Approve sponsored posts with clear rules: Agree approval steps before production, including who reviews and when feedback arrives.; Check each version for accurate claims, proper disclosure like #ad, and correct offer details.; Confirm final approval matches the live post; fix material differences after publication.
Image: Influencer Marketlab

Brief Writing

Part of Influencer campaign operations from booking to delivery

Setting an approval process for sponsored posts

Set concept, draft and release checks for sponsored creator posts, with clear owners, feedback and version-specific approval.

Campaign Desk · · 3 min read

Agree the approval process before production. Tell the creator what the brand will check, when feedback will arrive, who sends one consolidated response and which exact version may be published. Review the full placement while preserving the creator’s genuine experience and voice.

Give each check a purpose

A concept check asks whether the proposed angle answers the brief. It also asks whether the creator has the access or experience it requires.

A draft check examines the actual video or image, spoken and on-screen claims, caption, commercial presentation, and destination. It also checks whether paid or incentivised content is clearly disclosed, for example with a clear paid-partnership label or #ad.

A release check confirms that changing offer details still match the approved piece. Run it shortly before publication.

Set submission and response windows for the checks the campaign needs. Name one brand contact who gathers product and marketing comments into a single instruction. The creator should not have to reconcile conflicting feedback from several reviewers.

Approval Process for Sponsored Posts

  1. Concept CheckReview proposed angle, access, and experience requirements before production.
  2. Draft CheckEvaluate video/image, claims, caption, disclosure (e.g. #ad), and destination; verify clear paid partnership label.
  3. Release CheckConfirm offer details match approved content; run shortly before publication.

Define decision rights and feedback

Identify who verifies product facts, checks the offer and destination, assesses the commercial presentation and sends the final release or hold decision. Ask the creator to approve any edit that changes their words, image or expressed opinion. Attach approval to a named file version and caption; “approved yesterday” is ambiguous when a new cut appears today.

Make feedback specific. For a factual correction, identify the unsupported statement and supply the checked fact. For a clarity problem, explain the impression a viewer may take and what needs clarification.

For new work outside the accepted brief, describe the request and agree its effect on timing and price. Whether a particular correction is included in the original fee depends on the agreement and cause of the error; the feedback label does not settle that question.

Pros and Cons of Centralised vs. Multiple Reviewers

Centralised Review (One Brand Contact)
Ensures consistent feedback; prevents conflicting instructions; faster decision-making.
Multiple Reviewers (No Single Point of Contact)
Risk of contradictory feedback; delays due to coordination; confusion for creator.

Check what viewers encounter

The ACCC provides general guidance on how consumer law operates, including avoiding claims that are false or misleading. It says it can require businesses to back up claims they make on social media.

As an editorial safeguard, check that any personal opinion in the post reflects the creator’s actual experience. Do not ask them to express an opinion they do not hold.

Review a short video as it may be encountered on its own. Approving its caption in isolation can miss a spoken or visual claim.

ACCC Guidelines on Influencer Disclosures

Mandatory Disclosure
Yes – paid partnerships must be clearly disclosed
Common Labels
#ad, #paidpartnership, 'paid promotion'

Give a usable final response

Send one outcome: approved for the specified version and publication window; changes required, with reasons and a new review time; or on hold, with the blocker and decision owner. Reopen an affected check if the product, offer or destination changes after approval.

For a hypothetical storage-product video, the brand might verify the dimensions but ask a creator to remove an unsupported claim that it fits every cupboard. The creator could describe the cupboard they actually used. This is an illustration, not a product test.

Keep the reviewed version, consolidated feedback and release decision together. After publication, compare the live post with the approved version and address a material difference.

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