Cookely – How to Make a Sticky/Featured Post

To feature a post and display it first in the list with recent posts, just mark it as Sticky by checking the option Stick this post to the front page when you edit a post.

In WordPress 5.0 this option is located in the Document section:

If you want to show just the most recent Sticky post at the top, use this plugin.

Please note that the sticky posts will appear just like other posts if you use the Full-width layout on the homepage, by hiding the Sidebar.