Social Media Management Scope and Approval Record
Turn a social media engagement into a reviewable project record: who creates, approves, publishes, pays, grants access, checks disclosures, and keeps the evidence.
Record the Working Facts
Project Record Preview
Four Gates Before Work Starts
- Scope gate: list platform-by-platform deliverables, formats, quantities, exclusions, source files, community response, and paid-media duties.
- Approval gate: name the approver, deadline, revision path, publishing authority, crisis pause rule, and evidence that counts as approval.
- Access and compliance gate: record role-based access, MFA, revocation, claim substantiation, sponsored-content disclosures, licensed assets, and escalation ownership.
- Economic and handoff gate: separate service fee from ad spend and expenses, define reporting sources, and list the files and access that must be returned at exit.
Worked Example: Local Retail Launch
A fictional retailer hires an agency for a 30-day launch: 12 Instagram posts, four vertical videos, and one monthly report for a $2,400 service fee. A separate $1,500 ad budget stays on the client's card. The client approves copy in a shared calendar two business days before publishing; silence is not approval. The agency receives role access with MFA, not the owner's password. Each sponsored creator post needs a material-connection flag and a visible disclosure check before approval. At month end, the evidence package contains approved copy, source files, music or stock licenses, platform exports, spend receipts, and an access-revocation checklist.
This example exposes the decisions a headline such as “20 posts per month” misses: formats, approver, ad-spend authority, claims, disclosures, licensed inputs, reporting source, and exit evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Record every platform, deliverable and format, approval owner and deadline, publishing authority, access method, ad-spend authority, reporting source, third-party asset, disclosure workflow, payment input, handoff item, and unresolved legal term.
Do not assume it does. Identify the creator, pre-existing materials, client assets, third-party licenses, source files, proposed license or assignment, and portfolio use. In the United States, work-made-for-hire status has specific requirements; ownership and transfer language should receive qualified review.
The record should assign who identifies a material connection, drafts the disclosure, checks its placement, approves the post, and preserves evidence. FTC guidance says material connections should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously; applicable law and platform rules still require separate review.
Prefer platform role access and multifactor authentication where available. Record who grants, reviews, and revokes access. Never store passwords or tokens in this page.
Evidence to Keep With the Record
| Decision | Evidence to retain | Stop condition |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and approval | Content calendar version, named approver, timestamped approval, revision request, final asset | No post goes live without the agreed approval evidence |
| Claims and disclosures | Claim source, material-connection flag, disclosure text and placement, final screenshot | Pause when a claim lacks support or the relationship is not clearly disclosed |
| Rights and assets | Creator, client-provided asset record, stock/music license, proposed rights, source-file handoff | Do not publish when an asset's permitted use is unresolved |
| Access and spend | Role grant, MFA confirmation, approval limit, platform receipt, access review and revocation | Pause spend or publishing when authority or account security is unclear |
| Reporting | Native export date range, attribution settings, spend receipt, assumptions and limitations | Do not present estimated or platform-reported metrics as guaranteed business results |
Primary Sources and Boundaries
- FTC: Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers — material connections and clear disclosure placement.
- FTC: Endorsement Guides questions and answers — advertiser and endorser considerations, including social media.
- U.S. Copyright Office Circular 30 — the limited work-made-for-hire categories and written-agreement requirements for commissioned work.
This page is a planning and evidence tool, not legal advice. Laws, platform rules, worker classification, privacy duties, contest rules, regulated-product claims, intellectual-property terms, and dispute procedures vary by facts and jurisdiction. Have qualified professionals review the final agreement and campaign where appropriate.