Editing a content item: versions, accounts, scheduling and client review

Open an item from Content with Open editor → or its title. The page (/app/content/(item id)) shows the item's title and status (with Failed - needs a fix beside it when one of its posts failed, or Changes requested when a reviewer sent one back; then "Changes requested by (name)" and the reviewer's note show in amber right under the title), the actions for the whole item, AI generate versions, every version with its preview and its accounts, and the comments. Members without the Create task see the item, its previews and its accounts with "You can view content here. Creating and changing posts needs the Create task - ask a workspace admin." and none of the item buttons, AI generate versions, Edit, + Add account or Validate; Publish now and Retract from all N accounts also need the Publish task.

Actions for the whole item

• → In review (Draft items, only in a workspace without an approval chain) marks the item as in review for your team; nobody is notified. With an approval chain this button is not shown: use Check and send for approval on the account row, which notifies the approvers. → Draft (In review items) takes it back out of review: every account still waiting for approval returns to Draft and its open request is withdrawn. Approved, Scheduled and Published have no button: they follow the item's accounts. Archive puts the item away for good. It first asks "Archive this post?" and lists every account it stops, each as "scheduled for (date and time)", "about to go out", "waiting to retry after a failed attempt (the retry is cancelled)" or "waiting for approval (the request is withdrawn)"; press Archive and cancel 3 posts (Archive and cancel 1 post for one, Archive when nothing is pending) or Keep it. Those posts are cancelled in the same step (a scheduled one or one waiting to retry goes back to Approved with no time, one waiting for approval back to Draft), so nothing of this item goes out. They do not appear on the Calendar or on Today (not under "Approved, not scheduled" either), so Publishing today never counts them. Accounts where it is already published stay live ("N already published stay live. To take them down, use Retract from all first."). An archived item shows "This post is archived. Nothing in it can be scheduled or published; channels already published stay live." and cannot be moved back or edited; its accounts answer "This post is archived, so it cannot be validated, scheduled or published. Create a new post to share the same content again." If an account is being published at that moment, archiving is refused with "A channel of this post is being published right now. Wait for it to finish, then archive the post." After archiving, each of its accounts that had not gone out shows Archived instead of the status it was left in, and the page has no Promote button.
• Save as template — saves the item's title, the first version's text and hashtags and the list of platforms as a template, shown under Templates: on the Content page. Media is not included. The button turns into a spinner while it saves; then a message says "Saved as template "(name)"" with See templates, which opens the Content page at its templates. The template takes the item's title as its name, and a workspace cannot have two templates with the same name: if one exists, nothing is saved and the message says "A template named "(name)" already exists. Rename this post, or delete that template under Templates on the Content page first." (with See templates).
• Client review link (Draft and In review items only) — creates a link your client can open without an account, and copies it: "Review link copied: (link) (valid 14 days)". A Draft item moves to In review. If the browser does not let the page copy it, the line says "The link could not be copied. Select it and copy it yourself: (link) (valid 14 days)" instead - select the link and copy it. While the link waits, the top of the page says "A client review link was sent on (date and time) and works until (date). Waiting for the client's answer." Only people who may approve content see the button: Owners and Admins, and Editors whose role has Approve ticked under Content in Roles and permissions - the client's answer on the link counts as an approval, so an Editor without it cannot approve their own post this way.

• The client's page shows each version as it will look, under the name of the account it goes to (or your company name when it has none yet), with "This link works until (date)." and, for a version that has a time, "Planned to go out (day and time)". It is in the language of the client's browser when OmniBrand has it (add ?lang=ar to the link to choose Arabic). The client presses Approve or Request changes, with an optional note.
• The link works once. A second answer (from another tab, or a colleague of the client) is not recorded: the page says "This link was already used, so this answer was not recorded…" and shows the answer on file. An expired or wrong link says "Review unavailable" and "Ask the team that sent it to you for a new link."
• The person who made the link and the workspace's owners and admins are told: "The client approved a post" or "Client requested changes", with the post's title and the note. After an approval it also says what to do next: "Nothing is scheduled yet: schedule it or send it for approval on the post." (in a workspace with an approval chain: "Nothing is scheduled yet: send it for approval on the post."). The notification opens this post; their Client reviews switches under Notifications decide whether it comes in the bell, by email, or both.
• The answer shows at the top of this page for the whole team: "The client approved this post on (date and time)." or "The client asked for changes on (date and time).", with "Their note: …", and in Activity.
• A client's Approve schedules nothing and does not replace your approval chain: the item stays In review, and the page says what to do next ("Next: press Check and send for approval on a channel below. Once the last step approves it, it publishes at its planned time; with no time set, you schedule it or press Publish now then." or, in a workspace without a chain, "Next: schedule it or press Publish now on a channel below."). Once the post has been sent for approval, the line reads "The client's approval schedules nothing and does not replace your approval chain, which is deciding on it now." Request changes sends an In review item back to Draft ("It is back in Draft: change it, then send a new Client review link or send it for approval.").

• Retract from all N accounts (only when the post is live on at least one account) — asks "Retract this post from N accounts?" and lists them. Retract everywhere deletes it on each platform that allows deleting; Keep the post cancels. The result lists each account as deleted, already gone or could not be deleted; accounts without a delete option are named ("Still live on … - remove it there yourself."). The record and its metrics stay, and those accounts go back to Draft; once none is live, the item leaves Published as well (see Content item statuses).

AI generate versions

1. Type a Brief - what should this post say? If generating fails, the reason shows in red inside this box.
2. Pick the platform (the list holds, by name, the platforms of your connected accounts that posts can be published to).
3. Pick how many: 1 version to 5 versions.
4. Press Generate. New versions are added to the item. Needs AI access; see What the AI features need.

Editing a version

1. Press Edit on the version. If another version's editor is open with a change not saved yet, that change is saved first. If it still cannot be saved (or a teammate changed that version meanwhile), you are asked "Discard your unsaved change?": Discard change drops it and opens the version you picked, Keep editing keeps the first editor open with your text, so nothing typed is lost without asking. While that save runs (and while Save saves and closes an editor), the editor's caption and hashtags are read-only and its media thumbnails and Evergreen (eligible for automatic recycling) are grey for that moment, so nothing typed then is dropped.
2. Under the caption a counter shows "N / M characters" (caption plus hashtags against the platform's limit); over the limit it turns red: "N / M characters - (platform) accepts at most M. Shorten the text or the hashtags." Change the caption, the Hashtags (comma separated), the media under Attach media (N selected), and Evergreen (eligible for automatic recycling). In Attach media (N selected) the files already attached come first, highlighted, each with a × in its corner to remove it, however old they are; a file that was deleted from the Media library shows "File no longer in the library" with Remove. Click any other thumbnail to attach it (click a highlighted one to take it off). To find an older file, type in Search files by name ("No files match “(text)”." when none does), or press Load more under the thumbnails. The preview of a version shows its attached files too, older ones included.
3. Changes, including attaching or removing media, save by themselves 2 seconds after your last change (Unsaved changes… while it waits, then Saving…, then Saved ✓). Anything typed while a save is on its way keeps Unsaved changes… and is saved 2 seconds later; Saved ✓ shows only once everything in the box is stored. If you leave the page before that, the change is still sent as you go; closing or reloading the browser tab first asks whether to leave the site; the editor says "Changes save automatically. To undo them, press History and restore an earlier version." If a save fails you see Not saved with a Retry button beside it and, under the buttons, the reason in red; your text stays in the box, and closing or reloading the tab still asks first. While the editor shows Not saved (or Not saved: changed by someone else), leaving through a link in the app - the sidebar, ← Content at the top of the page or any other - also asks first: "Leave this page? What you typed here has not been saved and will be lost." Press OK to leave without it, or Cancel to stay and press Retry. Save saves and closes. Close saves a change not saved yet and closes; after a failed save it tries once more, and if that fails too it asks "Discard your unsaved change?" - Discard change closes without it, Keep editing keeps the editor open. The preview then shows the saved text. If someone saved the same version after you opened it, your save is refused rather than overwriting theirs, and the editor names them: Not saved: changed by (name) and "(name) changed this version at (time), after you opened it, so your change was not saved." If the newer save was your own, in another tab or on another device, it says Not saved: changed in another tab and "You changed this version in another tab or on another device at (time), after this editor opened it…". Show their version (or Show the saved version) opens the stored text, its hashtags and how many media files it has. Copy my text copies your caption and hashtags ("Text copied"). Load their version replaces your text with theirs; when you have typed text that is saved in neither version, it first asks "Replace your text with their version?" - press Load their version, or Keep editing and then Copy my text to keep a copy. Keep mine saves your text over theirs. If a teammate deleted the version while you were editing it, the editor says This version was deleted and "Someone deleted the (platform) version while you were editing it, so your text cannot be saved there. Copy it, or save it as a new (platform) version.", with Copy text and Save as a new (platform) version, which adds a new version with your text, hashtags and media ("Saved as a new (platform) version"). The version count at the top of the list is updated, your text stays in the box, and Close asks "Discard your unsaved change?" before dropping it.
4. History lists the last 50 earlier versions ("Revision history (latest 50)"). Each row is the text as it was just before someone changed it: the date and time of that change, "replaced by (name)" (the person whose change replaced it, not the person who wrote it; "replaced by a former member" when that person has left the workspace), and the part of the text where that version differs from the next one. Under it a grey line says what else differs from the next one: for example "2 more hashtags", "1 fewer hashtag", "different hashtags", "1 media file" or "no media" (what that version attaches), with "Same text; hashtags or media differ" when only those changed, and "Same text, hashtags and media" when nothing did. Press History again, or Hide history under the list, to close it. Autosaves do not each add a row: a row is kept with your first change after you press Edit (so the text as it was when you opened it can always be restored, even if you close and edit again a minute later), and then again once you have been editing for 10 minutes, when a teammate saves over the text, and when someone presses Restore. Changes you make within those 10 minutes are kept together, so only the text from when that stretch began can be restored, not the steps in between. Restore puts a version back - its text, hashtags and media; the text it replaces gets its own row. If you have a change not saved yet, it first asks "Restore this version?" ("Your unsaved change will be replaced by this version. If it can still be saved, it is kept in History first."): press Restore or Keep editing. If someone saved the version after you opened it, the restore is refused like a save (Not saved: changed by (name), see step 3), and the box says "Someone else changed this version after you opened it, so the older version was not restored. Load their version, then restore it again from Revision history if you still want it." with Load their version only: Keep mine is not offered, because it would save the editor's text, not the version you chose. If you had typed nothing, Copy my text is not offered either and Load their version loads their text straight away. After a restore the editor closes, a green message says "Restored the version from (date and time).", and the page moves to that version's card, whose preview shows the restored version.

Editing is refused while an account of this version is Scheduled, Queued, Publishing or Retrying: Edit is grey and the reason is under it. A scheduled one says "Scheduled, so it cannot be edited here. To change it, click it on the Calendar and press Unschedule, then edit it. An edit sends it back to Draft: check it again (and approve it, if your workspace uses approvals), then schedule it." with Open Calendar; the others say "This post is being published now or is waiting to retry, so it cannot be edited. Wait until it has published or failed, then edit it." Editing a version that is Awaiting approval, Approved or Failed sends that account back to Draft, so the new text is checked and approved again. See Post statuses. The preview of each version shows the name and picture of the account it goes to (its first account, or the one picked in the list), not "Your brand". Delete version, under Edit, removes that platform's version of the post: it asks "Delete the (platform) version?" and names the accounts whose unpublished posts go with it; press Delete version to delete it, then you see "(platform) version deleted". The other versions stay. It is grey, with the reason under it, while one of its posts is scheduled, going out, published or failed ("N of its posts are scheduled, going out, published or failed, so it cannot be deleted: that would delete their records and results. Unschedule a scheduled post on the Calendar first."). If the delete is refused after you confirm it (for example a teammate scheduled one of its posts in the meantime, or your role cannot delete), the reason shows in red on that version card, the version stays, and the card is refreshed so Delete version turns grey if a post is now scheduled. The item's title comes from the first line of the text when nobody typed one. When you change that first line, the title changes with it, so this page, Approvals, Records, the Calendar and every notification quote the new text. A title someone typed stays as it is.

Accounts

Under each version:

1. Pick the account in the list (platform · name). The list holds only the connected accounts on this version's platform that can publish and do not need reconnecting: an Instagram version lists Instagram accounts only, and WhatsApp and other messaging accounts are never listed. With none, the list is replaced by "No connected (platform) account can take this version. Connect or reconnect one on the Accounts page." and + Add account stays grey; connect or reconnect one on Accounts. An account already on this version (anything but Published or Failed) is left out of the list, because adding it again would publish the post twice; when every account is on it already, the list is replaced by "Already added: every connected (platform) account is on this version." For Pinterest, also pick the board in Pick a board…; for Reddit, type the subreddit (for example r/test). An account whose row on this version shows Needs a fix is left out too, and the page says "(account) already has a channel below that needs a fix. Fix the post and press Validate on that channel, or Remove it to add the account again."
2. Press + Add account. When the account picked is a YouTube channel, the YouTube video · (account) box shows first: Title (required, up to 100 characters), Description (up to 5,000) and Privacy status (Public, Unlisted or Private), filled in from this version's text, as on Create. A row appears with the status Draft. A YouTube row also shows Privacy status: with Public, Unlisted or Private and Title: with the video's title.
3. Press Validate (in a workspace with an approval chain the button reads Check and send for approval). The platform's rules are checked: the row becomes Awaiting approval (with a chain, the same press sends it for approval and you see "Sent for approval" with what happens next: "Approvers have been notified. Once it is approved, it publishes on (date and time).", "Approvers have been notified. Its planned time has passed, so it publishes as soon as the last step approves it." or, for a row with no time, "Approvers have been notified. No time is set: once it is approved, schedule it or press Publish now on this page."), or Needs a fix with the problems listed in red, in words (warnings on a row that passed stay amber). The problems stay listed under a Needs a fix row when you come back to the page later (a row with nothing on file says "Press Validate to see what needs fixing."). Such a row also has Remove, which takes this account off the post (see step 7).
4. Approve it:

• Workspace without an approval chain: press Approve (needs the Approve task). The row becomes Approved.
• Workspace with an approval chain: Check and send for approval sends it on in one press (needs the Create task). A row that passed its checks but was not sent yet reads Ready to send for approval, with Send for approval. The request goes to Approvals, the people who decide the first step are told, the item becomes In review, and the row shows "Waiting for "(step name)"". Approvers can press Approve here or on the Approvals page; the row becomes Approved after the last step. A member who cannot request approval sees "Waiting for someone who can create posts to request approval". When a reviewer presses Request changes, the row goes back to Draft and shows "Changes requested by (name): (their note)" in amber until the post is sent for approval again; you get "Changes requested", which opens this page. The row keeps its time in view: "planned for (date and time)", or, once that time has passed, "Its planned time ((date and time)) has passed: once it is approved, it publishes straight away." Fix the text, then press Check and send for approval.

5. Press Publish now, or pick a date and time in Schedule for and press Schedule. Publish now first asks "Publish on (platform) now?" and names the account ("This post goes out on (platform) as (account) right away. Once it is published, it cannot be scheduled for later."); press Publish now to send it or Cancel. The date and time are in your browser's time zone, named next to the field ("Times in (time zone)."). Schedule stays grey until the field holds a whole date and time that is still ahead. After Schedule, a message says "Scheduled" and "(account) publishes it on (date and time).", and the item's status at the top changes to Scheduled. suggested: offers up to three times from your engagement history (or industry defaults when there is not enough history); click one to fill the field. Each time is the next time that weekday and hour comes round in the workspace time zone (Settings, Workspace, Timezone), where your history is counted, and is shown on your browser's clock, for example Tue 16:00. When your browser is in another time zone, the workspace's time follows in brackets, for example Tue 16:00 (Tue 17:00 in Europe/Paris); the field is filled with your browser's time, so the post goes out at the workspace's hour. If the row's account was disconnected (its access was revoked or expired), Publish now, Schedule for and suggested: are replaced by "(account) needs reconnecting before this post can go out on it." and Reconnect (account), which opens Accounts. Reconnect it there, then come back. Members who cannot manage the workspace's settings (by default everyone except Owners and Admins) see "Ask a workspace admin to reconnect (account)." in place of Reconnect (account). A row that is already Scheduled, waiting for approval or waiting to retry on such an account shows the same line, because it will fail at its time until the account is reconnected. A Scheduled row says when, for example "for Tue, Oct 13 09:00" (day, date and time on your browser's clock, no seconds); when your browser is in another time zone, the workspace's time follows in brackets, for example "(Tue, Oct 13, 12:00 in Europe/Paris)".
6. When the row is Published: View post opens it on the platform, Collect metrics fetches impressions, likes and comments now (shown to the Owner, Admin and Editor roles; everyone else sees the numbers once they are collected). Under every row, First comment shows that account's first comment when the post has one, and where it stands: "First comment posted." with View comment, or "First comment not posted: (reason)" with Post comment now; before publishing, Add a first comment or Edit first comment (see First comment).

7. When the row is Failed (the platform refused it, or every attempt failed), the row says why in one sentence, with the next step where there is one (for example Go to Accounts when the account must be reconnected, or Plan & usage when a plan limit was reached); Details shows the platform's own message. Go to Accounts shows only to members who can reconnect accounts (Owners and Admins by default), and members who cannot press Retry are told to ask an Owner or Admin instead. Then:

• Retry (Owners and Admins with the Publish task) sends it again; a message says "Retrying" and "(platform) will try this post again now." On a disconnected account the row shows Reconnect (account) instead.
• Remove (members with the Create task) asks "Remove (platform) from this post?" and deletes this account's copy of the post; press Remove or Keep it. The other accounts of the post are not affected. These are the same as Retry and Remove on Records.

The account rows refresh every 3 seconds while a row is Checking or Publishing ("working…"). If a button on a row fails, the reason shows in red under that row (under the account list for + Add account, under the item buttons for those).

Comments and activity

At the bottom, Comments lets the team discuss the item; type @ to mention a teammate. The list after @ names each teammate's role; it leaves out you and inbox-only Agents, who cannot open posts. A name typed after @ but not picked from the list notifies nobody, and the page says "To notify someone, pick their name from the list that opens after @."

Activity lists the post's story, newest first: who created it ("created this item"), sent it for approval ("sent the (platform) post for approval", or "...for approval again" after changes), approved a step ("approved "(step)" for the (platform) post") or requested changes ("requested changes to the (platform) post: (note)"), scheduled it or changed its time, and when it went live ("The (platform) post went live"). The client review link and the client's answer are there too ("sent a client review link", "The client approved the post" or "The client asked for changes: (note)"). A schedule set off by the last approval step names nobody: "The (platform) post was scheduled when the last step approved it" (the time is the one the author chose). Each line ends with its day, date and time, as elsewhere in the app (for example "Wed, Oct 14 11:45 AM").

If something goes wrong

• "That post isn't here" — deleted, or it belongs to another workspace; open it from the Content list.
• "Connect a social account first", "Pick a Pinterest board first", "Enter a subreddit first" — complete that field before + Add account.
• "This version is written for (platform), but (account) is a (platform) account…" or "(account) is a messaging channel, so posts cannot be published to it…" — a post goes only to an account on the version's own platform. Pick one of those, or add a version for the other platform first.
• "Scheduled, so it cannot be edited here. To change it, click it on the Calendar and press Unschedule, then edit it. An edit sends it back to Draft: check it again (and approve it, if your workspace uses approvals), then schedule it." (or "This post is being published now or is waiting to retry, so it cannot be edited…") — see Post statuses for how to change it. "This account is already on this version of the post, so it would publish twice. Use the row that is already there." — that account already has a row on this version.
• "This workspace has an approval chain, so this post needs an approval request before anyone can approve it. Press Check and send for approval on the post (or Schedule & request approval on Create) first…" — press Check and send for approval (or Send for approval) on the row; approvers then decide it.
• "Check this post first (Validate). Approval can be requested once it has passed its checks." — press Check and send for approval.
• "The step "(name)" is decided by reviewers, admins and owners. Your role cannot decide it." — ask a reviewer or an admin to approve it.
• "Cannot request client review while the item is (status)" — review links are only for Draft and In review items.

Good to know

• The date and time you type next to Schedule on this page are read in your browser's time zone, the same as in Create and the Calendar.
• Whoever creates a review link receives the client's answer.

Related

• Post statuses
• Content
• Approvals
• Scheduling and the calendar