Nash – https://timnash.co.uk/
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Take care, and see you in the next post!