When a post fails
Why a network refuses a post, what Orbitwrite does about it, and how to get it out.
Most problems are caught before a post is scheduled: the composer lists them under Issues, and a post with issues can't be scheduled until they're fixed. A failure at publish time means the network refused something it couldn't be told about in advance, or something changed in the meantime.
What happens when a post fails
- The post comes back to Draft with the network's reason on it, so nothing is lost.
- If it was going to several channels and only some failed, the ones that published stay published, and the failed ones are split into their own draft.
- You're notified in the app and by email (if Publishing failed is on under Settings → Notifications), and in Slack or Discord if you've routed failures there.
Open the post, fix what the reason says, and publish or reschedule it.
Common reasons
| The reason says | What to do |
|---|---|
| …stopped accepting this account's sign-in | The channel needs reconnecting. See Reconnecting channels, then reschedule. |
| …is limiting how often we can post right now | The network's rate limit. Wait a little, then reschedule. |
| …refused the post because the account is missing a permission | Reconnect the channel, approving every permission the network asks for. |
| …wasn't responding when we tried to publish | The network was down or slow. Try again in a few minutes. |
| …couldn't process the attached media | Try again, or replace the file. Check the network's media limits. |
| A message about your plan's X allowance | See Plans and billing. |
| A network's own message, such as Instagram allows up to 5 hashtags | Change the post to fit, then publish again. |
Network-specific causes
- TikTok and Instagram refuse video under 23 frames per second. Re-export screen recordings at 24 or 30 fps.
- Instagram needs a Business or Creator account, at least one image or video, and images between 4:5 and 1.91:1.
- X refuses a post identical to one you've posted recently.
- Pinterest needs a board on every Pin.
- YouTube needs a video.
- LinkedIn pages need you to still be an admin of the page.
Posts that didn't fail but didn't go out
- Waiting on approval: a post with a blocking approval publishes only once it's approved. If its time passed while the review was open, it's back in drafts to re-time. See Approvals.
- Planned: a planned post never publishes on its own. Schedule it. See Planned posts.
- Paused channel: a channel your plan doesn't cover holds its posts. See Manage channels.
- No plan or a failed payment: publishing is paused until the workspace has an active plan.
Still stuck?
Contact support with a link to the post. We can see the network's full reply, which often says more than the summary.