Post Pilot Plugin Documentation

Post Pilot is a WordPress content review and maintenance plugin designed to help website owners, editors, content managers, and marketing teams keep published content accurate and up to date.

As a website grows, older posts and pages can become difficult to manage. Information may become outdated, links may need checking, offers may expire, and important content can be forgotten. Post Pilot solves this problem by monitoring the age and review history of your content, assigning a clear freshness status, and providing a structured review workflow inside the WordPress dashboard.

The plugin works from your own WordPress website. It does not require an external account or API key for its core content-review features.

Main Features

Post Pilot includes the following content-management tools:

Automatic content-age tracking for selected public post types
Clear Fresh, Review Soon, Needs Review, Outdated, and Snoozed statuses
Custom freshness thresholds
Weighted site-wide Freshness Score
Manual and scheduled content scanning
Dedicated Review Queue
Mark as Reviewed and snooze actions
Bulk content actions
Filters for post type, category, status, marketing goal, and funnel stage
Content search
Marketing Content Brief fields
Target keyword and funnel-stage visibility on the dashboard
Review dates and review-cycle management
Monthly review activity summary
Optional weekly email digest
Optional outdated-content alerts
Category rename and safe-delete tools
CSV export
Compact WordPress dashboard widget
Adjustable table density, sorting, and pagination
Activity logging for important review actions

How Post Pilot Works

Post Pilot uses the age of your published content, its last modified date, its review history, and your configured review rules to determine when attention is needed.

A typical workflow looks like this:

You choose which WordPress post types Post Pilot should track.
You define how long content should remain Fresh and when it should move into later review stages.
Post Pilot scans the selected published content.
Every tracked item receives a freshness status.
Editors filter or search the dashboard to find content needing attention.
Important items are added to the Review Queue.
An editor opens the content, checks and updates it, and then marks it as reviewed.
Post Pilot records the review and schedules the next review cycle.

Post Pilot helps manage the review process; it does not automatically rewrite or publish your content.

Installation

Install from the WordPress Plugin Directory

Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
Search for Post Pilot.
Click Install Now.
After installation, click Activate.

Install Using a ZIP File

Download the Post Pilot ZIP file.
Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
Click Upload Plugin.
Select the ZIP file from your computer.
Click Install Now.
When installation is complete, click Activate Plugin.

After activation, a Post Pilot menu will appear in the WordPress admin area.

First-Time Setup

After activating Post Pilot, complete the following setup:

Go to Post Pilot → Settings.
Open the General tab.
Select the post types you want to track, such as Posts, Pages, or supported custom post types.
Set the Fresh, Review Soon, and Outdated day limits.
Open Automation and choose a scan frequency and preferred scan time.
Enable automatic queueing if you want outdated content added to the Review Queue automatically.
Configure optional notifications, marketing tools, and display preferences.
Click Save Settings.
Return to Post Pilot → Dashboard and click Scan Content Now.

Your content overview will then be calculated using the saved rules.

Dashboard Overview

The Post Pilot dashboard gives you a complete view of your current content health.

Summary Cards

At the top of the dashboard, the summary cards display:

Fresh — content that is currently within the Fresh period
Review Soon — content approaching the point where a review is recommended
Outdated — content that has passed the configured outdated threshold
Freshness Score — the overall weighted health score for all tracked content

Header Actions

The dashboard header provides shortcuts to:

Export content data as a CSV file
Open the documentation
Open plugin settings
Open the Review Queue and view its current item count

Content Overview

The Content Overview section contains the main content table, filters, search, pagination, bulk actions, and the Scan Content Now button.

Content by Status

This section displays the number and percentage of tracked items in each major status group. It helps you quickly understand the overall balance of fresh and aging content.

Quick Actions

Quick Actions provide convenient access to commonly used tools, including:

Scan Content
Manage Categories
Open Settings

Review Activity

The activity panel summarizes review-related actions completed during the current month and shows the time of the most recent scan.

Understanding Content Statuses

Post Pilot uses the following statuses:

Fresh

The content was published, updated, or reviewed recently and is still within the configured Fresh period. No immediate review is required.

Review Soon

The content is older than the Fresh threshold but has not yet reached the later review threshold. This status is an early reminder to plan a review.

Needs Review

The content has moved beyond the Review Soon period and should be checked for accuracy, relevance, links, formatting, offers, calls to action, and other time-sensitive information.

Outdated

The content has passed the configured Outdated threshold. It should receive higher review priority because its information may no longer be reliable or effective.

Snoozed

The content review has been temporarily postponed. Snoozing keeps the item in the review workflow while hiding the immediate need to act until the snooze period ends.

Important Note About Thresholds

The threshold values must increase in the correct order:

Fresh Until < Review Soon Until < Outdated After

For example:

Fresh Until: 30 days
Review Soon Until: 90 days
Outdated After: 180 days

Your exact status timing depends on the values saved in Post Pilot → Settings → General.

Freshness Score

The Freshness Score is a percentage that represents the overall health of all tracked content.

Each status contributes a configurable value:

Fresh always contributes 100%
Outdated always contributes 0%
Review Soon uses your configured Review Soon weight
Needs Review uses your configured Needs Review weight
Snoozed uses your configured Snoozed weight

Post Pilot adds the status values for all tracked content and divides the total by the number of tracked items.

For example, if you use the following weights:

Fresh: 100%
Review Soon: 70%
Needs Review: 35%
Snoozed: 50%
Outdated: 0%

Then a website containing mostly Fresh content will receive a high score, while a website containing many Needs Review or Outdated items will receive a lower score.

The score is a management indicator, not an SEO ranking score. It helps your team measure content-maintenance progress over time.

Managing the Content Table

The content table provides detailed information about every tracked item.

Depending on your settings, it can display:

Content title
WordPress post type
Assigned categories
Marketing Brief information
Last updated date
Content age in days
Current freshness status
Last reviewed date
Available actions

Clicking a content title opens the WordPress editor for that item.

Filters

You can filter content by:

Post type
Category
Freshness status
Marketing goal, when Content Brief is enabled
Funnel stage, when Content Brief is enabled

You can also enter a keyword in the search field to find content by title or related WordPress search data.

Sorting

In Settings → Display, you can choose the default order:

Oldest content first — useful when your main goal is to address the oldest content
Newest content first — useful when you want recent content displayed first

Pagination

The number of rows shown on each page can be set to 5, 10, 20, or 50.

Table Density

Choose between:

Comfortable — more spacing for easier reading
Compact — reduced spacing to show more content on screen

Content Actions

Mark as Reviewed

Use Mark as Reviewed after you have checked the content and completed any necessary updates.

This action:

Saves the current review time
Removes an active snooze
Schedules the next review where applicable
Completes the active Review Queue item
Records the action in the activity history
Returns the item to Fresh status according to the review rules

A content item already marked Fresh cannot normally be marked as reviewed again from the main dashboard until the Fresh period ends. However, an item being completed from the Review Queue can still follow the queue review workflow.

Add to Review Queue

Use this action when an item requires attention but cannot be reviewed immediately. The item will appear on the Review Queue page.

If an item is already in the queue, Post Pilot disables the duplicate queue action.

Snooze for 30 or 90 Days

Use Snooze when a review is valid but should be postponed.

The dashboard bulk-action menu supports:

Snooze 30 Days
Snooze 90 Days

The Review Queue also provides a 30-day snooze shortcut.

View Content

Use the external-view action to open the public version of the content in a new tab.

Bulk Actions

Select multiple table rows and apply one action to all selected items:

Mark as Reviewed
Add to Review Queue
Snooze 30 Days
Snooze 90 Days

Bulk actions are useful when organizing a large content library.

Review Queue

The Review Queue is a dedicated workspace for content that requires attention.

To open it, go to Post Pilot → Review Queue or click the Review Queue button on the dashboard.

The queue displays:

Content title and post type
Priority
Current freshness status
Due date
Available actions

Queue Actions

For each item, you can:

Open the content editor
Mark the item as reviewed
Snooze the review for 30 days

Pending items are prioritized before snoozed items. Within the queue, higher-priority content and earlier due dates are shown first.

When an item is marked as reviewed, it is completed and removed from the active queue.

When no items require attention, Post Pilot displays a clear-queue message.

Content Scanning and Automation

Post Pilot can scan content manually or on a schedule.

Manual Scan

To run a scan immediately:

Go to Post Pilot → Dashboard.
Click Scan Content Now.
Wait for the completion message.
The dashboard will refresh with updated status counts.

A manual scan is useful after:

Installing or configuring Post Pilot
Changing freshness thresholds
Importing a large number of posts
Updating several items
Changing tracked post types

Scheduled Scan

In Settings → Automation, choose:

Daily scanning, or
Weekly scanning

You can also select a preferred scan time. WordPress scheduled tasks depend on WordPress Cron, so the scan normally runs when the site receives traffic at or after the scheduled time.

Auto-Queue Outdated Content

Enable this option to automatically add outdated items to the Review Queue during a scheduled scan.

This is useful for sites with a large content library because editors do not need to add every outdated item manually.

Review Activity

The Review Activity panel summarizes activity for the current month.

It includes:

Reviewed items
Completed scans
Items added to the Review Queue
Snoozed items
Date and time of the most recent scan

The activity summary helps managers understand whether content maintenance is being completed regularly.

Marketing Workflow and Content Brief

Post Pilot can also work as a lightweight content-operations tool for marketing teams.

To enable it:

Go to Post Pilot → Settings → Marketing.
Enable Content Brief.
Configure the default review cycle and Review Soon lead time.
Enable Show Marketing Brief column if you want the target keyword and funnel stage displayed on the dashboard.
Save the settings.

When enabled, Post Pilot supports content-planning fields such as:

Target keyword
Content goal
Funnel stage
Call to action
Content owner
Review date

Available Content Goals

Organic Traffic
Lead Generation
Conversion
Customer Education
Retention

Available Funnel Stages

Awareness
Consideration
Conversion
Retention

Default Review Cycle

This setting determines the standard number of days before content should be reviewed again.

Review Soon Lead Time

This setting defines how many days before a scheduled review date the content should begin showing as Review Soon.

Marketing metadata makes it easier to prioritize content based not only on age, but also on its role in your business and customer journey.

Category Management

Go to Post Pilot → Categories to manage WordPress post categories from the Post Pilot interface.

The category table displays:

Category name
Slug
Number of assigned posts
Available actions

Rename a Category

Click Edit beside the category.
Enter the new name.
Click Save.

You can cancel before saving if you do not want to apply the change.

Delete a Category

Post Pilot allows a category to be deleted only when it is not assigned to any posts.

If the category contains posts, the Delete button is disabled. Move or reassign those posts first, then return to the Categories page to delete the unused category.

This safety rule helps prevent accidental category removal from active content.

CSV Export

Use the Export CSV button in the dashboard header to download content-review data.

A CSV export is useful for:

Offline audits
Sharing review status with team members
Creating reports
Planning editorial work in a spreadsheet
Keeping a temporary content-maintenance record

The exact columns in the exported file depend on the plugin version and enabled features.

Email Notifications

Email notifications are disabled by default.

To enable them:

Go to Post Pilot → Settings → Notifications.
Enable Email Notifications.
Enter a valid notification email address.
Enable the notification types you want.
Click Save Settings.

Weekly Content Digest

The weekly digest provides a summary of the Freshness Score and content status counts.

Outdated Content Alerts

When enabled, Post Pilot sends an alert after a scheduled scan finds outdated content.

Emails are sent by your own WordPress website using its configured mail system. If messages are not delivered, check your WordPress email configuration or use a properly configured SMTP plugin.

No content data is sent to NexGrowix for these notifications.

Post Pilot can display a compact content-health widget on the main WordPress Dashboard.

To enable it:

Go to Post Pilot → Settings → Display.
Enable WordPress Dashboard Widget.
Save the settings.

The widget shows:

Freshness Score
Number of Fresh items
Number of Review Soon items
Number of Outdated items
A shortcut to open Post Pilot

If the widget is not visible, check Screen Options on the WordPress Dashboard and confirm that your user account has permission to edit posts.

Settings Reference

General

Tracked Post Types

Choose the public WordPress post types Post Pilot should monitor. Attachments are not included as trackable content.

Fresh Until

The number of days content remains Fresh.

Review Soon Until

The upper limit of the Review Soon period.

Outdated After

The content age at which an item becomes Outdated.

Scoring

Review Soon Weight

Controls how much Review Soon content contributes to the Freshness Score.

Needs Review Weight

Controls how much Needs Review content contributes to the Freshness Score.

Snoozed Weight

Controls how much Snoozed content contributes to the Freshness Score.

All scoring weights accept values from 0 to 100.

Notifications

Enable Email Notifications

Turns plugin emails on or off.

Weekly Content Digest

Enables the weekly score and status summary.

Outdated Content Alerts

Enables alerts when a scheduled scan detects outdated content.

Notification Email

The email address that receives Post Pilot notifications.

Automation

Scan Frequency

Choose Daily or Weekly scheduled scanning.

Preferred Scan Time

Choose the preferred time for the scheduled scan.

Auto-Queue Outdated Content

Automatically adds outdated items to the Review Queue during a scheduled scan.

Marketing

Enable Content Brief

Adds marketing fields to tracked content.

Default Review Cycle

Sets the standard time between planned reviews.

Review Soon Lead Time

Determines how early content should be flagged before its planned review date.

Show Marketing Brief Column

Displays the target keyword and funnel stage in the content dashboard.

Display

Items Per Page

Choose 5, 10, 20, or 50 content items per page.

Table Density

Choose Comfortable or Compact table spacing.

Default Sort

Choose Oldest Content First or Newest Content First.

WordPress Dashboard Widget

Shows or hides the compact Post Pilot widget on the main WordPress Dashboard.

Advanced

Delete All Data on Uninstall

When disabled, Post Pilot keeps its settings and review data after deactivation or deletion where supported by the plugin's uninstall process.

When enabled, deleting the plugin permanently removes Post Pilot tables, settings, and post metadata.

Use this option only when you are certain that you no longer need the stored review information. Deactivating the plugin does not remove its data.

Recommended Workflow

For a practical content-maintenance routine, use the following workflow.

Weekly Editorial Routine

Open the Post Pilot dashboard.
Check the Freshness Score and status cards.
Review the Review Soon, Needs Review, and Outdated filters.
Add important items to the Review Queue.
Open each queued item and check:
- Accuracy of facts and dates
- Broken or outdated links
- Product or service information
- Prices, offers, and calls to action
- Screenshots and media
- SEO title and description
- Target keyword relevance
- Readability and formatting
Save any content changes.
Return to Post Pilot and mark the item as reviewed.
Check the activity summary to confirm progress.

Monthly Management Routine

Review the site-wide Freshness Score.
Export the CSV report if needed.
Check whether scheduled scans are running.
Review notification delivery.
Update review thresholds if the current workflow is too frequent or too slow.
Check unused categories and remove them where appropriate.

User Permissions

Post Pilot follows WordPress user capabilities.

Users who can edit posts can access content review features available to their role.
Category-management tools require permission to manage categories.
Plugin settings require administrator-level permission to manage options.
Individual content actions also respect whether the current user can edit the selected post.

If a team member cannot see a page or complete an action, check their WordPress role and capabilities.

Data and Privacy

Post Pilot stores its settings, review metadata, queue information, and activity data inside your WordPress website.

Core review functionality does not require an external API key. Notification emails are generated by your own WordPress site, and no content data is sent to NexGrowix for email delivery.

Before uninstalling Post Pilot, review the Delete All Data on Uninstall option. Enabling it can permanently remove plugin data when the plugin is deleted.

As with any WordPress website, maintain regular database backups before making major changes or removing plugins.

Troubleshooting

No Content Appears on the Dashboard

Check the following:

Make sure at least one public post or page has been published.
Go to Settings → General and confirm that the correct post type is selected.
Save settings.
Return to the dashboard and run Scan Content Now.
Clear active filters and search terms.

Status Counts Do Not Look Correct

Review the Fresh, Review Soon, and Outdated day values.
Confirm that the thresholds are in increasing order.
Save settings.
Run a new manual scan.
Refresh the dashboard.

A Category Cannot Be Deleted

Categories assigned to one or more posts cannot be deleted from Post Pilot. Reassign or remove the category from those posts first.

Scheduled Scans Are Late

Post Pilot uses the WordPress scheduling system. WordPress Cron runs when the website receives traffic, so low-traffic sites may execute scheduled tasks later than the preferred time.

Check whether WordPress Cron is disabled by your site configuration or hosting provider. For exact scheduling, configure a real server cron job to call WordPress Cron.

Notification Emails Are Not Arriving

Confirm that Email Notifications are enabled.
Confirm that the notification email address is valid.
Check the recipient's spam folder.
Test whether WordPress can send other emails.
Configure an SMTP plugin if the hosting server's default mail service is unreliable.

The WordPress Dashboard Widget Is Missing

Enable the widget in Settings → Display.
Save settings.
Open the main WordPress Dashboard.
Check Screen Options and enable the Post Pilot widget.
Confirm that the user can edit posts.

A Content Item Cannot Be Marked as Reviewed

An item already in Fresh status may not need another review from the main dashboard. Wait until the Fresh period ends or manage the item through an active Review Queue workflow when appropriate.

The Dashboard Shows Old Data After an Update

Run Scan Content Now, then refresh the page. If a caching or optimization plugin affects the WordPress admin area, clear its cache and exclude Post Pilot admin pages from aggressive caching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Post Pilot automatically edit my content?

No. Post Pilot identifies content that may need attention and organizes the review workflow. Editors decide what to change and update the content manually.

Does the plugin require an API key?

No API key is required for the core content freshness, queue, scanning, export, category, and notification-management features.

Can Post Pilot track Pages and custom post types?

Yes. You can choose from supported public post types in Settings → General.

Does editing a post affect its status?

Post Pilot uses content age, modification information, review metadata, and configured review rules. Updating or marking an item as reviewed can return it to a Fresh state according to those rules.

What is the difference between Review Soon and Needs Review?

Review Soon is an early warning. Needs Review means the content has moved further into the review cycle and should receive more immediate attention.

What happens when I snooze an item?

The review is postponed for the selected period. The item remains part of the workflow and is shown as Snoozed until the postponement ends.

Can I review several items at once?

Yes. Select multiple rows in the content table and use a bulk action.

Can Post Pilot send reports by email?

Yes. Enable Email Notifications and the Weekly Content Digest in the Notifications settings.

Does Post Pilot send my content to an external service?

Core review features work inside your WordPress website. Notification messages are sent by your site's own mail system, and content data is not sent to NexGrowix for that purpose.

Will deactivating the plugin delete my data?

No. Deactivation does not remove Post Pilot data. Permanent removal depends on the Delete All Data on Uninstall setting when the plugin is deleted.

Is the Freshness Score an SEO score?

No. It is an internal content-health indicator based on the statuses and weights configured in Post Pilot.

Support

If you need help with installation, configuration, or plugin behavior, visit:

Documentation: http://nexgrowix.com/documentation
Support: http://nexgrowix.com/contact

When contacting support, include:

Your WordPress version
Your Post Pilot version
A clear description of the issue
Steps to reproduce the problem
A screenshot, if available
Any related error message

Please do not include passwords, private API keys, or other sensitive login information.

About Post Pilot

Post Pilot is built by NexGrowix to help WordPress users maintain healthier, more reliable, and better-organized content.

Think Bigger. Grow Smarter.