How to get client approval for social media posts
A simple process to get client approval for social media posts: batch the month, send one review link per post, ask for a decision not opinions, set a deadline, and keep one final version.
By the Razzle team 路 Updated
The short answer
Batch posts for a week or a month, send the client one link per post where they can see it exactly as it will look and press approve or ask for changes, give them a deadline, and keep a written record of every decision. Avoid sending files over chat, where versions get lost.
Why approvals get stuck
Most approval delays aren't the client being difficult. They come from the process:
- posts sent one at a time, whenever they're ready, so the client is asked something every day;
- files sent over WhatsApp or email, so nobody knows which version is current;
- an open question ("thoughts?") instead of a decision to make;
- no deadline, so silence means nothing.
Fix those four and most clients answer within a day.
A process that works
1. Agree the rules before the first post
Put these in the proposal or contract, in plain words:
- who approves (one person, not "the team");
- how many rounds of changes are included (two is common);
- how long they have to answer (two working days is common);
- what happens if they don't: the post waits, or it goes out as approved.
2. Batch the work
Send a week's or a month's posts together, on the same day each time. Clients get used to the rhythm, and one review sitting replaces ten interruptions.
3. Show the post exactly as it will look
Send the real thing: the video playing with its music, every slide of the carousel, and the caption. People approve what they can see. A Canva link, a script in a doc or a screenshot invites a second round once they see the real post.
4. Ask for a decision, not opinions
Each post gets two buttons, in effect: approve or ask for changes, with a note saying what to change. Avoid "let me know what you think". It invites a discussion instead of an answer.
5. Keep one final version
Every change makes a new version, and one is marked final. That's the one that's posted, and the record of who approved it and when protects you if the post is questioned later.
6. Schedule only what's approved
Nothing goes into the schedule until it's approved. If something is posted without approval once, the client will want to check everything twice from then on.
A message template for the review
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking for logins. A link the client can open without an account gets faster answers than another tool to sign up for.
- Approving in chat. "Looks good 馃憤" on WhatsApp is hard to find later and doesn't say which version.
- Unlimited rounds. Small changes keep coming when nothing says the round is over.
How Razzle does it
In Razzle every project has a review rule (a teammate, an admin, or no approval) and posts move from Draft to In review to Approved before they can be scheduled. Share makes a review link the client opens without an account, to approve or ask for changes with a note. Their answer shows on the post like a teammate's. You can also add a client as a guest on their one project. See team review and approvals and content approval.
Questions
- How many rounds of changes should I allow?
- Two is common: one round of changes and one final check. Put it in the contract so extra rounds are a conversation, not a default.
- What if the client doesn't reply?
- Agree up front on what happens at the deadline: either the post waits, or it goes out as approved. Write it down and say it in the reminder.
- Should clients have logins to my tools?
- Not for approvals. A link they can open without an account gets faster answers than another password to remember.