How to Save a Draft on Bluesky

Trying to find the save draft button on Bluesky can make you feel like you're missing something obvious. Don't worry, you're not. While Bluesky doesn't have a built-in, native draft feature like the one you might be used to on X (formerly Twitter), there are several effective workarounds you can use right now. This article will walk you through everything from simple, on-the-fly methods using apps you already have to more strategic approaches for planning your content in advance.

So, Does Bluesky Have a Dedicated Draft Feature?

The short and direct answer is no, not at the moment. When you start composing a post (or "skeet") on the official Bluesky app, there's no button to tap that tucks it away for later. If you close the app or navigate away, your composition will disappear. This can be frustrating, especially when you've crafted the perfect post but aren't quite ready to hit send.

Why is this feature missing? As a relatively new and rapidly developing platform built on the decentralized AT Protocol, the Bluesky team has focused on building out the core social experience first. Features like custom feeds, moderation tools, and protocol stability have been top priorities. A drafts folder, while incredibly useful, is often considered a "quality of life" feature that comes a bit later. The good news is that it's a frequently requested feature, so it might appear in a future update. Until then, you need a reliable system for saving your great ideas.

Simple Workarounds: Your Go-To Methods for Saving Bluesky Drafts

You don't need a fancy system to start saving your Bluesky posts. The most effective methods are often the simplest ones that fit naturally into your existing workflow. Here are the three most popular and practical ways to keep your post ideas safe and ready to go.

Method 1: The Notes App Method (The Old-School Classic)

This is the most dependable and universally accessible method. Everyone has a notes app on their phone or computer, and it's secretly one of the most powerful content creation tools you can use. Whether you use Apple Notes, Google Keep, Samsung Notes, or even a simple text file on your desktop, the process is the same.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Your Notes App: Find your preferred note-taking application. To stay organized, you can create a dedicated folder called "Bluesky Content" or "Social Media Drafts."
2. Create a New Note for Each Post Idea: Start a new note and treat it like the Bluesky composer. Write your text, and remember to keep an eye on the 300-character limit. Most notes apps don't have a character counter, so you might need to use an online tool for longer posts or simply eyeball it.
3. Brainstorm and Refine: This is a great place for your unfiltered thoughts. Write a terrible first draft. Come up with a few different opening lines. List some potential hashtags. The notes app is your private sandbox where you can perfect the final version without any pressure.
4. Copy and Paste: When you're ready to publish, just highlight the text, copy it, open the Bluesky app, and paste it directly into the compose window. Add your images, and you're good to go.

Pros:

• Completely Free and Universal: It's available on every device you own.
• Works Offline: You can write drafts on a plane, on the subway, or anywhere you don't have an internet connection.
• Excellent for Batching: You can create a single note and write out five to ten posts at once, making your content creation far more efficient.

Cons:

• Manual Process: It requires you to consciously copy and paste.
• No Built-in Features: You won't get a character counter, image previews, or link shortening.
• Image Management: You have to save your photos and videos to your camera roll separately and remember to add them when you post.

Method 2: The "Message Yourself" Technique

If you live inside messaging apps like Slack, Telegram, or Signal, this method might feel even more natural. Most modern communication apps have a feature that lets you send messages to yourself, creating a running log of notes, links, and ideas.

Think of it as a slightly more dynamic version of the notes app. It's particularly useful for capturing fleeting thoughts. Had a brilliant idea for a post while talking with a colleague on Slack? Just switch over to your personal DM channel and type it out before you forget.

A few examples include:

• Slack: You can send a direct message to your own username. This is one of the most common uses for this feature.
• Signal: The app has a dedicated "Note to Self" contact you can use for this exact purpose.
• Telegram: It offers a "Saved Messages" space that acts as your personal cloud storage for thoughts and files.

Pros:

• Low Friction: If you're already in the app, it's the fastest way to jot something down.
• Cross-Device Syncing: Your drafts will be waiting for you on both your phone and computer.

Cons:

• Potentially Disorganized: Your great post idea can easily get lost between a grocery list and a link you saved for later. It's not built for organized content planning.

Method 3: Using a Third-Party Bluesky Client

Because Bluesky runs on a decentralized network, developers can create their own apps and interfaces for accessing it. This has led to a growing ecosystem of third-party clients that often offer features not yet available in the official app, including drafts and even post scheduling.

One popular example is Deck.blue, a web-based client that provides a column-based layout similar to the old TweetDeck. This tool is geared towards power users who want to see multiple feeds at once, manage different accounts, and streamline their workflow. Because of their focus on power-user features, clients like this are much more likely to support things like draft management.

Fair warning: When using any third-party application, you're granting it access to your Bluesky account. Always make sure you're using a reputable, well-known client to protect your account's security.

Beyond Simple Drafts: Leveling Up Your Bluesky Content Strategy

Saving drafts isn't just about preventing the loss of a good idea, it's the first step toward a more intentional and less stressful social media presence. Once you get comfortable with saving individual posts, you can start building a more organized system that saves you time and improves the quality of your content.

Batching Your Content: The Secret to Consistency

Content batching is the practice of creating a lot of content in one dedicated session instead of trying to come up with new ideas every single day. This is how professional creators and social media managers stay so consistent without burning out. Your "drafts" folder, whether it's in a notes app or a spreadsheet, is the key to making this work.

Imagine this: you set aside one hour on a Sunday afternoon. You sit down and write seven interesting, thoughtful Bluesky posts - one for each day of the upcoming week. You save them all in your chosen "drafts" location. Now, for the rest of the week, you don't have to face the dreaded "what should I post today?" question. You can just open your drafts, pick one, and post it. This frees up incredible amounts of mental energy to focus on engaging with others and reacting to real-time events, which is the fun part of social media.

Creating a Simple Content Calendar

A content calendar sounds intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. It can be a simple spreadsheet in Google Sheets or a board in a tool like Notion. This is where you transform your list of random drafts into a thoughtful plan.

At its most basic, your calendar just needs a few columns:


| Date | Post Text | Link / Image | Status |
|------------|--------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|-------------|
| 2024-10-28 | "Been trying out a new morning routine... thoughts?" | morning-coffee.jpg | Draft |
| 2024-10-29 | "Just published a new blog post on productivity tips!" | [link to blog] | Ready to Post|
| 2024-10-30 | "Happy Halloween! Showing off my spooky desk setup." | halloween-desk.jpg | Draft |


A simple structure like this helps you see your entire week or month at a glance. You can spot gaps in your schedule, ensure you have a healthy mix of different types of content (e.g., questions, promotions, personal updates), and move things around easily if your priorities change.

Scheduling Your Posts for Maximum Impact

Once you have a backlog of drafted content organized in a calendar, the next logical step is scheduling. Instead of manually copy-pasting your drafts each day, a scheduling tool lets you "set it and forget it." You can load up all your posts for the week, tell the tool exactly when to publish them, and then get on with your life knowing your social media is running on autopilot.

While still a new ability for the Bluesky ecosystem, the platform's API access means that scheduling tools are becoming available. This is the ultimate workflow: batch your content ideas into drafts, organize them on a calendar, and then plug them into a scheduler to post automatically when your audience is most likely to be online.

Final Thoughts

Even without a native "save draft" button, managing your Bluesky content is entirely possible with the right workflow. Whether you choose the simple reliability of a notes app or build a more robust system with a content calendar, the key is to find a process that removes friction and lets your ideas flow freely without fear of them disappearing.

As your social strategy grows from a few drafts in a notes app to a full-fledged content calendar, you might find yourself juggling posts for Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn as well as Bluesky. I originally built Postbase to solve this exact problem for an earlier generation of social platforms that were fighting our team. Instead of scattering your drafts across different documents and spreadsheets, you can plan, draft, and schedule all your content from one clean, visual calendar, freeing you up to focus on creating great stuff instead of wrestling with your tools.