ApproveThis manages your PR.co Integration approvals.

Let’s cut to the chase: PR moves fast, but approval processes? Not so much. If you’re using PR.co to manage press releases, media contacts, or campaigns, you already know how chaotic it gets when every draft needs five sign-offs, three reminders, and a carrier pigeon to get finalized. That’s where ApproveThis comes in – not to replace PR.co, but to make sure your team actually uses it instead of drowning in Slack threads and CC’d emails.

Why PR Teams Need Fewer Meetings and More Automation

PR.co is built for one thing: making your company look good. Press releases, investor updates, crisis comms – it’s all there. But here’s the problem nobody talks about: looking good requires decisions. Decisions that usually involve legal, executives, or clients who aren’t logged into PR.co. That’s how campaigns get stuck in “review limbo” while deadlines whoosh by.

ApproveThis fixes this by handling the messy human part of PR workflows. Think of it as the bouncer at the club – it doesn’t replace the music (your PR content), but it makes sure the right people say “yes” before anything goes live. And because it connects to PR.co via Zapier, you’re not asking your comms team to learn another complex tool.

How This Combo Actually Works (Without the Buzzwords)

Here’s the simple version: PR.co stays your single source of truth for media relations. ApproveThis becomes the layer that routes drafts, budgets, or campaign plans to the people who need to sign off – even if those people have never opened PR.co. When you connect them:

• PR.co handles the content – building newsrooms, tracking clippings, managing journalist contacts
• ApproveThis handles the humans – chasing down approvals, escalating urgent requests, keeping an audit trail

And here’s the kicker: approvers don’t need a PR.co license. You can loop in your CFO for budget sign-offs or a client’s legal team without buying extra seats. They just click “Approve” in an email or portal, and PR.co gets updated automatically.

Three Ways This Saves PR Teams From Themselves

1. No More “Who Approved This?!” Moments

The scenario: Your team publishes a press release in PR.co. Two days later, someone spots a typo in the CEO’s quote. Cue the blame game.

The fix: Set up a Zap that triggers an ApproveThis workflow every time a new campaign is published in PR.co. Legal gets the draft, compliance checks the stats, and the C-suite approves the quotes – all before it goes live. If someone tries to skip steps? ApproveThis blocks the publish until all sign-offs are in.

Who benefits: Regulated industries (healthcare, finance) where unapproved claims = legal nightmares. Also agencies managing multiple client approvals without wanting to share PR.co logins.

2. Turn Yeses Into Action, Not More Work

The scenario: Your VP finally approves that product launch announcement. Now someone has to manually create a newsroom lead in PR.co, update the CRM, and notify the social team. Spoiler: This takes 3 days.

The fix: When an ApproveThis request gets approved, Zapier auto-creates a PR.co newsroom lead with all context attached. The PR team gets a task that’s actually ready to execute, not another item for their to-do list.

Who benefits: Startups where the same 5 people wear 12 hats. Also enterprises where approved requests often get lost between departments.

3. Stop Updating Contacts Like It’s 2003

The scenario: A journalist moves to a new outlet. Your team finds out during a pitch…awkward. Or worse, a key investor’s contact info is outdated before a funding round.

The fix: New approval request in ApproveThis? Zapier updates or creates the PR.co CRM contact instantly. No more “I thought you added them!” gaps. Plus, ApproveThis’ calculated fields can auto-flag contacts who haven’t been re-approved in X days.

Who benefits: Teams juggling media lists for top-tier outlets. Investor relations groups managing sensitive stakeholder data.

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

If you’re imagining some 20-step nightmare, relax. Here’s the real process:

1. Connect PR.co and ApproveThis via Zapier (takes 2 minutes if you’ve used Zapier before)
2. Pick your trigger: “New campaign published in PR.co” or “Approval finalized in ApproveThis”
3. Map the fields: PR.co campaign title → ApproveThis request title, etc.
4. Test with a draft press release or dummy contact

Pro tip: Start with one workflow (like press release approvals) before automating everything. Most teams get this live in under an hour.

Why Your CFO Will Secretly Love This

Approval workflows aren’t just about speed – they’re about money. Think:

• Legal costs: One unapproved claim in a press release can mean lawsuits. ApproveThis’ audit trails prove due diligence.
• Overtime: PR teams waste hours weekly chasing sign-offs. Automating this = fewer all-nighters before launches.
• Subscription waste: Why pay for 50 PR.co seats when only 10 people create content? ApproveThis lets external approvers participate without licenses.

Plus, with approval thresholds, you can auto-approve small expenses (like a $500 press dinner) but require CFO sign-off on bigger spends. Budget control without micromanagement.

Wait, What If Someone’s On Vacation?

Classic problem: Your CMO is out rock climbing, and that merger announcement can’t wait. ApproveThis handles this two ways:

1. Vacation delegation: Automatically route their approvals to a deputy (who you can update in 2 clicks).
2. Escalation rules: If no action in 24hrs, notify their boss or auto-approve based on preset rules.

No more “Sorry, I was offline” excuses. PR.co stays updated whether humans are responsible or not.

Who Actually Uses This Combo? (Real Examples)

Example 1: A 200-person cybersecurity firm uses PR.co for breach disclosures. Before ApproveThis, getting sign-off from legal, infosec, and the board took 4 days. Now? Automated multi-step approvals cut it to 8 hours, with every comment tracked in one place.

Example 2: A PR agency serving 30+ clients routes all draft approvals through ApproveThis. Clients get branded portals (no PR.co access needed), and approved content auto-publishes to each client’s PR.co newsroom. Saved: 12 hours/week of “Where’s the edit?” emails.

How This Fits Into Your Existing Chaos

Worried about adding another tool? Don’t be. ApproveThis sits between PR.co and your team’s email/Slack:

• Approvers: Still approve via email or a simple portal. No new logins.
• PR Team: Stays in PR.co. They just see faster approvals and fewer interruptions.
• Leaders: Get real-time dashboards showing what’s stuck, no status meetings needed.

It’s like giving your PR process a caffeine boost without changing your routine.

Ready to Stop Being a Human Routing Bot?

If your PR.co usage feels like herding cats, it’s time to let ApproveThis handle the approvals. You keep the creative control; we handle the paperwork.

Next steps:

1. Register for ApproveThis (free trial, no CC required)
2. Connect to PR.co via Zapier using the guide in our dashboard
3. Or, book a 15-minute demo to see how other PR teams cut approval time by 60%

PR is about storytelling. Let your team focus on the story – not the sticky notes required to tell it.