Lock the approved version

You fixed a widow in the headline. You also nudged the logo and someone updated the price in the caption from an old deck. The client approved the previous picture. You shipped a cousin of it. That is how trust leaks out of a retainer.

Lock means the approved file, caption, and time stay put. A lock that only freezes the date is a reminder, not a control.

Sometimes you must change a locked post. A product is recalled. A name is misspelled. Unlock it, make a new version, and ask for a new yes if the meaning changed. A typo in a hashtag is a judgment call you can write down. A new offer is not.

The unlock should leave a trace: who opened it, and why. If anyone on the team can quietly replace the file, you do not have a lock. You have a label.

After a yes, the client should still be able to open what they signed. If the portal only shows the latest file, you have thrown away the evidence. Keep the approved render available even after a later version exists.

This matters when a stakeholder who was on holiday returns angry. You can show the version, the name, and the time. You cannot win that conversation with "I'm pretty sure they were fine with it."

A scheduler that posts the newest file in a folder does not know about approval. Point the schedule at the locked version only. If the lock is missing, the slot stays empty.

Teams hate empty slots for about a month. Then they hate surprises less. The empty slot is the product working.