{"id":40465,"date":"2026-09-25T20:16:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T00:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/?post_type=reference-article&#038;p=40465"},"modified":"2026-09-25T20:16:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T00:16:38","slug":"category-callout-block","status":"publish","type":"reference-article","link":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/reference-article\/category-callout-block\/","title":{"rendered":"Category Callout Block"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Category Callout works best for a topic that matters to your audience and that you publish about regularly. It signals &#8220;this is something we&#8217;re known for&#8221; and gives visitors a quick path into that topic. For help deciding what belongs on your homepage, see <a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/build-your-site\/content-strategy\/creating-a-homepage\/\">Creating a Homepage<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to use it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the Category Callout block when you want to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Highlight an important topic on your homepage.<\/strong> For example, a &#8220;Research&#8221; callout that always links to your four newest research stories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Show your unit&#8217;s news coverage.<\/strong> For example, a &#8220;Faculty in the News&#8221; callout that links to recent articles about your faculty on other news sites, using your In the News stories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Choosing a category<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pick a category you add to often.<\/strong> The callout always shows the four newest stories. If the newest one is a year old, your homepage looks out of date. A category with a new story at least every month or two is a good fit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Match your priorities.<\/strong> Choose topics tied to your unit&#8217;s goals or your audience&#8217;s interests, such as research, student success or community impact, rather than broad catch-all categories like &#8220;News.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use one or two per page.<\/strong> Several callouts in a row start to look like a list of links. If you need more, vary the page with other blocks between them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to use a different block<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Category Callout block always shows the newest stories as text links. If you want something different, try one of these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>To hand-pick the links, or show photos:<\/strong> use the <a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/reference-article\/featured-content-block\/\">Featured Content Block<\/a>. You choose each item, and each can have an image.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To hand-pick stories with photos on a news homepage:<\/strong> use the HP Story Listing block.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To show a longer, automatic list of stories with photos:<\/strong> use the <a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/reference-article\/posts-feed\/\">Posts Feed<\/a> block.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Before you start<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Category Callout block needs the <strong>NC State Pro Add-on<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&#8217;s part of the <strong>Storytelling<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/products-and-tools\/nc-state-web-platform\/feature-packs\/\">Feature Pack<\/a>. If you can&#8217;t find it in the editor, ask your site administrator to turn it on under <strong>NC State Settings -> Feature Packs<\/strong>. They need to turn on <strong>Storytelling Feature Pack<\/strong> and make sure <strong>Category Callout Block<\/strong> is set to <strong>On<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Starting with version 4.19 of the NC State Theme, site administrators can require the <a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/get-support\/on-demand-workshops\/storytelling\/\">Storytelling on-demand training<\/a> before you can add this pack&#8217;s blocks. See all <a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/get-support\/on-demand-workshops\/\">On Demand Trainings<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The block only works on pages that use the <strong>Homepage<\/strong> or <strong>Default News Homepage<\/strong> template. On other pages and on posts, it won&#8217;t appear in the block list. To change a page&#8217;s template, open the page&#8217;s settings in the right sidebar and choose a new template.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The category you choose needs at least one published story.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adding the block<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open a page that uses the <strong>Homepage<\/strong> or <strong>Default News Homepage<\/strong> template.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the <strong>+<\/strong> (Add block) button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Search for <strong>Category Callout<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the block to add it to your page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open the <strong>Settings<\/strong> panel in the right sidebar to choose your stories.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Choosing your stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pick your stories in the <strong>Feed Settings<\/strong> section of the Settings panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-red-heading-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th>Setting<\/th><th>What it does<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Source<\/strong><\/td><td>Choose where the stories come from. Pick <strong>Categories<\/strong> for your regular news stories, or <strong>Publication Category<\/strong> for your In the News stories. This setting only appears when your site has more than one source. If you change it, you&#8217;ll need to pick a category again.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Show Posts From<\/strong><\/td><td>Choose one category from the list. Subcategories are indented under their parent category.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you choose a category, the block fills in the heading with the category&#8217;s name and fills in the teaser with the category&#8217;s description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Regular news stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose <strong>Categories<\/strong> under <strong>Source<\/strong>, then pick a category under <strong>Show Posts From<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What visitors see:<\/strong> links to the four most recently published stories in that category. Each link goes to the story on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In the News stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the News stories are short entries that point to articles about your unit on other news sites. You manage them under <strong>In the News Stories<\/strong> in the WordPress dashboard. You sort them with <strong>Publication Category<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose <strong>Publication Category<\/strong> under <strong>Source<\/strong>, then pick a category under <strong>Show Posts From<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What visitors see:<\/strong> links to the four newest In the News stories in that category, sorted by each story&#8217;s <strong>Publish Date<\/strong>. Each link goes to the original article, using the story&#8217;s <strong>URL<\/strong>. If a story doesn&#8217;t have a URL, the link goes to its page on your site instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Customizing the block<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You edit the teaser and button right in the block. The background color is in the Settings panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-red-heading-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th>Setting<\/th><th>What it does<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Heading<\/strong><\/td><td>Shows the category&#8217;s name. You can&#8217;t type over it in the block. It&#8217;s filled in when you choose a category.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Teaser<\/strong><\/td><td>A sentence or two about the category, shown under the heading. It starts with the category&#8217;s description. Click it in the block to change it. If the category has no description, you&#8217;ll see &#8220;Enter a teaser for what this category is about.&#8221; until you type something.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Button<\/strong><\/td><td>Links to the page that lists every story in the category. The button says &#8220;More stories&#8221; unless you change it. Click the button text in the block to change it.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Background Color<\/strong><\/td><td>Under <strong>Color Settings<\/strong>. Choose a background color from your site&#8217;s colors. The heading, teaser, links and button turn white so they stand out against it.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Example:<\/strong> The College of Engineering wants to feature its research news on its homepage. The web editor adds a Category Callout block, chooses <strong>Categories<\/strong> under <strong>Source<\/strong> and <strong>Research<\/strong> under <strong>Show Posts From<\/strong>. The heading changes to &#8220;Research.&#8221; The editor replaces the teaser with &#8220;See how our faculty and students are solving big problems&#8221; and changes the button to &#8220;All research stories.&#8221; Visitors see the four newest research stories, and the button takes them to the full Research list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the block looks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On wide screens, the heading, teaser and button sit on the left, and the stories sit on the right.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On phones and smaller screens, the stories move below the button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Each story title has an arrow after it to show it&#8217;s a link.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-scaled.png\" data-fullsize=\"2560x513\" data-zoom=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-scaled.png\" alt=\"A Category Callout block on a red background. On the left, the heading &quot;Poole Business: Spring 2025,&quot; a teaser and a &quot;More stories&quot; button. On the right, links to four stories.\" class=\"wp-image-40458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-scaled.png 2560w, https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-300x60.png 300w, https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-1024x205.png 1024w, https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-768x154.png 768w, https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-1536x308.png 1536w, https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/09\/category-callout-block-example-desktop-2048x410.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Write a teaser that invites a click.<\/strong> The category description may have been written for another purpose. Rewrite it so it tells visitors why the stories are worth reading.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set your teaser and button last.<\/strong> When you choose a different category, the block replaces the heading and teaser with the new category&#8217;s name and description.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Re-select the category after you rename it.<\/strong> The heading keeps the category&#8217;s name from when you chose it. If you rename the category later, choose it again under <strong>Show Posts From<\/strong> so the heading updates. This also resets the teaser, so add your teaser again afterward.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Choose the exact category you want.<\/strong> Picking a parent category doesn&#8217;t include stories that are only in its subcategories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fill in the Publish Date on every In the News story.<\/strong> The block uses it to put In the News stories in order.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why can&#8217;t I find the block in the editor?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check three things: your site has the NC State Pro Add-on, the Storytelling Feature Pack and the Category Callout block are both turned on under <strong>NC State Settings &gt; Feature Packs<\/strong>, and your page uses the <strong>Homepage<\/strong> or <strong>Default News Homepage<\/strong> template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I need to update the block when I publish a new story?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. The block finds the four newest stories in the category every time the page loads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can I show more or fewer than four stories?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. The block always shows up to four stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can I choose which stories appear?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. The block always shows the newest stories in the category. If a story shouldn&#8217;t appear, remove it from the category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What do visitors see if the category has no stories?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing. The block is hidden from visitors. When you&#8217;re logged in, you&#8217;ll see a note on the live page that says &#8220;No posts matched your criteria.&#8221; along with &#8220;This message is hidden from public users.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why does the editor show a different story than my live page?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your site may have stories that are set to stay out of story lists and feeds. The live page leaves those stories out, but the editor preview may still show them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"availability":[114,71],"content-type":[51],"class_list":["post-40465","reference-article","type-reference-article","status-publish","hentry","availability-storytelling-feature-pack","availability-nc-state-pro-add-on","content-type-block"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article\/40465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/reference-article"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article\/40465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40474,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reference-article\/40465\/revisions\/40474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"availability","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/availability?post=40465"},{"taxonomy":"content-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-type?post=40465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}