How do approvals and sign-off work day to day?
Name one approver, define which materials require approval, and set a response target that can meet reporter deadlines. You approve company claims, quotes, messaging, and announcements. The agency should be able to send individual pitches from the approved message set without routing every email through a new review cycle.
Separate visibility from approval. PressFriendly activity records count 7,000+ targeted pitches a year across the agency. Requiring client approval for every email would add a new delay to each send. Approve the message set and factual boundaries once, then use regular activity reporting to review how the agency applies them.
Sort what crosses your desk by what actually needs your eyes:
- Your quotes and claims - you sign off, because only you can stand behind them
- Messaging and positioning - approve the document once, then let pitches draw from it; how that document gets built is the messaging-and-positioning page
- Announcements and the release - sign off on facts and tone before anything ships
- Individual pitches - reporting yes, approval no
Keep control without becoming the bottleneck:
| Move | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Name one approver | A committee turns 24 hours into a week |
| Pre-approve a quote bank | The agency can confirm a line without waiting on you |
| Set a turnaround you can hold | A reporter's deadline does not move for your calendar |
| Edit for accuracy, not taste | A factual error is your problem; word choice is theirs |
Watch for two failure modes in month one. An agency that ships things you never saw is a trust problem; raise it the day you find it. A founder who sits on drafts for three days is the more common one, and it quietly wastes the retainer you are paying. When a reporter replies at 4pm asking to confirm a quote by 5pm, the only variable left is how fast you answer.
Your one non-delegable job here is the sign-off itself. Decide who holds it before kickoff, then answer inside the window you set.