# PostEverywhere Quick Start Guide

> Get up and running with the PostEverywhere API in under 5 minutes. Create your first cross-platform social media post.

**Source:** https://posteverywhere.ai/docs/quick-start
**Section:** Getting started
**API reference:** https://posteverywhere.ai/docs/api/reference

---

Get your first cross-platform post scheduled in under 5 minutes.

> **Prefer the terminal?**
>
> The [CLI](/docs/cli) does this whole flow end-to-end: `posteverywhere login`, `posteverywhere connect <platform>`, then `posteverywhere post`. Install: `npm install -g @posteverywhere/cli`.

## What you need before starting
- A [PostEverywhere account](https://app.posteverywhere.ai/signup) (7-day free trial)
- At least one connected social media account (connect via the dashboard)
- An API key (create one on the **Developers** page of your dashboard)

## Step 1: Create your API key
Open the [Developers page](https://app.posteverywhere.ai/developers) in your PostEverywhere dashboard, go to the **API Keys** tab and click **Create a key**.

Your key starts with `pe_live_`. Keep it secret.

```bash
export POSTEVERYWHERE_API_KEY="pe_live_abc123..."
```

## Step 2: List your connected accounts
```bash
curl https://app.posteverywhere.ai/api/v1/accounts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTEVERYWHERE_API_KEY"
```

Response:

```json
{
  "data": {
    "accounts": [
      {
        "id": 2280,
        "platform": "instagram",
        "account_name": "mybrand",
        "avatar_url": "https://...",
        "is_active": true
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

Note the `id` values (integers): you'll use these in `account_ids` when creating posts.

## Step 3: Publish your first post
```bash
curl -X POST https://app.posteverywhere.ai/api/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTEVERYWHERE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Exciting news! We just launched our API.",
    "account_ids": [2280, 2281],
    "scheduled_for": "2026-04-01T10:00:00Z"
  }'
```

Response:

```json
{
  "data": {
    "post_id": "d3e859bf-8b9e-4cd8-99e5-7f019ab95709",
    "content": "Exciting news! We just launched our API.",
    "status": "scheduled",
    "scheduled_for": "2026-04-01T10:00:00Z",
    "account_ids": [2280, 2281],
    "destinations": [
      {
        "platform": "instagram",
        "account_id": 2280,
        "account_name": "mybrand",
        "destination_status": "queued"
      },
      {
        "platform": "linkedin",
        "account_id": 2281,
        "account_name": "My Brand Inc.",
        "destination_status": "queued"
      }
    ]
  },
  "error": null,
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "a1b2c3d4",
    "timestamp": "2026-04-01T09:55:12.341Z"
  }
}
```

Notice that every field name in your request (`content`, `account_ids`, `scheduled_for`) also appears in the response with the same name and same meaning: this is the round-trip principle. You can take the response and POST its top-level fields straight back to create a clone.

> **Save it as a draft instead**
>
> Add `"draft": true` to save the post as a draft rather than scheduling it (`account_ids` is optional for drafts). Review it later, then schedule it with `POST /v1/posts/{id}/schedule`, sending `scheduled_for` or `publish_now: true`. This "draft → review → schedule" flow is ideal for AI agents that should get human approval before anything publishes. See [Building AI Agents](/docs/integrations/agents).

## Step 4: Confirm the post published
After the scheduled time, check how your post performed:

```bash
# $POST_ID is the UUID post_id returned in Step 3 (non-UUID ids return 400 invalid_id)
curl https://app.posteverywhere.ai/api/v1/posts/$POST_ID/results \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTEVERYWHERE_API_KEY"
```

## Where to go after your first post
- [CLI](/docs/cli): log in, connect accounts, and publish from your terminal
- [Authentication](/docs/authentication): API key scopes and security
- [Platform Guides](/docs/platforms/instagram): Platform-specific features and requirements
- [API Reference](/docs/api/reference): Full endpoint documentation
- [Rate Limits](/docs/rate-limits): Usage limits and best practices

Next: the full [Create Post reference](/docs/api/create-post), [schedule a draft](/docs/api/schedule-post), or [connect more platforms](/docs/connecting-accounts).

**Related:** [test your integration safely](/docs/testing) · [get notified when a post publishes](/docs/webhooks) · [create up to 50 posts in one call](/docs/bulk-operations) · [page through your posts](/docs/pagination) · [every error code the API returns](/docs/errors) · [what changed in the API](/docs/changelog) · [how to get social media API access](/blog/how-to-get-social-media-api-access)