Gate a post

Three ways to lock content: the whole post, part of a post, or everything by default.

Lock a whole post

Every post and page has an FMS access box in the editor.

The FMS access box.

Click anywhere, or press Esc, to close.

• Always free overrides everything. Use it for the about page and anything promotional.
• Teaser paragraphs is how much of this post everyone can read. Blank uses the site default.
• Required membership level is who gets the rest.

Required membership level has two choices.

Choice	Who reads the whole post
Every member	Anyone signed in with a membership, free Community members included
Only paid members	Friend, Follower and Fanatic members, and team seats

A new post shows the level the site default gives it. Leave it as it is and the post keeps following the site default. If someone changes the default later, the post changes with it. Pick the other level and the post keeps that level whatever the default says.

A line at the bottom says what is currently in force, including rules inherited from the site settings. Read it before you change anything.

Other entries you may see in the list

• Not gated appears when nothing locks the post, for example on a page. Pick a level to lock it.
• Saved: Follower or higher (or another level) appears on a post locked to a tier before this change. Saving keeps it. Pick one of the two levels to replace it.
• Friend or higher (site default) appears when the site default is a tier.
• Once a post has a level of its own, it no longer follows the site default. Tick Always free and save, then untick it and save, to make it follow the default again.

It sits in the sidebar, under the usual publishing options.

Click anywhere, or press Esc, to close.

Lock part of a post

Wrap the members-only part in the gate shortcode:

Everyone can read this opening.

[fms_gate]
Only members can read this part.
[/fms_gate]

You can override the message for one placement:

[fms_gate title="Members only" message="Join to read the rest." cta_text="See plans"]

In the block editor the same thing is available as the FMS Member Gate block. Add it, put your protected blocks inside, and set the level in the block sidebar. The block offers Every member, Only paid members and the tiers. A new block starts at Only paid members.

The shortcode is for paid members unless you say otherwise. Add cap="any_member" to let every member in, Community included.

Lock everything by default

Switch on Gate all posts in content gating settings, then mark the exceptions Always free. Safer for a members-first publication, because forgetting to lock something is the expensive mistake.

What readers see

A visitor gets the teaser, then the locked card.

Click anywhere, or press Esc, to close.

The card's headline, message and button come from the settings, or from the shortcode if it overrides them.

Click anywhere, or press Esc, to close.

Check it worked

• Signed out, you see the teaser and a locked card
• Signed in as a member with the right level, you see everything
• On an Every member post, a free Community member sees everything
• On an Only paid members post, a free Community member sees the locked card