How to Use Mydrop's Pre-publish Validation to Prevent Failed Posts

By the end of this short tutorial you will have run Mydrop's Pre-publish Validation from Calendar > New post and seen a validation report that lists any critical failures to fix so the post is ready to schedule.

Before you start

Checklist

1. Confirm target profile is connected

   • Open Profiles and verify the social profile you intend to publish from is listed and active.
   • If the profile is missing, connect or reactivate it before scheduling.

2. Gather final media and thumbnails

   • Collect the final image, video, or Reel file(s).
   • Prepare a thumbnail image if the platform requires one.

3. Prepare caption and confirmations

   • Write the final caption and include required tags, links, and hashtags.
   • If the post uses branded content or licensed music, have the necessary confirmations or statements ready.

4. Note boards, categories, offers, and events

   • Confirm the board or category where the post will appear.
   • Prepare any offer or event details that must be attached to the post.

5. Check platform format rules

   • Know the allowed file formats, maximum file sizes, and maximum durations for the target platform.
   • If unsure, keep a copy of your media and be ready to re-export with the correct specs.

6. Confirm scheduling details

   • Choose the target date and time and confirm the correct timezone.
   • Decide visibility (public, page-only, or SELF_ONLY) and make sure it matches the campaign requirement.

Quick setup tasks

• Open Calendar, then choose New post and pick an existing draft or start a new item. The Pre-publish Validation step is available before final Schedule.
• Make sure you can access the media file from the device you are using to schedule the post.
• Have brand account owners or approvers on standby if the validation requires a branded content sign-off or music usage confirmation.

Why each item matters

• Profile connection: Validation checks that a connected profile exists; an unconnected profile causes scheduling to fail.
• Media and thumbnail: Missing or invalid media triggers format, size, or thumbnail errors in validation.
• Caption and confirmations: Some platforms require explicit branded content or music confirmations; missing these blocks publication.
• Boards and categories: Posts tied to a board or category may be rejected if that metadata is missing.
• Scheduling details: Date/time and visibility errors are common causes of failed publishes; validation catches these early.

What you should see before proceeding

• The target profile listed in Profiles and selected in the New post workflow.
• Final media files available for upload in the New post composer.
• Caption text entered and any required confirmations noted.
• Date, time, timezone, board/category, and visibility set in the New post controls.

Once these items are complete, proceed to the New post composer in Calendar and run Pre-publish Validation. It will check profile selection, caption and media requirements, scheduling, media format/size/duration, thumbnails, boards/categories/offers/events, and any required branded content or music confirmations. Fix any critical failures the validator shows, then re-run the check until all required checks are green.

Run Mydrop's Pre-publish Validation from Calendar > New post to detect profile, media, caption, scheduling, and platform-specific issues before scheduling so the post is ready to publish.

Step 1: Open the feature

1. Open Calendar in the left-hand menu and click New post.
2. Choose an existing draft or select Create new post if you are starting fresh.
3. On the New post screen, locate the Pre-publish Validation control before the final scheduling area. The control appears as a step you can run prior to clicking Schedule.
4. If the post view shows profile selection, caption, media attachments, date/time, and visibility controls, the page is ready for validation.
5. Confirm you can see the profile selector and scheduling fields on the same screen. This ensures the validation will check the correct profile and scheduled time.
6. If the interface shows a compact summary (profile, date/time, visibility), expand that summary so the validation can inspect caption, media, thumbnails, and board/category entries.

What you should see after opening:

• The New post editor with profile, caption, media, date/time, visibility, and board/category inputs visible.
• A visible Pre-publish Validation action near the scheduling controls (run or validate before schedule).
• Any inline prompts for branded content or music confirmations (for example, Branded Content Policy or Music Usage Confirmation) when applicable.

Step 2: Set up the basics

1. Select the target profile
   • Click the profile selector and choose the profile that will publish the post.
   • Verify the correct brand or connected account is shown. Choosing the wrong profile is the most common cause of failed posts.
2. Enter the caption
   • Paste or type the final caption into the caption field.
   • Include any required tags, mentions, or links the platform requires.
   • If a platform has visibility text (for example a message that the post will be public or SELF_ONLY), verify the visibility setting matches your intent.
3. Set date and time
   • Open the scheduling controls and pick the publication date and time.
   • Make sure the local time zone is correct and that the date is not in the past.
   • If posting to multiple platforms, choose a time that fits all platform windows.
4. Choose visibility and boards/categories
   • Select visibility (public, private, or SELF_ONLY / Self Only where applicable).
   • Pick a board or category if your workflow requires one. Confirm you have not left board/category blank when required.
5. Quick checklist before adding media
   • Profile displayed equals intended account.
   • Caption is final and includes required confirmations.
   • Scheduled date/time is in the future and uses the correct timezone.
   • Visibility and board/category are set.

What to expect while setting up:

• Inline warnings if visibility or profile selection conflicts with the scheduled platform behavior.
• Prompts to confirm branded content or music usage when those inputs are relevant (for example, a Branded Content Policy prompt or Music Usage Confirmation).
• A clear scheduling button that remains disabled until required fields are complete or validation is run.

Why these steps matter:

• Validation checks profile, caption, date/time, visibility, and category. Ensuring these basics are correct prevents the most frequent scheduling failures.
• Correct visibility and profile selection avoid posts being published to the wrong account or in the wrong audience mode.

Next action after setup:

• Attach media and thumbnails, add any offers or events, complete branded content or music confirmations, and then run Pre-publish Validation before scheduling.

Step 3: Add the content or settings

Outcome: attach final media, thumbnails, offers/events, and confirmations so validation can check platform rules.

1. Attach media

   • Click Attach media or Upload and choose the final video, image, or carousel files.
   • Confirm each file uploaded fully (progress completes and thumbnail preview appears).
   • Quick media checklist:
     • File format matches the target platform (MP4, JPG, PNG, etc.).
     • File size is under the platform limit.
     • Video duration is within allowed maximums.
   • If a preview or thumbnail does not show, reupload the file before continuing.

2. Upload or choose a thumbnail

   • If the post type requires a thumbnail, click Upload thumbnail or Select cover.
   • Verify the thumbnail displays in the preview and is not blurred or cropped in an unacceptable way.
   • Missing or invalid thumbnails are commonly flagged as critical by validation.

3. Add captions and metadata

   • Paste or type the final caption into the caption field.
   • Add hashtags, mentions, and required text for offers or events.
   • Confirm visibility is set correctly. If you see a message like "🌍 You are sharing to a public page. Anyone on or off Facebook can view this Reel," verify that public visibility is intentional. Avoid leaving visibility set to SELF_ONLY when a public post is required.

4. Select board, category, offers, or event

   • Choose the board or category from the board/category menu.
   • Add any offer or event details required by the platform.
   • Ensure required fields for offers or events are filled (dates, links, pricing) so validation can pass those checks.

5. Complete branded content and music confirmations

   • If the post includes branded content, click the Branded Content confirmation and acknowledge policy prompts.
   • If music is used, confirm Music Usage Confirmation where prompted.
   • Validation will flag missing confirmations as critical failures, so complete them now.

6. Final local check before validation

   • Review the preview pane: media, caption, thumbnail, board/category, offers/events, and visibility.
   • Save the draft or changes if the interface shows a Save button.
   • Note any UI warnings displayed (format, size, or duration). Fix them before running validation.

Step 4: Review the workflow

Outcome: run Pre-publish Validation, interpret the report, fix issues, and confirm the post is ready to schedule.

1. Run validation

   • Locate and click Run Pre-publish Validation from the New post screen before clicking Schedule.
   • Wait for the validation summary to appear; it lists checks grouped by type (profile, media, caption, scheduling, thumbnails, boards/categories, offers/events, branded content, music).

2. Read the validation report

   • Look for critical failures first. These are items that prevent scheduling.
   • Common critical failures shown include: no profile selected, unsupported media format, file too large, missing thumbnail, missing branded content confirmation, missing music confirmation, scheduling outside allowed dates, and missing board/category.
   • Non-critical warnings may appear (suggested adjustments). They do not block scheduling but may affect how the post appears.

3. Fix failures step by step

   • For profile errors: reopen Profiles and connect or reselect the correct profile, then return to New post.
   • For media errors: reformat, compress, or reupload the file; then reattach.
   • For thumbnail errors: upload a new thumbnail that meets the size/ratio requirements.
   • For confirmations: open the Branded Content/ Music prompts and accept the required confirmations.
   • For scheduling issues: adjust date/time to a valid slot or change timezone settings if needed.
   • After each fix, save changes if required.

4. Re-run validation until green

   • Click Run Pre-publish Validation again after fixes.
   • Continue until all critical checks are cleared. The report will show green checks or a clear "ready" state for each required item when successful.

5. Verification checks before scheduling

   • All required checks show green or Readiness status.
   • Preview matches intent: correct media, caption, thumbnail, board/category, and visibility.
   • Any branded content or music confirmations are recorded in the post UI.
   • No remaining critical failures in the validation summary.

6. Final steps

   • Click Schedule only after validation reports all critical checks as passing.
   • Optionally add a Calendar Reminder for the publish time if you want a manual follow-up.

If validation still fails after repeated fixes, review each error message precisely and correct the specific field the report points to. Once validation is fully green, the post is ready to schedule and should publish reliably.

Troubleshooting and next steps

The validation report lists critical failures to fix so the post is ready to schedule. Use the checklist below to resolve common failures, then re-run validation until all critical checks are green.

Quick checklist

1. Confirm the target profile is connected in Profiles and the correct profile is selected in New post.
2. Verify media format, file size, and duration match the platform rules.
3. Add a thumbnail if the platform requires one.
4. Complete Branded Content Policy and Music Usage Confirmation prompts when shown.
5. Set the correct date, time, visibility, board, and category.

Step-by-step fixes

1. Profile not connected or wrong profile selected

   • Open Profiles, confirm the account shows as connected.
   • In Calendar > New post, reselect the correct profile.
   • Expected result: validation shows profile selected and removes the profile-related error.

2. Missing or invalid thumbnail

   • Click Upload thumbnail or Add thumbnail in the post editor.
   • Choose an image that meets the platform size and format guidance.
   • Expected result: thumbnail warning clears on re-run.

3. Unsupported media format, too large, or excessive duration

   • Click Attach media and replace the file with a supported format (image, video, carousel).
   • If the file is too large, compress or export at a lower bitrate/size.
   • If duration is too long, trim the video or upload a shorter cut.
   • Expected result: media errors disappear and media preview shows properly.

4. Caption or platform-specific input missing

   • Edit the caption to meet platform limits (length, tags, required fields).
   • Fill in any required fields shown by validation (boards, categories, offer or event details).
   • Expected result: caption or input warnings clear.

5. Branded content or music confirmations

   • When the validation asks for a confirmation, click the provided Branded Content Policy or Music Usage Confirmation prompt and confirm the required option.
   • If a message appears like "🌍 You are sharing to a public page. Anyone on or off Facebook can view this Reel," verify visibility is set according to your policy.
   • Expected result: confirmation-related warnings are removed.

6. Scheduling outside allowed date/time

   • Open the date and time picker and choose a valid future publish time.
   • If the date is too far in the past or conflicts with platform rules, pick a different slot.
   • Expected result: scheduling errors clear.

7. Board, category, offer, or event missing

   • Select the appropriate board or category in the post editor.
   • Add any offer or event details required by the campaign.
   • Expected result: board/category and offer/event checks pass.

If validation still fails after fixes

1. Re-run validation to capture the latest status.
2. Save a copy of the validation report (screenshot or export if available).
3. Re-check the exact messages in the report and address the next highest-priority item.
4. If an error persists and is unclear, open Profiles to confirm the connected account permissions and re-authorize the profile if needed.
5. Contact Mydrop support with the validation report, the post draft name, and the profile used. Include a screenshot of the error and the post settings.

Next steps after all checks pass

1. Click Schedule or Schedule post in the editor to commit the scheduled publish.
2. Optionally add a Calendar reminder for filming, caption review, or asset handoff.
3. If the same post goes to multiple profiles, duplicate the draft, select the other profile, run validation again, and schedule when green.
4. Monitor the post in Calendar to confirm the scheduled state and make last-minute edits if necessary.

Verification checks

1. Re-run Pre-publish Validation and confirm every critical item shows green.
2. The editor shows no blocking errors and the Schedule button is enabled.
3. If a visibility message appears (for example SELF_ONLY), confirm it matches the intended audience before scheduling.

Conclusion

After applying fixes and re-running validation until all critical checks pass, the post will be ready to schedule with reduced risk of publish failures. Schedule the post, add an optional reminder, and duplicate the process for any additional profiles to keep publishing reliable.