diff --git a/src/promotion-routes.ts b/src/promotion-routes.ts
index 6123c4f..97f1f6e 100644
--- a/src/promotion-routes.ts
+++ b/src/promotion-routes.ts
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ export function mountPromotion(app: Hono<Env>, d: PromotionDeps) {
   app.get(`${V}/placements/:id`, api((c) => promo.placement(c.req.param('id')!)))
   app.post(`${V}/campaigns/:id/lease`, api(async (c) => {
     const b = await body(c)
-    return promo.lease(c.req.param('id')!, String(b.owner ?? 'worker').slice(0, 60), Math.min(20, Number(b.max ?? 5) || 5))
+    return promo.lease(c.req.param('id')!, String(b.owner ?? 'worker').slice(0, 60), Math.min(50, Number(b.max ?? 20) || 20))
   }))
   app.post(`${V}/placements/:id/report`, api(async (c) => promo.report(c.req.param('id')!, (await body(c)) as any, actor(c))))
   app.post(`${V}/placements/:id/retry`, api((c) => promo.retry(c.req.param('id')!, actor(c))))
diff --git a/src/promotion-worker.ts b/src/promotion-worker.ts
index c974dad..39c5673 100644
--- a/src/promotion-worker.ts
+++ b/src/promotion-worker.ts
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ export type WorkerResult = { placement: string; action: string; state?: string;
 
 /** One pass over what the lease hands out. Returns what it did, per placement. */
 export async function workOnce(client: PitClient, campaignId: string, myna: Myna, options: { owner?: string; max?: number; fetch?: typeof fetch } = {}): Promise<WorkerResult[]> {
-  const { placements, reason } = await client.promo<{ placements: Placement[]; reason?: string }>('POST', `/campaigns/${encodeURIComponent(campaignId)}/lease`, { owner: options.owner ?? 'myna-worker', max: options.max ?? 5 })
+  const { placements, reason } = await client.promo<{ placements: Placement[]; reason?: string }>('POST', `/campaigns/${encodeURIComponent(campaignId)}/lease`, { owner: options.owner ?? 'myna-worker', max: options.max ?? 20 })
   if (reason) return [{ placement: '-', action: 'idle', detail: reason }]
   const out: WorkerResult[] = []
   const report = async (p: Placement, body: Record<string, unknown>, action: string) => {
diff --git a/src/promotion.ts b/src/promotion.ts
index 4bf0afe..a4efcaa 100644
--- a/src/promotion.ts
+++ b/src/promotion.ts
@@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ export class Promotion {
       .query(`SELECT * FROM promo_placements WHERE campaign_id = ? AND (lease_until IS NULL OR lease_until < ?)
                 AND ((channel = 'myna' AND state IN ('ready', 'publishing') AND planned_at <= ?) OR state IN ('scheduled', 'uncertain')
                      OR (state = 'published' AND account NOT LIKE 'linkedin:%'))
-              ORDER BY planned_at LIMIT ?`)
+              ORDER BY CASE WHEN state IN ('ready', 'publishing') THEN 0 ELSE 1 END, CASE WHEN state IN ('ready', 'publishing') THEN planned_at ELSE updated_at END LIMIT ?`)
       .all(c.id, now, now, max) as any[]
     const leased = []
     for (const r of rows) {
diff --git a/test/promotion.test.ts b/test/promotion.test.ts
index 4b52da6..f228f85 100644
--- a/test/promotion.test.ts
+++ b/test/promotion.test.ts
@@ -317,6 +317,20 @@ describe('promotion: measurement', () => {
     expect(h.promo.placements(h.campaign, { state: 'verified' }).placements.map((p) => p.kind)).toEqual(['roundup'])
   })
 
+  it('leases due posts before re-checking scheduled ones, and rotates the re-checks', async () => {
+    const h = setup()
+    await launched(h)
+    const all = h.promo.placements(h.campaign).placements
+    const [first, second] = all.filter((p) => p.kind === 'spotlight')
+    // The announcement sits in myna's queue for weeks: it is re-checked, but never ahead of a due post.
+    const announce = all.find((p) => p.kind === 'announcement')!
+    h.promo.lease(h.campaign, 'w', 1)
+    h.promo.report(announce.id, { state: 'scheduled', queueId: 'q' })
+    h.clock.t = second!.plannedAt + 1
+    const leased = h.promo.lease(h.campaign, 'w', 2).placements.map((p) => p.id)
+    expect(leased).toEqual([first!.id, second!.id])
+  })
+
   it('records gaps and reports them', async () => {
     const h = setup()
     await launched(h)