Summary: This guide is for managers and communicators who have permission to publish news. It explains how to duplicate an existing news item, customize the copy for your own team or location, and which platform differences between desktop and mobile to watch out for.
1. What duplication is for
Communication works best when important information flows easily to the right teams. Speakap's News duplication tool lets you take an existing news item published by another department or headquarters and re-share it to your own department or location.
Two typical scenarios:
- Amplifying global announcements: A manager receives an update from head office and wants to pass it on to their own on-site team without rewriting the whole piece.
- Adding localized context: An administrator wants to keep the core text of a corporate policy announcement intact, but add specific dates or local protocols that only apply to their facility.
When you duplicate a news item, the new copy keeps all original images, attached documents, video files, and rich text formatting.
Two things to know about every duplicated item:
- Processing time: Right after duplication, the system shows a temporary placeholder as the news header cover. The platform needs a short processing window of approximately 10 seconds to sync larger files, after which the original high-resolution cover image reappears automatically.
- Attribution banner: Every duplicated news item shows a permanent banner directly above the body text. It automatically credits the original author and states that the content may have been modified by the current poster. This banner cannot be removed or hidden, not even by network administrators.
2. Step by step: re-sharing a news item
If you have permission to post news items in the target group or department, you can duplicate any article you can see, directly from the Feed or the News module.
- Go to the news post you want to duplicate (in your Feed or in the News menu).
- Click the three-dot options menu (...) in the top-right corner of the post.
- Select Duplicate news item from the dropdown menu.
- Wait a few moments while the copy is created in the background. Speakap sends you a push notification the moment your new draft is ready.
- Open the new draft, set your target audience, and click publish.
3. Customizing your duplicated draft
You are not restricted to sharing the news item exactly as it was originally written. Once duplicated, your copy behaves like an independent draft. Before publishing, you can change:
- Body text and headers: Edit paragraphs, rewrite descriptions, or add local operational guidelines.
- Layout: Rearrange the page structure, change the formatting, or upload different images.
- Engagement settings: Enable or disable comments and emoji reactions.
- Acknowledgments: Check the box to make it an acknowledgeable news item, so recipients must confirm they have read it. See Making News Items Acknowledgeable.
4. Desktop vs. mobile: an important difference
You can start the duplication from any device, but the device you use changes the result.
- Desktop web browser (recommended): Duplicating on a computer preserves 100% of the formatting. Bold text, paragraph spacing, image placement, and media sizing stay intact.
- Mobile apps (iOS and Android): If you duplicate a news post on your smartphone, all custom text formatting is stripped out. The text loses its paragraph structure, bolding, and image placement. If you want to keep clean layouts, we strongly advise duplicating via the web platform only.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my cover image showing as a generic placeholder right after duplication?
Don't panic! The system shows a temporary placeholder while it processes the copy. After approximately 10 seconds, the original high-resolution cover image reappears automatically.
How will employees know a news article was duplicated from a previous post?
All duplicated news items show a permanent banner directly above the body text. It credits the original author and states that the content may have been modified by the current poster.
Can I remove or hide the attribution banner on my re-shared post?
No. The attribution banner is built into the platform. It cannot be minimized, deleted, or hidden by authors or network administrators.
Where can I find my re-shared news items once they go live?
The post appears in the Feed of the new audience you assigned it to, and it gets its own spot in the News section. You can always find, edit, or manage it from the News page on the web platform, where it is listed as a brand-new post.
Still stuck?
Email us at support@speakap.com with your network name and a link to the news item you're trying to duplicate, and we'll help you out.