How a small agency can run client approvals without anything going out unchecked

A small agency managing social media for ten clients is running ten approval processes at once, usually across WhatsApp groups, email threads and shared drives. Most of the time it works. Then one day a post goes out with last month’s price, or a draft meant for one client lands on another client’s page, or a client says “I never approved that” and nobody can find the message where they did.

None of those are writing problems. They are process problems, and a simple, consistent routine prevents almost all of them. This guide sets out one.

Why approvals break down

The common causes are the same in most agencies:

• Drafts live in too many places. Some in a WhatsApp group, some in email, some in a design tool’s comments. Nobody is sure which version is final.
• ”Looks good” is ambiguous. A thumbs-up on a group chat, sent while three versions were being discussed.
• The wrong person approves. A junior staff member at the client says yes; the owner later disagrees.
• Approvals are verbal. “He said on the call it was fine.”
• Accounts are mixed up. One person logged in to several clients’ pages on the same phone, posting from the wrong one.
• Deadlines are invisible. A festival post waits three days for a reply and goes out late, or not at all.

Step 1: Agree in writing who approves, and for what

At the start of every client relationship, write down:

• Who at the client can approve posts. One named person, and one backup for when they are away.
• What they approve. Every post, or only certain kinds (offers, anything mentioning prices or people, ads)?
• What your agency may do without asking. For example, replying to simple thank-you comments.
• How quickly they will usually reply, and what happens if they do not: does a post wait, or does it go out on its scheduled date?

Keep this agreement with the client’s other documents. It also helps to have the client’s written authority to manage and post on their accounts: it protects both sides if there is ever a dispute about who could post what.

Step 2: One place for every draft

Pick one place where drafts live and are approved, and use it for every client. The format matters less than the consistency: a shared folder with a strict naming rule can work, a dedicated tool is easier.

Whatever you use, each draft should show, together:

• the client and the account it will go to (Instagram, Facebook page, Google listing);
• the final caption, picture or video, exactly as it will be posted;
• the planned date and time;
• its status: being made, waiting for the agency, waiting for the client, approved, posted.

If a client sends feedback on WhatsApp, copy it into the draft’s record. The conversation can happen anywhere; the decision should be recorded in one place.

Step 3: Two steps, agency then client

A two-step approval catches most mistakes:

1. Agency review. Someone in the agency other than the writer checks the draft: facts, spelling, brand colours and tone, the right account, the client’s own rules (for example a hospital’s rules about naming doctors), and anything the industry’s advertising rules do not allow.
2. Client approval. Only after that does the client see it. This saves clients from reading drafts with obvious errors, which is what makes them start approving without reading.

Use an unambiguous action for the client’s decision: an “approve” button, or a reply of “Approved” to a specific draft, not a thumbs-up in a busy group.

Step 4: Make change requests specific

“Make it pop” is not a change request. Ask clients to say what to change in one or two sentences, and attach it to the draft:

• “Use the new phone number.”
• “Show the reception area, not the operating theatre.”
• “Remove ‘best’ from the first line.”

When you revise, keep the earlier version and the request with the draft, so you can see why it changed. If a client asks for the same kind of change repeatedly, write it into their brand notes so the next draft gets it right first time.

Step 5: Deadlines and reminders

For each scheduled post, set an “approve by” time: usually at least a day before it goes out, and longer for festival posts and ads. Then:

• remind the approver once before that time;
• if it passes, follow what you agreed in Step 1, and tell the client which it is;
• for anything time-sensitive, say so clearly in the request (“needs your OK by Thursday 5 pm for the Diwali post”).

Step 6: Keep accounts separate

• Connect each client’s accounts separately, and check the account name every time before posting.
• Do not share one login across clients or staff. Give each staff member their own access, and remove it when they leave.
• Keep a short record of which accounts each client has given you access to, and how.

Step 7: Keep a record of every decision

For every post that goes out, you should be able to answer, quickly: who approved it, when, and which version. A record like this:

• settles “I never approved that” in a minute;
• shows clients what you did for them each month;
• lets a new team member see a client’s history without asking around.

If a client approves something that you have warned them about (a claim you think is risky, for example), record the warning and their decision too.

A routine you can start this week

1. List every client, their approver and backup, and how fast they usually reply.
2. Choose one place for drafts and move this month’s drafts into it.
3. Add an agency review step for every client.
4. Set an “approve by” time on every scheduled post.
5. At month end, send each client a list of what went out and who approved it.

Where Baila Lento fits

Baila Lento gives each client its own private workspace, with a queue of drafts waiting for a decision. Agencies can use two-step approval (agency first, then client), clients can ask for changes in a sentence, and every approval is kept in a history of who approved what, and when. Approvals can also be given from WhatsApp.