Working on an Idea

Every idea has its own page. This is where you turn an idea into finished content: link the designs, scripts, docs and emails you make for it, track its status, note what inspired it, and get it approved.

To open an idea, click it on your Ideas board. (In Table, click the expand icon at the end of the row.) To go back, click Content Ideas at the top, or the back arrow.

The page has two parts:

On the left: the title and description, Content Pieces, Performance (once there’s something to show), and Tasks / Activity.
On the right: three tabs, Info, Similar and Comments, and below them the idea’s Custom Fields.

Quick start (5 minutes)

Open an idea on your Ideas board.
Click the description and add a line about the angle. Click away to save.
Under Content Pieces, click + Add piece and choose Design. A blank design is created and linked to the idea.
On the Info tab, click + Add sub-pillar and tick the right sub-pillar.
Under Approvers, click Assign someone to review and pick a teammate.
When the content is ready, change Status to Review.
Click Request Review to email your approver.

Edit the title and description

Click the title to edit it. Click away to save. A title can’t be empty. If you clear it, the old title comes back.
Click the description (Click to add description… when it’s empty) to edit it. Click away to save.

Example: Title “Pumpkin spice is back”. Description “Reel: first pour of the season, slow motion. Post the Monday the drink launches. Mention the oat-milk option.”

Add content pieces

Content Pieces are the things you make for an idea. You can link five kinds: Transcript, Design, AI design, Blog & doc and Marketing email. The number next to Content Pieces is the total linked.

Make a new piece

Click + Add piece.
Choose the kind of content.
A new, blank item is created and linked to the idea:
- Design: a blank design.
- Transcript: a blank video script.
- AI design: a draft AI design request with no description; its card is called “AI Design Request”. Open it to describe what you want before anything is generated.
- Blog & doc: a document called “Untitled Document”.
- Marketing email: a blank email.
Click the new piece to open it and start working.

Link something you’ve already made

Click + Link piece.
Choose the kind of content.
Search for the item, like a design name, and click it.

Items already linked to this idea aren’t shown in the list.

Open or remove a piece

Click a piece to open it. Design pieces also show their status and any posts scheduled from them.
Click the x on a piece to unlink it. This only removes it from the idea. The design, script or doc itself isn’t deleted.

Nothing yet

Kinds of content with nothing linked are listed after Nothing yet:, so you can see at a glance what’s missing.

Example: A yoga studio’s idea “5-minute morning flow” has one Transcript (the video script) and two Designs (the cover and a carousel). Nothing yet: shows Blog & doc and Marketing email, a reminder to write the newsletter version.

Each piece belongs to one idea

A piece can be listed under Content Pieces for only one idea at a time. If you link a design that’s already a content piece on another idea, you’ll see a message like: “Summer menu” is already linked as the primary Designs item for “Summer launch”. Unlink it from that idea first, or add it to a custom field on this idea instead. Unlink it from the other idea first, or use a custom field (see Content Groups and Custom Fields).

You can also start pieces from the Ideas board without opening the idea. See Quick create.

Set the status

The Status is on the Info tab. Click it and pick a new one. The standard statuses are Draft, In Progress, Review, Approved, Published and Archived. A new idea starts as Draft.

The status is what the Ideas board uses for Kanban columns, Group by > Status, and filters. To change a group’s status options, open the group’s Fields tab and use Edit Options on Status. See Content Groups and Custom Fields.

When you set the status to Review

Two checks start by themselves:

Quality Gate: Orsa checks the idea, and a badge appears under Status with the result. Click the badge to see the details. See Quality Gate.
Similar content: the first time an idea goes to Review, Orsa looks for content like it. See Check for similar content.

Ideas in Review also show up in the Reviews widget on the Home page. See Reviews and Approvals.

Record what inspired the idea

Inspired By (on the Info tab) keeps the posts, pages and links that gave you the idea, so you can find them again later.

Click the + next to Inspired By (or + Add link when it’s empty).
Choose a tab:
- Insert Link: paste any web address and click Add (or press Enter).
- Social Posts: search your own connected accounts’ posts by their caption, and click one.
- Web Page: search the pages of your brand’s own website, and click one.
The link appears under Inspired By. Click it to open it in a new tab. Click its x to remove it.

Good to know

Ideas you create from Discover with the lightbulb get their Inspired By link added for you.
When you paste a link to an Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook post, or to a web page, Orsa tries to read it in the background. It usually takes up to 15 minutes. If it works, the link then shows the platform name or the page’s title. If it can’t be read, it stays as a plain link and still works.
Web Page searches the website on your brand’s locations. If it finds nothing, check that your locations have a website. See Brand Info and Locations.

Example: A skincare brand pastes the link to a competitor’s TikTok that inspired “Myth vs fact: SPF in winter”, plus a blog post from its own website on the same topic.

Link sub-pillars

Sub-pillars connect the idea to your content strategy. You set up pillars and sub-pillars on your brand’s Pillars tab. See Content Pillars.

On the Info tab, under Sub Pillars, click + Add sub-pillar (or the + when some are already linked).
Tick one or more sub-pillars. They’re grouped under their pillar.
Click away to close the list.

Hover over a linked sub-pillar to see its pillar, the pillar’s goal and its audiences. Click the x on a sub-pillar to unlink it.

If a pillar shows No sub pillars. Please create in your brand, click brand to open the Pillars tab in a new tab and add one.

Add tags

Tags are labels you create yourself, like “Evergreen” or “Collab”. They’re shared across your brand.

On the Info tab, under Tags, click + Add tag (or the +).
Tick an existing tag, or make a new one: pick a color, type a name in New tag name… and click Create.

Click a tag again in the list to remove it from the idea.

Choose approvers and request a review

Approvers are the teammates who should sign off on an idea before it goes out.

Add approvers

On the Info tab, under Approvers, click Assign someone to review (or Add when there’s already one).
Pick a teammate from your brand.
To remove an approver, click the x next to their name.

Request a review

The Request Review button emails every approver a link to the idea. It only works when both of these are true:

The idea has at least one approver. Otherwise you’ll see Assign at least one approver first.
The status is Review. Otherwise you’ll see Set status to Review first.

Then:

Click Request Review.
You’ll see a message like Review request sent to 2 approver(s).

Your brand’s default approvers aren’t added to ideas automatically. Add approvers on each idea. For the whole approval process, see Reviews and Approvals.

Example: A two-person agency team adds the account lead as approver on every client idea. When the designer finishes the carousel, they set Status to Review and click Request Review.

Fill in custom fields

Below the tabs, Custom Fields shows the extra fields from the idea’s group, like a publish date, a product or a rating. If the group has none, you’ll see No custom fields. See Content Groups and Custom Fields and AI Fields.

Check for similar content

The Similar tab shows content that’s like this idea: your own ideas, designs, scripts, docs and emails, plus posts and pages from competitors and other accounts you follow. Use it to avoid repeating yourself, or to see how others handled the same topic.

Click the Similar tab.
If it hasn’t been checked yet, click Check for similar content. You’ll see Checking for similar content… while it runs.
Each result shows how close it is (like 87% match) and, where available, how it performed.
Click Filter to narrow by Type, From (Everyone, Us, Competitors, Discovered) and Similarity, or change the Sort.
Click Re-check to run it again after you’ve changed the idea.

A dot on the Similar tab means there are new results you haven’t looked at. See Repurpose and Similar Content.

See how the idea performed

The Performance section appears once a design linked under Content Pieces has been matched to a post published on one of your channels. Until then, it isn’t shown.

It shows, across the matched posts:

Total engagement and Avg. engagement rate
Avg. views (for posts with views), Avg. likes and Avg. comments
Avg. reach, when full data is available

The label at the top says Verified when the numbers include full data from your connected account, or Estimated when they’re based on public data only. See How Metrics Are Calculated.

Posts you publish from Orsa are usually matched to their design automatically. Other posts may need you to accept the match in Analyze. Posts are collected once a day, so allow a day after publishing. See Design and Post Matches.

Discuss the idea in comments

Click the Comments tab to talk about the idea with your team. You can mention teammates with @. On the Ideas board, a small dot next to the title and a message icon show ideas with comments you haven’t read. See Comments and Mentions.

Track tasks for the idea

The Tasks tab (under Content Pieces) lists tasks linked to this idea.

Click Tasks.
Click the + to add a task. The New Task window opens, already linked to this idea.
Switch between To do and Completed to see open and finished tasks. Tasks set to In Progress don’t show on either tab yet; open them from the Calendar or the task’s link.

When there’s nothing left to do, you’ll see All caught up. See Tasks.

See the idea’s activity history

The Activity tab, next to Tasks, is a history of changes to the idea’s fields. Each entry says what changed, when, and who changed it. For example:

Changed Status from Draft to Review
Added “Summer menu carousel” to Designs
Deleted “Old cover” from Designs

It covers the title, description, campaign, status, sub-pillars, approvers, Inspired By, content pieces and custom fields. Tag changes aren’t listed. Newest changes are at the top. Click Load More to see older ones. A new idea shows No logs available.

Share a link to an idea

On your Ideas board, click the three dots on the idea’s card or row, then Copy Link. Or, on the idea’s page, click the three dots at the top right, then Copy Link. Teammates in your brand can open the idea straight from that link.

Duplicate an idea

On the idea’s page, click the three dots at the top right, then Duplicate. You’ll see Idea duplicated, and the copy opens. It keeps the title, description, campaign, sub-pillars and every field value, including linked designs, scripts, docs and emails. Tags, approvers, inspiration and comments aren’t copied.

See who created it

On the idea’s page, click the three dots at the top right. You’ll see Created by, Created and Updated. If the person who created it has left the brand, it says User has been removed.

Delete an idea

On the idea’s page, click the three dots at the top right.
Click Delete.
Click Delete in the confirmation window.

The idea is removed and you’re taken back to the board. There’s no way to undo it in the app. The designs, scripts and other pieces linked to it aren’t deleted.

Ideas for using the idea page

Keep one idea per post, with everything in it Put the script, the designs and the caption doc for one post on one idea. When someone asks “where’s the Reel for the launch?”, it’s all in one place.

Example: A café’s “Pumpkin spice is back” idea holds the Reel script (Transcript), the cover and story (Designs) and the email to regulars (Marketing email).

Build a swipe trail with Inspired By Every time you borrow an angle, add the source. Months later you can see which competitors and articles keep inspiring your best ideas.

Use approvers for anything client-facing Add the client or account lead as approver, set Review when it’s ready, and click Request Review. Comments on the idea keep the feedback next to the work.

Check Similar before you start Before writing a new script, click Check for similar content. If you posted the same topic three months ago, change the angle or repurpose the old piece.

Example: A dog groomer plans “How often should you bathe your dog?”. Similar shows their own design on the same topic from spring at 91% match. They change the idea to “Winter coat care” instead.

Learn from what performed Once ideas show Performance, compare similar ideas. Use the winners as inspiration for the next round.

Tips for the best results

Make content from the idea, not separately. Use + Add piece or Quick create. Content made that way is linked from the start, which is what lets Performance and Activity tell the idea’s full story.

Link designs in Content Pieces to see Performance. Performance only counts designs listed under Content Pieces. A design in a custom field isn’t included.

Write a real description. A clear description helps your team, makes the idea easier to find with Smart search, and gives the Similar check more to compare.

Move the status as you go. Set In Progress when work starts and Review when it’s ready. The Review step is what starts the Quality Gate and the first Similar check.

Add approvers before you need them. Request Review needs at least one approver. Adding them when you create the idea saves a step later.

Add the inspiration while you remember it. The post that gave you the idea is easy to lose. Paste it into Inspired By right away.

Common questions

Request Review is greyed out. Hover over it to see why. You need at least one approver, and the Status must be Review.

My approver didn’t get a notification. Request Review sends an email to each approver. Ask them to check their inbox and spam folder. Adding someone as an approver doesn’t notify them by itself.

I can’t link a design. It says it’s “already linked as the primary Designs item”. Each piece can be a content piece on only one idea. Open the other idea named in the message and unlink it there first, or link it through a custom field instead.

The Performance section isn’t showing. It only appears once a design under Content Pieces has been matched to a published post. Publish the design, allow a day for posts to be collected, and accept the match in Analyze if asked.

Performance says Estimated. Why not Verified? Estimated means the numbers come from public data only, without reach. See How Metrics Are Calculated.

My pasted link in Inspired By just shows the web address. Orsa tries to read the link in the background, usually within 15 minutes. If the page or post can’t be read, it stays as a plain link. It still opens when you click it.

Web Page in Inspired By finds nothing. It searches the website set on your brand’s locations. Add a website to a location, and allow time for its pages to be collected.

The sub-pillar list says “No pillars. Please create in your brand”. Add a pillar and at least one sub-pillar on the Pillars tab first.

Can I move an idea to a different content group? Not from the idea page. The group is chosen when you create the idea. Create the idea again in the right group if you need to.

I changed a tag, but it’s not in the Activity history. Activity lists changes to the title, description, campaign, status, sub-pillars, approvers, Inspired By, content pieces and custom fields. Tag changes aren’t listed.

I deleted an idea by mistake. Can I get it back? No. Deleting can’t be undone in the app. The designs and other pieces linked to it are still in Create, so you can link them to a new idea.