🔍 What Is This Error?

When ordering a press release through an OTTO project, you may see a validation error stating that no category is selected — even though a category appears to be chosen. This happens because the draft was saved before the Content Type field was fully completed. OTTO locks the required fields to that incomplete state, causing the error to persist on every subsequent order attempt.

📋 Why This Happens

OTTO press release drafts require the Content Type field to be confirmed before the draft is saved or submitted. If you navigated away, refreshed the page, or clicked save while the field was still loading or unselected, the draft records an empty Content Type value internally — even if the field visually appears populated when you return to it.

✅ How to Fix the Error

1. In the left sidebar, click OTTO SEO, then open SEO Automation to access your OTTO dashboard (/seo-automation-v3).
2. Locate the affected OTTO project and open it.
3. Find the press release task showing the validation error and click into it to open the draft.
4. Delete the existing draft. Do not attempt to re-save or resubmit it — the incomplete state cannot be corrected by editing the saved draft.
5. Create a new press release draft from within the same OTTO project.
6. On the new draft form, fill in the Content Type field first, before entering any other information. Wait for the field to fully register your selection (the field label should no longer appear highlighted or empty).
7. Complete all remaining required fields: topic, target URL, word count, and any additional options.
8. Review every field one final time to confirm nothing is blank.
9. Click Submit or Order only after all fields are confirmed — do not save as a draft again until the Content Type is locked in.

⚠️ Important Things to Avoid

• Do not refresh the page while filling out a new press release draft — this resets field selections.
• Do not navigate away from the draft form before all required fields are complete.
• Do not try to fix the original broken draft by re-selecting the category. The internal validation error is tied to the saved state and will not resolve without deleting and recreating the draft.

🧩 Still Seeing the Error After Recreating the Draft?

If the error persists after following the steps above, check the following:

• Confirm the Content Type dropdown shows a visible, non-placeholder selection (e.g., Press Release, not Select a type…).
• Ensure you are working inside the correct OTTO project — submitting from a different project context can cause field mismatches.
• Try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser to rule out a cached form state.

💬 Need More Help?

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.