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How to Create and Publish PDP Stories

Learn how to create, set up, publish, and troubleshoot PDP Stories on Tolstoy’s new platform for Shopify product pages.

Written by Earl Sarsuelo

Introduction

PDP Stories lets you add tappable story thumbnails to product detail pages. Shoppers can click a story to open a video player overlay and watch product-related content without leaving the PDP.

This helps merchants show UGC, product demos, reviews, styling ideas, tutorials, and AI-generated content directly where shoppers are making purchase decisions.

You can create, configure, and preview PDP Stories in Tolstoy. Publishing the widget to your live store requires a paid Shoppable Videos plan.

How to Set Up

  1. From the Tolstoy new platform, go to Widgets.

  2. Open Templates.
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  3. Select PDP Stories.

  4. Click the Use Template text button.
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  5. In the widget workspace, open the Tolstoy Media panel.

  6. Choose the media that should appear on product pages:

    • Tag videos/images with the relevant products.

    • Use product or tag filters to control which stories appear.

    • Pin important media if you want it to appear first.

  7. Click Sync media to save the selected media, filters, sort order, and pins to the widget.

  8. Preview the widget on a product page and confirm the right media appears.
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How to Publish

  1. In the PDP Stories workspace, click Publish.

  2. If prompted, upgrade to a paid plan.

  3. Once published, open the publish dropdown and copy the embed code.
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  4. In Shopify, open your theme editor.

  5. Go to the product page template where you want PDP Stories to appear.

  6. Add a Tolstoy Builder block.

  7. Paste the embed code into the Widget Code field.
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  8. Click Save.

  9. Open a live product page and confirm the PDP Stories row appears.

If your store uses multiple product templates, add the Tolstoy Builder block to each template where PDP Stories should appear.

Best Practices

  • Use product-specific videos whenever possible.

  • Tag every media asset with the correct product.

  • Keep the first few stories strong, since they are the most visible.

  • Use short videos that quickly show the product, benefit, or use case.

  • Place PDP Stories near the product media, product title, or buy section.

  • Check both desktop and mobile after publishing.

  • Review story impressions, story opens, and open rate to understand performance.

Troubleshooting / FAQs

Why is Tolstoy asking me to upgrade before publishing?
Publishing PDP Stories requires a paid Shoppable Videos plan.

The widget is published, but I do not see it on my product page.
Make sure the Tolstoy Builder block was added to the correct product page template and that the Shopify theme was saved.

The widget appears on some products but not others.
PDP Stories shows media based on product context. Make sure the media is tagged to the product or matches the product tags.

I updated the media, but the live widget did not change.
Click Sync media first, then click Publish update.

Why are no stories showing?
There may be no media matching the current product. Add or tag relevant media, sync the media settings, and publish again.

How do I remove PDP Stories?
Pause the widget in Tolstoy, or remove the Tolstoy Builder block from your Shopify product page template.

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