In this Article:
As a creator participating in a Later campaign, it helps to understand how your content deliverables connect to campaigns and how their performance data is gathered. Some post types are tracked automatically through a process called content binding, while others have to be manually self-reported. This article covers how content binding works, what you need in place for it, when to self-report, and how to troubleshoot a post that isn't being tracked.
What You Need for Posts to Bind Automatically
For an Instagram post to pull into your campaign automatically, four things need to be in place:
- A business or creator profile: Your Instagram account must be a business or creator profile, not a personal one. This also means it can't be private
- A profile connected to Later: Your Instagram account is added to Later and the connection is active
- The correct binding hashtag: Your post uses the exact campaign hashtag, covered in Use the Binding Hashtag below
- A live post published before the due date: The post is a supported type and goes out before the campaign's due date, if one is set
YouTube
For a YouTube Video or Short to pull into your campaign automatically:
- You must be accepted into the campaign and must not have been dropped
- Your YouTube channel must be authenticated in Later
- The video description must include the campaign’s exact YouTube Binding Hashtag. A hashtag included only in the video title won’t trigger automatic binding
- The video must be published on or after the campaign start date
For complete creator-facing instructions, see Post YouTube Videos and Shorts for Campaigns in Later Social.
What Is Content Binding?
Content binding is how some posts are collected and displayed in Later automatically when your social profiles are connected and authenticated. It lets the brand you're working with see your content along with its performance data, such as likes, comments, shares, and views. If a post type can't be bound automatically, you self-report it instead.
What Content Can Be Tracked Automatically
The table below shows which post types support automatic content binding.
Tracked automatically
- Instagram Posts
- Instagram Reels
- Instagram Stories
- Pinterest Posts
- TikTok Posts*
- YouTube Shorts & Videos
Not tracked automatically
- Facebook Posts
- LinkedIn Posts
- Snapchat Stories
- Twitch Streams
- High-resolution Images & Videos
- Blog Posts
- Product Reviews
*TikTok posts only bind when published through a unique link or linked to the campaign retroactively. See Publish TikTok Content For Campaigns.
Instagram and Pinterest posts that follow the guidelines below are tracked in the Live Deliverables section of your campaign manager, usually within 24 hours. Later checks for eligible YouTube Shorts and Videos every two hours.
Ensure Content Binds Automatically
Once your draft is approved, or if the brand hasn't enabled draft review, you're ready to publish. Follow these guidelines so your content connects to your campaign.
Connect Your Social Profile
Your social profile must be connected to Later, and the connection has to stay active for the whole campaign, including when the post goes live.
You're prompted to connect any required accounts during the application, and you can check your connection status anytime in your Later settings. If a connection expires before you post, refresh it before publishing. Content from a profile with an expired connection can't be tracked. For steps, see Refresh a Social Profile.
Use the Binding Hashtag
Always include the campaign's exact binding hashtag in your post. The brand provides it, and you can also find it in your campaign details:
- From the left sidebar, select Creator Home
- Select Manage Campaigns
- Select Open Campaign next to the relevant campaign
- At the top of the campaign details, find the hashtags listed under Required Hashtags
For YouTube Videos and Shorts, add the exact YouTube Binding Hashtag to the video description. A hashtag included only in the video title won’t trigger automatic binding. If you add the hashtag to the description after publishing, Later can detect eligible content during a later collection check. Allow up to two hours for the video to appear.
Post Before the Due Date
Publish before the campaign's due date, if one is set, so your metrics can be collected automatically.
Confirm It's a Supported Post Type
Not every post type binds automatically. Check the list above. If yours isn't supported, self-report it instead.
One Campaign Per Post
A post can only be bound to one campaign. If it's already bound elsewhere, it won't pull into a new one.
Check Live Deliverables
After publishing a supported post that follows these guidelines, check the Live Deliverables section of your campaign manager. Eligible YouTube content is checked every two hours. Other supported posts usually appear within 24 hours. If your content has not appeared after the applicable collection window, self-report it instead.
Information Collected Through Content Binding
- Image and video files: Later captures your media at the same resolution it appears on the social platform. For higher-quality files, you may be asked to self-report the originals. See Self-Report Campaign Content Manually
- Performance data: Metrics such as likes, comments, shares, views, and impressions, which vary by platform and content type
Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Is Content Bound?
Later checks continuously for new content from participating creators. Eligible YouTube Videos and Shorts are checked every two hours. Other supported content usually binds within a few hours, though some posts can take up to 24 hours to appear.
Performance data continues to update for different periods depending on the post type:
- Instagram Post: 1 week
- Instagram Reel: 1 week
- Instagram Story: 1 day, since Stories expire after 24 hours
- Pinterest Post: 90 days
- TikTok Post: 3 weeks
- YouTube Video or Short: Available metrics refresh daily while YouTube tracking is active for the campaign
Do Metrics Include Organic and Paid Performance?
It depends on the platform's API. For Instagram, only organic metrics are available. For TikTok, both organic and paid metrics are provided. YouTube provides total, organic, and paid metrics for views, unique viewers, watch time, likes, comments, and shares. YouTube totals represent blended organic and paid performance.
In Later Influence, the Content tab displays organic YouTube metrics, while Dashboard, Performance, and Reports include organic and paid rollups.
How Is My Engagement Rate Calculated?
Later uses two methods. For search-based reports, such as when a brand sees your profile in marketplace search, engagement rate is based on engagements relative to your follower count on recent posts. When you connect your profile for a campaign, Later reports engagement rate as engagements divided by impressions, which is more accurate.
I Forgot My Required Hashtag or Misspelled It
For Instagram feed posts and Reels, edit the post to add or correct the hashtag. For an Instagram Story, you'll need to delete it and repost with the correct hashtag written as text, since Stories can't be edited.
For a YouTube Video or Short, edit the video description and add the exact YouTube Binding Hashtag. A hashtag included only in the video title won’t trigger automatic binding. Later can detect eligible content during a later collection check. Allow up to two hours for the video to appear.
My Post Published, but My Instagram Connection Has Expired
Log in to Later and refresh your Instagram connection. The post should pull in within 24 hours and does not need to be reposted. For steps, see Refresh a Social Profile.
Do I Need to Self-Report My Content?
You'll need to self-report if the content type can't be tracked automatically, or if your published content has not bound after the applicable collection window—for example, because of a connection issue, a network outage, or the wrong binding hashtag. A brand may also request it. Self-reporting means uploading your content and entering its metrics in Later. See Self-Report Campaign Content Manually.
My Post Isn't Pulling Into Later. Why Isn't It Binding?
The most common causes are that the post is already bound to another campaign, or something is wrong with Later's connection to the platform you posted to. Try these steps:
- Confirm you used the campaign's exact binding hashtag
- Check your social profile connection status in your Later settings
- If the connection is expired, refresh it so binding can resume
- For Instagram, try resetting your connection so Later has the needed permissions
- Allow the applicable collection time: up to two hours for eligible YouTube content and up to 24 hours for other supported post types
If it still won't bind, self-report the content and its metrics instead.