Announcements

What Announcements are used for

Unlike page content, Announcements are managed separately from the Block Editor and can be scheduled, targeted, and styled globally. This makes them a flexible tool for communicating with your audience at the right time—without adding complexity to your content workflow.

Use Announcements when you need to communicate something important across part—or all—of your site.

Common use cases include:

• Promoting events, campaigns, or launches
• Sharing time-sensitive updates or alerts
• Highlighting key actions (like registrations or donations)
• Providing critical notices (maintenance, outages, deadlines)

Announcements help ensure important messages are seen without requiring updates to individual pages.

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How to access Announcements

From the WordPress Dashboard:

1. Go to Announcements in the left sidebar
2. You’ll see a list of all existing announcements
3. Click an existing announcement to edit, or select Add Announcement to create a new one

Announcements are managed in the Classic Editor (not the Block Editor).

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Key sections of Announcements

Content tab

This is where you define the message shown in the banner. Keep content concise. Announcements are meant to be quickly scanned.

• Heading (required): A short, clear message that communicates the main point
• Body content: Optional supporting text
• Call to action: Add a link URL and link text

Setup tab

This section controls how the announcement looks and behaves.

• CTA style: Choose the button appearance
  • Outlined or Ghost
• Dismissible: Adds an “X” icon so users can close the announcement. Once dismissed, it will not reappear unless the user clears their browser cookies
• Color theme: Controls the background color of the banner
  • Brand, Black, Error (red), Warning (yellow)
• Alignment: Controls how content is positioned
  • Left or Center

Display tab

This section controls where and when the announcement appears.

• Placement:
  • Above the header or Below the header
• Enable schedule:
  • Set a start and end date and time
  • Use this to automate when announcements appear and disappear
• Display rules:
  • Show everywhere
  • Show only on specific pages
  • Exclude from specific pages

Publish settings

Located in the right sidebar, similar to page and post publishing:

• Save Draft or Publish
• Visibility settings
• Published date

An announcement must be published to appear on the site.

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How Announcements display on the site

Announcements appear as banners in the site header area.

• They display either above or below the header, depending on your selection
• Multiple announcements can stack in the same position
• Each announcement includes its configured content and styles

Note: The header template includes the necessary blocks to render announcements automatically. No additional setup is required as long as those blocks remain in place.

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Best practices

Keep content short and focused

Write like a headline first — your heading should communicate the core message on its own. Announcements should be easy to scan. Prioritize clarity over detail.

Use scheduling intentionally

Set start and end dates to automate visibility and avoid outdated messages staying live.

Limit active announcements

While multiple announcements can stack, it’s best to use one announcement at a time in most cases. Avoid using both above and below header positions simultaneously unless necessary.

Maintain a clean list

Regularly review and delete old announcements to keep the list manageable.

Use dismissible behavior thoughtfully

Dismissible announcements are useful for repeated visits—but make sure the message is still visible long enough to be effective.

Use a clear naming strategy for internal titles

Announcement titles are only visible in the dashboard, so use them to stay organized. If you manage multiple announcements, include details about where they display—for example, “All pages except Homepage” or “Contact page only.” This makes it easier to scan the list and quickly understand where each announcement is active.