> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.hoopai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Content categories and queues

> Organize social posts into themed content categories and set up automated queues that publish evergreen content on a repeating schedule — no manual re-scheduling required.

Content categories let you group your social posts by theme — for example, Educational, Promotional, Client Stories, or Tips and Tricks. Once posts are assigned to a category, you can set up a queue for that category that automatically publishes the next post in the group on a repeating schedule. This keeps your social profiles active even when you are not actively managing them.

Navigate to **Marketing > Social Planner** to manage categories and queues.

***

## What are content categories?

A content category is a label that groups posts together by topic or purpose. Categories serve two functions:

1. **Organization** — filter and find posts by theme across your Social Planner calendar and list view
2. **Automation** — power category queues that publish content on a set schedule

Categories are created once and reused across as many posts as you like. When you add a new post to a category, it joins the queue automatically.

***

## Creating a content category

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open category settings">
    In the Social Planner, click the **Settings** icon (gear) or navigate to **New Post > Category Queue** and select **Manage Categories**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a new category">
    Click **+ Add Category** and give the category a name that reflects its content theme (for example, "Weekly Tips" or "Product Spotlight").
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a color (optional)">
    Choose a color for the category. Color-coded categories make it easy to identify content types at a glance in the calendar view.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the category">
    Click **Save**. The category is now available when creating or editing individual posts.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Assigning posts to a category

When creating or editing any post in the Social Planner composer, open the **Category** dropdown and select the appropriate category. A post can belong to one category.

You can also assign categories in bulk via the Advanced CSV import by populating the `category` column in your upload file.

***

## Setting up a category queue

A category queue defines a repeating posting schedule for a specific category. The queue automatically selects the next post in the category and publishes it at the configured time.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a new queue">
    In the Social Planner, click **New Post > Category Queue**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a category">
    Choose the content category this queue will draw from. The queue will cycle through all posts assigned to this category.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the target social accounts">
    Choose which social accounts the queue will publish to. A single queue can post to multiple platforms simultaneously.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the posting schedule">
    Choose the days of the week and the time of day for the queue to publish. For example, you might set a queue to run every Monday and Thursday at 9:00 AM.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure the recurrence behavior">
    Decide what happens when the queue reaches the last post in the category:

    * **Loop** — restart from the first post and repeat the cycle indefinitely
    * **Stop** — pause the queue after all posts have been published once
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate the queue">
    Click **Save and Activate**. The queue is now live and will begin publishing posts at the next scheduled slot.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## How the queue works

When a queue fires at the scheduled time, it selects the oldest unpublished post in the category and publishes it to the connected accounts. Posts move through the queue in the order they were added (first in, first out) by default.

If the queue is set to loop, once all posts in the category have been published, it returns to the first post and begins cycling through again. This makes categories ideal for evergreen content that remains relevant over time — tips, FAQs, testimonials, and educational posts that can be reshared without becoming outdated.

<Tip>
  Build evergreen category queues with at least 10–20 posts so the cycle does not repeat too quickly. Followers who see repeated content too soon are more likely to unfollow or mute your profile.
</Tip>

***

## Managing existing queues

From the Social Planner category queue view you can:

* **Pause a queue** — temporarily stop publishing without deleting the queue or its posts
* **Resume a queue** — restart a paused queue from where it left off
* **Edit the schedule** — change the posting days, time, or recurrence behavior
* **Delete a queue** — remove the queue entirely (posts remain in the category and can be reassigned to a new queue)

***

## Viewing queued posts on the calendar

Category queue posts appear on the Social Planner calendar like any other scheduled post. They are marked with a category badge so you can distinguish queue-generated posts from manually scheduled content. You can click any queue post to view, edit, or remove it from the queue.

***

## Category queues vs. recurring posts

Both category queues and recurring posts automate your publishing schedule, but they work differently:

| Feature        | Category queue                  | Recurring post               |
| -------------- | ------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Content source | A pool of many posts            | A single post repeated       |
| Variety        | Different content each cycle    | Identical content each cycle |
| Best for       | Evergreen content libraries     | Consistent announcements     |
| Loop behavior  | Cycles through the full library | Repeats until end date       |

Use category queues when you want variety. Use recurring posts when you want the exact same content published repeatedly (for example, a weekly promotion or a pinned announcement).

***

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How many categories can I create?">
    There is no fixed limit on the number of categories. Create as many categories as you need to organize your content themes effectively.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I run multiple category queues at the same time?">
    Yes. Each category can have its own queue running independently. For example, you can have an "Educational" queue posting on Tuesdays, a "Promotional" queue posting on Fridays, and a "Client Stories" queue posting on Sundays — all active simultaneously.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I add a new post to a category while the queue is running?">
    The new post joins the end of the queue immediately. The queue will include it the next time it cycles to that position. If the queue is looping, the new post will be included in the next full rotation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change the order of posts in a queue?">
    Posts are published in the order they were added to the category by default. To control the order, add posts to the category in the sequence you want them published, or edit existing posts to adjust their category assignment timing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do category queue posts go through the approval workflow?">
    Category queue posts can be configured to require approval before publishing. Enable the approval requirement in the queue settings and designate an approver. The queue will submit each post for review at the scheduled time; the post will only publish once it has been approved.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>