---
title: Create a new content item
slug: cms-saas/api/create-a-new-content
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-09-02T21:42:58.337Z
---

This recipe shows how to create a new content item in draft status using the Content API. The request includes a display name, title, body content, and route segment. Use this when you want to programmatically add new content that is saved as a draft for later review or publishing.

::::CodeDrawer{title="Code Section Title" isResponseExpanded="true" autoGeneratedAnchorSlug="code-section-title" legacyHash="XwYXd7qmIbh1JXRRSSKhm"}
:::CodeblockTabsExamples
```shell
    curl --request POST \
         --url https://api.cms.optimizely.com/v1/content \
         --header 'Accept: application/json' \
         --header 'Authorization: Bearer {access_token}' \
         --header 'content-type: application/json' \
         --data '{
           "contentType": "ArticlePage",
           "container": "{container_key}",
           "initialVersion": {
             "displayName": "My First Article",
             "locale": "en",
             "routeSegment": "my-first-article",
             "properties": {
               "heading": {
                 "value": "Hello World"
               }
             }
           }
         }'

    
```
:::

:::CodeblockTabsResponses
```javascript
    
```
:::
::::

## Define the request method and endpoint

Use POST to create a new content item at the Content API endpoint.

This corresponds to the following section in the code:

```shell
curl --request POST \
     --url https://api.cms.optimizely.com/v1/content \
```

## Set required headers

Add headers to specify content type and authentication.

1. `Accept` – Response format.
2. `Authorization` – Your bearer token.
3. `content-type` – Request body format.

This corresponds to the following section in code:

```shell
--header 'Accept: application/json' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer {access_token}' \
--header 'content-type: application/json' \
```

## Provide the request body

Define the content item properties. In this example, the content item is created as a draft with a title, body text, and a route segment. Note that the v1 API uses a `NewContent` structure with `initialVersion` for version-specific data, and property values are wrapped in `{"value": ...}` objects.

This corresponds to the following section in code:

```shell
       --data '{
       "contentType": "ArticlePage",
       "container": "{container_key}",
       "initialVersion": {
         "displayName": "My First Article",
         "locale": "en",
         "routeSegment": "my-first-article",
         "properties": {
           "heading": {
             "value": "Hello World"
           }
         }
       }
     }'
```