---
title: The journal
summary: Give the journal its introduction and each post its lede from the excerpts you write, and choose the product a post sells.
url: https://lanternwp.com/docs/journal
updated: 2026-11-01
---

# The journal

The journal is the page that lists your posts, called Journal unless you name it otherwise. Two lines on it come from excerpts you write, and neither is made up from your text: without an excerpt, the store shows nothing there, and the editor shows a dashed box that says what to add.

## The journal's introduction

Under the journal's title, the store shows the excerpt of the page that lists your posts, the page chosen as **Posts page** in **Settings → Reading**. **Create the home page** on **Appearance → LanternWP** makes that page for you, called Journal.

1. Go to **Pages** and open the Journal page. If WordPress offers **Choose a pattern**, close it: the page shows your posts, not its own content.
2. In the page's settings, select **Add an excerpt…**, write a sentence or two about what you publish, and select **Save**.

In the Site Editor, the journal's template shows **Add an excerpt to the Journal page** (with your page's title) under the title while there is none. When your home page still shows your latest posts, there is no such page yet, and the box links to **Settings → Reading** instead.

## A post's lede

Under a post's title, the store shows the excerpt its author wrote, as the post's lede. A post without one shows no lede, so its opening lines are not repeated just above themselves.

1. Open the post in **Posts**.
2. In its settings, select **Add an excerpt…**, write the lede and select **Save**.

When the editor shows the post with its template, a post without an excerpt shows **No lede: this post has no excerpt.** where the lede would be.

## The product a post sells

A journal card can show the product a post sells beside it, in a **Shop the story** panel, as **Featured post and latest posts** on the home page does for your latest post. The card shows the first product of a **Product in a post** section in the post's text. With LanternWP Companion active you can choose another one:

1. Open the post in **Posts**.
2. In its settings, open **Shop the story**, search for the product under **Product** and choose it.
3. Select **Save**.

While none is chosen, the card shows that first product, and the panel names it; a post without either shows no product on its card.