Autopilot for Google Posts

What it does

• Plans one post per period: Once a week by default, Every two weeks, or Once a month (every four weeks), on a chosen day and time
• Writes each draft ahead of its time (5 days by default, from Ask for approval this many days ahead) and sends it for approval
• Rotates through the services. Each post is about one service, with one supporting fact such as proof or availability
• A confirmed offer or event takes that week's post shortly before it starts (7 days ahead for offers, 14 for events), instead of adding an extra post
• Every draft waits for approval. Customers see Autopilot's posts as Written for you

The seven setup steps

• You can move between steps. A step that must be finished first says Finish step with its number and title
• Customers reach the setup with Create and schedule posts access and the Manage publishing permission. A plan that sets Autopilot to Upgrade shows the upgrade prompt instead

The defaults, and why

Photo Location

With Photo Location on (the default), each photo sent to Google with a post is tagged with the business's town, name and services. Your photos in Media are never changed, and the camera's own location is removed. This applies to every post, written by Autopilot or by a person.

• For a business whose address shows on Google: the centre of the town in its address. For a business whose address is hidden on Google: the centre of the first town it serves there, or else the first confirmed area served that is a town. A hidden address is never used
• Change it per location under Posts -> Settings, Publishing tab, Photo Location card. Choose Town, the per-photo setting and the details for agencies are in Photo Library and Photo Location

• Photo Library and Photo Location

Business facts

Autopilot writes only from facts someone confirmed under Posts -> Settings, Business Facts: services, proof, availability, offers, events and areas served. Fill from the Profile suggests them from the Google profile, and nothing is saved until you check it.

Autopilot writes about a service once it has two confirmed facts: the service and one more about it.

• Business Facts and Post Voice
• Create and Schedule Google Posts

Writing instructions

How posts are written comes from three layers: your agency playbook (Business -> Publishing, Playbook tab), the location (Posts -> Settings, Voice and Instructions tab), and a single post (the topic typed for it).

A value set on the location wins over the playbook, and customers see your playbook's values as Set by followed by your agency name.

• Business Facts and Post Voice

The first post

In step 7, Write Three Samples writes three posts on different topics. They count toward the month's AI drafts, and only the one you choose becomes a post. On the sample you want: Approve and Start approves it and turns Autopilot on; Send for Approval sends it to the approvers, and Autopilot starts when they approve it.

• The Autopilot tab has the same samples under Show Me Three, where Keep as a Draft saves one under Posts without starting anything, and Discard removes it from the screen
• Every Autopilot post after the first also waits for approval

One draft at a time

While a draft waits for approval, Autopilot plans no further post for that schedule: A draft is waiting for approval. The next post is planned once it is approved. A draft still waiting 7 days after approval was requested expires, and the next post is planned.

What customers see

• Autopilot's posts read Written for you in the post list, on the post page, in emails and on the approval page
• The Autopilot tab sums up its state in one line, such as On, the schedule, who approves and the date of the next draft, or Paused with the reason
• Customers never see the AI provider, the model or the playbook name. Problems only you can fix read as Ask followed by your agency name

Limits and the AI key

• Each draft, sample and rewrite counts toward AI drafts per location per month (30 by default). Autopilot's own drafts for the month are set aside first, so other AI writing cannot use them up
• Each post counts toward Posts per location per month when the plan sets one. At the limit Autopilot waits until the next month
• Without an AI provider Autopilot plans nothing: AI provider required. Autopilot plans nothing until one is set up in AI settings.
• Autopilot pauses itself after three posts in a row at the location are not approved by Google, and when the location's channel is disconnected. It stops after several drafts in a row could not be written. Resume or Turn On restarts it once the cause is fixed

• OpenRouter: Setup & Features
• OpenAI: Setup & Features
• The Custom Plan Feature Matrix

Pause Autopilot or hold every post

• Pausing stops new drafts only. Posts already approved still go out
• To stop approved posts too, use Hold All Posts. Every post at the location waits until Lift Hold

• Pause Autopilot or Hold All Posts

How often each service comes round

Autopilot rotates through services, so the more services in rotation, the longer each one waits. Twelve services at one post a week come round about every 12 weeks; at one post every two weeks, about every 24 weeks. The Autopilot tab shows the figure for each location, for example 12 services are in rotation: each comes round about every 12 weeks.

When that is longer than 60 days the page suggests fewer priority services, or more posts.

Common questions