Why Approval Management Matters in Email Marketing
Email marketing thrives on precision. One mistimed campaign or unvetted contact list can damage sender reputation, waste resources, and alienate customers. Yet many teams still rely on manual approvals—chasing stakeholders via email, digging through spreadsheets, or losing requests in Slack threads. ApproveThis fixes this by adding structure to decision-making, while INBOX handles the heavy lifting of email campaigns. Together, they turn chaotic processes into seamless workflows.
Where ApproveThis Complements INBOX
INBOX simplifies email marketing for small businesses, but it doesn’t enforce approval protocols. ApproveThis fills that gap by adding governance without bureaucracy. For example, when a new contact is added via an INBOX form, ApproveThis can automatically route it for legal review before adding to your list. Approvers don’t need INBOX licenses—they just click “Approve” in their email. This is ideal for collaborating with external agencies, clients, or compliance teams who shouldn’t have full access to your marketing tools.
Key Integration Benefits
Combining these platforms through Zapier lets you:
- Automatically vet new contacts, campaigns, or bounce responses
- Maintain compliance with audit-ready approval records
- Reduce human error in list management
Real-World Use Cases
Let’s break down three ways businesses use this integration to save hours each week.
1. Automating Contact List Hygiene
A regional furniture retailer uses INBOX forms to capture newsletter sign-ups in-store. Previously, staff manually reviewed each entry for typos or fake emails. Now, every form submission triggers an ApproveThis request routed to the store manager. Approved contacts sync to INBOX; rejected ones get a follow-up email. Using ApproveThis’ calculated fields, they automatically flag submissions with invalid domains (e.g., “gmaill.com”) for correction before approval.
2. Streamlining Campaign Launches
A nonprofit schedules donor update emails via INBOX. Their finance team requires approval for any messaging mentioning fund allocation. Using Zapier, when a campaign draft is ready, ApproveThis sends a preview to the CFO and compliance officer. The sequential approval groups ensure the CFO reviews first, avoiding bottlenecks. Once approved, INBOX automatically schedules the send.
3. Handling Bounced Emails Proactively
An e-commerce brand noticed that 5% of promotional emails bounced. Their team now uses ApproveThis’ conditional thresholds to auto-flag addresses with multiple bounces. A Zapier workflow creates a request to either remove the contact or update their details. Customer service leads resolve these in bulk every Friday, keeping lists clean without daily interruptions.
Setting Up Your Integration
Connecting ApproveThis and INBOX takes 15 minutes:
- Create a Zapier account (if you don’t have one).
- In Zapier, choose INBOX as your trigger app (e.g., “Contact Added Through a Form”).
- Select ApproveThis as the action app (“Create Request”).
- Map INBOX form fields to ApproveThis’ template variables (e.g., “Email” → “Contact Address”).
- Test with a live submission to confirm approvals trigger correctly.
For complex workflows, use ApproveThis’ conditional logic to route high-value contacts to senior staff or escalate overdue requests.
Team-Specific Advantages
Marketing Teams
Ensure every campaign aligns with brand guidelines by requiring copy approvals before INBOX sends. Use real-time tracking to see where requests stall and adjust deadlines ahead of launches.
Operations Managers
Automate compliance reporting. ApproveThis logs every decision, so you can prove that bounced emails were reviewed or GDPR consent was verified—without manual documentation.
Client Services
Include external stakeholders in approvals without buying extra INBOX seats. A marketing agency can route client campaign drafts for feedback directly through ApproveThis, keeping internal INBOX usage confidential.
Why This Combo Works
ApproveThis doesn’t just add another layer of oversight—it adds smart oversight. Features like vacation delegation prevent bottlenecks when approvers are out, while approval thresholds auto-approve low-risk requests (e.g., non-commercial emails). Meanwhile, INBOX remains the workhorse for email execution. Together, they’re greater than the sum of their parts.
Getting Started
If you’re using INBOX for email marketing but feel uneasy about unmonitored form submissions or campaign approvals, it’s time to explore ApproveThis. The Zapier integration requires no coding, and you can start with a single workflow (like vetting new contacts).
Ready to eliminate manual follow-ups and reduce compliance risks? Register for ApproveThis or schedule a demo to see how it complements INBOX. Most teams recoup the setup time within their first campaign cycle.
Integrate with INBOX Integration and get 90 days of ApproveThis for free.
After you create a Zapier integration, please email us at support@approve-this.com with your account name and we'll add 3 months of ApproveThis to your account. Limit one redemption per account.
Learn More
Best Approval Workflows for INBOX
Suggested workflows (and their Zapier components) for INBOX
Create approval requests for contacts added through forms
Keep your contacts organized and approved automatically. This integration creates a new approval request in ApproveThis every time a contact is added through a form in INBOX. This ensures all new contacts meet your criteria before being added to your main lists, saving you manual checks.
Zapier Components

Trigger
Contact Added Through a Form
Triggers when a contact adds through a form.
Action
Create Request
Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.
Add approved contacts to INBOX list from new requests
Streamline the management of your contact lists by using this automation. As soon as a contact is approved via a new request initiated in ApproveThis, they are automatically added to your INBOX list. This saves time and ensures that all contacts have been vetted before communication is initiated.
Zapier Components
Trigger
New Request
Triggers when a new approval request workflow is initiated.

Action
Add Contact to List
Adds contact to the contact list you specified.
Initiate approval requests for bounced contacts
Never miss following up on problematic contacts. This integration creates an approval request in ApproveThis for every contact whose email bounces in INBOX, allowing you to review and decide subsequent actions based on historical contact data.
Zapier Components

Trigger
Contact Bounced
Triggers when a email you sent bounces.
Action
Create Request
Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.
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