Free, no signup · Updated · Opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers
Download
- Approval form: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
- Pre-publish checks: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
- Sign-off: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
In Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then pick the CSV.
What's inside
- An approval form: the post's platforms, date, format, final caption, visual, link, hashtags, alt text, claims, people shown and offer terms
- A pre-publish checklist with a pass or fix result for each check
- A sign-off sheet: each reviewer, what they checked, their decision and the date
- A filled example for Brightwater Dental, a fictional practice (every name is made up), and a blank CSV of each sheet
How to use it
- Fill one form per post, or per set of platform versions of the same post.
- Paste the final caption exactly as it will be published. Reviewers should approve the real words, not a summary.
- Attach or describe the final visual, and write the alt text.
- List every claim, price and date in the post, so the reviewer knows what to check.
- Record who appears in the photo or video and whether they agreed in writing.
- Run the checklist, then send the form to each reviewer in order.
- Publish only when every reviewer has written 'Approved', and keep the form with the post.
Preview: Approval form
A filled example for a made-up small business, first 8 of 14 rows.
| Field | Entry | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Post ID | BW-2026-11-07 | Example practice, made up for this template |
| Platforms | Instagram and Facebook | |
| Planned date and time | Tue 17 Nov, 12:30 | |
| Format | Single image | |
| Final caption | Nervous about the dentist? You're not the only one. On Tuesday evenings we run longer appointments for nervous patients, with time to talk before anything starts. Book through the link in our bio or call reception. | Exactly as it will be published |
| Visual | Photo of the quiet room with the blinds half closed; no patients in shot | File: quiet-room-v2.jpg |
| Alt text | A calm treatment room with a reclining chair, soft lighting and a plant on the windowsill. | |
| Link | Booking page, tagged for Instagram and Facebook | Checked it opens on a phone |
Preview: Pre-publish checks
A filled example for a made-up small business.
| Check | Why | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spelling, names and dates are right | Mistakes in public are harder to fix than in a draft | Pass | |
| Every claim is true today | Services, hours and prices change | Fix | Tuesday evenings move to Wednesdays from January: add 'until Christmas' |
| Nothing promises a result | Health and money claims need care | Pass | We say 'longer appointments', not 'pain-free' |
| People shown have agreed in writing | Consent before posting, not after | Pass | Nobody in shot |
| The link opens the right page on a phone | Most people will tap it on a phone | Pass | |
| Alt text written | Screen reader users hear the image described | Pass | |
| Tone matches our voice guide | Calm and plain, no jokes about pain | Pass | |
| Fits the week's calendar | No clash with other posts or news | Pass |
Preview: Sign-off
A filled example for a made-up small business.
| Step | Reviewer | What they check | Decision | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Megan (prepared it) | Checklist complete | Ready | Thu 12 Nov | |
| 2 | Dr Okafor (clinical lead) | Clinical accuracy and claims | Changes needed | Fri 13 Nov | Add 'until Christmas'; the evening clinic moves in January |
| 3 | Megan | Change made | Ready | Fri 13 Nov | Caption updated |
| 4 | Dr Okafor | Clinical accuracy and claims | Approved | Mon 16 Nov | |
| 5 | Helen (practice manager) | Brand, booking link and timing | Approved | Mon 16 Nov | Scheduled for Tue 17 Nov, 12:30 |
Tips
- Brightwater Dental, its staff and every detail in the example are made up.
- Approve the exact words and image that will go out. Approving a draft and then changing it afterwards defeats the point of the form.
- Keep the number of reviewers small. Two people who each check something different are better than four who all check everything.
- Health, legal and financial businesses often have rules about what they can claim. Ask your professional body what applies to you.
- For the rules about who approves which kinds of post, and how quickly, use the approval workflow template alongside this form.
- Zolyp, which makes this template, shows each post exactly as it will look on each platform and publishes nothing without your sign-off. With Autopilot, you can still pull a post during the veto window before it goes out.
Common questions
What is a social media content approval form?
A one-page record of a single post before it's published: the final caption and visual, the checks it passed, and who approved it and when. It's useful when more than one person is responsible for what goes out.
What's the difference between an approval form and an approval workflow?
The workflow sets the rules: who reviews which kinds of post and how fast. The form is the record for one post going through those rules.
Who should approve social media posts?
Whoever is responsible for what the post says. In a small business that's often the owner. Add a specialist only for posts that need one, such as a clinician for health claims.
Is the dental practice real?
No. Brightwater Dental and its staff are made up to show how a filled form reads.
Related
- Social media approval workflow
- Social media content brief template
- Social media policy template
- What is an approval workflow?
- What is alt text?
- Brand voice guide template
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