Posting Errors Explained
IN THIS ARTICLE
We've inventoried our most frequent error messages in this article: why they happen and how to fix them.
If you can't find the error you're getting listed here, or you're having issues fixing it, please get in touch with us via email at success@socialbee.com.
Troubleshoot why your post didn't publish
If you notice that a scheduled post didn't show up on your social profile, it means there was an error and the post failed to publish.
You'll be able to view any failed posts in the View Your Next Posts tab → Failed posts.
✉️ To stay updated when this happens, enable email notifications for Email me when an item fails to post from Settings → Notifications → Email me when an item fails to post.
To find out why your post failed, go to 'Failed posts' and check the label specified for that post.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ Sometimes, posts that don't show up on your profile might be waiting for you to publish them through the mobile app. Look for this label as an indicator.
Check out this article to learn how to post using the SocialBee mobile app.
The authorization has expired
Affected profile(s): All connected profiles
What it means: This error means that we've lost connection to your profile and require you to reconnect it to SocialBee.
Most social platforms require you to reauthorize every few months to make sure that you're still using them to post to your profile.
How to fix it: When this happens, your account becomes "locked" in SocialBee and you're required to reconnect it:
- Go to your "Social Profiles" tab.
- Click the "Reconnect" button next to the affected profile.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ In order to reconnect a profile, you must be logged into that account and/ or an administrator of that page.
Pending or no error message, just a "Failed" red label
Affected profile(s): Facebook Personal Profiles, Instagram Personal and Creator Profiles
What it means: This can be caused by several reasons, but primarily because something went wrong while sharing content via Reminders
How to fix it: Make sure you have the companion mobile app installed, notifications enabled, and that you share content from the app.
📝 Learn how to set up the companion mobile app and enable notifications from this article.
Affected profile(s): Instagram Business Profiles
What it means: This can mean that your post does not qualify for direct posting
How to fix it: Make sure that your post fits the posting limitations for Instagram Business profiles
Take a look at this article about media files and how they are posted through SocialBee. 📝
You don't have any mobile device registered to your user so a notification could not be sent
Affected profile(s): All connected profiles
What it means: One or more profiles selected for this post don't support direct posting, and mobile reminders haven't been set up for them.
How to fix it:
- Set up posting via mobile reminders by following the steps in this article.
- Then, go to Next Posts → Failed Posts, find the post you wanted to share, and click on "Retry now" to publish it.
Pending (User Access is Restricted)
Affected profile(s): Facebook Pages, Instagram Business and Creator Profiles
What it means: This message comes directly from Facebook and it means that your account has been restricted by Meta.
How to fix it:
- Facebook usually notifies you if your account is suspended. So, start by checking your inbox for an email from them.
- In the email, they’ll explain if you can appeal the suspension and provide steps to follow. Follow the instruction in their email.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ This error is related to your account. If no posts can be published using SocialBee, it's likely you cannot share content natively either.
Your message couldn't be sent because it includes content that other people on Facebook have reported as abusive
Affected profile(s): Facebook Pages and Personal Profiles
What it means: This message comes directly from Facebook. That's because the post's contents have been reported as abusive or inappropriate.
How to fix it:
- Get in touch with Facebook and request a manual review.
- Make sure your content is compliant with the Facebook Community Standards.
- Wait it out. This could be a temporary ban.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ This error is related to your content. If no posts can be published using SocialBee, it's likely you cannot share content natively either.
[Domain] Your Content couldn't be shared, because this link goes against our Community Standards
Affected profile(s): Facebook Pages and Personal Profiles
What it means: This message comes directly from Facebook. That's because the post's contents have been reported as abusive or inappropriate.
How to fix it:
- Get in touch with Facebook and request a manual review.
- Make sure your content is compliant with the Facebook Community Standards.
- Wait it out. This could be a temporary ban.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ This error is related to your link or domain. If no posts can be published using SocialBee, it's likely you cannot share these links natively either.
403 Forbidden { "code" : 403, "message" : "Creating/Updating a local post is not authorized for this location.", "status" : "PERMISSION_DENIED" }
Affected profile(s): Google Business Profile
What it means: The email you used to connect this profile doesn't have permission to post to that location.
How to fix it: Check that the email you're using to connect the profile has posting privileges, then reconnect the profile.
Could Not Upload Image
Affected profile(s): All connected profiles
What it means: This means that the image you are trying to upload is either corrupted or in a format that we don't currently accept
How to fix it:
- Make sure your image is in accordance with our maximum file size and in an accepted format.
- Also, make sure your file is not corrupted.
Something is broken at Twitter. Please see https://developer.twitter.com/en/support to report the issue
Affected profile: X (Twitter)
What it means: X is having issues either with their API or platform-wide
How to fix it: Wait it out. X's technical team will have to fix this issue before posting continues
To protect our users from spam and other malicious activity, this account is temporarily locked. Please log in to https://twitter.com to unlock your account
Affected profile: X (Twitter)
What it means: X (Twitter) has detected some suspicious activity from your account. This could either be because you've suddenly changed your posting patterns or because users have reported it
How to fix it: This is a temporary ban on your account. Log into your X (Twitter) profile, then come back into SocialBee and reconnect it.
Insufficient permission for this operation
| Affected profile(s) | What it means | How to fix it |
| Facebook Pages | SocialBee does not have sufficient permissions to publish on your behalf. | Please follow the instructions in this help article. |
| Instagram Business Profile | SocialBee does not have sufficient permissions to publish on your behalf. | Make sure you are an administrator of the Facebook Page connected to this profile. |
Error consuming Twitter REST API
Affected profile: X (Twitter)
What it means: Something went wrong with X's API
How to fix it: Wait a few minutes and retry
code=1, name=InvalidMedia, message=file is invalid}
Affected profile(s): X (Twitter)
What it means: The file you are sharing is corrupted
How to fix it: Change the media file and retry
Please provide either cover_image_url or cover_image_content_type and cover_image_data
Affected profile(s): Pinterest
What it means: The video you are sharing doesn't have a thumbnail
How to fix it: Add a thumbnail to your Pinterest video
Learn how to add thumbnails to your videos from this help article. 📝
Awkwaaaard.Sorry, this access token has been suspended. Please contact support
| Affected profile(s) | What it means | How to fix it |
| Profile posting via Buffer | Your profile needs reconnecting on Buffer's end. Access was revoked SocialBee access to your Buffer account. |
Go into your Buffer account and reconnect your profile there. Then, return to SocialBee and Reconnect your profile. |
Awkwaaaard.You've filled the queue for your [NameOfYourAccount] Instagram account, nice work! Upgrading to any paid plan will unlock more space. See Paid Plans
| Affected profile(s) | What it means | How to fix it |
| Profile posting via Buffer | You've filled up your limited number of posts in your Queue on Buffer. If you're only using Buffer to post through SocialBee, it could mean that some of your posts have failed to post in Buffer. |
In your Buffer account, make sure to empty your queue by deleting all the pending or failed posts you can see in your account. |
Errors in Post Editor
The following errors may appear in Post Editor while creating or trying to save a post. They’re flagged in three ways:
- A red warning sign at the bottom of the editor box
- A red text box explaining the error
- A red warning sign next to the 'Save post' button at the bottom of the page
👉 General Errors 👉
These errors can appear regardless of the social media profiles you've selected.
At least one social profile must be selected
What it means: This message appears at the bottom of your Post Editor when you haven't selected any profiles for your content to be shared on.
How to fix it: Select the profiles you want to share your content on.
Uncategorized posts must either be shared now or scheduled at a specific time, unless you're saving a draft
What it means: This message appears at the bottom of your Post Editor to indicate that you haven't selected a category for your post.
How to fix it: Select the category you want to include your content in.
Alternatively, leave the post assigned to "Content without a category" and make sure to add a posting time.
A post must have either text or images or a link being posted
What it means: You cannot publish an empty post. This message lets you know that you need to include content in your post before you can add it.
How to fix it: Adding some text, an image, a video or a link will solve this issue. Some profiles, like Instagram, Pinterest, or Google Business Profile don't allow a link preview post, so you'll have to add an image to make it work.
Please check the text length as currently it's too large
What it means: The length of your text is too large for the profiles you've selected. Each profile has a different maximum character limit.
How to fix it: To work around this, shorten the text to fit each profile's character limit.
Keep in mind that you can also customize your post for each profile if you want to share a shorter text on X, but a more detailed one on Facebook, for example.
Each social profile has its own character limits for post text. To see the character limits for each network in SocialBee, check out this table. 📝
Please select a maximum of 10 images or 1 video or 1 GIF
The error message you see might change based on each platform's limits for media files. For instance, LinkedIn allows up to 20 images, while Facebook only accepts 10. Take a look at the media file limits for each platform here. 📝
Affected profile(s): All connected profiles
What it means: You might see this message for a couple of reasons:
- You’ve uploaded mixed media types, such as images and videos.
- You've exceeded the media file limit for the selected social profile.
How to fix it:
- Make sure to select only one media type for your post.
- Only upload the number of media files each platform allows.
Here is a breakdown of media files and limitations in SocialBee. 📝
Alternatively, you can create multiple variations of the post, with each one using a different media type.
The date you selected (date and time) is in the past for the account [@youraccount]
What it means: When scheduling a post for a specific time, the timezone that's set for the selected profiles is the one that's taken into consideration. By this logic, if the time or date you selected has already passed for that timezone, you won't be able to post.
How to fix it: Make sure your post is scheduled for a time that hasn't passed in the timezone that's selected.
You can see and edit the selected timezone for each profile from your Social Profiles tab. Read more about it here. 📝
The number of scheduled posts must be equal or greater to the number of published times.
What it means: You cannot add more specific posting times than the number of times the post is published before it expires.
How to fix it: Make sure that you set your post to expire after the same number of times (or more) it gets posted at a specific time.
Could not store image
What it means: There might be an issue with our servers.
How to fix it: Reach out to us at success@socialbee.com to flag the problem — our team will look into it. Then, try saving the post again a bit later.
iFrame is not allowed for your mentioned URL, please try adding a URL which allows the iFrame
This error usually appears in a category that has short linking settings activated.
What it means: When a URL gets shortened, it's usually done through an iFrame. Some websites (1-3% of the most popular websites, according to Replug) deactivate this option, preventing the link from being shortened.
How to fix it: Unfortunately, you won't be able to shorten that link from SocialBee, so we suggest using it as it is.
Replug suggests creating a "Campaign with the URL Shortener or Retargeting Pixel. That way, your links will be shortened regardless of the website allows the iframe embed". You would have to do this outside of SocialBee and use the final shortened version of your link in a post, making sure the category you add the post to doesn't have any other short linking settings.
👉 Instagram-Specific Errors 👉
These errors are specific to Instagram Profiles.
Instagram posts require an image or a video
What it means: Instagram does not allow posts to publish if they are only text or if they have a Link Post.
How to fix it: Add an image to your post so that you are able to post it to Instagram as well.
Instagram posts can have at most 30 hashtags
What it means: Instagram limits the number of hashtags a post can include. Right now, the maximum number of hashtags allowed is 30. If you're getting this error, it means you have more than 30 hashtags.
How to fix it: Since you have too many hashtags in your post, reducing their number will solve this problem.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ If you have 2 or more hashtags written without space (e.g., #socialmediamanager#socialmediastrategist), SocialBee will count it as 1 hashtag, but Instagram will count it as 2 hashtags.
You currently can't upload a video to Instagram via Buffer. We suggest connecting your Instagram profile in SocialBee
What it means: Our Buffer integration doesn't support video sharing.
How to fix it: To schedule videos to your Instagram profile, you need to switch to our SocialBee Mobile App. This way, you'll be able to send videos to your Instagram profile, via reminders on your phone.
👉 Pinterest-Specific Error 👉
These errors are specific to Pinterest Profiles.
Pinterest pins require to be pinned to a board
What it means: You cannot publish to Pinterest without selecting a board for your post.
How to fix it: You can fix this by clicking on "Search a board" on the upper-right corner of the text box.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ Only your public Pinterest boards are visible for selection in SocialBee.
Pinterest posts require an image or a video
What it means: Pinterest is a visual platform, so you won't be able to publish to Pinterest unless you add a visual to your post.
How to fix it: Add an image or video to your pin.
Pinterest recommends having at most 20 hashtags
What it means: Pinterest limits the number of hashtags a post can include. Right now, the maximum number of hashtags allowed is 20. If you're getting this error, it means you have more than 20 hashtags.
How to fix it: Reducing the number of hashtags will solve this problem.
Pinterest posts require caption
What it means: In order for you to post to Pinterest, your visual needs to be accompanied by a caption.
How to fix it: Add some text to your post. This will also make it more personal, as well as allowing you to post it through SocialBee.
👉 LinkedIn-Specific Errors 👉
These errors are specific to LinkedIn Profiles.
Linkedin posts must also have text besides images
What it means: In order for you to post to LinkedIn, your media file needs to be accompanied by a caption.
How to fix it: Add some text to your post. This will also make it more personal, as well as allowing you to post it through SocialBee.
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ Although you can't post an image without text, the reverse is not mandatory. So, if needed, you can create text posts that don't have a media file attached or have a link preview instead.
👉 X (Twitter) Specific Errors 👉
These errors are specific to Twitter Profiles.
Twitter videos must not play for more than 2:20 minutes
What it means: Twitter only allows you to upload videos that are at most 2:20 minutes in length. If your video is larger, you will get this error when trying to post.
How to fix it: Make sure your video doesn't exceed this limit. If it does, shorten or replace your video.
You can read more about the maximum file sizes on SocialBee to make sure you meet all the file requirements. 📝
👉 Google Business Profile Errors 👉
Google Business Profile is missing the source URL
What it means: When choosing a CTA for your Google Business Profile post, in order to post you also need to specify a source URL for your Call To Action.
How to fix it: If you want to include a CTA to your post, adding a link (like your website) to the source URL will fix this issue.
If you don't want to include a CTA, choose from the CTA type menu "Leave link in text".
⚠️ NOTE ⚠️ The "Call" CTA doesn't require you to add your phone number, as it is by default, the number you have on your location page.