Set up pillars and topics

Goal

Define pillars and topics so planning, generation, and review share the same vocabulary for the brand. Pillars are the broad themes you publish about; topics add detail under a pillar when you need finer labels.

Before you begin

• Create a brand and confirm it is the active brand on App Home.
• List three to five core themes the brand talks about regularly. Early pillars work best when they are broad enough to cover the first week of planning.
• You can refine taxonomy later from Settings. Posts you already created keep their assigned pillar when you edit names or add topics.

Steps

Open taxonomy

1. Open Settings from Slash Social App Home.
2. Open Pillars for the active brand.
3. Review any default or suggested themes. Slash Social normalizes selected themes for the brand.

Add pillars

1. Choose Add pillar.
2. Enter a pillar name that describes a core content theme (for example, product education, community, or company news).
3. Submit the form. Slash Social validates the name, checks for duplicates, and enforces plan limits before it saves the pillar.
4. Repeat until you have enough pillars to tag the first week of content. Start with a small set your team will use.

Add topics (optional)

1. From the pillars list, open Add topic for a pillar that needs sub-themes.
2. Enter the topic name and choose a valid topic type when the form asks for one.
3. Submit. Malformed topic input is rejected with modal feedback so you can correct it.
4. Add topics only where they help reviewers and planners filter work. You can manage topics later from Settings.

Review the taxonomy

1. Open Review pillars when it is available. Confirm names read clearly for creators and approvers.
2. Save the changes.
3. Open Composer and confirm the active brand offers the saved pillars.

Manage taxonomy after onboarding

Open Settings from App Home to add pillars, edit topics, or open the pillars list modal. The same add-pillar and add-topic flows work outside onboarding when you need changes mid-quarter.

Keep the first taxonomy practical

Use names that a creator can apply without asking for interpretation. A pillar such as Customer education is easier to use than a campaign slogan that will expire next month. Put narrower or temporary subjects in topics, campaigns, or the Post brief instead.

Before adding another pillar, ask whether the distinction will change planning, generation, reporting, or review. If not, keep the broader pillar and add a topic only when the team needs the extra filter. A smaller taxonomy stays consistent across Composer, Plan, and Approvals.

Confirm it worked

• Pillars appear in Settings for the active brand.
• When you create a post, pillar choices in the compose flow match the pillars you defined.
• Existing posts retain their pillar if you rename or extend taxonomy later.

Create one test Post and assign a pillar to confirm that creators can find the intended label. You can leave the Post as a draft; publishing is not required to validate taxonomy.

If something goes wrong

Add pillar is blocked or shows a limit message

Slash Social checks plan limits and duplicate names on submit. Remove an unused pillar, rename the duplicate, or review limits in Plan comparison if you cannot add more.

Topic submit fails

Confirm the topic name is valid and the topic type is allowed. Reopen the add-topic modal and correct the fields shown in the error.

Pillars modal opens for the wrong brand

Switch the active brand on App Home, then reopen pillars from Settings. Taxonomy is brand-scoped.

You saved your first Post without taxonomy

That is expected. Pillars are optional for Quick Start. Open Pillars from Settings when the brand needs a reusable taxonomy.

You need a completely fresh taxonomy list

Edit or add pillars in Settings rather than deleting the brand. Posts already filed under a pillar keep that assignment unless you change it per post.

Next step

Choose cadence and approval channels when you are ready to schedule or route approvals. Quick Start does not require either setting.