Beyond Mastodon Scheduling | Automate Your Fediverse Presence With Publer

Mastodon is a fast-growing Twitter-like social network that seeks to re-create Twitter’s best parts while eliminating its “mastodon-sized” problems (Yes, we started with a pun. 🤭). 

The distributed, open-source platform offers better tools for privacy and fighting harassment than Twitter does. And for anyone who misses “the old Twitter” — the days of purely chronological timelines, no ads, and no inescapable floods of harassment — Mastodon can feel like a haven.

In fact, as of September 2023, Mastodon has over eight million registered users – a drastic increase since its sudden popularity in November 2022. Around 1.6 million active users are now interacting daily with the decentralized platform, and we are positive most users are now calling X, well an ex.

This means creators, brands, and businesses are finally ready to serve content, engage with their new-found audience, and reach another distinctive online community inside Mastodon.

Are you ready for Mastodon?

We cannot wait to show you what Publer can do for your Mastodon account, but if you want to learn more about this special social media platform, you can find all the details in the section below or by clicking here.

How to Schedule Mastodon Posts with Publer

Mastodon Scheduling has been one of our most requested features on our Feedback Page, and it was about time we finally supported the unique social media network inside our platform.

You can now create, schedule, and manage your Mastodon account directly through Publer by following a few simple steps:

1- Connect Your Mastodon Account in Publer

Begin by clicking on “Social Accounts,” located on the left side of your dashboard. Next, find the “Connect” button associated with Mastodon and click on it. It is smooth sailing after that.

2- Choose Your Mastodon Server

After choosing to connect a Mastodon channel, the next step is to select a server. If you do not have an account, create one with your desired server here: https://joinmastodon.org/servers

This article might be able to help: How to Easily Get Started with Mastodon.

All you need to do next is authorize Publer to access your account.

Start Scheduling Toots

Now is where the fun starts! 

Mastodon is now connected, and you can start to create and schedule your content right from Publer. 

Just like any other social media network within Publer, Mastodon is also available on our Publer App for easier scheduling on the go. Download the app now for your smartphone or tablet and get scheduling!

Not Just Any Mastodon Scheduler!

Now, hold up! What’s fun about Publer is what lies beyond scheduling!

Yes – Publer is a Mastodon scheduler, but it is also a Mastodon analytics app, a Mastodon automation tool, a Mastodon thread scheduler, a toot booster… 

That’s why we prefer to call it a platform rather than a tool.

If you’re familiar with Publer, you are probably using (and loving) some of the best Publer features daily. 

The good news is that all these features are now available for Mastodon too! From Watermarks, UTM tracking and link shortening, shortcodes, signatures…

Here’s a summary of the most powerful Publer features you can take advantage of for your Mastodon account.

Mastodon Analytics – Gaining Valuable Insight With Publer

Analytics is a big part of a social media marketing job. Without proper insights, you’ll end up creating the wrong type of content or addressing the wrong type of audience, and having an overview of what’s happening with your Mastodon account is a must.

Analytics will help you see the bigger picture, as well as hone in on specific data, such as our favorite: The Best Times to Post.

The best times to post is a practical analytics tool that will help you prepare your content calendar by showing you the most active hours of your account, where you’ll able to get more eyeballs on your posts should you choose to post.

The feature is also incorporated into our interactive Calendar View, so you can easily select and post right from your content calendar!

With Analytics, you’ll also be able to understand how your posts are performing and select the best-performing ones to reuse and repurpose in the future. 

Setting Up Scheduling Automation With Publer

This one is for automation enthusiasts! With Publer you can set up a Mastodon posting schedule to AutoSchedule & Recycle posts.

What we mean by that is pretty simple, actually. On your Mastodon settings inside Publer, you can set up your own posting schedule by creating timeslots on the days and hours you usually like to post.

This means that if you usually like to post memes on Friday, you can create a timeslot on your calendar on the best time to post, and whenever you have new memes to schedule, you skip the hassle of finding the right time to post and just hit “Autoschedule.”

Your memes will then automatically get scheduled on Fridays at your predetermined timeslot. Here’s a quick video tutorial, and if you still want to learn more, click here.

How To Schedule Mastodon Threads

One of the features we love about Publer is its thread creation feature. With Publer you can create Mastodon Threads just like you did with Twitter.

Simply create your post and hit the “make a thread” button below your composer! You’ll be able to create Mastodon threads with up to 25 posts! – And that’s a lot of toots!

Schedule Mastodon Boosts With Publer

One of the most overlooked Publer abilities is definitely the ability to schedule boosts. Because you sometimes do not want to create your own content and instead you want to boost published toots.

All you have to do is copy and paste the link of the toot at your Publer composer and simply hit schedule!

A Quick Beginner’s Guide to Mastodon

What is Mastodon?

Mastodon is an open-source social network like Twitter but with key differences. It uses a decentralized server network, not a single centralized one, allowing more content control and easier user customization and moderation.

It was created by Eugen Rochko in 2016, and it has grown to be one of the most well-liked decentralized social networks on the internet and has around 1,6 million active users.

Mastodon’s federated nature means there’s no single website to use, and learning how to wade through its timeline of posts (which it calls toots) takes some time to adjust to.

Mastodon Dictionary

• Instances are the sites you can sign up on on the Fediverse, also known as “servers”. They were also known as “communities” for a while, and some people call them “nodes”. All of these are just different names for exactly the same thing: the site you signed up on.

• Toots are posts, the Mastodon equivalent of tweets. The mascot for Mastodon is a mastodon, an ancient relative of the elephant, and “toot” is sort of the sound an elephant makes.

• CWs are Content Warnings, used to hide a post underneath a title.

• Favorites are the Mastodon equivalent of likes. Click the star ⭐ to favorite a post. Favoriting tells the author that you liked their post, but does not affect the post’s visibility at all.

• Boosts are the Mastodon equivalent of re-tweets (some apps call it a “Re-Blog”). To boost a post, click the circular arrows 🔃 underneath it. Boosted posts will appear in the timeline of everyone who follows you, and boosting will also help a post appear on the trending posts chart in the Explore tab. Boosts are the only way to make a post more visible. Can I schedule Boosts with Publer?

Two main things to know about Mastodon

• Open-source: Mastodon is developed and maintained by volunteers, and anyone can use it for free.
• Decentralized: Mastodon is not controlled by a single entity. Instead, there are multiple Mastodon servers, each forming its own community while remaining interconnected for interaction.

Why Mastodon is Important for Your Business?

Shortly, any social media channel is necessary for business, as you might lose an audience ready to buy your product.

In other words, businesses can easily find people and groups with interests similar to those of their target audience, enabling them to engage in conversations and gain valuable insights about their brand or industry.

Mastodon offers unique opportunities for businesses to connect with their target audience more meaningfully and authentically.

To leverage Mastodon for marketing, businesses should approach it with a genuine and community-focused mindset. Instead of bombarding users with advertisements, businesses should focus on building relationships and providing value to the community.

Pro Tips:

• One effective strategy is establishing a presence on Mastodon by creating an official account for your business. This allows you to engage with users, share updates, and participate in relevant discussions.
• Another strategy is collaborating with influencers and thought leaders within the Mastodon community. Businesses can amplify their reach and tap into new audiences by partnering with individuals with a strong following and influence.

Here’s a great article that explains if Mastodon is worth your time.

Main Differences Between Mastodon and Twitter

Since Twitter has made many changes lately, many people considered shifting to Mastodon. If you are considering the same, here are 5 main reasons you should consider Mastodon over Twitter. (Or keep them both!)

Important Note: Do you know that we recently changed our free plan? Now, you can use Twitter on Publer’s free plan. Give it a try!

Growing User Base and Community on Mastodon

Since its launch in 2016, Mastodon has experienced steady growth in its user base. While it may not have the same scale as other social media platforms, Mastodon’s user-centric approach has attracted a passionate and engaged community.

As more users discover the benefits of Mastodon, the platform continues to gain traction. Communities on Mastodon cover various interests, from technology and art to politics and activism. This diversity of communities ensures that there is something for everyone on Mastodon.

Higher Character Limit

Mastodon’s limit is 500 characters, compared to the 280 characters you get with your free, unsubscribed Twitter account. However, it is worth noting that Blue X subscribers can create tweets of up to 10k characters – which is more than enough for the average user.

Privacy and Security

Mastodon prioritizes privacy and security. Users have control over what they share and who they share it with, ensuring that their personal information remains private and secure.

Additionally, Mastodon’s federated model allows for greater freedom of expression. Each instance can set its rules and moderation policies, enabling users to find a community where their voice is heard and respected. This creates a more inclusive environment where diverse opinions can coexist.

Content Overload

Due to its immense user base, Twitter can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the shared content.

Easy Discussions

Mastodon fosters longer and more engaging conversations that promote meaningful exchanges, which is not often seen on Twitter.

Stay tuned for further updates! Make sure to regularly check our blog and help center to stay updated and be the first to know about the latest happenings on the platform.

Read more about Mastodon:

Getting started with Mastodon in Publer

How to connect Mastodon in Publer

What are Mastodon servers and how do they work?

Where can I find the rules and policy of my Mastodon server?

How to create and schedule Mastodon threads

How to boost (retweet/reshare) posts for Mastodon