PostWireSocial media approval workflow for clients: sign-off from a link, no client login
Below: the setup step by step with the dashboard's real buttons, what the client sees, what happens when your AI agent or n8n writes the post, and how Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Planable and Sprout Social price their approvals today.
Updated . Written from PostWire's own code; vendor prices read on Oct 7, 2026. Live networks: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn (personal profiles), Facebook Pages, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Discord, and X on paid plans.
Set it up for one client, step by step
- Create the account
Open postwire.io/dashboard.html, type your email and press Create my free account; PostWire emails a link to confirm the address. No password and no card. Client approvers need Pro or above (Pro 5 per brand, Agency 25, Scale 100); the owner and teammates can approve on Starter. See every plan on the pricing page.
- Make a brand for the client
In Accounts, press + New brand and name it after the client's business. A brand is one business: its own accounts, its own approval rules. Pro holds 10 brands, Agency 50.
- Connect the client's accounts
Still in Accounts, pick the client's brand and press Generate connect link on the Invite a client to connect card. Send the link to the client: for one hour, it lets them sign in to each of their networks on the network's own page, and the accounts land in their brand. You never see their passwords. You can also connect accounts you already manage with Connect another.
- Turn on the brand's approval rules
Open Approvals; under Rules each brand has its own card. Switch on Require approval. Under Posts from, tick where the posts that must wait come from: Posts written in the PostWire dashboard is off by default — tick it if you write in the dashboard — and posts from API keys, AI agents (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor) and n8n, Make or Zapier are ticked. Optionally narrow it On these networks, or to posts that contains a link, mentions a price or use a word from your list (one per line; guarant* matches guarantee and guaranteed). Under Who approves, type the client's email in Other approvers (one per line, up to 5 on Pro). Remind after 12 hours and Links work for 72 hours are the defaults; change them if you want. Press Save rules.
- Write and schedule as usual
In Compose, pick the client's brand, press Write the posts for a version per network, then Add to queue or Publish now. The post does not go out: it appears in Approvals → Pending, and PostWire emails the client (and you) a private link. Reminders follow on their own, three at most.
- The client decides from the link
The page shows each network's version: the account, the text, the images and the length against the network's limit. The client can approve everything, approve some networks only, edit a network's text, pick another time, or reject with a reason. The link is signed, works once and expires; the client never creates an account.
- It goes out, and the log says who approved
An approved post goes out at its scheduled time, or right away if that time passed while it waited. A rejected one is not published, and the reason shows in Approvals. Activity records who approved or rejected each post, from which link or account; export it as CSV.
When the post comes from an API key, an AI agent over MCP or n8n, the rules work the same way: the call is answered with 202 and status: "pending_approval", and GET /api/post/status (or the MCP tool get_post_status) says later whether it was approved and published. More in the approvals docs.
How other tools handle client approvals, and what they cost
The plan where each tool lists approvals, and its price, read on each vendor's own pricing page on Oct 7, 2026.
| Tool | Approvals listed on | Price of that plan | Priced per | What that plan includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostWire | Starter (you and your team); Pro (client approval links) | $9/mo; Pro $29/mo | Business (brand) | Pro: 10 brands, 25 seats, 5 client approvers per brand, every network |
| Buffer | Team | $10/mo per channel, billed yearly ($120 a year) | Channel | Approval workflows, access levels, unlimited users |
| Hootsuite | Advanced | $399 per user/mo, billed annually | User | Review and approve content with your team |
| Later | Growth | $37.50/mo, billed yearly | Plan (social sets) | 2 social sets, 2 users, internal and external collaboration and approvals |
| Planable | Basic (optional approvals); Pro (required approvals) | $39 / $59 per workspace a month | Workspace (one client) | Unlimited users; Pro: 150 posts and 10 pages per workspace |
| Sprout Social | Not listed | From $79 per seat/mo, billed annually | Seat | Message Approval Workflows (on its publishing page) |
Checked on Oct 7, 2026 (2026-10-07) on each vendor's own pricing or docs page, linked in the first column and below. Monthly billing in USD unless noted. "Not listed" means we could not find it on their page, not that it is missing.
Where PostWire is ahead
- Client approval for 10 clients at $29 a month. Planable's required approvals are $59 per workspace a month; Hootsuite lists approvals on Advanced at $399 per user.
- Approvals from $9 a month, with 3 team seats and roles included.
- The client approves network by network from one link — and can edit the text or pick another time — without creating an account.
- Rules that read the post: hold only posts with a link, a price or a word from the client's list, only on some networks, or only those written by an AI agent, an API key or n8n.
- An AI agent can't approve its own post: only the emailed link or a person in the dashboard can.
- A free plan (1 business, 20 posts a month, 5 AI drafts a day (about 20 a month), 2 networks per post, 3 scheduled posts at a time — every network connects free, no card), and each network's version written from one idea.
- Buffer pricing (Team: approval workflows, access levels, unlimited users; per channel, billed yearly): buffer.com/pricing
- Hootsuite plans (approvals on Advanced; priced per user, billed annually): www.hootsuite.com/plans
- Later pricing (Growth: approvals, 2 users; social sets; billed yearly): later.com/pricing/
- Planable pricing (per workspace; Required approvals on Pro): planable.io/pricing/
- Planable pricing for AI agents (monthly prices per workspace): planable.io/wp-content/uploads/downloads/planable-pricing.md
- Sprout Social pricing (per seat, annual billing): sproutsocial.com/pricing/
- Sprout Social publishing features (Message Approval Workflows): sproutsocial.com/features/social-media-publishing/
Your AI agent writes, your client approves
Approval rules are checked on PostWire's server before anything is sent, with no AI involved. An API key or an AI connector can never approve a post or change the rules: approving takes the emailed link or a person signed in to the dashboard. So you can let Claude, ChatGPT or an n8n workflow draft and schedule a client's week, and nothing reaches the client's accounts until the client says yes.
Rules can be narrow: only posts with a link, only posts that mention a price, only posts that use a word from the client's list (a regulated claim, a competitor's name), only on some networks. Everything else goes out on schedule.
What it does not do
- One decision settles a post. The first person who decides — you, a teammate or the client — approves or rejects it; there is no chain where your team approves first and the client second.
- No comment threads on a post. The approver edits the text or rejects it with a reason.
- The rules are set by a person in the dashboard, not through the API or an AI agent — on purpose.
- The approval and connect pages carry PostWire's name; there is no white-label domain.
- PostWire does not answer comments or DMs.
Questions people ask
Can a client approve social media posts without creating an account?
Yes, on PostWire's Pro plan and above. Add the client's email as an approver on their brand; each post that waits is emailed to them as a private link, signed, single-use and expiring (72 hours by default). They approve, edit, reschedule or reject from that page with no PostWire account. Pro ($29 a month) allows 5 approvers per brand.
Can the client approve some networks and not others?
Yes. The approval page shows every network's version and the client can approve only some of them; the others are not published. They can also edit a network's text before approving.
What if the client doesn't answer?
PostWire sends reminders, by default every 12 hours and three at most, and the post stays in Pending; nothing is published without a decision. If its scheduled time passes while it waits, it goes out right after it is approved.
Do posts from AI agents and n8n wait for approval too?
Yes, if the brand's rules say so: posts from API keys, AI agents over MCP and n8n, Make or Zapier are among the sources a rule can hold. The agent is answered that the post is waiting; an API key or AI connector can never approve it.
Can only some posts wait, like the ones with a price?
Yes. A rule can apply only when the post contains a link, mentions a price, or uses a word from the brand's list, and only on the networks you tick. Everything else is published on schedule.
How much does a client approval workflow cost?
Starter is $9 a month (3 brands, 3 seats, approvals by you or a teammate); Pro is $29 (10 brands, 25 seats, 5 client approvers per brand); Agency $99 (50 brands, 100 seats, 25 client approvers per brand). 20% off billed yearly; 14-day refund. On Starter the account owner and teammates approve; client approval links start on Pro.
Try it on one business, free.
The free plan is 1 business, 20 posts a month, 5 AI drafts a day (about 20 a month) and 2 networks per post — every network connects free, no card, no time limit. Paid plans start at $9 a month and have a 14-day refund; after your first published post, Pro can be tried free for 3 days.