Platform 2 Guide — This article applies to the new platform. Looking for classic platform docs? Browse the Platform 1 collection.
Why: Understanding how publishing and visibility work is essential to controlling the member experience and avoiding the common issue of content being invisible when you expect it to be shown.
Navigate: App Station > Content Library > Recipes
Quick Start
Set a publish date for your content to make it visible in the library.
Choose a visibility mode: PUBLIC, MEMBERS, or ASSIGNED.
Assign the appropriate access levels to your content.
Use the Weekly Schedules feature to control when content appears for members.
Mark content as featured to highlight it in grids.
The Three Controls
Every content item has three visibility controls that determine when and who can see it:
Publish Date: This controls when the content appears in the library. Content without a publish date is a draft and invisible to members. Content with a future publish date is scheduled and will not be visible until that date arrives.
Content Visibility Mode: This determines who can see the content:
PUBLIC: Anyone, including guests, can see it.
MEMBERS: Only logged-in members with the required access levels can view it.
ASSIGNED: Only members with a direct content grant can access it.
Access Levels: These are the subscription tiers required for members to view the content. Content must meet all three controls to be visible to a member.
Publish Dates
Content without a publish date is considered a draft and is invisible to members.
Future Publish Date: Content is scheduled and will not be visible until the date arrives.
Past Publish Date: Content is published and visible to members, subject to access controls.
For blog posts, there is an additional status field (Draft/Published/Scheduled) that also affects visibility.
Visibility Modes
PUBLIC: This mode allows anyone, including guests, to view the content. It's great for marketing and SEO.
MEMBERS: Only logged-in members with the right access levels can see this content.
ASSIGNED: This mode restricts visibility to only those members who have been granted direct access to the content.
The Dual Publishing Model
Understanding the dual publishing model is critical for users of the Weekly Schedules feature.
Schedule Visibility: Content in a schedule appears in the "This Week" block regardless of the publish date. This means that content can be visible in the schedule even if it hasn't been published to the library.
Library Visibility: Content must have a past publish date to be visible in the library.
Here’s a clear table of combinations:
Publish Date | In Schedule | Visible in Schedule | Visible in Library |
Not set | Yes | Yes | No (Draft) |
Not set | No | No | No (Draft) |
Past date | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Past date | No | No | Yes |
Future date | Yes | Yes | No (until date) |
Future date | No | No | No (until date) |
Practical Scenarios
Here are some common scenarios to illustrate how to use these controls effectively:
I want a recipe to appear in this week's plan but not in the library yet: Leave the publish date unset and add it to the schedule.
I want a recipe in both the schedule and the library: Set a publish date and add it to the schedule.
I want to schedule a blog post for next Tuesday: Set the status to Scheduled and set the scheduled date.
I want public teaser content to convert free visitors: Set visibility to PUBLIC and set a publish date.
Locked Content and Teasers
When members lack the required access level, they may see locked content as a teaser, showing the title and image but blocking access. This behavior is configured per access level.
You can also control how locked pages show to guests and search engines through the settings.
Featured Content
Marking content as featured pushes it to the top of content grids that have "featured first" enabled. Use this feature to highlight your best content or seasonal picks.