Message
Text with Slack’s formatting and link previews.
Schedule Slack announcements
Yes. Refract schedules Slack messages to the channels you pick, with Slack's formatting, files and link previews. Messages can be up to 4,000 characters.
Step by step
How to schedule Slack posts with Refract.
- In Accounts, select Connect account and pick Slack. You connect a channel, through your organization's Slack connection.
- Select New post, pick your Slack account under Post to, and choose A note under Start from: the point, one detail and what to do.
- Select Write versions (the button counts them, like Write 3 versions). Refract writes the Slack version in your voice and within Slack’s limits, for 1 AI credit.
- Read the Slack version and edit it if you like. Checks lists anything Slack would refuse, with a fix for each.
- Open the When menu: Add to queue takes your next free posting time, or choose Pick date and time, Repeat or Publish now.
- Select Approve all and add to queue (or Approve all and schedule). Refract publishes the post at that time, and it shows in your Calendar.
Limits
Slack limits and specs.
These are the rules the composer checks every Slack post against while you write.
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Text | Up to 4,000 characters |
| How text counts | Counted as Slack receives the text: & counts as five characters, and < and > as four. |
| Links in the text | Clickable |
| Hashtags | Not clickable |
| Photo or video | Optional |
| Files per post | Up to 10 |
| Photos and video together | Yes |
| Photos | Up to 10 |
| Photo size | Up to 1 GB each |
| Photo formats | JPEG, PNG, WebP |
| GIFs | Up to 10 |
| GIF size | Up to 1 GB each |
| Videos | Up to 10 |
| Video size | Up to 1 GB each |
| Video formats | MP4, MOV |
| Alt text | Yes, on every photo |
Formats
What you can post on Slack.
Files
Images, video or a PDF, posted with the message.
Private channels
Once you invite Refract to them.
Native everywhere
Written for Slack, from one note.
Every version starts from your note and follows Slack’s rules in your voice. These are Refract’s defaults; turn any off, reword them or add your own in Voice and rules.
Slack rules to start with
- Plain and short, 1 or 2 paragraphsRefract default
- No hashtagsRefract default
- Link at the endRefract default
Studio
Video, ready for Slack.
Edit video
Trim a clip, crop it, pick a cover and add captions. The original file never changes.
Timing
Best time to post on Slack.
There’s no single best time to post on Slack for every account. The best time is when your own followers are around, and that depends on where they live and what they do all day.
Start with your audience’s time zone. If most of them live in one region, post in their morning, lunch break and evening, not yours.
Then post at the same times every week for a few weeks and compare. In Analytics, Top posts and each post’s numbers show which times worked: keep those and move the others.
In Refract, your posting times are set in Settings › Workspace, in the workspace’s time zone. Add to queue fills the next free one, the Calendar shows the open slots, and Repeat keeps a regular post on schedule.
Checks
What Refract checks for you.
Checks run while you write, with a fix for each one. They come from the same rules the server uses, so a post that passes here won’t be rejected later.
- Refract is in the channel before posts are due.
- Formatting shown the way Slack will show it.
- An archived channel is flagged before its posts are due.
Connecting
Connecting Slack.
01
Click Connect Slack and allow Refract in your Slack workspace.
02
Pick the channels Refract can post to.
03
Choose which workspace each channel belongs to.
Refract only posts to the channels you pick. It can’t read your messages.
Questions
Scheduling Slack posts: questions.
Can I schedule Slack posts for free?
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial of every feature, with no card needed. Refract has no free plan: after the trial, plans start at $10 a month, in US dollars. See pricing.
Can I post to Slack and other networks at once?
Yes. Pick your Slack account and any others under Post to. From one note, Refract writes a version for each network, and you approve them together. You can connect ten networks today.
Which Slack channels can Refract post to?
Public channels you pick, and private channels once you invite Refract to them. Refract only posts to the channels you choose, and it can't read your messages.
Does Refract post anything without my OK?
No. Versions written from a note wait until someone approves them. If your workspace asks for approval, contributors send posts for approval instead of scheduling them.
Related
More networks and guides.
Your team updates, written once.
Write one note and approve a version made for Slack, next to every other network you use.