What should a social media approval checklist include?

Four groups of checks: accuracy (facts, links, spelling and rights), fit (tone, timing and brand), what each network requires (length, format, covers) and the final checks before scheduling (approvals recorded, nothing edited since). Add legal and compliance checks for regulated industries and paid partnerships.

Who should approve social media posts?

As few people as the content needs. Most posts need the writer and one reviewer. Client work adds the client, and regulated industries add whoever owns compliance. Every extra approver adds waiting time, so give each one their own section of the checklist rather than asking everyone to check everything.

How do I stop clients approving posts late?

Agree a review window up front, such as two working days, and send posts for approval in batches rather than one at a time. Put the publish date on every request so the deadline is obvious. In Posty, reviewers get an email for each request and you can send a reminder with one click.

What happens if a post changes after it is approved?

It needs approving again. Approval should cover the exact words and images that go out, so an edit after sign-off sends the post back for review. Posty does this for you: editing a scheduled post moves it back to draft and the approvals start again.

Do I need an account to download the checklist?

No account, nothing to pay. The file is built in your browser, and nothing you pick or type is sent to Posty.

Content Approval Checklist for Social Media

Content approval checklist

Run this list for every post before it is scheduled. Each reviewer ticks their own section and adds their name and the date.

Before submitting for review

The post matches its row in the content calendar: date, network, format and topic
The caption is spell checked and has been read aloud once
Every link opens the right page and carries any tracking parameters you use
Names, handles, prices, dates and offers are checked against the source
Images and video are final, and cropped for this network
Every image has alt text
Hashtags and mentions are correct and relevant
Rights are cleared for every photo, clip, song and quote
The post does what the brief asked, in the brand’s voice

Network checks

Instagram

Caption under 2,200 characters, with no more than 30 hashtags
The first line makes sense before the caption is cut off
Reel cover chosen, with text clear of the buttons and caption

Facebook

The link preview shows the right image and headline
Tagged Pages are the right ones
Video has captions for people watching with the sound off

LinkedIn

Text under 3,000 characters
The point lands in the first two lines, before the post is cut off
Tagged people and companies are the right ones

Team review

The post fits the calendar and does not clash with anything scheduled nearby
The tone suits the brand and the moment, including today’s news
The call to action is clear and the link goes where it says
Visuals follow the brand guidelines: logo, colours and fonts
Change requests are written on the post, not in a separate chat

Reviewed by: Blank
Date: Blank

Client or stakeholder review

Product names, prices and offers are correct
Nothing in the post is confidential or not yet announced
Dates and times suit the business: opening hours, launches and events
Approved as written, or changes requested in one round

Approved by: Blank
Date: Blank

Legal and compliance

Paid partnerships and gifted products are disclosed, with the network’s branded content tools where it has them
Claims about results, health, money or the environment can be backed up
Competitions state their terms, who can enter and how winners are picked
Reviews and testimonials are real and used with permission
Regulated wording is approved by whoever owns it

Checked by: Blank
Date: Blank

Before scheduling

Every required approval is recorded against the final version
Nothing changed after approval, or the post went back for review
Date, time and time zone suit the audience
The post is going to the right account
Someone is around to answer comments after it goes live

How to use the approval checklist

Agree the checklist once, then run the same list for every post.

1
Choose your networks and review steps
Tick the networks you post to and the review steps your posts go through. Leave out client review if you publish for your own brand, and keep legal and compliance if your industry needs it.
2
Share it with everyone who reviews
Download it for Word or Google Docs and keep it beside the content calendar. Writers, reviewers and clients should all work from the same list, so a change request never comes as a surprise.
3
Tick, sign and date each section
Each person ticks their own section and adds their name and the date. A post moves on only when its section is complete, and an edit after approval sends it back for review.
4
Review the checklist every quarter
When a mistake gets through, add the check that would have caught it. When a check never catches anything, take it out. A short list that people run beats a long one they skim.

Why a content approval process needs a written checklist

Most posting mistakes are small: a broken link, an old price, the wrong handle tagged, a typo in the first line. Catching them takes a list that someone actually runs, not a second opinion. A written checklist turns ‘looks fine to me’ into a short set of yes or no questions each reviewer can answer in a minute.

Split the list by who checks what. The writer owns accuracy: facts, links, spelling and rights. The team reviewer owns fit: tone, timing and brand. The client or stakeholder owns what only they know, such as unannounced products, prices and dates. Splitting it this way keeps each review short and stops two people checking the same thing while nobody checks the rest.

Approval only counts for the version that was approved. If someone edits a caption after sign-off, the post needs another look. Write that rule into the checklist and agree it with clients up front, or nobody can say later which version the client agreed to.

Posty holds every post until the right people approve it

In Posty the approval rule is set per workspace: no review, optional review, required approval, or your team first and the client second. A post that needs approval cannot be scheduled until it has it, and editing a scheduled post sends it back through review. Every approval is recorded against the version the reviewer saw.

Required approval on Growth, and team then client approval on Accelerate
Clients approve in their own workspace and never see your team’s comments
Send up to 50 posts for review in one request
Change requests go back to the person who has to act on them
The approval history shows who signed off which version, and when

Social media approval software Social media approval workflow Client approvals for agencies

Two-step approval, Harbour YogaTry it

Draft

Team Review

Client Review

Approved

Scheduled

Posted

Sunrise flow, Saturday 6am

Only your team can see it.

Questions about the content approval checklist template

What should a social media approval checklist include?: Four groups of checks: accuracy (facts, links, spelling and rights), fit (tone, timing and brand), what each network requires (length, format, covers) and the final checks before scheduling (approvals recorded, nothing edited since). Add legal and compliance checks for regulated industries and paid partnerships.
Who should approve social media posts?: As few people as the content needs. Most posts need the writer and one reviewer. Client work adds the client, and regulated industries add whoever owns compliance. Every extra approver adds waiting time, so give each one their own section of the checklist rather than asking everyone to check everything.
How do I stop clients approving posts late?: Agree a review window up front, such as two working days, and send posts for approval in batches rather than one at a time. Put the publish date on every request so the deadline is obvious. In Posty, reviewers get an email for each request and you can send a reminder with one click.
What happens if a post changes after it is approved?: It needs approving again. Approval should cover the exact words and images that go out, so an edit after sign-off sends the post back for review. Posty does this for you: editing a scheduled post moves it back to draft and the approvals start again.
Do I need an account to download the checklist?: No account, nothing to pay. The file is built in your browser, and nothing you pick or type is sent to Posty.

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Content Approval Checklistfor Social Media

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