How to connect & publish to WordPress

This guide covers connecting an external WordPress site using an Application Password, creating a Post Group, testing prompts, publishing draft posts, and scheduling automated WordPress content.

Contents

Requirements Get an Application Password 1) Connect your WordPress site 2) Create a Post Group 3) Test Prompts 4) Publish a draft post 5) Schedule your group Troubleshooting FAQ

Requirements

  • A WordPress site (self-hosted or WordPress.com Business/Commerce plan) with the REST API enabled (enabled by default in WordPress 5.0+).
  • A WordPress user account with at least Editor or Author role (to create and publish posts).
  • Application Passwords must be available — this requires WordPress 5.6+ or the Application Passwords plugin.
  • Your site must be accessible over HTTPS (Application Passwords require a secure connection).
  • The REST API must not be blocked by a security plugin (e.g., Wordfence, iThemes Security). Whitelist the FeedMyPost server IP if needed.
Note: You do not need to install any plugin on your WordPress site. FeedMyPost communicates directly with the WordPress REST API using your Application Password credentials.

How to create an Application Password

Application Passwords are a secure way to grant API access without exposing your main WordPress login password.

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard (yoursite.com/wp-admin).
  2. Go to Users → Your Profile (or Users → All Users → click on the user you want to use).
  3. Scroll down to the Application Passwords section.
  4. Enter a name for the password (e.g., FeedMyPost) and click Add New Application Password.
  5. Copy the generated password immediately — it will only be shown once.
📍 Path: WP Admin → Users → Your Profile → Application Passwords → Add New
Security tip: Create a dedicated WordPress user (e.g., feedmypost-publisher) with the minimum required role (Author or Editor) and generate the Application Password for that user. This limits access if the credentials are ever compromised.

1) Connect your WordPress site

  1. Open the connection page.
  2. Click Connect WordPress — a modal form will appear (no OAuth redirect, credentials are entered directly).
  3. Enter your Site URL (e.g., https://yoursite.com).
  4. Enter your WordPress Username (the login username, not the display name).
  5. Paste the Application Password you generated above (with or without spaces — both are accepted).
  6. Click Test connection to verify the credentials are working.
  7. Click Save to store the connection.
Note: Unlike Instagram or YouTube, WordPress uses a credential modal — not an OAuth redirect. Your credentials are validated against your site's REST API and stored securely.

2) Create a Post Group

A Post Group defines your prompts and publishing schedule. For WordPress, each run generates an AI-written blog post (title + body) and creates it as a draft or published post on your site.

  1. Go to Post Groups and click Create Post Group.
  2. Select WordPress as the platform and choose your connected site.
  3. Enter a Name (e.g., "Weekly Blog Articles").
  4. Provide your Content Prompt — this generates the blog post body.
    • Be specific about length, tone, structure, and topic: "Write a 500-word blog post about [topic] in a friendly, helpful tone with subheadings".
    • The first line or sentence of the generated content is used as the post title.
    • Use [[FEED_URL]] to reference a CSV/RSS data source for dynamic topics.
    • Optionally add an Image Prompt to generate a featured image for each post.
  5. Set Run every (minutes) and an optional Start time.
  6. Select whether posts should be created as Draft or Published directly.
  7. Click Create Post Group.
Tip: Starting with Draft mode lets you review each AI-generated post before it goes live. Once you're confident in the output quality, switch to Published for fully automated publishing.

3) Test Prompts (preview)

Before scheduling, generate a one‑off preview to validate your content prompt.

  1. In the Create or Edit Post Group form, click Test prompts.
  2. Review the generated post title and body content.
  3. Check the length, tone, structure, and quality of the output.
  4. Refine your prompt and test again until satisfied.
Tip: If you want structured blog posts (intro, body sections, conclusion), include that structure in your prompt: "Write a blog post with an introduction, 3 subheadings, and a conclusion."

4) Publish a draft post

When you're happy with the preview, create the post on your WordPress site immediately — no need to wait for the schedule.

  1. After generating a preview, click Post Preview to Channel.
  2. FeedMyPost will create the post on your WordPress site via the REST API.
  3. A confirmation will appear with a link to the draft or published post in your WordPress admin.
  4. Open your WordPress admin to review, edit, or publish the post.
Requirement: Your WordPress site must be reachable, and the credentials must still be valid. Posts are created via POST /wp-json/wp/v2/posts using the WordPress REST API.

5) Schedule your group

  1. Ensure the Post Group Status is set to active.
  2. Set an appropriate interval — for blog content, daily (1440 minutes) to weekly (10080 minutes) works well for most sites.
  3. Optionally set a Start time to publish during your audience's most active browsing hours.
SEO tip: Regular, high-quality content updates signal freshness to search engines. A consistent publishing cadence (e.g., 3 posts per week) is generally more effective than sporadic bursts.

Troubleshooting

  • Test connection fails with "Connection refused": Ensure your site is on HTTPS and the URL is entered correctly (no trailing slash issues). Check that your server is reachable from external IPs.
  • 401 Unauthorized: The username or Application Password is incorrect. Double-check both — the username is your WordPress login (not email), and the Application Password should be pasted exactly as generated.
  • 403 Forbidden: The user account does not have sufficient permissions. Ensure the user has at least the Author role. If the REST API is restricted by a plugin (e.g., Wordfence), whitelist the FeedMyPost server IP.
  • REST API disabled: Some security plugins disable the REST API. Check your security plugin settings and allow the /wp-json/ endpoint for authenticated requests.
  • Application Passwords not available: Ensure your WordPress version is 5.6+ or that the Application Passwords plugin is installed and active. Hosting on WordPress.com requires a Business plan or higher.
  • Featured image not appearing: Image attachment to posts requires additional REST API calls. Check that your image prompt is set and that media uploads are not restricted on your site.
  • Schedule not running: Confirm the Post Group is active, the interval is set, and your backend Lambdas are running without errors.

FAQ

Do I need to install a plugin on my WordPress site?
No plugin is required. FeedMyPost uses the built-in WordPress REST API with Application Password authentication — no additional plugin needed on the target site.
Can I post to multiple WordPress sites?
Yes — connect each site separately using its own Application Password credentials. Create a dedicated Post Group per site.
Will posts be published immediately or as drafts?
You choose — the Post Group can be configured to publish posts as Draft (for manual review) or Published (live immediately). Draft mode is recommended when first setting up a new group.
Can I set categories, tags, or custom fields?
Basic category and tag assignment may be supported depending on your FeedMyPost plan. Custom fields (ACF etc.) are not currently supported via the automated flow.
Is my Application Password stored securely?
Yes — credentials are encrypted at rest. We recommend using a dedicated low-privilege WordPress user for FeedMyPost rather than an admin account, as a best practice.
How do credits work?
Credits are consumed for AI text and image generation. The WordPress REST API post creation itself does not consume FeedMyPost credits.