Show Future Posts in WordPress Using a Simple Shortcode

In WordPress, scheduled posts—also called future posts—are those set to publish on a future date. You can display these posts on your site using a custom shortcode with the WP_Query class. This lets you fetch and output future posts anywhere you need.

Step-by-Step: Display Scheduled Posts via Shortcode

Here’s how you can create a shortcode to show upcoming posts:

Step 1: Build the Shortcode Function

Add the code below into your theme’s functions.php file or a custom plugin:

function upcoming_posts_shortcode($atts) {
    $atts = shortcode_atts(array(
        'posts_per_page' => -1,
        'order' => 'ASC',
        'orderby' => 'date',
    ), $atts);

    $args = array(
        'post_status' => 'future',
        'posts_per_page' => $atts['posts_per_page'],
        'order' => $atts['order'],
        'orderby' => $atts['orderby'],
    );

    $future_posts = new WP_Query($args);
    ob_start();

    if ($future_posts->have_posts()) :
        while ($future_posts->have_posts()) :
            $future_posts->the_post();
            echo '<h4>' . get_the_title() . '</h4>';
            echo '<div>' . get_the_content() . '</div>';
        endwhile;
        wp_reset_postdata();
    else :
        echo '<p>No future posts available.</p>';
    endif;

    return ob_get_clean();
}
add_shortcode('upcoming_posts', 'upcoming_posts_shortcode');

Step 2: Implement the Shortcode

Use the shortcode [upcoming_posts] within any post, page, or widget to display future posts. Example:

[upcoming_posts]

You can also customize it using parameters:

• posts_per_page: Number of posts to show (default: -1).
• order: Sorting order, ASC or DESC (default: ASC).
• orderby: Field to sort by (default: date).

Example: Display Limited Posts in Descending Order

[upcoming_posts posts_per_page="5" order="DESC" orderby="date"]

Pro Tips

• Use CSS to match your theme design.
• Enable caching for better performance with multiple future posts.
• Limit post count for better readability.

Helpful Links

• WP_Query Reference
• Shortcode API

This method helps highlight upcoming content and improves user engagement by letting visitors know what’s ahead.