How to exclude latest post from filtered list (just like the Raycast blog)

Jul 07, 2025 by Farhan Munim

When building a blog layout in WordPress with Bricks Builder, you might want to show the latest post as a featured post and then list all other posts below it. The challenge is excluding the most recent post from the second query while keeping filters and pagination intact. This guide shows the simplest way to…

Step 1: Query for the latest post (optional)

The first query is straightforward.
In Bricks Builder:

Add a Query Loop for posts.
Set:
- Posts per page: 1
- Order by: Date
- Order: Descending

This ensures only the latest post is fetched.

Step 2: Query for all other posts

For the second query (e.g., the grid or list of posts), you need to exclude the first post. Using offset = 1 is a common solution but can cause issues with category filters and pagination. A better approach is dynamically excluding the ID of the latest post.

Enable Query Editor (PHP) for your second query in Bricks and use:

$latest_post_id = get_posts([
    'posts_per_page' => 1,
    'orderby'        => 'date',
    'order'          => 'DESC',
    'fields'         => 'ids'
])[0];

return [
    'post__not_in'   => [$latest_post_id],
    'posts_per_page' => 10,
    'orderby'        => 'date',
    'order'          => 'DESC',
];

How it works:

get_posts() fetches the ID of the latest post.
post__not_in ensures this post is excluded from the second query.

It should look something like this:

Why not use offset?

offset removes the first post regardless of filters or categories, meaning your category filters may also exclude the top post of that category.
post__not_in is dynamic and works reliably with pagination and filters.

Conclusion

By using two queries—one fetching just the latest post, and one excluding that post—you can create reliable and flexible layouts without breaking pagination or filters.

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