What it does in ContentPulse: Publish blog posts to your WordPress site. ContentPulse calls the WordPress REST API with an Application Password — no OAuth, no plugin install. Status: Available Tier: Available on all paid plans.
Before you start (prerequisites)
- Account requirement: A WordPress site you can log into as an administrator (or any role that can publish posts).
- Critical — read this before going further: WordPress comes in two flavors and only one of them works without a paid plan:
| Type | API access? | Works with ContentPulse? |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted WordPress (you installed WordPress on your own hosting, or use a managed host like WP Engine, Kinsta, SiteGround, Bluehost) | Yes, built in | Yes |
| wordpress.com — Business plan or higher | Yes | Yes |
| wordpress.com — Free, Personal, or Premium plan | No — wordpress.com restricts REST API access | No — see "Common pitfalls" |
If you're on a free wordpress.com plan, you have two options: (1) upgrade to wordpress.com Business (currently around USD 25/month — check https://wordpress.com/pricing for current pricing), or (2) move your site to self-hosted WordPress.
- Cost: Free if you're already on self-hosted WordPress or wordpress.com Business+. Otherwise, the cost of upgrading.
Step-by-step setup
1. On the WordPress side — create an Application Password
- Sign in to your WordPress admin (usually
https://yoursite.com/wp-admin). - Go to Users → Profile (or Users → Your Profile depending on your version). [Screenshot to be added](screenshot:WordPress admin sidebar with Users → Profile highlighted)
- Scroll to the bottom of the profile page until you see the Application Passwords section.
- In the "New Application Password Name" field, type
ContentPulse(or whatever you want — this is just a label so you can revoke it later). - Click Add New Application Password. [Screenshot to be added](screenshot:Application Passwords section with name field + Add button)
- WordPress shows you a password like
abcd EFGH ijkl MNOP qrst UVWX. Copy this immediately — WordPress will not show it again. The spaces are part of the password; you can paste it with or without them, both work.
If you don't see the "Application Passwords" section: It was added in WordPress 5.6. If you're on an older version, upgrade WordPress first. On wordpress.com free plans, this section is hidden entirely — see the pitfall below.
2. In ContentPulse — paste the credentials
- Go to https://contentpulse.helloaurora.ai/settings/connections.
- Find WordPress in the "Direct Publishing — Live" list and click Connect.
- A modal opens asking for three things:
- Site URL —
https://yoursite.com(the front-end URL, not the admin URL; no trailing slash) - Username — your WordPress username (not your display name; the one you log in with)
- Application Password — the one you just copied [Screenshot to be added](screenshot:ContentPulse WordPress connect modal with three fields)
- Site URL —
- Click Connect. ContentPulse will hit your site's REST API to verify the credentials. If it works, you'll see "WordPress connected successfully!".
3. Verify it's working
- On the Connections page, the WordPress row shows a green checkmark.
- Optional: open the Publish UI, write a short test post, click Publish to WordPress, and confirm it appears in your WordPress admin under Posts.
What you can do with it once connected
- Publish posts as drafts (default) or directly to public.
- Set post title, body (HTML or Markdown — ContentPulse converts), category, and tags from the Publish UI.
- Schedule posts via the Queue (ContentPulse triggers WordPress publishing at the scheduled time).
Common pitfalls
-
Pitfall: "Could not connect to WordPress. Please verify your site URL, username, and application password." Fix — most common cause: You're on a free wordpress.com plan, which blocks REST API access. Check by going to
https://yoursite.com/wp-json/in your browser — if you see JSON output, your API is open; if you see a "Please upgrade" page or 401 error, you're blocked. Solution: upgrade to wordpress.com Business+ or migrate to self-hosted. -
Pitfall: Site URL with trailing slash gets rejected. Fix: Remove the trailing slash.
https://yoursite.com/→https://yoursite.com. We strip it automatically but some users hit edge cases with subdirectory installs. -
Pitfall: Application Passwords section is missing from your profile page. Fix: Two possible causes: (1) you're on a wordpress.com plan that hides it (see above), or (2) a security plugin like iThemes Security or WPS Hide Login has disabled the feature. Disable the plugin's "Application Passwords" lockdown setting and try again.
-
Pitfall: You changed your WordPress password and now publishing fails. Fix: Application Passwords are independent of your main password — they should keep working. If they don't, your host may have invalidated them. Re-issue a new Application Password and reconnect in ContentPulse.
-
Pitfall: Posts publish but with the wrong category or as drafts when you wanted public. Fix: ContentPulse defaults to publishing as a draft so you can review on WordPress before the post goes live. Change the default in Settings → Publishing Defaults.
Restrictions
- ContentPulse only publishes posts. It doesn't read your existing posts, comments, or media library.
- We don't upload featured images yet — that's on the roadmap. For now, set a featured image manually in WordPress after publishing, or include the image inline in the post body via a public URL.
- Multisite WordPress installations: connect each subsite separately. ContentPulse doesn't multiplex across subsites.
Need help?
Email [support@helloaurora.ai](mailto:support@helloaurora.ai) — we'll walk you through it.