Make a restricted post free on a date (Restriction Release)
In Ultimate Membership Pro, the Restriction Release add-on lifts the restriction of a post or page on a date you choose. Until then only the right members can open it; from that date on it is open to everyone. It suits older content you want to release for free later, for example to bring in new visitors.
This guide switches the add-on on and sets the date in the post editor. The opposite add-on, Restriction Hold, starts a restriction on a date.
Before you start
- The Restriction Release add-on is installed and active. It’s a Pro add-on, included in the Full Package and Agency plans. See Install a Pro add-on.
- Your license is active. See Find and activate your license key.
- The post already has a restriction, for example Show Page Only for Pro Monthly in its Locker box. See Restrict your first page.
Switch on the add-on
- Go to Ultimate Membership Pro›Modules and open Restriction Release (in the Content Protection group).
- Switch on Activate/Hold Restriction Release Integration and click Save Changes.
The add-on has no other settings here. The date is set on each post.
Set the date on the post
- Edit the post or page. In the editor sidebar, scroll to the Ultimate Membership Pro Locker box.
- At the bottom, under Restriction Release, click the date field next to Restriction will stop and post will become available after: and pick a date.
- Click Update on the post.
The date the restriction ends, written day-month-year, for example 01-03-2027. The post keeps its normal restriction before it. From the start of that day it is open to everyone. Leave the field empty, or click the bin icon next to it, to remove the date.
Default: Empty
The box appears wherever the Locker box does: pages, posts and custom post types. The restriction that ends on the date is the one you set in the Locker box or in Access Rules. The add-on only decides when it ends.
Release or Hold?
- Restriction Release: restricted now, open from the date.
- Restriction Hold: open now, restricted from the date. See Start restricting a post on a date (Restriction Hold).
- Drip Content is different again: it opens a post to a member some time after that member’s Membership starts, so every member gets a different date. See Release content over time (Drip Content).
Use both add-ons on one post for a full timeline: public until the Hold date, restricted after it, and public again from the Release date.
Example: a Pro lesson that becomes free after three months
- Post
- Coaching Club – Week 1 lesson
- Locker
- Show Page Only for Pro Monthly ($19/month)
- Restriction Release date
- 01-03-2027
- Before March 1
- Only Pro Monthly members can open it; everyone else goes to the Default Redirect Page
- From March 1
- Everyone can read it, including visitors
Learn more about Restriction Release
- Restriction Release add-on page: what it does, at a glance.
- All Pro add-ons for Ultimate Membership Pro.
- Ultimate Membership Pro plans: Pro add-ons come with the Full Package and Agency plans.
- Scheduling a WordPress post.
Troubleshooting
I set a Restriction Release date, but the post is still restricted. Why?
Check that the Restriction Release switch is on and saved under Modules, and that you clicked Update on the post after setting the date. The post opens at the beginning of the chosen day.
Where is the Restriction Release box in the post editor?
It’s at the bottom of the Ultimate Membership Pro Locker box in the editor sidebar. It shows only while the Restriction Release add-on is switched on.
What date format should I use for Restriction Release in Ultimate Membership Pro?
Pick the date with the date picker. It is written day-month-year, for example 01-03-2027.
How do I make members-only content free after a while?
Restrict the post in its Locker box, switch on Restriction Release, and set the date when it should open to everyone.
