Can I add different stages for different content types?

Yes. Blog posts might need SEO Review while social media posts skip it. You can either create different template items per content type (each with their own subitems) or add all possible stages and mark irrelevant ones as Approved immediately. The All Subitems trigger waits for all subitems regardless.

What if an approval is revoked after it was given?

If a subitem changes back from Approved, the parent will not have moved to Ready to Publish yet unless ALL subitems were Approved simultaneously. If the parent already moved, you would need to manually change it back. Consider adding a 'Revoke Approval' status that triggers a notification.

Can multiple people review at the same stage?

Yes. Add a People column to subitems and assign multiple reviewers. The status only changes to Approved when all reviewers agree. For complex approvals, create separate subitems for each reviewer (e.g., 'Legal Review', 'Brand Review', 'CMO Sign-Off').

Content Publishing Pipeline with Approval Workflow

Overview

Content teams juggle dozens of pieces at different stages. One blog post is in editing, another is waiting on design, a social campaign needs final approval, and nobody is quite sure what is ready to go live this week.

This template gives every piece of content a clear path from idea to published, with subitems tracking each stage. When all stages hit "Approved", the parent item automatically moves to "Ready to Publish". And when any stage gets stuck — waiting on feedback, blocked by dependencies — the content lead knows immediately.

Who This Template Is For

Content marketing teams managing blog posts, social media, and email campaigns
Editorial teams with multi-step review and approval processes
Agencies producing content for multiple clients with different approval chains
Solo content creators who want a repeatable system for consistent output

Board Structure

Groups

Ideas Backlog — content ideas not yet scheduled
This Week — pieces actively being produced
In Review — waiting on approvals
Ready to Publish — approved and scheduled for publication
Published — live content (archive monthly)

Columns

Content Board

8 items

Column	Type	Purpose
Content Status	Status	Idea, In Progress, In Review, Ready to Publish, Published
Content Type	Dropdown	Blog Post, Social Media, Email, Video, Infographic
Writer	People	Person creating the content
Target Date	Date	Planned publish date
Channel	Dropdown	Website, LinkedIn, Newsletter, YouTube
Client	Text	Client name (for agencies) or internal campaign
SEO Keyword	Text	Primary keyword target
Notes	Long Text	Brief, context, or special instructions

Content Status

TypeStatus

PurposeIdea, In Progress, In Review, Ready to Publish, Published

Content Type

TypeDropdown

PurposeBlog Post, Social Media, Email, Video, Infographic

Writer

TypePeople

PurposePerson creating the content

Target Date

TypeDate

PurposePlanned publish date

Channel

TypeDropdown

PurposeWebsite, LinkedIn, Newsletter, YouTube

Client

TypeText

PurposeClient name (for agencies) or internal campaign

SEO Keyword

TypeText

PurposePrimary keyword target

Notes

TypeLong Text

PurposeBrief, context, or special instructions

Subitems (Stages Per Piece)

Content Stages

6 items

Stage	Owner	Typical Duration
First Draft	Writer	2-3 days
Editorial Review	Editor	1-2 days
Design / Visuals	Designer	1-2 days
SEO Review	SEO Lead	1 day
Final Approval	Content Lead	1 day
Scheduling	Social/Email Manager	30 minutes

First Draft

OwnerWriter

Typical Duration2-3 days

Editorial Review

OwnerEditor

Typical Duration1-2 days

Design / Visuals

OwnerDesigner

Typical Duration1-2 days

SEO Review

OwnerSEO Lead

Typical Duration1 day

Final Approval

OwnerContent Lead

Typical Duration1 day

Scheduling

OwnerSocial/Email Manager

Typical Duration30 minutes

Each subitem uses Status labels: Not Started, In Progress, Changes Requested, Approved.

Setting Up the Automations

Automation 1: Auto-Publish When Fully Approved

This uses the All Subitems Reach a Status Trigger.

What it does: When every subitem for a content piece reaches "Approved", the parent item automatically moves to "Ready to Publish". No more manually checking whether all reviewers have signed off.

How to set it up:

Open the Automations Centre on your content board
Search for Community Cookbook recipes
Select: When ALL subitems reach a specific status
Set the target status to Approved
Set the action to change the parent Content Status to Ready to Publish

Automation 2: Flag Blockers Instantly

This uses the OR Status Trigger.

What it does: When any subitem hits "Changes Requested" or gets stuck, a single automation notifies the content lead. One trigger handles multiple problem statuses instead of creating separate automations for each.

How to set it up:

Open the Automations Centre
Search for Community Cookbook recipes
Select: When a column matches any of these values
Set the values to: Changes Requested and Blocked (if you use that label)
Set the action to notify the Content Lead

Tips and Variations

Content calendar view: Use the Timeline or Calendar view filtered by Target Date for a visual publishing calendar.
Template subitems: Create a template item in the Ideas Backlog group with pre-built subitems. Duplicate it for each new piece.
Client approval stage: For agencies, add a "Client Approval" subitem after Final Approval. The All Subitems trigger still works — it waits for every subitem including client sign-off.
Repurposing workflow: When a blog post is Published, add a native automation to create a new item in the Ideas Backlog for social media repurposing.
Performance tracking: Add a Numbers column for views/engagement after publishing. Use this data to prioritise future content topics.

What You Will Need

A monday.com account (Standard plan or above)
Community Cookbook installed from the monday.com marketplace
About 15 minutes for initial setup