The Lifecycle of a Craigslist Ad
Overview
This article walks through each stage a Craigslist ad moves through, from draft to deletion.
Craigslist Lifecycle
A Craigslist ad follows a cycle, the cycle is listed in the numbered list below:
- Drafted
- Published
- Renewed
- Expired
- Reposted
- Deleted
Drafted
While you're creating a new ad and filling out its details, it's in the Drafted stage. Only you can see it — it isn't live on the listings page yet. When you're happy with it, click Publish.
Please note: You can view your unpublished drafts in the drafts tab in your Craigslist account.
Published
Once Published, your ad is live on Craigslist and visible to anyone searching or browsing listings. Prospects can respond directly to your ad.
Please note: Craigslist sends a confirmation email every time you publish a new ad.
Renewed
Renewing brings your ad back to the top of the Craigslist listings page. This increases the visibility of your ad and improves the chances of it being viewed and responded to by prospects.
Ads become eligible for renewal about 48 hours after publishing. If Auto-Renew is turned on, PostEngine routinely checks for eligible ads and renews them one at a time.
Please note: Learn more about PostEngine's Auto-Renew feature: PostEngine's Auto-Renew
Expired
An ad Expires a set number of days after it was first published. The number of days differs depending on the Craigslist region you're posting into (usually 45 days, 7 days in busier regions). Once an ad has expired, it's no longer live and is not visible or searchable by the public.
Reposted
Once an ad has expired, you are able to Repost it. This duplicates the original ad and restarts the lifecycle. An ad is considered "Reposted" once it's expired and been posted again.
Deleted
An ad is Deleted once it's fully removed from Craigslist — either because the user chose to delete it before it expired, or it expired and was never reposted. Deleted ads aren't visible or searchable by the public.