# Connect social accounts

> Connect Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube to Mark from Channels, what each platform asks of you, what each card's status means, and the publishing rules for each channel.

Source: https://docs.use-mark.com/docs/connect-social-accounts

Connect your social accounts on the **Channels** page so Mark can schedule
and publish posts there once they're approved. Open it from the sidebar:
**Content** > **Channels**.

The page has four groups: **Social**, **Website**, **Email**, and **Ads**.
Each channel gets a card with its connection status and its publishing
rules.

## Connect a social account

**Social** has a card for each of the seven channels Mark publishes to:
Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube. They all
connect the same way.

1. In **Social**, find the channel's card and select **Connect**.
2. Sign in to the platform and authorize Mark. You leave Mark for this step.
3. The platform sends you back to **Channels**, which says the channel is
   connected, like "Instagram is connected."

The connected card shows the account, like `@verdella`. If authorization
doesn't finish, the card stays **Not connected** and **Channels** shows an
error:

* If it's something you can fix, like a declined permission or a missing
  Facebook Page, the error says what to do. Fix it, then select **Connect**
  again.
* If the problem is on our side, it says "Error finishing that connection. We're looking into it!" You don't
  need to report it. Try again later.

To switch accounts or repair a connection, select **Reconnect** on a
connected card. It runs the same authorization again.

## What each platform asks of you

* **Instagram.** Only a Business or Creator account connects. Switch the
  account type in Instagram first if it's a personal account.
* **X.** Sign in to the account Mark should post from.
* **Facebook.** You must be an admin or editor of the Facebook Page, and
  you pick the Page while signing in. Mark posts to that Page.
* **LinkedIn.** Choose your own profile or a company page you administer.
* **TikTok.** Video posts go out as public.
* **Pinterest.** You pick the board pins go to while signing in. To change
  the board, select **Reconnect** and pick another one. You need at least one
  board in Pinterest before you connect.
* **YouTube.** Pick the Google account or Brand Account that owns the
  channel. If a Brand Account owns it, pick the Brand Account, not your
  personal account, and approve every permission Google asks for.

On Instagram and TikTok, switching to a different account replaces the
connected one and stops analytics updates for the old account's posts. The
card says so.

## What each card's status means

* **An account, like `@verdella`.** The account is connected and Mark can
  publish to it after approval.
* **Not connected**, with a **Connect** button. Select **Connect** to
  connect the account.
* **Connecting is not set up in this environment.** This copy of Mark can't
  connect social accounts. Ask Life With Data.

## Set publishing rules

Open **Publishing rules** on a channel card to set how posts on that channel
get approved and how often they go out. Select **Save** after a change. Each
channel has its own rules.

* **Active**: whether Mark writes for this channel.
* **Approval policy**: **Required** sends every post to a reviewer before it
  can be scheduled. **Auto** approves a post the moment it's ready, as long
  as it has no claim flags, so no reviewer sees it first.
* **Approver role**: which role should approve posts on this channel,
  **Member** or **Approver**. It's a note for your team and for Mark. It
  doesn't limit who can approve.
* **ICP fit**: whether this channel reaches your ideal customer,
  **Confirmed** or **Uncertain**.
* **Notes**: anything Mark should keep in mind for this channel.

Social cards also have a **Bio destination**, the page your profile link
points to. Once it's set, the card shows a **Profile short URL** to paste
into the profile.

For why review comes first and who approves, see
[Review and approval](/docs/concepts/review-and-approval).

## Website rules

The **Website** card covers the blog posts, FAQs, landing pages, and
competitor pages Mark writes for your sites. Open **Rules by content type**
to set the same rules for each content type separately. Select **Manage
websites** to go to **Websites**, where you add and manage the sites
themselves.

## Other connections

Channels only connects social accounts. Google, Drive, and other services
connect under **Settings** > **Connections**.