# Create a Success Story

This article walks through the steps to create a new success story in PEARS. A success story captures a detailed narrative about the impact of your programming, along with supporting evidence and linked records.

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**TIP:** The red asterisk **\*** next to the heading of a field indicates that the field is required. Required fields must be completed before you can save the record.
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#### Navigate to Success Stories

From the PEARS homepage, hover over the **Reflect** menu in the top navigation bar and click **Success Stories**.
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#### Click Add Success Story

On the Success Stories list page, click the **Add Success Story** button to open the success story form.
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#### Enter a Title

![Screenshot: The top of the success story creation form showing the Title, Reporting Periods, and Program Areas fields](/files/VOarMXUCGrSyn6oYcHn9)

In the **Title** field, enter a descriptive title for this success story.

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**TIP:** Choose a title that clearly conveys the impact or theme of the story, such as the program name, outcome, or community served.
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#### Select Reporting Periods

In the **Reporting Periods** field, select the reporting period(s) that apply to this success story.
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#### Select Program Areas

In the **Program Areas** field, select the program area(s) that apply to this success story. At least one program area is required.

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**NOTE:** The program areas you select determine whether additional data sections, such as SNAP-Ed data, will be required later in the workflow.
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#### Select a Site (optional)

In the **Site** field, select the site or organization related to this success story. Start typing to search for an available site.
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#### Select a Unit

In the **Unit** field, select the extension unit associated with this success story.
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#### Link a Program Activity (optional)

In the **Program Activity** field, select a program activity to link to this success story. Linking a program activity associates the story with a specific direct education record.
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#### Link Action Plan(s) (optional)

In the **Action Plan(s)** field, select one or more action plans to link to this success story. Linking action plans connects the story to broader planning efforts.
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#### Add Keywords (optional)

In the **Keywords** field, select one or more keywords to tag this success story. The available keywords are filtered based on your organization.

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**TIP:** Keywords help categorize and search for success stories across your organization. Use consistent keywords to make stories easier to find later.
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#### Add Uploads (optional)

In the **Uploads** section, attach any relevant files, photos, or documents that support the success story.

If you attach uploads, the **Has Photo Releases** field appears. Select the appropriate option:

* **Not Applicable** — No photos of individuals are included.
* **Yes** — Photo releases have been obtained for all individuals pictured.
* **No** — Photo releases have not been obtained.

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**NOTE:** The **Has Photo Releases** field is required when uploads are present. Ensure you have proper photo releases before uploading images that include identifiable individuals.
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#### Add Comments (optional)

In the **Comments** field, enter any additional notes or context about this success story.
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#### Save and Continue

Click the **Save and Continue** button at the bottom of the form. PEARS saves the success story and takes you to the next step in the workflow: the [Collaborators](/reflect/success-stories/collaborators.md) page.

To save without continuing, click the **Save** button instead.
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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://support.pears.io/reflect/success-stories/create-a-success-story.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
