Boards — Brainstorm and Map Out Your Content

A board is a free-form whiteboard for your brand. Use it to brainstorm a campaign, map out a content series, run a planning session or collect references in one place.

You draw on a large canvas and add ready-made nodes: sticky notes, checklists, vote counters, tables, idea cards and more. When an idea is ready, turn it into a real content idea on your Ideas board with one click.

You’ll find boards under Create > Board in the sidebar, or on the Boards tab of the Create page.

Quick start (5 minutes)

1. Open the Boards tab.
2. Click Create, then pick Board. You’ll see Board created! and a new Untitled Board opens.
3. Click Untitled Board at the top and type a name, like “Spring campaign”.
4. Click the + at the top right (Add node) and choose Sticky Note.
5. Double-click the note and type an idea, like “Behind-the-scenes Reel”.
6. Add a few more notes. The board saves by itself.
7. Click Save and Exit when you’re done.

Create a board

1. Open the Create page.
2. Click Create. The Create New Content window opens.
3. Pick Board.
4. The new board opens straight away, named Untitled Board.

To rename it, click the name at the top of the board and type. Every board belongs to the brand you’re working in, and everyone in that brand can open it.

To open a board later, click its card on the Boards tab. A card shows a small preview of the board once you’ve left it with Save and Exit.

Find your way around a board

The top bar

• Save and Exit (and the back arrow) saves the board and takes you back to the Boards tab.
• The board’s name. Click it to rename the board.
• The save status: Saving…, All changes saved, or Failed to save with Retry.

On the canvas

• The drawing toolbar at the top has shapes, arrows, lines, text, a pen, an eraser and a hand for moving around. Pick a tool, then click or drag on the canvas.
• At the top right: the + (Add node) opens the node kit, the speech bubble opens Comments, and Sidebar opens the shared library.
• At the top left: the menu button holds Generate public link, the export options and Canvas background.

Scroll or use the hand tool to move around. Hold Ctrl (or Cmd on a Mac) while you scroll to zoom.

The image tool in the drawing toolbar is turned off. To add a picture, use Insert File… from the node kit. See Add a picture or file with Insert File.

Add nodes from the node kit

Nodes are ready-made building blocks. Click the + at the top right of the board to open the list. Type in Search nodes… to find one fast.

Each node appears in the middle of your screen. Drag it where you want it. Double-click any text on a node to change it, unless the node is locked.

Good to know

• Content Pillars only shows when your brand has at least one sub-pillar. See Content Pillars.
• Due Date Marker, Calendar and Kanban Swimlane are drawings. They don’t create real dates, tasks or idea statuses. For real deadlines, use Tasks.
• Comment Pin is a note on the canvas. It doesn’t notify anyone. To talk with your team, use Comments.

Use checklists, votes, ratings and progress bars

Some nodes react when you click them:

• Checklist: click an item to tick it (☑) or untick it (☐).
• Vote counter: first select a node, then choose Add Vote to Selected. A round counter showing 0 appears at the node’s top right. Each person clicks the counter to add their vote, and clicks again to take it back. The number is the total.
• Rating: click a star to set the score. Click the third star for 3 out of 5.
• Progress Meter: click along the bar to set the percentage. Click near the right end for about 90%.

If you choose Add Vote to Selected with nothing selected, you’ll see Select a node first, then add a vote to it.

Example: A café team adds five sticky notes for new drink names, puts a vote counter on each, and everyone clicks their favorite. “Maple Cloud” wins with 4 votes.

Work with tables

1. Click the +, open Table and choose Insert Table.
2. Double-click a cell to type in it.
3. To add a row or column at the edge, select the table and click the small + below it (Add row) or to its right (Add column).
4. To add or remove a row or column in the middle, click a cell first. Then open Table in the node kit and choose Add Row Above, Add Row Below, Remove Row, Add Column Left, Add Column Right or Remove Column.

If no cell is selected, you’ll see Select a cell in the table first. A table always keeps at least one row and one column.

Turn an Idea Draft into a real content idea

An Idea Draft is a card you can promote to a real idea on your Ideas board.

1. Click the + and choose Idea Draft.
2. Double-click Idea title… and type a title, like “3 ways to style our linen shirt”.
3. Double-click Add a description… and add a line, like “Carousel, one outfit per slide”.
4. Click the draft card to select it. A Create Idea button appears under it.
5. Click Create Idea. It shows Creating… for a moment.

The draft is replaced by an IDEA card for the new idea. The idea is added to your All Content Ideas group with the status Draft. Open it from the Ideas board to add sub-pillars, content and more. See Working on an Idea.

If you see Add a title before creating the idea, change the title from Idea title… to your own words first.

Add an existing idea with Insert Content

Put an idea you already have on the board, so you can plan around it.

1. Click the + and choose Insert Content…. The Insert Content window opens.
2. Type part of the idea’s title in Search content ideas…. Without a search, you see your 20 newest ideas.
3. Click the idea. Its card appears on the board.

An idea card shows the idea’s title and description, shortened if they’re long. You can’t edit the text on the card. Change the idea itself, and the card shows the new title and description the next time you open the board.

To open the idea, hover over the card and click its link icon. The idea opens in a new tab.

Only content ideas can be added this way for now. To add a design, export it as an image and add it with Insert File….

Add a picture or file with Insert File

1. Click the + and choose Insert File…. The Files window opens on the Brand Library tab.
2. Click the file you want. To use a free stock photo, click Search Web instead.
3. The window closes and the file is added to the board.

Pictures appear as images, scaled to fit. Other files, like PDFs or videos, appear as a small box with the file’s name.

To use a file that isn’t in your library yet, click Upload Panel, upload it, then pick it from Brand Library. See Uploading Files.

Use Insert File… for every picture. Pictures you paste or drag straight onto the board aren’t saved with it, so they can disappear after you leave.

Save shapes to the shared library

The library holds shapes and groups you want to reuse, like your logo lockup or a standard post card. It’s shared by every board in your brand, so your whole team sees the same items.

1. Select the shapes you want to keep.
2. Right-click and choose Add to library.
3. Click Sidebar at the top right to see the library.
4. To reuse an item, drag it from the library onto any board.

Changes to the library are saved for the brand a moment after you make them.

How saving works

Boards save by themselves a few seconds after you stop making changes. Watch the save status at the top:

• Saving… while it saves.
• All changes saved when it’s done.
• Failed to save if something went wrong. The board tries again a few times by itself. Click Retry to try straight away.

Save and Exit saves right away and takes you back to the Boards tab. It also updates the preview on the board’s card. If you leave another way, your changes are still saved, but the card keeps its old preview.

If you try to close the tab while changes are still waiting to save, your browser asks you to confirm.

Export a board or save it as an image

Open the menu at the top left of the board:

• Export image… saves the board as a picture. Choose PNG or SVG, or Copy to clipboard. You can turn Background and Dark mode on or off and pick a Scale.
• Save to… downloads the board as a file you can keep as a backup.

Example: After a planning session, a florist exports the board as a PNG and drops it into their weekly team email.

Comment on a board

1. Click the speech bubble at the top right of the board. The Comments panel opens on the right.
2. Type in Add a comment…. Type @ to mention a teammate.
3. Click Comment.

Everyone in your brand can read and reply. Mentioned teammates get a notification. See Comments and Mentions.

Share a board with a link

To show a board to someone outside your team, like a client:

1. Open the menu at the top left of the board.
2. Click Generate public link.
3. Next to View only or Can edit, click Create link, then Copy link.

Guests don’t need an account. See Sharing with Share Links for what each permission allows and how to revoke a link.

Teammates in your brand don’t need a share link. On the Boards tab, click the three dots on the board’s card and choose Copy Link.

When two people edit the same board

Boards don’t update live while two people have them open. You won’t see each other’s changes until you reload.

Each person’s changes save from their own browser, and the last save replaces the board. If you and a teammate both edit at the same time, one of you can lose work.

To avoid this:

• Agree who’s editing. Others can follow along with Comments.
• When you’re done, click Save and Exit so everything is saved.
• Before you start, reload the board to get the latest version.

Delete a board

1. Open the Boards tab.
2. Click the three dots on the board’s card and choose Delete.
3. Confirm with Delete.

The board is removed for everyone in the brand, and there’s no way to get it back in the app. Content ideas you created from the board aren’t deleted. Files you added stay in your library.

To clear a board but keep it, use Reset the canvas in the menu at the top left.

Ideas for using boards

Plan a campaign on one page Put each channel in its own Section Frame and fill it with sticky notes.

Example: A gym makes a “January challenge” board with frames for Instagram, email and in-gym posters, and a Due Date Marker that says “📅 Starts 6 Jan”.

Run a team vote Add one sticky note per option and a vote counter on each.

Example: A bakery lists four names for its new sourdough. The team votes, and the winner becomes an Idea Draft that goes straight to the Ideas board.

Map a content series Link posts with Labeled Connector arrows to show the order.

Example: A skincare shop draws “Blog: winter routine” Leads to “Reel: 3-step routine” Leads to “Email: winter bundle”.

Build a mood board Add product photos and stock images with Insert File…, then stamp favorites with an emoji.

Example: A wedding planner gathers 12 venue photos and puts a ❤️ on the four the couple likes.

Track a small project Use a Kanban Swimlane and move sticky notes from To Do to Done.

Tips for the best results

Name the board straight away. “Untitled Board” cards are hard to tell apart on the Boards tab.

Use Idea Drafts for anything you might make. A sticky note stays on the board. An Idea Draft can become a real idea with one click, so nothing gets lost.

Add pictures with Insert File, never by pasting. Only files added from your library are kept with the board.

Leave with Save and Exit. It saves right away and refreshes the card preview.

One editor at a time. Boards don’t sync live, so take turns and use comments to talk.

Keep your pillars handy. Add Content Pillars cards to a board so every idea is sorted under the pillar it supports.

Common questions

I can’t find an image tool in the toolbar. It’s turned off on boards. Click the + and use Insert File… instead.

A picture I pasted onto the board disappeared. Pasted or dragged-in pictures aren’t saved with the board. Add pictures with Insert File….

A picture on my board is broken. The file may have been deleted from your brand’s library. Add it again with Insert File….

Create Idea doesn’t appear. Click the Idea Draft card itself to select it. The button shows under the selected draft.

I see “Add a title before creating the idea”. The title still says Idea title…. Double-click it, type your title, then click Create Idea again.

Which group does an idea from a board go into? All Content Ideas, with the status Draft. You can’t move an idea to another group later, so if it needs a different group, create it from New Idea on the Ideas board instead.

I changed an idea, but its card on the board shows the old title. Cards update when you open the board. Reload the board to see the latest title and description.

Insert Content doesn’t find my idea. It searches idea titles only and shows up to 20 results. Type a few words from the title.

Content Pillars isn’t in the node list. Your brand has no sub-pillars yet. Add them on the Pillars tab.

I see “Failed to save”. Check your internet connection and click Retry. Don’t close the tab until you see All changes saved.

My teammate’s changes disappeared. Two people edited the board at the same time, and the last save replaced the other. Boards don’t sync live. See When two people edit the same board.

The board card shows an old preview, or none. The preview updates when you leave with Save and Exit.

Can Orsa AI help on a board? No. Orsa AI isn’t available on boards. Open the Organize page and click Ask Orsa AI to work with Orsa AI. See Meet Orsa AI.

Can I get a deleted board back? No. Deleting a board can’t be undone in the app.