Agency QA to Approval in One Afternoon: Real‑World Workflow Template

Every agency team knows the pain of scattered creative feedback, endless file versions, and that gnawing feeling of losing a day (or more) just trying to get a display ad set over the finish line. At SizeIM, we challenged ourselves: why can’t QA and approval for a multi-size display campaign finally happen in a single, clear afternoon—without the chaos?

The Realistic Afternoon Timeline: From Ready for QA to Live Approval

Our fast-track workflow is purpose-built for agencies and in-house creative teams who thrive on clarity, speed, and consistency. We’re going deep—so you leave with a complete, tested framework, not vague advice.

Core Roles in the Approval Afternoon

• Designer – Oversees layout, adapts to responsive requirements, shepherds visual consistency across all sizes.
• Copywriter/SEO – Ensures message clarity, SEO alignment, and checks for ad unit character compliance.
• Account Manager – Shapes overall brand fit, offer accuracy, and validates adherence to creative brief.
• Strategist/PPC – Prioritizes conversion goals and checks if CTAs, hierarchy, and legibility are bulletproof.
• Client Approver – A designated individual (never a committee) with final sign-off authority.

The Afternoon Timeline (What This Actually Looks Like)

Step 1: Standardize the Ad Set and QA Checklist

Standardizing your campaign sizes creates predictability and makes automation realistic. Here’s how we do it at SizeIM:

• 300×250 (Inline Rectangle)
• 336×280 (Large Rectangle)
• 250×250 (Square)
• 200×200 (Small Square)
• 468×60 (Main Banner)
• 234×60 (Half Banner)
• 120×240 (Vertical Banner)
• 728×90 (Leaderboard)
• 320×50 (Mobile Leaderboard)
• 970×90 (Large Leaderboard)
• 320×100 (Large Mobile)
• 300×600 (Half Page)
• 120×600 (Skyscraper)
• 160×600 (Wide Skyscraper)
• 300×1050 (Portrait)
• 970×250 (Billboard)

We design once, then use SizeIM to instantly create every required format. That’s how we stay consistent and never leave an ad size behind.

QA Checklist (You Can Print This)

• Brand Consistency: Correct logos, brand hex colors, approved fonts in all units. No formatting drift.
• Message: Value proposition readable at small sizes. No broken words or truncated CTAs.
• Hierarchy & UX: Logo, headline, benefit, and CTA clear on every size. No text shrinks below legibility.
• Compliance: All disclaimers present, destination URLs confirmed, out-of-date copy purged.

Step 2: Generate All Sizes with a Single Master (45 Minutes Total)

We always start with the master creative—usually at a size that embodies the campaign’s visual priorities. (For example, 970×250 or 300×600.) This is the only file we pour craft into. All other sizes inherit from this core design.

• Finalize headline, subhead, CTA, and background image or motif on the master.
• Apply brand assets via our Brand Kit, so there are never color or logo mistakes down the line.
• With SizeIM, select every required size—no manual canvas prepping.
• Paste final content, run through the preview, and make fast, surgical tweaks where needed (for example, adjusting line breaks for 320×50).

Everything is exported into a strict folder structure (example: client-campaign/02_creative/sizeim-exports/), so what’s needed at each handoff step is instantly findable.

Step 3: Internal QA in Under an Hour

We make ownership explicit—each internal reviewer gets a defined set of checks and no time is wasted chasing “group” feedback.

• Account: Validates offer, scope, and brand.
• Strategy/PPC: Validates messaging hierarchy and CTA fit.
• Senior Designer/QA: Drives layout and spacing consistency.

Each gets 15 minutes. All feedback goes in a one-page QA table, preventing the classic “which version is this?” email spiral.

Step 4: Apply Fixes and Polish (30 Minutes)

Only three categories of changes matter:

• Critical: Logo, offer, or compliance errors—fix first.
• Legibility: Resize or reposition to prevent tiny/lost text.
• High-reach units: Prioritize the formats with the highest spend or impression volume.

Lock the “release candidate” set in an unmistakable folder (example: v02_client-review/). No works in progress get sent out.

Step 5: Client Review and One-Round Sign-Off (60 Minutes)

• Send one link that presents every ad size for review. No download links or folder browsing for the client.
• Add review instructions: Mark Approve/Change for each size, summarize feedback clearly (not just “make it pop”).
• Set a strict review window—one hour, if possible. Live review calls speed things up even more.
• Specify a single named client approver for final signoff so the feedback loop doesn’t sprawl.

Use actionable questions in your review request: Preferred CTA language? Any compliance text missing? Final approval by [name]?

Step 6: Implement Final Tweaks, Export, and Hand Off (60 Minutes)

• Account translates client feedback into one plain-language list of necessary changes, grouped as global, layout-specific, or technical.
• Designer applies changes just once to the master or affected sizes, then simply re-generates with SizeIM. No redundant rebuilds.
• Export neatly zipped folders, with both internal and client “approved” versions for records.
• Update project tracker: status, who approved, and when. You can reference this in any audit or dispute.

Why Agencies Don’t Need to Compromise (Anymore)

Truth: Without automation, everything above would be either too rushed or impossible to pull off in a single day. What stands out to us every time we ship an ad set through this pipeline is just how sharply the time savings add up. Generating and tuning 15+ display sizes by hand is hours lost from creative to admin. With SizeIM’s automation and template approach, we routinely reclaim 20–30 designer hours each month—time that goes back into higher-value concepting and proactive creative strategy, not copying and resizing layers.

For practical examples of how these workflows pay off, see our guides on email-based client approvals or accelerating creative review cycles.

Rolling Out the Afternoon Workflow—Steps to Action

1. Document and share this template with your team. Tweak it for your tool stack and naming conventions.
2. Align on default ad set sizes and folder structures so everyone always knows what “done” looks like.
3. Use or adapt our checklist as a tangible, walk-through step on every campaign.
4. Preload SizeIM with every client’s brand kit for futureproof consistency and rapid scaling.
5. Educate clients on one-round, single-link approvals. This sets expectations and reduces ambiguity.

Get Started: Make Today Your First One-Afternoon Approval

We have been able to make “ad set from QA to client signoff today” a default, not a fluke. That’s what teams need when modern digital spend hinges on speed and consistency. If you want your agency to work this way, explore SizeIM’s multi-size automation and try running your next campaign through this workflow. It’s fast to test—high impact to your bottom line.

Try SizeIM for free or book a live demo at https://www.sizeim.com. Let’s make lost days in creative approvals a thing of the past.