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- Workflow: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
- Approval rules: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
- Approval log: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
In Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then pick the CSV.
What's inside
- A workflow: each step, who does it, what they do, the deadline and what happens if it's late
- Approval rules by post type, so routine posts move quickly and posts with prices or claims get the right check
- A request and approval log with every draft, reviewer, decision, feedback, version and publish date
- A filled example for Northgate Homes, a fictional estate agency (every name is made up), and a blank CSV of each sheet
How to use it
- List everyone involved and give each person one job: plan, draft, check facts, check brand and claims, or schedule.
- Decide what each reviewer checks. In the example, a branch manager checks property facts and the director checks prices, claims and tone.
- Set deadlines that work back from the publish date, and decide what happens when approval is late: hold the post, never publish it unapproved.
- Write approval rules by post type, so a team birthday post doesn't wait as long as a price reduction.
- Log every request with a version number, and write feedback as a change to make, not a feeling.
- Review the log once a month: which posts waited longest, and why?
Preview: Workflow
A filled example for a made-up small business.
| Step | Who | What they do | Deadline | If it's late |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Plan | Marketing coordinator (Priya) | Adds next week's posts to the calendar | Wednesday, noon | The director picks the slots |
| 2 Draft | Priya | Writes the caption, chooses photos, adds tagged links | Thursday, 5pm | Fewer posts next week, never rushed ones |
| 3 Fact check | Branch manager for each property | Checks price, rooms and features against the listing, and that the seller agreed to the photos being used | Friday, noon | The post is held and the next property moves up |
| 4 Brand and claims check | Director (Tom) | Checks prices, fees, claims such as 'best' or 'guaranteed', anything that could mislead, and tone | Friday, 5pm | The post is held until Monday |
| 5 Schedule | Priya | Schedules the approved version only, matching the version number in the log | Friday, 6pm | Nothing is scheduled without an approved version |
| 6 Live check | Priya | Checks each post within an hour of going live; fixes or removes errors | Publish day | Tells the director the same day |
Preview: Approval rules
A filled example for a made-up small business.
| Post type | Needs approval from | What they check | Can it skip review? |
|---|---|---|---|
| New listing | Branch manager | Facts match the listing; the seller agreed to the photos | No |
| Price reduced | Branch manager and director | The seller agreed to the new price being shown publicly | No |
| Sold or let | Branch manager | The seller or landlord is happy for it to be shared | No |
| Market update or advice | Director | Facts and sources; no promises about prices or values | No |
| Reply to a public complaint | Director | Tone; no personal details in public | No |
| Paid ads | Director | Budget, audience and every claim in the ad | No |
| Team news, birthdays, community events | Coordinator only | Everyone in the photo agreed | Yes, after the first month |
Preview: Approval log
A filled example for a made-up small business.
| Post ID | Publish date | Platform | Post | Drafted by | Sent for review | Reviewer | Decision | Feedback | Version | Approved on | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NH-101 | Mon 9 Nov | Instagram, Facebook | New listing: three-bed semi, Crookes branch | Priya | Thu 5 Nov | Branch manager (Crookes) | Approved | None | v1 | Fri 6 Nov | Yes |
| NH-102 | Tue 10 Nov | Price reduced: two-bed flat, city centre | Priya | Thu 5 Nov | Branch manager, then director | Changes requested | Seller hasn't agreed to the new price being public yet; hold | v1 | No | ||
| NH-102 | Thu 12 Nov | Price reduced: two-bed flat, city centre | Priya | Tue 10 Nov | Director | Approved | Seller agreed by email on 10 Nov | v2 | Wed 11 Nov | Yes | |
| NH-103 | Wed 11 Nov | Market update: what we saw in October | Priya | Thu 5 Nov | Director | Changes requested | Remove 'prices will rise'; say what we saw, not what will happen | v1 | No | ||
| NH-103 | Wed 11 Nov | Market update: what we saw in October | Priya | Fri 6 Nov | Director | Approved | None | v2 | Fri 6 Nov | Yes | |
| NH-104 | Thu 12 Nov | Team birthday: Joe at the Hillsborough branch | Priya | Thu 5 Nov | Coordinator | Approved | Joe agreed to the photo | v1 | Thu 5 Nov | Yes | |
| NH-105 | Fri 13 Nov | Instagram, Facebook | Sold: four-bed detached, Ecclesall | Priya | Thu 5 Nov | Branch manager (Ecclesall) | Held: late | No reply by Friday noon | v1 | Moved to next week | |
| NH-106 | Sat 14 Nov | Reply to a public complaint about a viewing | Priya | Fri 13 Nov | Director | Rejected | Call the customer instead; post a short public reply only | v1 | Replaced by a phone call |
Tips
- Northgate Homes, its branches and its staff are made up. The deadlines and approval rules are the example agency's choices.
- Hold, don't publish, when approval is late. A wrong post costs more than a right one that goes out a day later.
- Keep the number of approvers small. Each extra reviewer adds waiting time and more feedback that can conflict.
- Feedback should say what to change. 'Make it pop' starts another round; 'mention the south-facing garden' finishes one.
- Use version numbers so nobody approves one version and schedules another.
- If you use Zolyp, our product, new brands start in review-everything mode, so no post publishes without approval, and you can later hand content pillars to autopilot with a veto window. Team members are unlimited on every plan.
Common questions
What is a social media approval workflow?
The agreed steps a post goes through before it's published: who drafts it, who checks it, what each person checks, the deadlines, and what happens when an approval is late or a post is rejected.
Who should approve social media posts?
Whoever can confirm the facts and whoever owns the brand's risk. In a small business that may be one person. Add a reviewer only when they check something nobody else can.
How far ahead should posts be approved?
Far enough that a held post doesn't leave a gap. The example agency approves the next week's posts by Friday. Pick a deadline you can keep every week.
What should happen if a post isn't approved in time?
Hold it and move the next approved post up. Publishing unapproved posts teaches everyone that approval doesn't matter.
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