Writing a Post¶
Open Dealer.ms > AI Blog. Three numbers sit at the top: your AI credits, how many posts are waiting for approval, and whether Autopilot is on. Below them are tabs:
| Tab | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Posts | Every post this extension has written and where it stands |
| Write a post | The form that starts a post |
| Autopilot | Posts on a schedule (administrators only) |
| Brand voice | Who you are and how you sound, used for every post (administrators only) |
| Settings | Card style, buttons, category, author and tags (administrators only) |
The page opens on Posts, or on Write a post if you have none yet.
The first time, you tick a box to confirm you understand AI-written text can contain mistakes and that you will review it before publishing.
Write a post¶
Inventory type is the kind of vehicle the post is about. It decides which listings and topics you can pick.
Post type is one of the six below.
Notes for the AI is optional for most post types. Type real details you want in the post: an event date, an offer, what makes a brand a good fit for your customers. The AI treats your notes as true. It only uses numbers and prices that appear in your notes or in your inventory data.
City is optional. If you fill it in, the AI can mention it. It is remembered for next time.
The page shows how many AI credits you have, what the post will use and what is left afterwards. If you do not have 5,000 credits, the button is turned off and a link takes you to buy more.
New arrivals¶
By default the post covers your 5 newest available listings. To choose your own, search by title under Choose the listings and click a result to add it. You can add up to 5 and remove any with the small x. If you choose none, the 5 newest are used.
Spotlight¶
A post about one listing. Search by title to pick it, or leave the box empty and a listing is picked for you.
Price drops¶
A post about up to 5 vehicles that are still for sale and whose latest price change, in the last 30 days, was a decrease. A later increase cancels it. The AI says the price was reduced but never says by how much, and never writes a price or a percentage, because the card under each paragraph shows the current price from your listing. The cards carry the Price drop label.
Recently sold¶
A post about up to 5 vehicles that sold in the last 30 days. It is written in the past tense, says nothing about how fast it sold, who bought it or the price, and points readers to what you have in stock now. Each vehicle appears as a card with a Sold label and a button to your inventory (not to the sold listing, which your site may hide). This kind of post is not archived when its vehicles sell, because it is about them selling.
Guide¶
An article about a make, model, body style or any other topic. Type at least two letters in Topic and pick a result. Only topics you have something in stock for are shown.
The article explains the topic in plain terms and tells the reader what you have right now. Under it, Under the article decides whether a scroller of matching listings is added (up to 12) or nothing.
Read guides before you publish
A guide explains what a make or model is in general terms, and the AI knows about the outside world. The checks stop invented figures, years and prices, but they cannot tell whether a plain sentence about a brand is true. Read every guide and change anything you would not stand behind.
News¶
A post written only from your notes. The notes box is required, and it needs a few real details. The AI adds no dates, prices or offers that are not in your notes.
Posts¶
The tabs at the top of the list filter it: All, To review (ready and waiting for approval), Scheduled, Published, Archived and Failed, each with a count. A tab only shows when it has posts, and the filter you chose stays while the list refreshes.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting for its turn |
| Writing | The AI is working on it. The card updates by itself every few seconds |
| Ready to review | Passed the checks. Click Review to read it and decide, right on this page |
| Awaiting approval | An Autopilot post you have not approved or declined yet. Click Review to answer |
| Scheduled for (date) | Approved and set to go live at that time. Review still opens it, and you can change it in the editor |
| Published | Live on your site, with a line showing its visits to listings and leads. See Results |
| Archived | Still online but out of date, because its vehicles sold. See Archiving |
| Failed | Could not be written. The reason is shown and nothing was charged. Discard removes it |
A ready post also shows a suggested meta description for search results.
Review a post¶
Click Review on a post in the Posts tab. A window opens on the same page, so you do not lose your place. It shows the post as it will read: the photo, the text, the listing cards and the suggested search description. A scroller of matching listings on a guide is shown as a note, because it needs your site's scripts.
At the bottom you can:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Publish now | Publishes the post |
| Publish followed by a date and time | Schedules it for the day and hour of the next Autopilot run. Only shown when Autopilot has one planned |
| Decline | Deletes the post (it asks first) |
| Edit in WordPress | Opens the post in the editor |
| Archive post / Restore post | On a published post, archives it or brings an archived one back |
After you publish, schedule or delete, the window shows what happened, with a View post link, and the list behind it refreshes when you close it. Press Esc or click outside the window to close it without doing anything.
Rewrite part of a post¶
If one paragraph or the title is not right, you do not have to write the whole post again. In the review window click Rewrite parts, or click Rewrite in the Posts list to open it there directly. You see the title and every paragraph, each with its own box and button.
- In What should change? say what you want, for example "make it shorter", "sound more casual" or "mention that financing is available". Leave it empty for a fresh version that says the same things.
- Click Rewrite (500 credits). A new version appears under the original.
- Click Use this version to put it in the post, or Discard to keep the original.
A rewrite costs 500 AI credits, and only when the new text passes the same checks as a full post (no invented prices, years, figures or links). If it does not pass, nothing is charged. The post does not change until you click Use this version, and a suggestion you have not decided on is kept, so you can come back to it later. If you change that paragraph in the editor yourself before using a suggestion, the suggestion is refused so your edit is not overwritten. WordPress keeps the earlier version in the post's revisions.
A rewrite keeps plain text only, so bold or links you added by hand inside that paragraph are not kept. There is a daily limit of 30 rewrites per license.
Before you publish¶
- Read it all. You are the editor.
- Check the facts about each vehicle against the listing.
- Check that the listing cards show what you expect.
- Change the title if you want something different.
Every post keeps the usual WordPress revisions, so you can go back to an earlier version.