RunMags journal
How to Streamline Proposal Approvals for Magazines
Proposal approval, contract signing and artwork approval answer different questions. A reliable process makes the required decision, version and authorized reviewer visible at each stage.
Define the approval routes
Identify which discounts, custom packages or placement promises require internal approval. Separately record who can accept the advertiser's offer. A designer approving a proof is not necessarily authorized to approve the commercial terms.
Give the buyer one current version
Send a proposal with a clear decision request, validity period and next step. Keep a dated version record and retire superseded offers from active review. If the price or deliverables change, obtain the required approval for the new version before treating it as booked business.
Manage holds and deadlines
Set an expiry for proposed inventory holds and name the person allowed to extend them. Schedule follow-up around the buyer's decision process and the production cutoff. Escalate an unresolved approval to an owner rather than sending repeated automated messages without context.
Continue into contract and creative review
After acceptance, pass the approved offer to the contract and order workflow. Request artwork using the correct specifications and material dates. Track creative approval separately, including the proof version and reviewer. Check that a late commercial amendment reaches production and finance. When an advertiser signs a proposal online in RunMags ad sales, the contract is marked as signed and your team is notified.
A practical worksheet
Illustrative proof schedule: request a creative decision seven business days before issue close, allow three business days for the advertiser's response and reserve the remaining time for a revision and production check. These are planning assumptions to adjust to your printer, advertiser and campaign; they are not universal deadlines. Commercial approval may follow a different schedule. If the buyer changes the package during proof review, reopen the affected terms and inventory decision instead of letting a designer's creative approval authorize a new price or placement.
Review checklist
- Separate commercial acceptance from creative approval.
- Record the version, reviewer and decision date.
- Release or deliberately extend expired holds.
