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Guide

Email Approval Workflow: From Draft to Decision

How to design an email approval workflow that protects quality without becoming a bottleneck.

Last updated

An email approval workflow is the path a campaign takes from draft to an explicit “yes.” A good one makes the decision clear, fast, and auditable.

The stages of a healthy workflow

  1. 1

    Draft

    An editor composes the campaign.

  2. 2

    Snapshot

    A frozen, immutable version is created for review.

  3. 3

    Automated checks

    Preflight clears mechanical issues before humans look.

  4. 4

    Review

    A reviewer approves or requests changes - a recorded decision.

  5. 5

    Ready

    An approved, preflight-passing version can be exported or test sent.

Principles that keep it from bottlenecking

  • Approve a specific version, never a moving draft.
  • Put automated checks before human review.
  • Make the decision binary: approve or request changes.
  • Keep an append-only trail of who decided what.

Where Memo fits

Memo’s approval workflow is role-gated and append-only, and preflight must pass before approval. Read Submit a version for review and Approve or request changes.

Frequently asked

What is an email approval workflow?
The defined process for moving an email from draft to an explicit approval, ideally anchored to an immutable version with automated checks and a recorded decision.
Why approve a version instead of a draft?
Drafts keep changing. Approving an immutable version means everyone agrees on exactly what was accepted, and what gets exported matches what was reviewed.