How ApproveThis + Dub Crush Approval Chaos for Marketing and Operations Teams

Let’s talk about broken processes. You’re using Dub to manage short links for campaigns, product launches, and partner initiatives. But every new link still needs three Slack pings, two email threads, and a carrier pigeon to get approved. Enter ApproveThis – the missing piece that turns your Dub links into a well-oiled machine without adding bureaucratic sludge.

When Approval Workflows Meet Link Management

ApproveThis isn’t another layer of red tape – it’s the system that lets your team actually use Dub the way it was meant to be used. While Dub handles the technical heavy lifting of link shortening and tracking, ApproveThis manages the human decision-making that happens before anyone clicks "publish." Together, they solve the two biggest headaches in digital operations:

1. Making sure every link gets proper oversight before it goes live
2. Keeping marketing/IT/legal teams aligned without endless meetings

Here’s the kicker: ApproveThis approvers don’t need Dub licenses. Your external agencies, compliance reviewers, or finance people can approve/reject links directly from their inbox while your Dub power users keep doing their thing. No new logins, no seat limits – just decisions happening where they should.

Three Ways This Combo Actually Works

1. No More Rogue Links

The problem: Junior marketer creates Dub link for holiday campaign → forgets legal review → company gets fined for non-compliant URL.
The fix: Auto-create ApproveThis requests for every new Dub link. Route to legal + brand teams based on link tags.

Who needs this:
- E-commerce teams launching time-sensitive sales
- Healthcare orgs managing patient-facing links
- Franchise businesses keeping local/global URLs consistent

ApproveThis adds conditional routing here. Example: Links tagged “EU” auto-route to GDPR compliance officer first. Links over $5K budget trigger finance review. All tracked in Dub’s analytics with approval stamps.

2. Approval Status = Automatic Dub Tags

The problem: Nobody knows which links are approved/draft/expired. Cue duplicate links and broken redirects.
The fix: When ApproveThis requests start, Dub auto-tags links as “Pending Review.” Approved? Tag becomes “Live.” Denied? “Needs Revision.”

Who needs this:
- Agencies managing 100+ client links
- SaaS companies with versioned product docs
- Enterprise IT teams auditing link hygiene

ApproveThis’ calculated fields let you push custom metadata to Dub. Example: Auto-add “Expires: [date]” tag based on approval date + 90 days. No more zombie links.

3. Instant Link Cleanup

The problem: Approved link gets updated → old Dub link isn’t killed → customers hit dead ends.
The fix: When ApproveThis denies a request or approves an updated link, Dub automatically archives the old URL.

Who needs this:
- News outlets retracting broken stories
- Retailers sunsetting discontinued products
- Financial services updating compliance docs

ApproveThis thresholds let you set rules like: “If link is denied twice, auto-delete and notify security team.” Keeps Dub workspaces clean without manual pruning.

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

We’ve all seen “easy integrations” that require a PhD. This isn’t one. Here’s the real process:

1. Connect Dub and ApproveThis via Zapier (15 seconds)
2. Pick a trigger: New Dub link? New ApproveThis request? (1 minute)
3. Map fields: Link URL → Approval title, Dub tags → Approval category, etc. (2 minutes)
4. Test with a fake link: Does it create an approval? Does denying kill the link? (3 minutes)

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’ email-based approvals so stakeholders never need to log into anything. Legal says no to a link? They reply “DENY” from their phone. Dub updates automatically.

Why This Isn’t Just for Marketing Teams

IT & Security Squads

Every Dub link is a potential attack vector. ApproveThis adds mandatory security checkpoints:
- New employee referral links? Require HR + IT sign-off
- Links pointing to user-generated content? Auto-route to fraud team
- Links with UTM parameters? Validate tracking integrity first

Finance & Procurement

Dub links often map to real money – affiliate campaigns, partner payouts, etc. Add ApproveThis rules like:
- Links with “affiliate” tag require budget owner approval
- Links exceeding 10K clicks/month auto-flag for CFO review
- Campaigns using multiple Dub links bundle into single approval

Customer Support

Ever sent a client the wrong link? Us neither. But if we did…
- Auto-create ApproveThis requests for support article links
- Tag Dub links with ticket numbers
- Denied approvals trigger Slack alerts to support leads

The Hidden Perks Nobody Talks About

Beyond the obvious stuff, this combo solves sneaky problems you’re probably ignoring:

Vacation Coverage: Dub user OOO? ApproveThis auto-reassigns their link approvals so nothing stalls.
Audit Trails: Every Dub link change ties to an approval record – crucial for regulated industries.
Multi-Team Coordination: Product launches stay synced – Dub links go live only when engineering + marketing approvals are locked.

Real Talk: When This Isn’t Magic

Look, we’re not here to sell you fairy tales. This integration won’t fix:
- Teams that hate process (but they’ll hate chaos more)
- Dub configurations from 2019 (clean your house first)
- Approval workflows requiring 10+ steps (if you need that, we should talk)

What it does handle: Making sure every Dub link your team creates follows actual business rules without slowing anyone down. No more “I thought you approved it!” Mondays.

Ready to Stop Playing Link Cop?

ApproveThis + Dub through Zapier is one of those rare combos that’s simple to implement but looks like you hired a process wizard. Either keep herding cats through Slack threads, or:

Get Started Free (takes 8 minutes)
or
Book a Demo (see enterprise-grade features)

PS: If you’re still manually approving Dub links, at least set up a Zapier alert for when your team starts mutinying. We’ve got templates for that too.