Connecting Your Channels

Overview

A connection is a social account your workspace can target — a LinkedIn Page, an Instagram Business profile, an X account, and so on. The Connections tab is where you register and review these channels. Posts target networks by their platform key, and connections give each network a real account label and handle so your team knows exactly which account a post will reach.

Add a connection

1. Open the Connections tab.
2. Click New connection.
3. When prompted, enter the Platform key — for example linkedin, instagram, x, facebook, tiktok, youtube, or threads.
4. Enter an Account label — a friendly name such as Acme LinkedIn.
5. Enter an Account handle (optional) — for example @acme.
6. Confirm. The new channel appears as a card showing its status, network, handle, and last-sync time.

Tip: If you type twitter as the platform key, StretchSocial normalizes it to x automatically — the two refer to the same network. Platform keys are lower-cased and trimmed, so LinkedIn and linkedin are treated the same.

Read connection status

Each connection card shows two related signals:

• Connection status / auth status chip — Connected/Active (green, ready to target), Pending (amber, registered but not ready), or Disconnected/Failed (red, needs attention).
• Last sync — when the connection was last refreshed.

A red chip means posts targeting that network won't be deliverable until the connection is fixed, so scan for red before a big launch.

The supported-network registry

StretchSocial maintains a registry of eleven supported networks and their capabilities. Beyond the seven networks you can pick in the composer, the registry also covers Pinterest, Google Business Profile, Snapchat, and Bluesky. For each network the registry records details such as:

• Whether posting, media upload, and video are supported (for example, Snapchat is currently not marked posting-supported; Google Business Profile and Threads don't support video).
• Whether Reels/Shorts are supported (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube).
• Whether a business account is required (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Business Profile).
• Whether app review is required and which OAuth scopes the network needs.
• The account type needed — for example, an Instagram Business or Creator account connected to Meta assets.

This registry powers the platform list, character limits, and capability hints you see when composing. See Supported networks and capabilities for the full reference table.

Multiple accounts and multiple brands

You can register more than one connection for the same network — for instance two LinkedIn Pages for two brands. Each connection is a separate card with its own label, handle, and status, so you can target the right account per campaign. This is the foundation of agency multi-client work; see The agency multi-client workflow.

Concrete example

You manage two brands and want both LinkedIn pages available:

1. New connection → platform key linkedin, label Brand A LinkedIn, handle @brand-a.
2. New connection → platform key linkedin, label Brand B LinkedIn, handle @brand-b.
3. Both cards now appear under Connections, each with its own status and last-sync time, and you can target the right one per campaign.

Tips

• Use clear, brand-prefixed labels (Brand A LinkedIn) so reviewers never confuse accounts.
• A connection registers a channel for planning; enabling live delivery to that network is a separate, administrator-controlled step (see Understanding governed publishing).
• Check Last sync if a connection behaves unexpectedly — a stale sync can indicate the channel needs re-authorizing.

Troubleshooting

• "platform_key and account_label are required." Both fields are mandatory. Re-open New connection and supply a platform key and a label.
• A connection shows Disconnected. Posts can't reach that network until it's fixed. Re-add or refresh the connection and confirm with your administrator that live authentication for that network is enabled.
• The account I need isn't in the platform list. Only the eleven registry networks are supported; check Supported networks and capabilities to confirm the key.