Templates
Digital PR campaign approval and outreach checklist
Review the purpose, angle, evidence, spokesperson, contacts, message, commercial terms, sender, approval model, follow-up rules and reporting before the campaign acts externally.
Use this checklist before a campaign sends a message, submits a form, offers a product, publishes a release or makes another external commitment.
The goal is not to add approval for its own sake. It is to make the material decisions visible and let established low-risk work proceed within clear rules.
1. Campaign purpose
Record the objective, owner and decision.
- The campaign has one primary objective
- The intended audience is defined
- The desired outcome is separate from the activity used to pursue it
- The opportunity type is correct
- The campaign has a clear start, deadline or review point
- The campaign owner is named
2. Angle and audience relevance
Record why this angle and audience fit.
- The angle explains why the audience should care now
- The story is more than a company introduction
- The recipient selection follows from the angle
- The campaign does not depend on invented urgency
- The same message would not make equal sense to an unrelated contact
- The opportunity is still current
3. Evidence and claims
List the approved sources alongside the campaign.
- Every material statistic has a source
- Methodology and sample context are available where relevant
- Customer results have permission and a timeframe
- Quotations are approved by the attributed person
- Product, pricing and availability information is current
- Awards, memberships and accreditations can be verified
- Limitations are not hidden
- Unsupported superlatives have been removed
- Regulated or sensitive claims have the required specialist review
4. Spokesperson
Record the person and approval route.
- The spokesperson has direct relevant expertise
- Their name, title and biography are current
- Their availability matches the deadline and format
- They have approved the contribution where required
- Restricted subjects are recorded
- The campaign does not imply expertise the person does not hold
5. Contact qualification
Record included, excluded and held contacts with reasons.
- The contact's current role has been checked
- Their recent subject coverage is relevant
- The publication and market fit the campaign
- The preferred route has been recorded
- The contact is not on an applicable suppression list
- No hard bounce is associated with the address
- No out-of-office hold is active
- Recent contact history has been reviewed
- Another client or campaign does not create a timing conflict
- The size of the audience list remains proportionate to the angle
6. Message or submission
Record the approved version and owner.
- The opening explains relevance
- The central contribution is easy to find
- Company background is limited to what is useful
- The requested next step is clear
- Links and attachments are appropriate
- The sender identity is accurate
- The message follows the request's format and deadline
- A form uses the source's expected fields and process
- Generated suggestions have not been presented as approved facts
- No confidential or embargoed information is disclosed early
7. Commercial terms and product access
Record the approved terms or state that none apply.
- Paid, sponsored, affiliate and earned routes are distinguished
- Costs are visible before approval
- Sample value, shipping, return and ownership terms are clear
- Product or software access is authorised
- Disclosure requirements are recorded
- The campaign does not attempt to purchase undisclosed editorial coverage or links
- An authorised person approves any material contractual commitment
8. Sender and domain controls
Record the selected domain, sender and limits.
- The sender name represents a real authorised person or role
- The sending domain belongs to the supported customer workflow
- Email authentication and delivery setup are complete
- Daily and campaign sending limits are set
- Follow-up limits are set
- Reply routing is working
- The customer's main domain is not being used contrary to the agreed setup
- The sender does not imitate another organisation
9. Approval model
Choose manual approval or rules-based approval, then record the scope.
Manual approval
Every external action in this campaign returns to an authorised user before completion.
Rules-based approval
Lula may act only when all defined subjects, evidence, audiences, contacts, senders, limits and exclusions are satisfied.
Record
Approver; actions covered; allowed claims and sources; allowed audiences and markets; excluded publications and contacts; maximum contacts; maximum follow-ups; forms or actions permitted; conditions that return the work to manual review; date or event for reviewing the rule.
10. Recipient preference handling
Record who reviews ambiguous or high-risk responses.
- The message includes an appropriate way to decline future contact
- Campaign, client and sender opt-out scopes can be recorded
- A clear broader request can be enforced more widely
- Hard bounces stop repeated attempts to the address
- Complaints are routed for review
- Users cannot switch senders to avoid an opt-out
11. Follow-up rules
Record the timing, maximum and stop conditions.
- The maximum number of follow-ups is defined
- The interval reflects the deadline and story
- A follow-up must add value or clarify timing
- Activity stops after a decline, opt-out, hard bounce or expired opportunity
- Out-of-office return dates create an appropriate hold
- No unrelated campaign automatically replaces a declined pitch
12. Reporting and verification
Record the dashboard, recipients and review cadence.
- Activity, response and outcome are reported separately
- Submission does not equal a verified placement
- Live URLs are checked before a placement is counted
- Link status is recorded where relevant
- Referral and search data sources are identified
- AI observations include the question, system and date
- Attribution limitations are included
- The customer receives the appropriate daily reporting
Final approval record
Close the checklist with an explicit decision.
- Campaign; brand; owner
- Approval model; approved by; specialist approval
- External action authorised; conditions; next review
- Decision: approve, revise, hold or reject
Frequently asked questions
- Does every campaign need every checklist item?
- No. Remove sections that genuinely do not apply, but do not skip a material risk because the route is inconvenient.
- Can approval be automated?
- Established work can proceed within defined rules. Sensitive, unfamiliar or exception cases should return to a person.
- Who should approve regulated claims?
- Use the specialist reviewer required by the organisation and applicable rules. An AI system should not be treated as that specialist approval.
- What happens after approval?
- The campaign proceeds only within the recorded scope. A material change to the angle, evidence, contacts, terms or sender should trigger another review.
- How should an ambiguous opt-out be handled?
- Route it for review and apply a cautious restriction until the recipient's intent can be respected.
Turn approval into an operating rule
Meet Lula keeps campaign decisions, evidence, contacts, actions and outcomes connected so approved work can move without losing accountability.