Editorial workflow
The five stages every post moves through, who moves it, how changes and approvals work, and what the statuses mean.
Every post (and every cross post) moves through the same five stages, so everyone knows what happens next and who is responsible. The Status card on the post shows the stage, and the progress line shows how far it has come.
The five stages
| Stage | What happens | Who acts | Button that moves it on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Idea | The idea, copy and first media are prepared. | The assigned account manager (or the team) | Send to client |
| Client Approval – Content | The client approves the copy or asks for changes. | The client | Approve review (or the client approves in the portal) |
| Production / Design | The designer produces the final visuals. | The assigned designer | Send to client |
| Client Approval – Final Design | The client approves the finished post. | The client | Approve review |
| Scheduling / Publishing | The post is scheduled or published. | The account manager | Schedule post or Publish now |
On calendar cards you’ll see short labels for these stages: Content Idea, Awaiting Client, In Design and Scheduling / Publishing.
The readiness check
A post can’t reach Scheduling / Publishing while something is missing. The post shows a banner such as “Complete 1 item to continue”, and the main button explains what’s wrong. Typical items: add a title, add the required media, choose a supported post type, choose a future date, or choose an available publishing destination. As you fix each one, it disappears from the list.
If two people edit the same post, AgencyOS stops the older edit from overwriting the newer one and asks you to reload the latest version first.
Request changes
- Click Request changes in the action bar.
- Choose Return to stage: an earlier stage the post goes back to.
- Choose a Reason category: copy changes, visual changes, strategy changes, compliance or other.
- Describe What needs to change? and, optionally, mention a teammate.
- Click Send back. The reason is recorded in the post’s workflow history.
Sending back a scheduled post cancels its pending publishing until it is scheduled again.
Lifecycle: blocked, cancelled and archived
Separately from the stage, a post has a lifecycle state:
| State | Meaning | Get it going again |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Normal. Work can continue. | — |
| Blocked | Paused with a reason (Block work), for example waiting for the client. | Resume work |
| Cancelled | Won’t go ahead (Cancel post). | Restore post |
| Archived | Kept but hidden from the calendar (Archive post). | Restore post |
Blocking, cancelling or archiving a scheduled post also cancels its pending publishing. Resuming or restoring a post on Scheduling / Publishing queues it again.
Versions
The Versions tab keeps permanent snapshots of a post. Click Create version snapshot before big edits or before sending to the client. Preview any version, and restore it if you need to go back. Publishing uses the approved content version, so what the client approved is what goes out.