Summary: This guide is for content creators, internal communicators, and compliance managers who need to share critical information and verify that it has been read. It covers how to turn on the acknowledgment requirement in the News composer, what employees see when they confirm, and how to track or export the results.
1. Activating the acknowledgment option
News items are the ideal format for detailed, long-form organizational updates because they have a dedicated homepage and don't get buried in the main Feed. To make sure employees have actively read critical information, you can make reading confirmation mandatory with the built-in acknowledgment feature.
When you are drafting an article in the News composer, the toggle is located directly inside the Publication options panel. The setting is off by default, to prevent over-use on standard news items. To activate it for a mandatory update, check the acknowledgment checkbox before publishing or scheduling your post.
2. What your readers see
The moment an acknowledgeable news item is published, all targeted recipients see a clear visual indicator on the article preview letting them know that confirmation is required.
When someone opens the news item, they find a dedicated acknowledgment button at the very bottom of the article text.
Acknowledgments cannot be undone
To prevent accidental taps while scrolling, clicking the acknowledgment button triggers a second confirmation prompt on desktop. For the apps, there is a sliding mechanism to hold from left to right. Once a user confirms they have read the content and submits their acknowledgment, the action cannot be undone or retracted by the employee, because of the legal compliance implications of workplace policy tracking.
3. Tracking and exporting the results
Authors and administrators can monitor reading compliance in real time, to see exactly which employees have confirmed and which ones have not.
- Open the published news item on the web platform.
- Click the "Acknowledged by" link in the post details sidebar. This opens a tracking overview where you can scroll through the user list or use the search bar to look up a specific employee's status.
- Need the data outside Speakap? Authorized users can export the full tracking history: click the options menu in the acknowledgment tracking window on the web interface and select the option to download the data as a CSV file.
Tip: If you only want to see who opened a news item, without a mandatory confirmation, see Who Read My News Item? Tracking Views and Readership.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a news article a mandatory read for employees?
While drafting your content in the News composer, go to the Publication options panel and check the box to enable acknowledgments before publishing the article to your network.
Can an employee accidentally mark a mandatory policy as read?
No. When a user clicks the acknowledgment button at the bottom of a news item, they must confirm a second prompt (on desktop) or slide the confirmation slider (in the apps) before their acknowledgment is officially submitted.
Can a user retract their acknowledgment if they clicked it by mistake?
No. Once an employee confirms they have read the article, their acknowledgment is permanent and cannot be undone or reset. This protects the integrity of the data for organizations managing legal or safety policy compliance.
How do I download a spreadsheet of who read our announcement?
Open the news post in a desktop web browser and click the "Acknowledged by" link in the details panel. Open the options menu inside that tracking window and download the list as a CSV file.
Still stuck?
Email us at support@speakap.com with your network name and a link to the news item, and we'll help you out.