If you publish on WordPress, you can automatically send a post to Bluesky when it goes live. PressQueue is a free, open-source WordPress plugin that sends posts to social accounts through Buffer, a social media publishing service. A plugin is an add-on that extends WordPress.
To use PressQueue, you need a WordPress site that lets you upload plugins and a Buffer account linked to your Bluesky account. You’ll set a rule for what to share, check it in test mode, and turn it on when it looks right.
Connect WordPress to Bluesky with PressQueue
Install PressQueue from the PressQueue download page:
- Download pressqueue.zip.
- In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add Plugin > Upload Plugin, select the ZIP, and install and activate it.
- In PressQueue, paste a personal Buffer API key from your Buffer settings. The key is a credential PressQueue uses to communicate with Buffer. There is no login button. PressQueue stores the key in encrypted form, so it is not saved as plain text.
- Find your Bluesky channel among the Buffer channels PressQueue displays. New channels start switched off, so turn on Bluesky when you are ready to use it.
The PressQueue documentation covers setup, and its code is open source.
Create and test a sharing rule
A rule tells PressQueue when to share, which posts and channels to include, and what message, timing, and image to use. One click creates the rule “Share every new post to all my channels.” You can also narrow a rule by post type, category, tag, author, custom field, or another taxonomy, a way WordPress groups posts.
New rules start switched off. Test a rule against recent posts before enabling it, so you can review what PressQueue would share. Then switch it on and choose Live when you want posts sent. Test mode records what would be shared without sending anything; Paused stops sharing.
PressQueue can share a post when it is published, including a scheduled post when it goes live. It can also share a post when its content changes, or share posts you select through Share old posts. Backdated posts are not shared automatically.
Set the message, timing, and image
Build a message with placeholders such as {{ title }}, {{ excerpt }}, or {{ terms:category }}. PressQueue adds the post link automatically. You can create different messages for different social networks, use a saved template, and review a live preview with a character count.
Choose whether a post goes to the end of the Buffer queue, the top of the queue ahead of posts already waiting, or out right away. You can also save it as a Buffer draft for review, or choose a date and time for an individual post.
For the image, select no image or use the featured image. You can also use an image picked in the post or the social image. PressQueue’s social image is a share graphic with the post title and site name. Choose its style under Settings > Social images; the preview shows the design before PressQueue makes it for a post. The image is created when a post first needs it and is redrawn if the title or style changes. It stays out of the WordPress Media Library. Creating it requires PHP's GD image library with FreeType support. If your host lacks that support, posts go out with text and a link.
Check link previews and protect posts you want to exclude
A link preview is the title, description, or image that a social service displays for a webpage. PressQueue’s social image can also serve as the page’s preview image through Open Graph and Twitter image tags. Open Graph tags are pieces of webpage code that help social services choose what to show when someone shares a link. PressQueue works with Yoast SEO, Rank Math, The SEO Framework, and Jetpack; without an SEO plugin, it adds the tags itself. You can enable this for every post, only posts without their own image, or turn it off. An image set for an individual post in an SEO plugin takes precedence.
Use Never share rules to keep a category, tag, or author out of social sharing; these rules override sharing rules. Each post also has a Share this post switch and Customize for this post option in the editor. Share now previews what each channel will receive before sending a published post that has never been shared. For older posts, Share old posts lets you spread them across the Buffer queue, send them one at a time, or save them as Buffer drafts.
PressQueue avoids duplicate posts when WordPress sends the same signal more than once, and it does not automatically retry a share when Buffer’s reply is unclear. Check Bluesky before retrying manually.