This is practical guidance, not legal advice. If a project carries real risk or high value, ask a solicitor to check your terms.
Sign-off rarely matters until something goes wrong: a typo on 5,000 printed leaflets, or a client who says they never agreed to that version. On that day you want a clear answer to one question: who approved what, and when?
Why "looks good!" isn't enough
A quick "Looks good!" email is better than nothing, but it can leave gaps. Which attachment did it refer to? Was the sender the person with authority? Was it "looks good so far" or "go to print"?
The aim isn't to be formal. It's to remove doubt for both sides.
What a useful record includes
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who approved | Name and email, not just "the client" |
| Their authority | Are they the agreed approver? |
| What was approved | The exact file and version |
| When | Date and time |
| What they said | Any conditions or notes |
| What approval means | For example, "approved for print" |
Agree the rules up front
Three lines in your terms or proposal will save a lot of trouble:
- Who the approver is, and that their approval binds the client's side.
- What approval means: that the client has checked the work, including spelling and facts.
- What it costs to change something after approval.
Our sign-off and revision wording template has wording to adapt.
Ask for a clear statement
Make the final request impossible to misread:
Please confirm you approve "Autumn leaflet v3" for print. Once approved, we'll send it to the printer, and later changes may incur reprint costs.
Then, if the reply is vague, ask once more. It's a small awkward moment, and much better than a large one later.
Dealing with several approvers
When more than one person has to say yes, decide what happens if they disagree. A common rule: everyone must approve for it to count, and any one person can ask for changes. Be clear who decides if they conflict.
Keep it where you can find it
A record you can't find is no help. Keep the approval with the project, not in someone's inbox, and keep the approved version too. If you've agreed to delete client files after a project, save the record of the approval separately from the files.
Doing this in PostVito
When a client approves through a PostVito review link, the name, email and time are recorded against the round, and you can download the approval record as a PDF. Approved files are kept for 30 days, then deleted from storage, while the record stays. With several approvers, everyone must approve, and the first person to ask for changes closes the round.
If you don't use a tool, a project folder with the approved file and the confirming email does the same job.