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📰 Authority Building — PR Distribution

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Camilo Aponte

Camilo Aponte

Last updated on Sep 30, 2026

This article covers:

  • press release submission
  • distribution workflow errors
  • company profile configuration
  • AI-generated PR content
  • outlet reporting
  • distribution credits
  • and post-submission limitations.

Authority Building distribution workflows involve:

  • validation systems
  • asynchronous distribution queues
  • external publisher synchronization
  • and outlet-specific formatting pipelines.

Because multiple systems participate in the distribution process, delays or validation failures may occur before a press release reaches publication status.

⚠️ Error 1: "Submit for Distribution" button is greyed out

What's happening

The distribution system requires all mandatory fields before submission becomes available.

Even one incomplete or invalid field prevents activation of the submission button.

Steps to try

  1. Open the press release editor in a supported browser (Chrome is recommended) and review all sections carefully.

  2. Confirm all required fields are completed:

    • Headline
    • Body
    • Summary
    • Company Name
    • Publish Date
    • Publish Time.

  3. Ensure the press release body meets the editor's minimum word count (confirm the current minimum against the in-app validation message).

  4. Confirm the summary is within the editor's word cap (confirm the current cap against the in-app validation message).

  5. Check for validation warnings highlighted in red.

  6. Verify the distribution date is not in the past.

  7. Remove unsupported special characters from fields if validation still fails.

  8. Save the draft and refresh the page.

  9. Contact support if the submission button remains disabled despite all fields being completed.

Important Notes

  • Hidden validation errors are often caused by formatting issues such as unsupported characters, stray HTML, or trailing whitespace.
  • Saving the draft usually refreshes validation states.

⚠️ Error 2: Press release submitted but status stays on "Processing" for more than 2 hours

What's happening

The backend distribution system may have encountered:

  • silent validation failures
  • queue delays
  • or incomplete company profile data.

The press release remains in a pending state until validation succeeds.

Steps to try

  1. Go to:
    Left Sidebar → Authority Building → PR Distribution → [your PR] → Status

  2. Refresh the status page after several minutes.

  3. Click Retry Distribution if available.

  4. Review your company profile completely.

  5. Ensure all required company fields are populated:

    • company name
    • address
    • phone
    • website
    • country code.

  6. Verify the summary is within the editor's word cap.

  7. Confirm there are no placeholder values left in the PR.

  8. Avoid duplicate submissions while processing is active.

  9. Wait several additional queue cycles during high-traffic periods.

  10. Contact support if processing remains active longer than 2 hours.

Important Notes

  • Backend validation failures are not always surfaced immediately.
  • Retry Distribution often clears transient queue issues.

⚠️ Error 3: Distribution report shows 0 outlets after 24 hours

What's happening

A press release may have been submitted successfully but never actually distributed.

"Submitted" status does not always mean:

  • distributed
  • published
  • or syndicated.

Steps to try

  1. Open the distribution status page.

  2. Verify the status shows:

    • Distributed
    • Published
    • or Completed.

  3. If the status only says Submitted, the PR likely never entered the distribution network.

  4. Refresh the distribution report after several hours.

  5. Confirm your company profile passed validation.

  6. Check whether the PR was rejected silently.

  7. Retry the distribution if available.

  8. Avoid editing the PR repeatedly while distribution is pending.

  9. Contact support for manual push verification.

  10. Request a distribution audit if no outlets appear after 24 hours.

Important Notes

  • Outlet reports populate asynchronously.
  • Initial reports may appear incomplete during the first several hours.

⚠️ Error 4: PR generated by AI has content I did not approve

What's happening

AI-generated PR content quality depends heavily on:

  • prompt specificity
  • company profile quality
  • and contextual business information.

Vague inputs produce:

  • generic
  • inaccurate
  • or off-brand content.

Steps to try

  1. Always review AI-generated content before submission.

  2. Edit any inaccurate sections manually.

  3. Use Regenerate Section instead of regenerating the entire PR.

  4. Add more detailed:

    • product information
    • announcement details
    • audience context
    • and brand positioning.

  5. Avoid short prompts like:
    "write a press release."

  6. Include:

    • what happened
    • why it matters
    • who it affects
    • and business context.

  7. Update your Brand Vault information for better personalization.

  8. Generate shorter sections first if results are inconsistent.

  9. Save revisions before distribution.

  10. Treat AI-generated PRs as first drafts, not final publications.

Important Notes

  • More context produces dramatically better output quality.
  • Human review should always occur before distribution.

⚠️ Error 5: My company profile is not appearing in the distribution form dropdown

What's happening

Only fully saved company profiles appear in the PR distribution selector.

Incomplete profiles may fail silently.

Steps to try

  1. Go to:
    Local → GBP Projects (GBP Projects)
  2. Click Connect GBP Account if no profile exists.
  3. Complete all required fields.
  4. Save the profile completely.
  5. Refresh the distribution form and reopen the company profile dropdown.
  6. Wait several seconds for the list to refresh.
  7. Confirm validation passed on every required field.
  8. Contact support if the profile still does not appear after saving.

Important Notes

  • Only fully validated company profiles surface in the selector.
  • Incomplete profiles may not display validation errors immediately.

⚠️ Error 6: Press release stuck in "Pending" or "Publishing" status

What's happening

A known visual glitch (referenced internally as AB-1006, marked resolved) can display a press release as "Pending" or "Publishing" even when the PR has actually been rejected by one or more distributors.

In confirmed-rejection cases, HDC credits are refundable.

Steps to try

  1. Open the PR distribution status page and confirm the displayed status.
  2. Allow 5–7 business days from submission for a publication link to appear.
  3. If no publication link appears within 5–7 business days, contact support and reference the "stuck in Pending/Publishing" behavior (AB-1006).
  4. Ask support to verify backend status — the PR may have been rejected by distributors even though the UI still shows it as publishing.
  5. If rejection is confirmed, request a credit refund.
  6. Avoid resubmitting the same PR while the status is still under investigation.

Important Notes

  • AB-1006 is a known and resolved issue; edge cases may still require backend intervention by support.
  • HDC credits are refundable on confirmed rejection. Approximate credit cost per PR by tier: Street Insider 35, Digital Journal 30, News & Media 20, Local & National 15.
  • Do not wait several weeks before escalating — 5–7 business days with no publication link is the recommended threshold.

⚠️ Error 7: Distribution fails due to a temporary API outage or proxy authentication error (407)

What's happening

Transient backend failures can block distribution, including:

  • temporary API downtime
  • proxy authentication errors (e.g. 407 Auth failed)
  • and image-fetching failures from Brand Vault or Google Cloud Storage.

These are server-side issues and are typically resolved without any customer action.

Steps to try

  1. Wait several minutes and retry submission once.
  2. Check whether assets in Brand Vault load correctly in a separate tab.
  3. Avoid repeatedly resubmitting while an outage is active — duplicate attempts will not bypass the failure.
  4. Contact support if the error persists, and include the exact error text (for example, the 407 message or the failed image URL).

Important Notes

  • These errors are usually resolved server-side; no customer action is required beyond a short wait and a single retry.
  • Persistent failures should be reported to support rather than retried indefinitely.

⚠️ Error 8: Logo or image upload fails with a "fetching image size" error

What's happening

Logo or image uploads can fail during PR submission with errors such as "fetching image size."

When the error persists after resizing, reformatting, and trying a different browser, the root cause is usually a temporary backend or image-service outage — not a problem with the file itself.

Steps to try

  1. Confirm the image meets the documented format and size requirements (e.g. JPG or PNG, within the allowed dimensions).
  2. Re-upload the image once.
  3. Try uploading from a different supported browser.
  4. If the error persists after these steps, stop retrying and contact support — repeated uploads will not resolve a backend outage.
  5. Share the exact error text and the asset filename with support to speed up investigation.

Important Notes

  • Persistent image errors are usually a sign of a temporary API outage rather than a user-side issue.
  • Once the file is confirmed to meet requirements, escalate to support instead of continuing to retry.

⚠️ Error 9: My press release was rejected by an outlet — what happens to my credits and notifications?

What's happening

When a distributor rejects a press release, the in-app status does not always visually update.

A rejected PR can continue to display as "Pending" or "Publishing," which makes silent rejections difficult to identify from the UI alone.

Steps to try

  1. Wait 5–7 business days from submission for a publication link to appear.
  2. If no link appears in that window, contact support and ask them to verify rejection status via the backend.
  3. If support confirms a rejection, request a refund of the HDC credits consumed by the rejected distribution.
  4. Review the rejection reason (when provided) before resubmitting, so the next draft can be adjusted accordingly.

Important Notes

  • HDC credits are refundable on confirmed rejection. Approximate credit cost per PR by tier: Street Insider 35, Digital Journal 30, News & Media 20, Local & National 15.
  • A "Publishing" status alone is not proof of acceptance — backend verification by support is the reliable signal.
  • Escalate after 5–7 business days without a publication link rather than waiting several weeks.