# 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](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/guides/workspace/notifications) 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](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/guides/troubleshooting/reconnecting), 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](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/platforms).                                     |
| A message about your plan's **X allowance**                            | See [Plans and billing](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/guides/workspace/billing#limits).                                                          |
| 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](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/guides/collaboration/approvals).
- **Planned**: a planned post never publishes on its own. Schedule it. See
  [Planned posts](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/guides/scheduling/scheduling-and-publishing#plan).
- **Paused channel**: a channel your plan doesn't cover holds its posts. See [Manage channels](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/guides/channels/manage#paused-channels).
- **No plan or a failed payment**: publishing is paused until the workspace has an active plan.

## Still stuck?

[Contact support](https://orbitwrite.com/docs/guides/support) with a link to the post. We can see the network's full reply, which often says
more than the summary.