WordPress Automations
Create a WordPress Post When a Post Is Published
When one post goes live, you sometimes want a second post created automatically — a follow-up, a standard announcement, or a draft for a teammate to finish. Zapify does this with the free A post is published trigger and the free Create a post action, and you can carry details from the original post across using tokens. No code required.
No post-is-created trigger
Zapify has no literal "a post is created" trigger. The trigger that fires when a post first goes live is A post is published (WP_POST_PUBLISHED). To react to other status changes instead, use A post changes status (WP_POST_STATUS_CHANGED).
What this automation does
This automation pairs one free trigger with one free action:
- Trigger: A post is published (
WP_POST_PUBLISHED) - Action: Create a post (
WP_CREATE_POST)
Whenever a post is published, Zapify creates a new post using the type, title, content, and status you configure.
Build the automation
The flow is the same as every Zapify automation: Zapify → Automations → Add New → pick a trigger → add an action → map fields → set the steps Live → Save.
Step 1: Create a new automation
Go to Zapify → Automations and click Add New. Name it clearly, for example Create announcement when a post is published.
Step 2: Choose the trigger
Click Add Trigger, choose WordPress, then select A post is published.
Set the trigger's post type field to the type that should start the automation. This is free, and it also prevents the automation from firing on the wrong content.
Step 3: Add the Create a post action
Click Add Action, choose WordPress, then select Create a post.
Step 4: Configure the new post
The Create a post action has these fields:
| Field | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Post type | The type of post to create |
| Title | The new post's title (required) |
| Content | The body |
| Excerpt | The excerpt |
| Status | Draft, Pending, Published, and so on |
| Author | A user ID or email; leave empty to use the user the automation is running for |
| Slug | Leave empty to generate one from the title |
Step 5: Pull in details from the original post
Click the {} token button in any field to insert information from the post that triggered the automation, so the new post is built dynamically rather than being identical every time. For example, set the Title to Announcement: {Post title} so a published post titled "New product released" creates "Announcement: New product released".
Step 6: Choose the status (and avoid a loop)
Set Status to Draft while you test, so you can review the created post before it goes public. This also avoids an important gotcha: if the new post is Published and shares the trigger's post type, publishing it re-fires A post is published and the automation runs again. Keep the created post as a Draft, or give it a different post type from the one the trigger watches, to prevent this. Zapify also has a built-in recursion guard, but a Draft status or a distinct post type is the clean fix.
Step 7: Set the steps Live and save
Each step has its own Live / Off / Draft switch, and a new automation starts as a Draft. Set both the trigger and the Create a post action to Live, then Save.
Step 8: Test it
Publish a test post that matches the trigger's post type. Then open Posts in your dashboard and look for the new post Zapify created; open it to confirm the title, content, and status are correct. You can also check Zapify → Logs to confirm the run.
Action result tokens
After it runs, the Create a post action exposes tokens you can use in later steps: Created post ID, Created post URL, and Created post title.
Conclusion
With the free A post is published trigger and Create a post action, Zapify spins up a follow-up post every time content goes live — driven by tokens so no two are identical. Next, learn how to update a post when a post is published, or see the triggers and actions reference.
FAQs
Is there a "post is created" trigger?
No. Zapify has no literal "a post is created" trigger. Use A post is published (WP_POST_PUBLISHED) to start the automation when a post first goes live, or A post changes status (WP_POST_STATUS_CHANGED) to react to other transitions. Both are free triggers; there is no separate "created" event to select.
Will the automation loop and create posts endlessly?
It can, if the post it creates is Published and shares the trigger's post type — publishing it re-fires the trigger. Prevent this by creating the new post as a Draft, or by giving it a different post type from the one the trigger watches. Zapify also has a built-in recursion guard as a backstop.
Can I use details from the original post in the new one?
Yes. Click the {} token button in any field of the Create a post action and insert tokens such as Post title, Post content, or Post URL. Zapify replaces them with the triggering post's real values when the automation runs, so the created post reflects the content that started it.
Is this automation free?
Yes. Both the A post is published trigger and the Create a post action are in the free version of Zapify. You can build and run this without a PRO license. Only optional refinements such as action conditions and step delays require Zapify PRO.
Does creating the post change the original?
No. The Create a post action creates a separate, new post. The post that triggered the automation is left untouched unless you add another action — such as Update a post or Delete a post — that targets it.