Publish Owl Publish Owl
Start for Free
Features

Content Refresh

Overview

Content Refresh keeps your published articles up-to-date by regenerating content with fresh information. You can refresh articles manually at any time, or set up automatic scheduled refreshes to keep your content current without intervention.

Refresh settings are configured under Content Refresh in the Settings sidebar of your workflow editor.

Manual Refresh

Manual refresh is always available for any completed job. To refresh an article:

  1. Go to the Jobs page
  2. Find the completed job you want to refresh
  3. Click the Refresh button
  4. Optionally enter a custom refresh prompt to guide the update
  5. The article will be regenerated and republished

Refresh Prompt

The refresh prompt tells the AI how to update the content. Set a Default Refresh Prompt in your workflow's Content Refresh settings so every refresh uses consistent instructions. 

Update this article with the latest information for 2026.
Refresh any statistics, prices, and product recommendations.
Keep the same structure and tone, but ensure all facts are current.

This is available in Standard/Keywords mode. In pSEO mode, use the "Always re-run AI sections" option instead.

Title Refresh

Enable Refresh Title to also update the article title during refresh. This is especially useful for time-sensitive content.

Example: An article titled "Best Laptops - January 2026" can automatically become "Best Laptops - March 2026" when refreshed. You can provide a separate Title Refresh Prompt to control how titles are updated.
Note: The URL slug is never changed during refresh to preserve SEO rankings and avoid broken links. Only the title and content are updated.

Automatic Refresh Schedule

Set up automatic content refreshes on a schedule so your articles stay current without manual intervention. Auto-refresh requires a Pro plan.

Interval-Based Schedule

Refresh articles at regular intervals:

  • Interval Value + Unit: e.g., every 30 days, every 2 weeks, every 3 months
  • Start Date & Time: When to begin the refresh cycle

Weekly Schedule

Refresh on specific days and times each week:

  • Day & Time Slots: Choose specific days of the week and times (e.g., Monday at 9:00 AM)
  • Add up to 8 time slots per schedule

Advanced Options

Auto-Publish

When enabled, refreshed articles are published immediately. When disabled, refreshed content is saved for your review before publishing.

Re-Run Research Steps

If your workflow includes research steps (Web Scraper, Anchor Browser, or web search-enabled steps), enable this to re-run them during refresh. This fetches fresh data before regenerating content.

Preserve Structure

Keep the same H2/H3 heading structure during refresh. The AI will update the content under each heading but maintain the overall article outline. Useful for articles where the structure is important for SEO or user experience.

Version History

Publish Owl tracks previous versions of refreshed articles. You can view and restore any previous version from the job detail view.

  • Max Versions: Configure how many versions to keep (2-50, default: 10)

pSEO: Always Re-Run AI Sections

In pSEO/template mode, enable this to regenerate all AI sections during refresh rather than using the default refresh prompt approach.

Troubleshooting

Refresh not changing much content

Write a more specific refresh prompt. Vague instructions like "update this" may produce minimal changes. Be explicit about what to update (prices, dates, statistics, etc.).

Auto-refresh not running

Verify you're on the Pro plan and that your API keys are added in Settings. Check that your keys are correct and your account has sufficient funds.

Research data not updating

Make sure "Re-run research steps" is enabled. Without this, refresh uses the original research data which may be outdated.

Was this helpful?