24-10-2024
New Feature: 📬 Introducing the Apostle Social Inbox 📬
Tired of switching between platforms to keep up with your social media interactions? The Apostle Social Inbox brings all your messages, DMs, and tags from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp into one easy-to-use dashboard, making it simpler than ever to manage your brand's social media communication.
Please note that this is a paid add-on. To activate it, contact your Customer Success Manager.
WEB UPDATES:
[Feature enhancement] You can now disable certain steps in the onboarding process, such as subscribing to strategy topics, directly in the Team Settings.
[Feature enhancement] Instagram videos and Reels can now exceed 1 minute, following Instagram's standard Reels guidelines.
[Feature enhancement] Social Masters can now archive, restore, or permanently delete members, posts, inspiration wall suggestions, and business pages. This allows you to archive members on extended leave without losing their data, and the same applies to posts and inspiration wall suggestions. Archiving and restoring is available from the respective feature overviews, while permanent deletion can be done from the archive.
[Feature enhancement] Automatic inactivity labeling is now available. Members who haven’t logged in for over 2 months will be automatically marked as inactive with a 'sleep' icon. These members can also be excluded from the Insights overview, giving you a clearer picture of your team's activity and performance.
11-09-2024
New Feature: Schedule Stories for Instagram & Facebook! 🎉
We’re excited to announce that you can now schedule stories for both Instagram and Facebook business pages directly through Apostle! Whether you’re sharing a video or an image, you can now plan and post your stories in advance to keep your audience engaged at the right time. 📅
WEB UPDATES:
[Feature enhancement] Email suggestions are now sent instantly, reducing delays and speeding up the posting process.
[Feature enhancement] Insights now display which sharing method was used (App, Email, or WhatsApp) in a circular diagram for better tracking.
[Feature enhancement] The character limit for comments on the Inspiration Wall has been increased, allowing for more detailed feedback.
03-07-2024
IMPROVED ONBOARDING FLOW🚀
We’re happy to announce our new and improved onboarding flow. It’s now even easier to onboard new users in Apostle. So what’s new?
Completely revamped look and feel.
Users can now subscribe to content topics directly during onboarding.
Added explanatory videos on how Apostle works and the business page connection process.
Added extra fields for our WhatsApp integration.
WEB UPDATES:
[New feature] Social Masters managing multiple Apostle teams can now copy posts across teams, streamlining collaboration.
[Bugfix] Resolved an issue with hyperlinks following tags. Hyperlinks now display correctly, even when tags precede them.
19-06-2024
WEB UPDATES
[Improvement] You can now delete the first variant in a post with multiple variants attached.
[Feature update] We've revamped our auto-approve feature for business pages. Users with auto-approve enabled will no longer receive emails, and all posts will be automatically approved and posted according to their scheduled time and date. Additionally, users will be warned before enabling this feature to prevent any confusion.
05-06-2024
WEB UPDATES:
[Improvement] Now, the master (admin) and users can set their local timezone (in their personal settings) for when planning a post. The scheduled times will automatically convert to match each user's local timezone. For example, if a post is scheduled for Thursday at 11:00 AM, every user will receive it at 11:00 AM on Thursday in their respective timezones. This ensures that everyone gets the post at the intended time, no matter where they are in the world.
[Improvement] It is now possible to connect topic(s) to business pages. Navigate to the membership management section and, in the Business Pages tab, click on the pen icon of the page you want to add the topic to. This makes it really easy to filter business pages by specific topics when planning a post, streamlining your content management process.
[Improvement] We've also expanded the auto synchronize option for business pages to include topics, in addition to groups. When this setting is toggled on, topics connected to a user will also be automatically added to the business page(s) of the user.
[Improvement] It is now possible to manually remove the JSON file for the GA4 integration in the settings (integrations tab).
[Improvement] When planning a post and selecting users and pages, the filter in Step 2 will now stay active when switching between the tabs Members, Business Pages, and Email Only Users. This improvement enhances the user experience by maintaining your filter settings across different tabs.
15-05-2024
WEB UPDATES:
[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where the unlink button within link blocks was not working.
[Improvement] We've improved the reconnect email sent when a business page is disconnected, now providing additional information on how to reconnect.
[Improvement] Implemented a validation message within the composer for LinkedIn posts featuring a link block without a meta image. The validation message includes a "Fix it" option, allowing users to directly add an image from the media library.
[Improvement] Masters can now also subscribe business pages to a topic, not only members.
[Improvement] Upgraded the media picker function within the media library to display the selection order (1, 2, 3). Additionally, it is now possible to double-click on a media item to directly add it to the post in the composer.
[Improvement] When team reminders are turned on in the team settings, the reminders will not be send for posts that have already ended. This prevents users from getting a lot of reminders at once.
30-04-2024
Hi Apostlers!
Exciting news—it's time for new updates on our platform. Check out the release below and experience our latest integration and improvements.
NEW FEATURE/INTEGRATION🚀
We're thrilled to offer you our brand new WhatsApp integration, streamlining your social media sharing experience like never before. Now, alongside our mobile app and email functionalities, you can effortlessly post content directly through WhatsApp. Your team members can now receive suggested messages, post directly to their personal and company accounts, and even upload content to your Inspiration Wall, all within the familiar WhatsApp interface. Learn more about WhatsApp.
NEW FEATURE🚀
Designed with global teams in mind, this feature enables seamless content sharing across multiple countries, empowering collaboration and streamlining communication. With the Content Pool, teams can effortlessly share and access high-quality content on each other's Inspiration Walls, fostering collaboration and ensuring consistent messaging across all branches. Headquarters can now easily distribute relevant content to all teams within Apostle, enhancing efficiency and promoting cohesion. Contact our support team for access to this feature.
WEB UPDATES:
[Bugfix] Rectified an issue within the Insights section where topic insights were displayed inaccurately.
[Bugfix] Addressed an issue where parameters filled in during onboarding were not applied to the user profile upon completion.
[Bugfix] Corrected an issue where modifying the meta image of a link inadvertently swapped the link with another.
[Improvement] Enhanced error messaging to accurately reflect text input in the post field, eliminating false empty field notifications.
29-02-2024
FEATURE UPDATE:
We've revamped the process of connecting business pages for Facebook and Instagram. Please note that these changes have been implemented on Meta's side, not within Apostle. As a result, you and your clients will now encounter fewer steps during the connection process. However, please be aware that minor adjustments have been made to the connecting process. We recommend reviewing our updated Knowledge Base articles for guidance on how to connect your pages.
Please note: These changes only apply to Facebook and Instagram business pages. Reconnecting business pages is not necessary until the connection breaks.
WEB UPDATES:
[Improvement] We've enhanced the randomizer feature for business pages. When creating multiple variants for Instagram and Facebook within a single post, the randomization process now ensures that Instagram variants are only suggested for Instagram pages and Facebook variants for Facebook pages. This refinement applies specifically in step 2 of our Composer.
[Bugfix] We've addressed a previous issue where HTML content would sporadically appear when copying and pasting links into the text field. The HTML content has been removed, resulting in smoother pasting functionality.
[Bugfix] Fixed an issue related to business page tagging. Previously, pages with punctuation marks were incorrectly tagged. This problem has been resolved.
[Bugfix] Resolved an issue where images of posts containing links were not displaying properly in the Posts & Planning overview. This issue has been rectified.
07-02-2024
Feature Enhancement: AI-variations 🏷️
We've upgraded our AI engine by integrating ChatGPT4 (OpenAI) into our platform, taking your post variations to a new level.🚀 Now, you can create more advanced and better variations, choose the exact number of variations you want, and even pick the language that suits your team. Read how it works here.
New Feature: Introducing Milestones - Your Strategic Toolkit 🛠️
It's a step-by-step playbook with handy templates, best practices, and videos to complete in Apostle or with your brand ambassadors. Contact our Customer Success team to activate the Milestones and boost your brand ambassador program. 🚀
WEB UPDATES:
[Bugfix] Resolved an issue where users could combine videos and images in a single post, despite this being unsupported by social media APIs.
[Bugfix] Fixed the automatic activation of personalized UTM presets when adding links to the composer. Users can now manually activate personalized UTM within UTM presets.
[Bugfix] Addressed an issue with the business pages filter not functioning correctly when selecting channels.
[Bugfix] Fixed issues related to the order of posts with multiple images, particularly after editing.
[Bugfix] Resolved occurrences of duplicate variants appearing in the Posts & Planning overview.
[Bugfix] Fixed the issue where previously deleted team members, upon reinvitation, did not receive an email invite.
[Improvement] Implemented various enhancements for short links, especially when combined with manually added UTM codes.
10-1-2024
Hi Apostlers!
Exciting news—it's raining updates on our platform! Check out the release below and experience two long-awaited features.🚀
NEW FEATURES🚀
Tagging Enhancement 🏷️
As of today, you can directly tag external Facebook and LinkedIn business pages in your posts. Enhance your connections and collaborations effortlessly. Curious? Dive into the details here.
Documents 📄
You can now post PDF documents, slideshows, and PowerPoint presentations directly on LinkedIn. 🎉 Elevate your content to a whole new level. Ready to shine? Learn how here.
22-12-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’re happy to announce that a new update of our platform is now live! Please consult the list below to see the full list of the new features, bug fixes and UX improvements:
WEB UPDATES:
[UX Improvement] It’s no longer possible to shorten already shortened links (apo.sc links). This prevents links from being shared without metadata attached.
[UX Improvement] When one Social Master creates a draft, but another Master schedules it, the email and push notification will retain the name of the scheduler and not that of the original creator.
[UX Improvement] The sync between content strategy topics and automated member selection (while creating your post) has been revamped and upgraded. The sync button will appear in step 2 of creating posts. Please note: the sync will only show if you have linked a content strategy topic to your post, and if you have subscribed members to that linked strategy topic.
[UX Improvement] Due to technical limitations on the X (Twitter) side, sharing and connecting business pages is temporarily unavailable. Notifications are now shown for both connecting and sharing to X. It’s currently unclear when X allows third parties to connect again.
[UX Improvement] If you try to close a draft after making changes, a notification will now pop up. This ensures that you won't accidentally close without saving, preventing the loss of content data.
[UX Improvement] A new prompt has been added for posts that are deleted by Social Masters, but were already sent to a team member by email. This prompt will explain that the post has been deleted and to contact the Social Master for more information.
[UX Improvement] A new notification has been added for new team subscriptions through the landing page. All Social Masters will be notified by email when a new team member subscribes.
[Bugfix] The removal of Masters occasionally led to the deletion of posts from the Posts & Planning overview. This issue has been recognized and addressed. Posts will no longer be deleted if an admin is removed from the system.
[Bugfix] Having two shortened links resulted in duplicated meta-images for both links. This issue has been addressed and resolved.
[Bugfix] Some users experienced that changing images between variants resulted in changed images for all variants. You can now change images in different variants without other variant images being changed or overwritten.
[Bugfix] Some users experienced that automated reminders were not sent properly. This issue has been addressed and resolved.
[Bugfix] Facebook and LinkedIn engagement for business pages was not retrieved for a specific period of time. This issue has been addressed and resolved. All engagement has been resynced to the Insights page of your team.
24-11-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’re happy to announce that a new update of our platform is now live! Please consult the list below to see the full list of the new features, bug fixes and UX improvements:
WEB UPDATES:
[UX Improvement] Rescheduling business page posts by email has been revamped. We’ve redesigned and renewed the process of rescheduling business page posts by end users.
[UX Improvement] Platform feedback has been revamped and improved for all available platforms. For example, you will be warned if images or videos are too large to post, while uploading. These types of warnings are added for all platforms and found in the post preview.
[UX Improvement] The auto approve option for business pages has been clarified by adding explanatory information.
[UX Improvement] The mandatory reconnect interval for business pages has been extended to a minimum of 60 days, ensuring that the need for reconnecting business pages occurs less frequently.
[UX Improvement] AI-generated variations must not commence with a hashtag. The system now includes a direct notification to alert clients about this restriction.
[Bugfix] The Posts & Planning overview now shows thumbnails for video posts.
[Bugfix] Some RSS-feeds were not properly updated due to an error in our RSS-reader. This has been resolved.
[Bugfix] Link blocks are now shown in the preview when opening a post in the Posts & Planning overview.
[Bugfix] Tags and custom parameters interfered with links in the composer. Adding a parameter resulted in the link being changed. This has now been resolved.
[Bugfix] The priority star failed when using multiple variations. This has now been resolved.
[Bugfix] The expiration date for pages experiencing broken connections has been revised. In the event that a business page with a broken connection successfully reconnects, any posts that have exceeded their expiration date will not be shared.
[Bugfix] Users were receiving emails when posts were deleted from the admin dashboard. This issue has been addressed and resolved.
[Bugfix] The problem where copying a link in the Edge browser and pasting it into Apostle only resulted in the metatitle being pasted has been addressed and resolved.
APP UPDATES:
[UX Improvement] A notification within the app will be displayed when a new version of the mobile application is ready for download.
[UX Improvement] Posts that have surpassed their expiration date will be automatically relocated to your users' archive. While these posts will still be visible, they will no longer be shareable.
[UX Improvement] The edit button has been enhanced for greater visibility and has been repositioned. Now, even for longer posts, the edit button is prominently displayed.
[Bugfix] Posts shared via email did not synchronize directly with the mobile app. With the recent update, if a post is shared via email, the sharing activity will be automatically reflected in the mobile app.
01-11-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’re happy to announce that a new update of our platform is now live! Please consult the list below to see the full list of the new features, bug fixes and UX improvements:
WEB UPDATES:
[New feature] The review and share post screen in the email has been revamped. Rescheduling posts by users has become easier and more clear for both personal pages and business pages.
[New feature] Strategy topics for members are now automatically synchronized with their connected business pages. This allows our users to filter business pages based on topics, while choosing channels (step 2 in the composer).
[Bugfix] Re-invite emails for deleted users were not sent to their email addresses. This has now been resolved.
[Bugfix] Reopening a draft post with multiple images randomly changed the order of the uploaded images. This has now been resolved.
[Bugfix] Some users experienced issues with the extra approval flow. Editing a post after the post was already approved resulted in the original post to be shared. This has now been resolved.
[UX Improvements] New platform feedback has been added to the admin dashboard:
Warnings for maximum image- and video sizes (and resolution) for all platforms.
Warnings for using double hashtags and diaeresis.
Broken business page connection warnings (App and web).
Tool tips for optimizing your posts in the Composer.
The errorservice notification has been changed.
APP UPDATES:
There have been several updates for our mobile application. Please make sure to download the latest version of the app for these changes to take effect.
[New feature] The time and date is now shown for personal post suggestions in the Inbox.
[Bugfix] Some users experienced issues with sharing links to Facebook and LinkedIn. This has now been resolved.
[Bugfix] Android 13+ users experienced issues with uploading content from their gallery. This has now been resolved.
[Bugfix] Some iOS users experienced issues with our title translations (e.g. code text was shown instead of proper titles). This issue has been resolved.
25-9-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’re happy to announce that the new version of our statistics page is live! Please consult the list below to see the full list of the new features on the statistics page and applied changes:
WEB UPDATES:
The issue where suggested posts that are scheduled in the weekend would be suggested immediately, when exclude saturday and sunday is on, is fixed! When you try to schedule a post in the weekend, you get a notification to disable the exclude for that post. This way the post will be suggested as intended.
NEW FEATURES:
Improved filters: it is now possible to easily filter your data on topics and groups to get more insights in the performance of your team, content strategy, topic distribution and performance.
Platform Insights Enhancement: we’ve implemented new functionalities to report metrics like likes, comments, reposts, and link clicks from company pages.
Team Activity Ratio: we developed a metric to compare team activity with other teams within the Apostle platform.
Customizable Performance Graph: the created performance graph allows for customization, it supports both line and bar graph formats and has a customizable x-axis where you can set your preferred interval. The default option is set to optimized to make sure the graph is readable and clear.
Platform, Topic, and Group Statistics Overview: a clear and concise presentation of platform, topic, and group statistics using pie charts for easy visualization.
GA4 Integration: the ability to link Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for comparing website traffic with the amount of shared posts through Apostle.
Enhanced Individual Ambassador Statistics: we’ve added individual ambassador statistics with new metrics, including likes, comments, reposts on company pages, and an activity score.
In-Depth Group and Topic Statistics: comprehensive statistics for groups and topics, offering deeper insights into their performance.
Link Usage Statistics: when using the build-in link shortener we can track the usage of links, providing data on the number of link clicks and how many users and posts have used the link.
18-7-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’re happy to announce that our platform is upgraded with new features and improvements. Please consult the list below to see the applied changes:
IMPORTANT LINKEDIN UPDATE:
We are delighted to announce that LinkedIn has successfully resolved the recent issues, and we are pleased to inform you that sharing content to personal and business pages on LinkedIn is now back to normal. This means that posts will be shared right away, and content deleted within 30 minutes will not be reposted anymore.
NEW FEATURES:
We are thrilled to introduce an exciting update to our AI Variation Creator feature, empowering users to generate dynamic and engaging social media posts. It now supports posts longer than 500 characters. Capture your audience's attention and diversify the content for your brand ambassador team even better.
[COMING SOON] We are excited to announce the release of our new Insights page, providing users with in-depth analytics and valuable data-driven insights to help them make informed decisions and optimize their usage of our platform. Important: our new Insights section is currently in beta for a selected number of clients and will be released soon for all teams. Please contact our support team if you want to join this beta group.
WEB UPDATES:
Some users encountered duplicate variants while editing existing posts. This issue has now been resolved.
The priority star in Step 2 (Choose Channels) has been fixed. Selecting the star will ensure that these brand ambassadors receive the post first. Please note that this only applies to posts with a selected date within a time range.
Bulk updating groups, parameters, and themes in the member overview has been enhanced. Utilize our Excel template to instantly update your team members' information.
Warnings have been implemented for images that are too large to post, as well as for including double hashtags in your post. Social media platforms do not accept double hashtags, resulting in posts not being shared.
A new loading animation has been added to provide feedback and prevent users from double posting.
Various minor User Experience (UX) improvements have been made.
APP UPDATES:
Posts that have been shared to one (or multiple platforms) will now automatically move to the archive.
Strategy topics in certain colors were difficult to read on certain devices. This has now been resolved.
KNOWN ISSUES:
We are aware that a few users are experiencing frequent logouts from the mobile app. Our development team is actively investigating this issue and working diligently to find a prompt resolution. It's important to note that this problem is limited to a small number of users on specific devices.
25-4-2023
Dear Apostlers,
Please note that our support team will be unavailable on Thursday 27th, due to a national holiday in the Netherlands. However, you can send your questions via email or live chat, and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
On a different note, we’ve also upgraded our platform with new features and improvements. Please consult the list below to see the applied changes:
NEW FEATURES:
You can now bulk send invite reminders in the Pending Invites overview. Select multiple pending invites and use the Send Reminder button to send them all simultaneously.
We’ve upgraded our scheduling calendar with a third option: Single Date. You are now able to schedule a post on a specific date and time. Please find the Single Date option in the final step of creating your post. Use the dropdown menu to select a range, single date, or schedule now.
WEB UPDATES:
Automated post reminders have been upgraded. Update your team settings to set up automated reminders for posts that haven’t been shared yet by one of your team members. You can manually set the number of reminders and the timing.
We have significantly decreased the waiting time for scheduling posts and sending bulk invites to new team members. Planning a post should take no longer than a couple of seconds after clicking ‘Plan this post’.
The post preview has been updated and shows the correct images and URLs for all variants (in steps 1 and 3 of your composer).
Some users experienced downtime in their Posts & Planning overview. We’ve decreased the data requests and loading times significantly.
A new warning is added for team members that attempt to double post to specific platforms. You are now warned that a post is already shared on that platform.
After copying a post, variants were occasionally mixed and not in the correct order. This has now been resolved.
APP UPDATES:
We have significantly increased the inbox speed while loading new posts.
The leaderboard score is now shown for all users when opening the settings sidebar.
Some devices were having issues with image previews. This has now been resolved; all previews are shown in the mobile app.
11-04-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’ve upgraded our platform with new features and improvements. Please consult the list below to see the applied changes:
NEW FEATURES:
Sharing multiple images in one post is now available for Facebook, Instagram (Business page only) and LinkedIn. You will now see a fourth option while selecting multiple images in the composer. Select ‘Share as multiple images’ to create a carousel post.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Twitter is temporarily unavailable to share to, due to technical changes on their end. We will update you as soon as possible when Twitter is reinstated.
WEB UPDATES
The Apostle link shortener did not work for specific urls. The shortener has been updated and is fully functional again.
The invite templates were not correctly used for the landing page subscriptions. New subscribers will now receive the default invite template from the team settings.
PDF sharing has been temporarily removed from the composer. We’re identifying new ways to improve this feature before reinstating.
Outlook users experienced large images in the suggested post emails. Several changes have been made and the issue is now resolved.
Automated invite reminders are now set to a maximum of three per team member.
GIF files larger than 8mb cannot be shared to LinkedIn. New warnings have been added to the composer to warn Social Master if large files are added to the platform.
The default posting times were miscalculated due to a timezone issue. These issues have now been resolved and timezones are shown correctly.
APP UPDATES
Some users experience issues while resetting their passwords from the mobile app. We’ve made several changes to this flow and fixed this issue.
For some iOS users, the mobile app crashed while uploading videos. This has now been resolved.
22-03-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’re pleased to announce another wave of improvements and bugfixes today. Please consult the list below to see the applied changes:
NEW FEATURES:
Personalized UTM codes are now available. You can access this feature by editing links in the composer. Personalizing UTM will add the Apostle user ID (and optional business page) to your link on an individual level to get access to personalized statistics in Google Analytics. This means that you can now track the clicks and conversion per brand ambassador, or connect a personalized landing page.
You can now schedule posts for business pages separately in the final step of the composer. Please find a manual switch ‘Schedule business pages separately’ to get an extra time scheduler. This scheduler only applies to business pages.
WEB UPDATES
The Insights tab has been updated and is showing the basic stats of your team. This includes filtering, post insights, personal insights and business page insights. New updates will follow soon.
Manually added images for links were not shown as thumbnails in the Posts & Planning overview. This has been resolved.
APP UPDATES
Images in the mobile app were shown completely zoomed in. This has been resolved.
Some users experienced trouble with uploading content from the mobile app and selecting the accompanied content themes. This issue has been resolved.
Shared posts remained available in the inbox after sharing. Posts will now be transferred to the archive after successfully sharing.
08-03-2023
Dear Apostlers,
We’re happy to announce another wave of improvements and bugfixes today. Please consult the list below to see the changes:
LIST VIEW UPDATE
The listview in Posts & Planning has been completely updated and improved.
The listview now contains a detailed overview of all variations of posts and selected users per variation (click on the post title to open).
You can now delete specific posts for specific users.
You can now see the suggested dates and times, and the shared dates and times for users and business pages.
You can now see if users (or business pages) have shared posts and to which platforms.
You can re-suggest a specific post to a specific user.
You can now duplicate older posts using the copy icon.
APP UPDATES
Please make sure to install the latest version of our mobile app for these changes to take effect:
Users will not be logged out anymore after clicking the ‘back’ button on their phones too many times.
Sharing posts from the archive has been reinstated and working again.
Videos were not shown correctly in the app inbox. The previews are now fixed.
Some users got stuck while accepting the privacy policy in the onboarding in the app. This is now fixed.
The mobile app closed automatically while receiving new suggested posts for some users. This has now been resolved.
The reward system and leaderboard are now calculated properly.
WEB UPDATES
We’ve now set the default preview to LinkedIn instead of Facebook. All metadata changes will now reflect directly in the preview.
Some topics disappeared while selecting a content strategy topic for posts. This is now resolved.
Some users experienced issues while uploading content to their media library. This is now resolved.