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To receive an email whenever an approved user edits an existing WordPress post or page, use WordPress.com’s Email Post Changes setting or install its Email Post Changes plugin on a WordPress site that uses plugins. An administrator can choose recipients, post types, and whether draft edits trigger messages. This feature does not email you when a post is published for the first time, so publication alerts require a different notification rule.

Choose the notification method that matches your site

What you need Best route What it covers
Alerts for edits to existing posts or pages WordPress.com Email Post Changes setting or its plugin Published items by default; drafts can be included. New publications are excluded.
Custom message content, recipients, or delivery methods Notification – Custom Notifications and Alerts for WordPress Documents a Post Updated trigger, merge tags, user/role/email recipients, and email or webhook carriers.
Rules based on statuses or custom post types Post Status Notifier Lite Configurable workflow notifications; the directory lists SMTP support as a Premium feature.
Send a message manually from one edited item Page Notification Email An editor enters addresses and presses a send button; it is not an automatic alert after every edit.
Automattic VIP status-change workflow VIP Workflow Plugin Repository documents filters for recipients, subject, message, and headers.

Set up Email Post Changes on WordPress.com

You need an administrator role to change this setting. The feature emails selected recipients when an approved user edits an existing post or page.

  1. Open the site dashboard and go to Settings → Writing.
  2. Find Email Post Changes and enable Send an email when a post or page changes.
  3. Select the site users who should receive the messages.
  4. Choose whether notifications apply to posts, pages, or both.
  5. Leave the default published-item scope, or enable the option to include draft edits.
  6. Save the settings.

WordPress.com describes the behavior this way: “Email Post Changes emails you each time an approved user edits an existing post or page on your site.” See the official support guide for the current labels and options.

Set up the feature on a WordPress installation with plugins

For a self-hosted WordPress site, or another installation where plugins are available, use the Email Post Changes plugin path described by WordPress.com.

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  1. Install and activate the Email Post Changes plugin.
  2. Go to Settings → Email Post Changes.
  3. Enable email notifications.
  4. Select existing site users and, if needed, enter additional addresses, using one address per line.
  5. Choose the post types to monitor.
  6. Enable draft notifications if draft changes should generate messages.
  7. Save the settings.

If a recipient is not already a site user, the no-plugin WordPress.com flow requires inviting that person as a user before selecting them. The plugin flow also supports additional email addresses.

Understand what triggers an email

Editing an existing item

Email Post Changes is intended for edits to existing posts and pages. A revision by an approved user can trigger the configured message.

Publishing a post for the first time

A newly published post is outside this feature’s scope. If you need a launch announcement, use a separate publication rule. The Notification plugin documents a Post Published trigger as well as Post Updated.

Draft changes

Published content is covered by default. Draft edits require the separate draft option; enabling it can produce more messages during active editorial work.

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Customize update emails with a notification plugin

Use the Notification plugin when the built-in recipient and message choices are not enough. Its listing describes a Post Updated trigger, selectable recipients by user, role, or address, and email or webhook delivery. It also documents merge-tag content such as:

  • Post title
  • Permalink
  • User who made the update
  • Revision link

Configure the trigger so it matches your editorial rule—for example, only a particular post type or recipient role—rather than notifying every account about every save.

Use status-based workflow notifications

Post Status Notifier Lite is aimed at post-status workflows and documents configurable rules and custom post types. Its directory page lists SMTP support as a Premium feature. Plugin capabilities, compatibility, and pricing can change, so verify the current directory listing and plugin documentation before deployment.

For an Automattic VIP workflow, the VIP Workflow Plugin repository documents recipient, subject, message, and header filters for status-change emails.

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Do not confuse notes with post-change alerts

WordPress Notes are internal collaboration messages, not a general content-edit notification. According to the WordPress Notes documentation, the post author can receive an email when another user leaves a new note, and a mentioned user can be notified. Notes are controlled under Settings → Discussion and are not displayed to site visitors.

Troubleshoot missing notifications

Confirm the rule and scope

  • Check that the feature or plugin is enabled and its settings were saved.
  • Verify that the recipient is selected or that an additional address is entered correctly.
  • Confirm that the changed item is one of the selected post types.
  • Check whether the item is published or draft and whether that scope is enabled.
  • Remember that first publication does not trigger Email Post Changes.

Check the site’s mail delivery separately

The configuration documentation does not establish that every WordPress site’s outgoing mail is delivered successfully. If settings are correct but messages never arrive, investigate the site’s outgoing-mail configuration and any host or transactional-email service logs. Treat SMTP as a delivery troubleshooting category, not as a universal requirement; the Post Status Notifier Lite listing specifically identifies SMTP support as a Premium feature.

Account for changing plugin details

Plugin features, compatibility, and pricing can change. Check the current official listings for Notification, Post Status Notifier Lite, and Page Notification Email before following version-specific instructions.

The Bottom Line

Use Email Post Changes for automatic alerts about edits to existing posts and pages, enable drafts only when needed, and choose a separate Post Published or workflow-status trigger for publication and editorial-state emails.

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