How to create and manage a content approval workflow [2025 guide]

Did you know that the average content approval process takes eight days from start to finish? That’s a long old time, especially when you’re up against deadlines, with ambitious targets to meet.

Striking the balance between the need for speed and the need to get content signed off by multiple stakeholders is a tricky one. After all, having an approval process in place does result in better-quality content.

If your current approval process (or lack of!) has you missing deadlines, publishing mistakes, and pulling out your hair, then it’s time to create a more effective content approval workflow. 

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to create and manage a creative content approval workflow for smooth and seamless sign-off every time.

What is a content approval workflow?

A content approval workflow is a structured process that teams use to make sure marketing assets meet certain quality standards before they’re published or shared with the public. Think of it like a roadmap, with the final destination being high-quality content that your company is proud to put its name to.

Having a structured content approval workflow in place can remove the chaos of the review process and save you time. 

(Spoiler: your approval workflow could look like the image below if you invest in online proofing software like Filestage).

Four reasons why your current content approval process isn’t working 

Many marketers and agencies are still managing their content approvals across multiple tools – think email, Slack, SharePoint, and even WhatsApp (yikes). 

And that can lead to a whole world of problems. Here are four you’re probably all too familiar with:

• It’s slow: Collecting content feedback via email and other platforms takes forever because you have to consolidate it in one place.
• It’s messy: Stakeholders start leaving feedback on the wrong content version, and you waste hours digging through your emails to find the latest asset.
• It’s confusing: There’s no context when you share creative feedback by email or Slack, so you get bombarded with screenshots and timecodes (or waste hours on follow-up questions).
• It’s opaque: Without a clear dashboard, it’s almost impossible to keep track of which content assets have been approved and who approved them.

That was the case for Story, a French marketing agency. Creative Director, Melissa Abrini says,

“Before Filestage, our review process was pretty chaotic. Feedback came flying in from all directions – emails, Slack, PowerPoint decks, even WhatsApp (yes, really). It felt like one’s entire role was just to track down comments, consolidate input, and try to maintain a smooth workflow.”

Melissa Abrini, Creative Director at Story

What a proper content approval workflow looks like

Now Story has a structured content approval workflow in Filestage, here’s what their approval process looks like:

1. Upload work to the Filestage project
2. Run internal feedback rounds in Filestage
3. Get internal approval
4. Share work for external review
5. Manage every asset, comment, and approval status in one place

And if you’re curious about how much time and money an efficient content approval workflow can save your team, take a look at Story’s results.

Read the full story.

Now let’s take a closer look at the benefits.

How content approval processes can help your marketing team get better results

An effective content approval workflow doesn’t just save you time (and keep you sane). It also helps your marketing team to get better results.

Here’s how:

• Faster sign-offs – A proper approval workflow reduces time-wasting repetitive tasks like chasing and consolidating feedback.
• Fewer mistakes – Having a structured approval process reduces the chances of errors, inconsistencies, or missed stakeholders.
• Better brand governance – A content approval process makes sure every asset is consistent and up to your brand’s standards.
• Less confusion – A proper workflow means that everyone knows their role in the approval process and can do their jobs with ease.

How to create a five-step content approval workflow in Filestage

To make creating your content approval workflow as simple as possible, I’ve broken the process down into five simple steps:

• Step 1: Define your stakeholders
• Step 2: Outline the approval stages
• Step 3: Set due dates to keep approvals on track
• Step 4: Tick off comments as you work on the next version
• Step 5: Get one-click approval with timestamps

Let’s take a look at each of these steps in more detail and how to set them up in approval software like Filestage.

1. Define your stakeholders

Different projects will require different stakeholders to be involved in the content approval process. By figuring out who needs to review the content from the get-go, you’ll save yourself the headache of having people join the review process at the last minute only to mess everything up!

For instance, if the content in question is a packaging design, your approvers could include the following teams:

• Product
• Compliance
• Design
• Translation

Don’t fall into the trap of involving too many approvers, though. Streamline your list as much as possible, as the fewer people involved, the quicker your content will be approved!

2. Outline the approval stages 

Next, you need to decide on a logical order for getting your content approved. For example, if you work with clients, they shouldn’t enter the approval process until you have gotten the green light from internal teams. 

Now you can add your reviewers to the relevant approval stage, and they can start giving feedback on your content.

Remember the reviewers we mentioned in point one? Well, this is how your packaging design approval workflow would look in Filestage:

3. Set due dates to keep approvals on track

This is a big one. Our report on The State of Creative Collaboration in 2023 found that waiting to receive feedback is the number one problem slowing teams down in the creative process. Not only is it frustrating, it also means you end up wasting precious time chasing people.

Setting a clear deadline for every step in the content approval process helps reviewers to prioritize and keep your workflow on track. 

With Filestage, you can add due dates to your files so that stakeholders know exactly when you expect their feedback. And the best bit: they’ll be sent automatic reminders as the deadline approaches. 

No more chasing. No more missed deadlines.

4. Tick off comments as you work on the next content version

With multiple amends at every stage of the approval process, it’s easy to lose track of what still needs doing. The last thing you want is for your content approval workflow to be derailed because you missed an important suggestion.

Create a to-do list (in Filestage, the comment sidebar doubles up as one), and as you work on the next version, you can tick off each comment as you go along. That way, you’ll be confident that you’ve addressed everyone’s feedback. 

5. Get one-click approval with timestamps

When you’re working with so many reviewers, there are plenty of opportunities for speed bumps and delays.

Keep things moving by making the process of approving content as simple as one click!

In Filestage, once your reviewers are happy with the content, all they have to do is hit “Approve”. You’ll get a notification confirming they’ve given their seal of approval, which means you can publish content with confidence instead of chasing people to check that they’re happy.

If you want to learn more about how to create a successful workflow, check out the video below:

Three types of content approval workflow

Let’s take a look at three examples of approval workflows for three different content creation processes. The main differences are the type of stakeholders and the number of review steps involved.

1. Blog post approval process

Here’s an example of a typical content approval process for blog content:

• Approval step one – Your content editors review the content for accuracy and tone of voice. You make any requested changes until they give their approval.
• Approval step two – Your SEO team makes sure the content is well-optimized and follows best practices.
• Approval step three – The client (if needed) makes sure they’re happy with it before it goes live.

Depending on the type of blog post you’re creating, you may also need to bring in the design team, the wider marketing team, or specialist teams if the content sits in their domain.

Check out the video to see how you can create an efficient content approval workflow for blogs and other documents.

2. Video content approval process

Here’s an example of an approval workflow for video content:

• Approval step one – Your extended creative team gives the green light that they’re happy with the final cut.
• Approval step two – Your project manager makes sure the video content meets all the requirements set out in the brief.
• Approval step three – The brand and marketing manager checks that the content adheres to brand guidelines and fits in with the wider marketing strategy.
• Approval step four – The client (if needed) gives their final approval before your video goes live.

Again, this can vary depending on the type of video content you’re creating. If it’s social video content, then your social team will likely need to be involved. If it’s a recruitment video, then your HR team might have final approval.

Our social media manager shares his top tip on setting up a video editing workflow using Filestage, give it a watch.

3. Social media approval process

Here’s an example of a social media approval workflow:

• Approval step one – The head of social reviews the post first to check for content quality
• Approval step two – The marketing and product teams check that it fits with wider business goals.
• Approval step three – Your legal team makes sure the post is compliant and won’t damage the company’s reputation.

If the social media posts you’re creating have a design aspect to them, then your creative team might need to be brought into the workflow. Or your PR team may need to be included to check that the messaging is right.

Once you’ve got nothing but green lights, it’s time to publish your content!

And if you want to see the social media content approval process in action, check out the tutorial below.

How to use AI in your content approval workflow

Love it or hate it, AI content marketing is here to stay. But with so many marketers using AI to create content, an airtight content approval workflow is more necessary than ever.

Sure, AI means you can crank out content way faster, but your brand needs to stay consistent across different touchpoints and channels. That means every asset needs to be checked before it goes live.

Interestingly, AI can be a lifesaver here. Enter Filestage’s AI reviewers.

You can add a dedicated AI reviewer to your projects to check your content against:

• Industry compliance standards – AI will highlight any content that may not comply with specific industry regulations standards like FDA.
• Your brand guidelines – AI will automatically flag any inconsistencies in your content that go against your brand style guide.

Here’s how to use them in your content approval workflow:

1. Upload your content to the dedicated project
2. Add your AI reviewer of choice to the first reviewer group to do the initial review
3. Check the comments from the AI reviewer and make changes
4. Share the updated version with your human reviewers in the next reviewer group
5. Implement their feedback and get the final approval

Final thoughts

A streamlined and efficient content approval workflow helps you to save time, improve productivity, and ultimately publish the best content possible. And with the right content approval software, you’ll be able to automate manual tasks and create a simple, speedier approval process for everyone involved. 

If you’d like to see for yourself how Filestage could help with your content approval workflow, you can start a free trial here →