A pre-publication checklist for a social post

Use this checklist on the final text, image and destination. Mark an item pass, hold, or not applicable, and add a short reason when you hold it. A hold means someone still needs to resolve a specific issue before publishing.

This is an editorial check, not a guarantee that a post will perform or a substitute for any specialist review the subject requires.

Check what the reader will believe

• The main claim has a source I can identify and check.
• Numbers include the unit, time period and conditions needed to understand them.
• The wording does not turn a possibility into a promise or a limited feature into a universal one.
• Any quoted person, customer result or personal experience is real and appropriate to publish.
• Illustrative examples are clearly identified rather than presented as observed results.

If the source is “the draft said so,” hold the claim. Find the evidence or remove it.

Check what the reader can do

• The post gives the intended reader something useful: an explanation, action, example or decision.
• Unfamiliar terms are explained where needed.
• A reader can understand the point without private context from our team.
• The next step matches the post and is available to the people addressed.
• Eligibility, release stage and other important limits are near the relevant claim.

Read only the opening and any image headline. Would they create a misleading impression if someone never reached the final paragraph? If so, fix the opening rather than relying on a qualification at the end.

Check the actual assets

• The image shows current behavior or is clearly described as illustrative.
• Demonstration data replaces private information in screenshots.
• Important text is legible at the size people will see it.
• The image and written post do not contradict each other.
• Essential visual information has a readable explanation or appropriate alternative text where supported.

Open the link from the finished draft. Confirm that it reaches the intended page, preserves the necessary tracking labels, and does not depend on your logged-in session when the audience should have public access.

Check the publishing decision

• The destination account is correct.
• The selected format is supported by that account and publishing method.
• The scheduled date and time zone are intentional.
• The topic is still appropriate given recent changes or events.
• The necessary reviewer has checked this version, including edits after an earlier approval.
• Someone knows who will handle questions or corrections after publication.

A worked hold

Suppose a fictional draft says, “Everyone can now export project reports,” and the release note says exports are available to Team workspace owners.

Mark the claim hold: the audience and role are too broad. Change the sentence to match the release note, then check the screenshot and link for the same mismatch. A copy edit alone does not finish the review if the image still says “Available to everyone.”

You can record the final decision in one line:

Hold: confirm export eligibility. Owner: product reviewer. Recheck text, image and help link after correction.

After the correction, record which version passed. Keep the checklist with the post's working notes so another person can see what was checked, rather than repeating the whole review from memory.