Step 3 of 3 in Level 3: Post it
If a post didn't go out: failed, needs checking, send again
What Failed and Needs checking mean on a Studio post, how to check the account, and how to send it again only to the accounts that missed it.
Short answer
When a post does not go out in Blackbox (blackbox.plus), its status reads Failed or Needs checking in Studio's Library and Calendar. Open the post and go to step 3, Post. Failed means nothing was posted: the page shows the reason, such as a read-only Instagram connection, a video that is not H.264 or slides not drawn yet. Fix it, then press Publish or Schedule again. If some accounts got the post and others did not, click Send again to the ones that failed; only the accounts that missed it can be picked, so nothing goes up twice. Needs checking means Blackbox lost contact with the platform partway through and cannot tell whether the post is live, so there is no send button. Open the account and look, then click It's there — mark it published, or It's not there — back to drafts. Either choice changes only what Blackbox records, never the post itself.
Before you start
A post that went wrong
Its status reads Failed or Needs checking in the Library and on the Calendar.
Access to the account
The Instagram or TikTok app, to look at what actually went out.
What to do in Blackbox if a post didn't go out
- 01
Find it
In Studio, open the Library tab. A chip above the list says how many need a look; filter by Status to show Failed or Needs checking. The Calendar shows them at the time they were due. Click the post to open it.
- 02
If it failed
Step 3, Post, says This didn’t go out, with the reason. Nothing was posted. Sort out what it mentions — reconnect the account, draw the missing slides, trim the video — then press Publish or Schedule again.
- 03
If some accounts got it and some did not
The page says which accounts did not get it and that the others are live. Click Send again to the ones that failed, then Send again. Only the accounts that missed it are ticked; the ones that already have it cannot be picked, so nothing goes up twice.
- 04
If it needs checking
Needs checking means Blackbox lost contact with the platform partway through, so it does not know whether the post went out. There is no send button, because posting again could put it up twice. Click Open on the account and look.
- 05
Tell Blackbox what you found
Click It’s there — mark it published, or It’s not there — back to drafts. Either one only changes what Blackbox records, never the post itself. Back in drafts, you can publish or schedule it again.
Good to know
- Common reasons a post fails: the Instagram connection is read-only, a TikTok visibility the account does not allow, a video that is not H.264, slides not drawn yet, or a picture Instagram will not take (outside 4:5 to 1.91:1).
- Send again is not offered while any account is still posting or needs checking.
- The reason is in the platform’s words where it gave one — if it does not make sense, send it to us.
Questions people ask
- If the Instagram account shows as read-only
- Reconnect it. Open Data, reconnect Instagram, and leave posting allowed when Facebook asks. Everything you have set up stays, and your reporting keeps working the whole time.
- Why is there no send button on Needs checking?
- Because the post may already be live. Sending again without looking could put it up twice, so Blackbox asks you to check the account first.
- Will Mark published change anything on Instagram or TikTok?
- No. It only tells Blackbox what happened, so the Library, Calendar and results show the right thing.
- Can I send it again to an account that already has it?
- No — on purpose. Accounts that already have the post cannot be ticked when sending again.
- It says the scheduled time must be at least 2 minutes out
- A scheduled time has to be at least 2 minutes from now and within 180 days. Pick a later time, or press Publish to send it now.
Stuck at any step? Send us a message and we'll do it with you on a call. All of Level 3: Post it