Marketing Content Approval SOP Template

1.Purpose

To make sure every piece of marketing content is reviewed for accuracy, brand consistency, and compliance before it's published, without slowing the team down unnecessarily.

2.Scope

Applies to content created for the website, blog, ads, and campaigns before publication. Real-time social media replies and customer support responses are covered by separate SOPs.

Definitions

Content brief

The document outlining a piece of content's goal, audience, key points, and format before drafting starts.

Redline

Tracked edits or comments made on a draft during review, showing exactly what needs to change.

3.Responsibilities

Content Writer

Drafts content from the approved brief and incorporates review feedback.

Marketing Manager

Reviews drafts for accuracy and brand fit and gives final publish approval.

Legal Reviewer

Checks content that makes claims, mentions pricing, or covers regulated topics before it publishes.

RACI matrix

R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed

4.Materials and PPE

Materials, tools and systems

• →Content brief template
• →Brand and style guide
• →Content management system (CMS)
• →Shared review and comment tool
• →Content calendar

5.Procedure

1. 5.1

   Approve the content brief

   Marketing Manager

   Review and approve the content brief covering the goal, audience, key points, and format before any drafting begins.

2. 5.2

   Draft the content

   Content Writer

   Write the first draft from the approved brief, following the brand and style guide for tone, terminology, and formatting.

3. 5.3

   Self-check against the brief

   Content Writer

   Before submitting for review, check the draft against the original brief to confirm it covers the key points and matches the intended format.

4. 5.4

   Submit the draft for review

   Content Writer

   Submit the draft through the shared review tool with the brief attached, so the reviewer has full context without needing to ask for it.

5. 5.5

   Review for accuracy and brand fit

   Marketing Manager

   Review the draft for factual accuracy, tone, and brand consistency, leaving specific redlines rather than vague comments.

   Checkpoint: Every factual claim in the draft is checked against a source before the review is marked complete.

6. 5.6

   Route regulated content to legal

   Legal Reviewer

   Route any content making a specific claim, mentioning pricing, or touching a regulated topic to the legal reviewer before it can be approved for publishing.

   Checkpoint: Content containing a claim, pricing, or a regulated topic has documented legal sign-off before publishing.

7. 5.7

   Incorporate review feedback

   Content Writer

   Address every redline and comment from the reviewers, and note in the review tool how each one was resolved.

8. 5.8

   Do a final proofread

   Content Writer

   Proofread the revised draft once more for grammar, links, and formatting before it's considered ready for sign-off.

9. 5.9

   Give final publish sign-off

   Marketing Manager

   Confirm all required reviews are complete and give final sign-off to publish, noting the approved version in the review tool.

10. 5.10

    Schedule or publish the content

    Content Writer

    Schedule or publish the approved content in the CMS at the planned date and time from the content calendar.

11. 5.11

    Confirm the live version

    Marketing Manager

    Check the published page or asset against the approved final draft to confirm nothing changed unexpectedly during publishing.

6.Quality checks

• →Every published piece has a documented brief approval and final sign-off.
• →Content with claims, pricing, or regulated topics has recorded legal review.
• →All review feedback is addressed and noted as resolved before publishing.
• →Published content is checked against the approved final draft.

7.Records

• →Approved content briefs
• →Review comments and redlines
• →Legal review sign-offs
• →Content calendar with publish status

8.KPIs

• →Average time from draft submission to publish approval
• →Percentage of content requiring legal review that received it before publishing
• →Number of post-publish corrections per month

9.Common mistakes

• →Publishing before all required reviewers have signed off.
• →Skipping legal review on content that mentions pricing or makes a claim.
• →Leaving reviewer feedback unaddressed before requesting final sign-off.
• →Not checking the live page against the approved draft after publishing.

10.Revision history