A slick way of handling user-submitted posts is to display them immediately on the same page from which they were submitted. This quick tutorial explains how to do it with USP Pro.

Some context

For example, let’s say you have a page called “Submit a Photo” where visitors can post photos of their favorite things. Instead of displaying the submission form and the submitted content in different locations, put them on the same page. That way the user’s photo appears instantly right there next to or above the submission form.

Compare this concept to the usual routine, where a post is submitted from one page, approved in the admin area, and then displayed somewhere in a category or something. The user experience is disrupted, or at least could be made smoother by displaying the submitted posts on the same page that displays the form.

How to do it

To display submitted posts on the same page as the USP Form, follow these two steps:

  1. Add the USP Form to the page that will display the submitted posts. This can be done via widget, shortcode, or template tag.
  2. Visit the USP option, Advanced ▸ “Redirect URL for Success”, and set it to blank/empty. This tells USP to redirect to the current page after submission.

That’s all there is to it. So for example, a quick way to set this up and see it in action would be to add the USP Form via widget to the sidebar of the default WP theme. Then configure USP Pro settings to redirect the user back to their original page as explained above. Bada-boom bada-bing. Try this method and I’ll think you’ll agree it can produce a nice, streamlined experience for the user.