Get a clear yes from clients before anything goes live
Turn on approval for a customer and every post for them waits for a yes. Clients approve, ask for changes or comment from a simple review link.
What you can do
Approval per customer
Switch on "Needs approval" for the clients who want to see posts first.
Review links
Share a link to a post. The client sees a preview and can approve, request changes or comment without an account.
Client members
Prefer accounts? Invite clients as Client members. They only see their own brand.
What if nobody answers
Choose what happens when a post reaches its time without a reply: keep waiting, publish anyway or move it back to drafts.
Comments and history
Every comment and change is kept with the post, so you know who asked for what.
Webhooks for approvals
Send approval events to your own tools with signed webhooks.
The social media approval process in 4 steps
Create a customer
Add a customer for each client and put their channels under it. The calendar can then show 1 client at a time.
Turn on approval
Switch on "Needs approval" for that customer and choose what happens if nobody answers in time: keep waiting, publish anyway or move the post to drafts.
Share the post
Send the review link, or invite the client as a Client member who signs in and sees only their own brand.
Get a clear answer
The client approves, requests changes or comments. Approved posts go out at their time. Posts with change requests wait for you.
Example: 3 clients, 3 different rules
An agency runs social media for a restaurant, a law firm and a gym. The restaurant trusts the agency, so approval stays off. The law firm must check every word, so approval is on and posts wait for as long as it takes. The gym wants to see posts but often forgets, so approval is on with "publish anyway" at the scheduled time. Each client gets review links by email from the account manager and answers in 1 click.
What the client sees on a review link
A review link opens the post as it will look on each network, with its date and channels. The client can approve it, ask for changes, or select a part of the text and comment on it. They need no account. With white label on Pro and Ultimate, the page shows your agency name, logo and colour, and can sit on your own domain. Every answer is saved on the post, so the history stays in 1 place instead of in email and chat.
Rules for when nobody answers
Each customer with approval on has a rule for posts that reach their time without an answer: keep waiting, publish anyway, or move the post to drafts. A cautious client, like a law firm, keeps waiting. A client who trusts you but wants to look first gets publish anyway. Reminder emails go to the client while a post waits, so most answers come in before the rule is needed.
Approval for teams, not only clients
The same flow works inside a company. Editors create and schedule posts; when approval is on for a customer, their posts wait for an owner, an admin or the client. Owners and admins can approve in the app. Webhooks send approval requested, approved and changes requested events, so the steps can also show in Slack or a ticket tool.
Limits and rules
| Approval | Per customer, on or off |
| Review link | No account needed; approve, request changes or comment |
| When nobody answers | Keep waiting, publish anyway or move to drafts |
| Who approves | Owners, admins and clients; not editors |
| Branding | Your brand on review pages with white label |
Set up approval for a new client
1. Create a customer for the client and move their channels under it. 2. Turn on Needs approval and pick the rule for posts nobody answers. 3. Decide how the client will answer: review links in email or chat, or a Client member account if they want to log in. 4. With white label on Pro and Ultimate, add your logo and colour so the review page looks like your agency. 5. Send the first post 3 or 4 days early so the client learns the flow without time pressure.
What each status means
| Status | What it means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for approval | The post is ready and waits for the client | It goes out only after a yes, unless the timeout rule says otherwise |
| Changes requested | The client asked for a change | Edit the post and send it again |
| Approved | The client said yes | It goes out at its time |
| Draft | Moved to drafts by the timeout rule, or saved as a draft | Schedule it again when it is ready |
Tips to get more from it
- Pick the timeout rule with the client at the start. It avoids arguments when a post goes out, or does not.
- Send review links a few days ahead so the client has time to ask for changes.
- Use comments on the post for feedback, so the whole history stays in 1 place instead of in email.
Words on this page, explained
| Customer | A client or brand that groups channels, so you can show and approve 1 at a time. |
| Review link | A link that shows a post to a client, where they approve, ask for changes or comment. |
| Client member | A client with their own login, who sees only their own brand. |
| Timeout rule | What happens when a post reaches its time without an answer. |
Mistakes to avoid
- Turning approval on without agreeing the timeout rule with the client.
- Sending the review link on the day of the post. Send it a few days ahead.
- Collecting feedback in chat. Ask the client to comment on the review page, so it stays with the post.
Who it is for
- Agencies stop chasing clients on chat apps for a yes, and keep the answer with the post. See Agencies.
- Marketing teams let editors write while a manager or a legal reviewer approves. See Marketing teams.
- Franchise owners can check what a head office posts on their local pages. See Small business.
How other tools handle client approval
Of the 12 social media tools we compare, 11 list client approval on their own pricing, feature or help pages:
- Buffer: Content approval workflows are on the Team plan only.
- Hootsuite: Content approvals are on the Advanced plan and up.
- Later: Content approval and external comment workflows are on Growth and Scale.
- Sprout Social: Message approval workflows are on Professional and Advanced.
- Metricool: Post approval system is on Advanced and up.
- SocialPilot: Client approval is on Premium and Ultimate.
- Publer: Approval workflows for team members and external clients.
- Sendible: Plus plan and up.
- Vista Social: Multi-stage approvals are not on Professional.
- Planable: included
- Agorapulse: Professional plan and up.
Not offered: Postiz.
Plans and limits
Review links, customers and approval rules work on every plan. Client members come with the plans that include a team. See Pricing for every limit.
| Limit | Standard | Team | Pro | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review links for clients | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customers and approval rules | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client members | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Works with these channels
Client approval works on every connected channel. These are the ones people use it with most:
See all channels, or compare Postozo with other tools on the compare page.
Does my client need an account?
No. They can use the review link. You can also add them as a Client member if you want.
Can a client see other clients' posts?
No. Client members only see the customers they are assigned to.
Can editors approve posts?
No. Editors create posts. Owners and admins approve them.
What if I change a post after it was approved?
If the customer needs approval, the changed post goes back to waiting for approval, so the client always approves the final version.
Can my own tools know when a post is approved?
Yes. Signed webhooks send events when approval is requested, when a post is approved and when changes are requested.
What is an approval workflow?
The steps a post must pass before it is published: someone writes it, the right person approves it or asks for changes, and only then does it go out. See the social media approval workflow guide.
Can I show clients my agency brand on review pages?
Yes, on Pro and Ultimate. See white label.
Can a client comment on part of the text?
Yes. They select the words and add a comment, so you know exactly what to change.
Do clients get reminders?
Yes. While a post waits for their answer, they get reminder emails.
Can I see who approved a post?
Yes. Each answer is kept in the post's history with the name and the time.
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