How to Schedule Posts on Threads and Mastodon

Scheduling your content on Threads and Mastodon saves you serious time while keeping your profiles active and consistent. Instead of manually posting every day, you can plan your content weeks in advance, freeing you up to focus on engaging with your community. This guide will walk you through exactly how to schedule posts on both platforms, step-by-step.

Why Schedule Your Posts in the First Place?

Before getting into the how-to, it’s worth quickly covering why scheduling is such a game-changer for social media management. If you're still on the fence, here are the main benefits:

• Unbeatable Consistency: Life gets busy. Scheduling ensures your accounts stay active with a steady stream of content, even when you’re not online. This consistency is vital for keeping your audience engaged and growing your following organically.
• Reclaim Your Time: Imagine dedicating just one or two blocks of time per week to your social media, rather than scrambling to post something every single day. By "batching" your content creation and scheduling it ahead, you can be more efficient and get back to other parts of your business.
• Post at Peak Times: Your audience isn’t online 24/7. Scheduling allows you to publish posts precisely when your followers are most active - even if that’s in a different time zone or outside your work hours. This strategic timing can dramatically increase your reach and engagement.
• Maintain a Strategic View: When you schedule content, you can see your entire content calendar at a glance. This bird's-eye view helps you spot gaps, plan cohesive campaigns, and make sure your messaging aligns with your broader brand goals, preventing repetitive or off-brand posts.

How to Schedule Posts on Threads

Threads is still the new kid on the block, and its features are evolving quickly. As of right now, there is no built-in, native scheduling feature directly within the Threads app or website. Meta has been gradually opening up its API, which means the only way to schedule posts on Threads is by using a third-party social media management tool.

While this might sound like an extra step, using a dedicated platform often provides a much more powerful and flexible experience. Here’s a general rundown of how it works with most management tools.

Step 1: Choose a Third-Party Scheduling Tool

The first step is picking a provider that has official integration with the Threads API. When evaluating your options, look for a tool that is:

• Reliable: You need a platform where scheduled posts actually go live when they're supposed to, every time.
• User-Friendly: The interface should be clean and intuitive, not a complicated puzzle that requires hours of training.
• Modern and Video-First: Threads supports videos, GIFs, and carousels. Your tool should handle modern media formats without compression issues or errors.
• Multi-Platform: The real value comes from managing all your social accounts - not just Threads - from one central place.

Step 2: Connect Your Threads Account

Once you’ve chosen a tool, you'll need to link your Threads profile. Because Threads is tied to Instagram, this authorization process typically happens through your Instagram account.

1. Navigate to the "Social Accounts" or "Settings" section of your chosen tool.
2. Click "Add Account" and select Instagram or an option specific to Threads.
3. You’ll be prompted to log in to your Facebook/Instagram account and grant the necessary permissions. This is a secure process managed through Meta’s official API, so your login details remain safe.
4. Once authorized, your Threads profile will appear as a connected account in the dashboard.

Step 3: Compose and Customize Your Thread

Now for the creative part. Go to the composer or "Create Post" section of your tool. You'll see familiar options for building your Thread.

• Write Your Text: Draft your message. Remember that Threads has a conversational and often informal tone. Make good use of line breaks to create scannable, easy-to-read posts. You typically get up to 500 characters.
• Add Your Media: Upload images, GIFs, or videos. Most modern scheduling tools allow you to seamlessly attach multiple images to create a carousel post. Pro tip: Always add descriptive alt text to your images to make your content accessible to users with screen readers.
• Include Links: Drop a link directly into the copy. Threads automatically makes it clickable once published.

Step 4: Pick a Date and Time to Publish

This is where the magic happens. Instead of hitting "Publish Now," look for the "Schedule" button or icon (often a small clock or calendar).

A calendar or menu will appear, allowing you to select the exact date and a specific time for your post to go live. Some tools even offer suggestions for optimal posting times based on your past engagement data. Once you've set the time, confirm it.

Step 5: Review and Confirm Your Schedule

Before you finalize everything, take a moment to review your work. Most tools provide a preview of what the post will look like on Threads. Check for spelling errors, make sure you attached the right media, and confirm that the scheduled time is correct.

Once you’re happy with it, hit the final "Schedule" button. Your post will be added to a content calendar or queue, ready to be published automatically at the chosen time. You can now sit back and relax, knowing your content is handled.

How to Schedule Posts on Mastodon

Unlike Threads, Mastodon gives you more flexibility. You can schedule posts directly from the platform itself or use a third-party tool if you prefer managing multiple accounts from one dashboard.

Method 1: Scheduling Directly on Mastodon (Native Feature)

The Mastodon web interface has a fantastic, built-in scheduler that's incredibly simple to use. It’s perfect for users who primarily focus on Mastodon and don't need a larger management suite.

Here's how to do it:

1. Log In to Your Mastodon Instance: Open your browser and go to the specific Mastodon instance (server) where your account is hosted (e.g., mastodon.social, journa.host, etc.). The native scheduler is available on the web version, not all third-party mobile apps.
2. Compose Your Post: In the compose box, write your message, which Mastodon users call a "toot." Don't forget Mastodon's unique features. Add hashtags, mention other users, and if your post contains sensitive content or spoilers, use the "CW" (Content Warning) button to add a summary line.
3. Add Media and Alt Text: Attach your images or videos. Mastodon culture is highly accessibility-focused, so it's a strongly recommended practice to always provide descriptive alt text for your media.
4. Click the Schedule Icon: Look for an icon that resembles a calendar or a clock directly below the compose box. Clicking this will open the scheduling options.
5. Set Your Post Time: A simple date and time picker will appear. Select the precise date and time you want your post to go live.
6. Hit "Schedule": Click the "Schedule" button to finalize. Your post is now queued up. You can view, edit, or delete your scheduled toots from a dedicated "Scheduled Posts" tab in the right-hand column of the web interface.

This native feature is free, reliable, and perfectly suited for most individual users and brands focused on Mastodon.

Method 2: Using a Third-Party Tool for Mastodon

If you're managing several social media profiles across different platforms, using a third-party tool for Mastodon still makes a lot of sense, even with its great native features. It helps keep your entire content strategy organized in one place.

The process is similar to scheduling for Threads:

1. Find a Tool that Supports Mastodon: Not all social media management platforms have integrated with Mastodon. Look for one that explicitly lists it as a supported network.
2. Connect Your Account: This usually involves entering your full Mastodon handle (e.g., username@your.instance) and then authorizing the application through Mastodon’s "Preferences > Account > Authorized Apps" settings.
3. Compose and Schedule: Use the tool's composer to write your post, add media, and set a schedule. A good tool will also support Mastodon-specific features like Content Warnings (CWs).

The biggest benefit here is centralization. You can schedule content for Mastodon right alongside your posts for Threads, Instagram, and LinkedIn, all from the same calendar.

Final Thoughts

Mastering scheduling a few weeks of posts for Threads and Mastodon will transform how you manage your social media presence, replacing daily chaos with calm, strategic consistency. Whether you're using a full-featured management platform for Threads or Mastodon's handy native scheduler, planning a successful presence starts a few weeks behind the scenes.

Because so many older tools were built before short-form video and platforms like Threads even existed, we designed a better way to tackle this. Our platform, Postbase, offers reliable, easy-to-use scheduling packed with modern features for platforms like Threads, Instagram Reels, and TikTok from a single visual calendar. We got tired of tools that were unreliable and complicated and feel that they are stuck in the past, so we purpose-built Postbase with clean, modern features so you can spend less time struggling when planning content and more time building your brand.