How to get a month of social media posts approved in one go
Approvals drag on because clients see posts one at a time, in a chat, out of context. Here’s a simple routine that gets the whole month signed off in a day or two.
If your agency plans social media for more than a handful of brands, you know the pattern. The calendar is ready on the 22nd. Approvals trickle in over WhatsApp until the 5th. The first week’s posts go out late, and the designers spend the month waiting.
The problem is rarely the client. It’s how the plan reaches them: one post at a time, in a chat, mixed in with everything else they’re dealing with. Here’s a routine that fixes most of it.
1. Send the whole month at once
A client can’t judge a carousel on the 14th without seeing what comes before and after it. Share the full month as one plan: day, format, platforms, idea and caption for every post. When they can see the shape of the month, they make decisions faster and ask fewer “what about…” questions.
2. Make approving easier than not approving
The more effort approval takes, the longer it waits. The ideal is a link that opens on their phone, with an approve button on every post and an “approve all” at the bottom. No logins to remember, no downloads, no attachments.
- Put the caption next to the idea, so they don’t have to ask “what will it say?”
- Show the format clearly (reel, carousel, static, story). It changes how people read an idea.
- Let them approve the posts they’re happy with now, and comment on the rest.
3. Keep comments on the post they’re about
“Change the second one” in a group chat is how the wrong post gets changed. Ask clients to comment directly on the post. If they prefer talking, a voice note attached to that post works just as well, and it doesn’t scroll away.
4. Set a clear date, once
Tell the client when you need approval by, and why: “Approve by the 26th and the first week goes out on time.” One clear deadline beats five reminders.
5. Turn approved posts straight into work
The last step is the one most agencies skip. Once a post is approved, the designer shouldn’t have to dig the brief out of a sheet or a chat. The approved post, with its caption and notes, should become the designer’s task. That’s where the days you saved on approval actually turn into posts going out on time.
A simple monthly rhythm
- Around the 20th: copy last month’s plan and change what’s new.
- By the 22nd: share the plan with an approval date.
- By the 26th: approvals in, comments handled.
- From the 27th: designs made from approved posts and sent for review.
Tickmarkd is built around exactly this routine: a planner sheet per client, approval with a tap on the phone, and approved posts that become your team’s tasks. But the routine works in any tool. The key is to send the whole month, make approving easy, and keep feedback where it belongs.
