Social media approval workflow
A social media approval workflow holds a post until someone with approval rights reviews it. In SocialPatra the post waits as a draft, a reviewer approves it, rejects it or asks for changes, and only an approved post is scheduled.
Plan: Free and up
You decide who needs approval. Turn it on for the whole workspace, or only for specific team members. Owners and admins publish directly, so a trusted lead is never blocked.
This page covers how a post is held, who can review it, what the reviewer can do and how it works for agencies with client approval. It also says plainly what is not included.
How a post gets approved
- A teammate writes and saves a post. When approval is required for that person, the post is saved as a draft instead of being scheduled. The author is told it is pending approval.
- Reviewers are notified. Everyone who can approve in that workspace gets a notification in the app and an email.
- A reviewer decides. The reviewer approves, rejects, or asks for changes. A rejection needs a reason, and a change request says what to change.
- The author is told the outcome. The author gets a notification and an email with the decision. An approved post is scheduled for its time. A rejected or changes-requested post goes back to draft.
Who can approve
| Role | Can approve |
|---|---|
| Owner and admin | Yes, and their own posts publish directly. |
| Approver | Yes. This role can view content and analytics and approve posts, and nothing else. |
| Member and viewer | No. |
| Anyone on their own post | No. A reviewer cannot approve their own request. |
The approver role is a good fit for a client or a manager who should sign off without being able to edit your calendar. You pick it when you invite someone.
What a reviewer can do
- See everything waiting for review in one approvals page, with counts for pending, approved and rejected.
- Approve, reject or request changes on one post, or approve or reject several at once.
- Give a reason with every rejection, so the author knows what to fix.
- Authors can see their own requests and cancel one that is still waiting.
- Open the decision history for a post to see who decided what.
If the scheduled time has already passed by the time a reviewer approves, the approval is refused and the post needs a new time first. Two reviewers cannot both decide the same request: the first decision stands.
Edits go back to review
If a teammate who needs approval edits a post after it was approved, the post goes back to review. That stops a change slipping out unseen after the sign-off.
For agencies: client approval
In a client workspace you manage, the client can be the approver. Then only the client decides, and your own team cannot approve its own work.
The client can also choose how much to review. In review mode, posts wait for their approval. In trust mode, your team publishes without waiting. Switching back to review holds posts that were scheduled but never approved.
What approval does not do
- A person without an account cannot approve a post. A client who only has a preview link can read the post and leave comments, but approving needs a signed-in approver.
- There is no manual "send for approval" button. Approval is triggered by your workspace or member settings.
- Review is one step. There is no multi-stage chain such as editor, then manager, then client.
Frequently asked questions
What is a social media approval workflow?
It is a step where a post is held for review before it can be published. In SocialPatra a reviewer approves, rejects or requests changes, and an approved post is scheduled.
Can I require approval for only some people?
Yes. You can require approval for the whole workspace or set it per team member. Owners and admins publish directly.
Can a client approve posts?
Yes, if you give them the approver role. They sign in, see the posts waiting for them and approve, reject or request changes.
Can a client approve a post without logging in?
No. Someone with only a preview link can read the post and comment on it. Approving needs a signed-in approver.
What happens when a post is rejected?
It goes back to draft with the reviewer reason attached, and the author is notified.
Try it on your own accounts
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