Post
A post is a message published to a feed in Salesforce Chatter.
Definition
A post is a message published to a feed in Salesforce Chatter. It can carry plain text, rich text, @mentions, topics, files, links, or a poll, and it lands on a person's profile feed, a Chatter group feed, or the feed of a record like an account or opportunity.
Under the hood, each post is stored as a FeedItem record. The FeedItem Type field marks what kind of post it is, such as TextPost, ContentPost, LinkPost, PollPost, or QuestionPost. Other people then reply with comments, react with likes, and follow the thread, which makes the post a small unit of collaboration tied to real CRM data.
How a post works inside Chatter
Where a post can live
Every post is published to a feed, and the feed it lands on decides who sees it. A post on your own profile feed reaches the people who follow you. A post in a Chatter group reaches the group members, and a private group keeps that conversation inside its walls. A post on a record feed, like an opportunity or a case, sits on that record for anyone with access to read later. This last option is the one that ties Chatter to your CRM data. When a sales rep posts an update on an opportunity, the note stays attached to the deal. Six months later, a new account owner can open the record and read the history without hunting through email. The publisher you use to write the post is the same component across all three contexts, so the writing experience feels identical whether you are posting to a group, a person, or a record.
What you can put in a post
A basic post is text, but Chatter lets you add much more. The rich text editor supports formatting, lists, inline images, links, and code snippets, so a post can read like a short document rather than a one-line status. You can attach up to 10 files, pulling them from your computer, from existing Salesforce files, or from connected sources such as Google Drive or SharePoint. Two symbols do a lot of work. Typing @ followed by a name creates a mention, which notifies that person or group and pulls them into the conversation. Typing # adds a topic, a searchable tag that groups related posts so others can find them later. Beyond plain text, the publisher offers dedicated post types. A poll lets you ask a question with up to four answer choices. A question post appears in bold and invites answers, with one answer markable as best. Each variation maps to a FeedItem Type value behind the scenes.
The FeedItem object behind every post
When someone creates a post, Salesforce writes a FeedItem record. This object has been part of the API since version 21.0, and it represents one entry in a feed. The Type field records the flavor of the post. TextPost is a plain text update, ContentPost carries a file, LinkPost holds a URL, PollPost is a poll, and QuestionPost is a question. There is also AdvancedTextPost for rich text content created through the API. The Body field holds the message text and is required for a TextPost, while it is optional for a ContentPost or LinkPost. The ParentId field points at the feed owner, which can be a user, a group, or a record. Because FeedItem is a real object, developers can query posts with SOQL, create them with the Connect REST API or Apex, and report on feed activity. Replies are stored separately as FeedComment records, so a thread is one FeedItem plus its related comments.
Reading and reacting to a post
A post in Lightning Experience shows the poster name at the top, a timestamp, the message body, and a row of actions. People interact in a few standard ways. Liking a post is a quick signal of agreement or thanks. Commenting opens a reply field and builds a thread under the original message. Sharing pushes the post out to your followers or into a group, and a Copy Link option grabs a direct URL to the post. The actions menu on each post holds a few more tools. Bookmarking saves a post so you can find it again from your bookmarks list. Muting stops notifications for a thread that no longer concerns you without removing it. On private group posts, a seen-by count shows exactly who has viewed the message, which helps when you need confirmation that the right people read an announcement. Admins control which of these actions appear by editing the feed item actions in the layout.
Who can see a post
Visibility on a post follows the feed it sits in plus a few extra controls. A post in a public group is open to everyone in the company, while a private group hides its posts from non-members. A post on a record is visible to people who can see that record, so record sharing rules carry into the feed. The publisher and the FeedItem object also support an internal-versus-external setting through the Visibility field, with values such as AllUsers and InternalUsers, which matters when an Experience Cloud site shares a feed with external members. This model means a post is never more open than the container it lives in. You cannot accidentally expose a private group conversation by posting to it, and a record post respects the same security that governs the record itself. For admins, that consistency is the point. Chatter rides on top of the existing sharing model rather than inventing a new one.
Posting as a habit, not an afterthought
The value of a post grows when teams treat it as part of daily work rather than a novelty. A short post on a record at a key moment, like a stage change or a customer escalation, captures context that would otherwise live in someone head or an email thread. Over time those notes become a running history that new joiners can read to understand a deal or a case. Mentions and topics make this history findable. A mention loops in the person who needs to act, so the post doubles as a lightweight assignment. A topic threads a post into a wider conversation, which helps when many people post about the same project. Mature orgs often agree on a few topic tags and a norm of posting major updates to the record. The result is a searchable trail of decisions and context that sits right next to the data it describes, which is hard to reproduce with files or email alone.
How to create a Chatter post
Here is how to write and share a post from the Chatter publisher in Lightning Experience. The publisher looks the same whether you are on the Chatter tab, a group, a profile, or a record, so these steps work everywhere.
- Open the publisher
Go to the feed where you want to post. That can be the Chatter tab, a group, your profile, or a record like an account or case. Click into the Share an update field at the top of the feed to open the publisher.
- Write your message
Type your text. Use the rich text controls to add formatting, lists, links, an inline image, or a code snippet. Keep it readable, since this note may be read months later for context.
- Add mentions, topics, and files
Type @ and a name to mention a person or group and notify them. Type # to add a searchable topic. Click the paperclip to attach up to 10 files from your computer, Salesforce, or a connected source.
- Switch post type if needed
To run a poll, open the Poll tab and enter up to four answers. To ask a question, use the Question tab so it appears in bold. Otherwise leave it as a standard text post.
- Share the post
Click Share to publish. The post appears in the feed immediately, where others can like, comment, and share it. You can edit or delete it later from the actions menu if your admin allows it.
The feed you post to: your profile, a group, or a record. This sets the ParentId on the FeedItem and decides who can see the post.
The text of the post. Body is required for a standard text post and is what readers see first in the feed.
- A post on a record is only visible to people who can already see that record, since Chatter follows your sharing rules.
- The file limit is 10 attachments per post, so split very large sets of files across posts or use a library instead.
- Editing and deleting posts can be turned off by an admin through feed post actions, so the actions you see may differ from another org.
- A poll is capped at four answer choices, and you cannot add more options after people start voting.
Prefer this walkthrough as its own page? How to Post in Salesforce, step by step
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Anatomy of a Chatter PostSalesforce
- FeedItem | Object Reference for the Salesforce PlatformSalesforce
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Post.
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Post.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. Where can a Chatter Post be shared in Salesforce?
Q2. What content can a Chatter Post carry beyond plain text?
Q3. Why is posting a Chatter Post directly on a record especially useful?
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