An agency approval workflow that reviews internally before the client

Define what must be ready before the client sees it

The internal review should confirm the brief, copy, brand rules, required formats, and a presentable level of craft. It does not need to turn every creative opinion into consensus.

A short checklist by deliverable gives creative, account, content, and legal reviewers a concrete job.

Use two phases with different participants

Agency reviewers comment and clear internal issues in the first phase. Client reviewers and decision makers enter the second phase with the context needed to respond.

The handoff should be explicit. A lead can release the work, or the phase can wait for every required internal decision.

Give the client one clear request

Say whether the client should comment, choose between options, or approve the current version. For a campaign package, explain whether the decision covers every file or each item separately.

The link should open the intended asset and make the next action obvious without exposing the wider workspace.

Keep internal work private without breaking history

Private comments and internal versions let the team discuss unfinished work without deleting its own record. A reviewer who only joins the client phase should not be able to return to restricted drafts.

When changes are requested, upload the revision to the same review. A new link or duplicate review makes the client guess which history is current.

Skip the internal phase when it adds no value

Template adaptations and small teams may be ready to go straight to the client. Use an internal phase when it catches a real risk, not because every job must pass through the same ceremony.

A three-file campaign example

An agency uploads a social post, a story, and a PDF. Account checks the brief, content corrects the copy, and legal marks one required PDF change. The affected files receive a new internal version.

The client sees the clean package, approves two files, and requests a story adjustment. Only that file changes, while the package keeps every decision visible.

What the client should never need to reconstruct

The client should not have to guess which link is current, whether a comment blocks approval, or which files are waiting for a decision.

A clear invitation, visible file state, and one recorded outcome per decision remove that detective work.