Screenshot approvals do not count

People photograph a preview and drop it in chat because it is two taps. The picture often cuts the caption, compresses the type, and says nothing about which export it was. The client approves the photograph. You publish a file they did not inspect.

If you must use chat, send the actual image and the caption as text under a name like "March offer, version 2." Then ask them to reply to that message, not to a later one.

A phone screenshot of a grid can hide a caption that is over the limit, a tag that is wrong, or a music choice on a Reel. Approve the placement, not a picture of the placement.

Dark mode, crop, and compression change what the client thinks they saw. Open the same preview they will see in the portal or the native composer before you call it final.

The habit exists because the official path is slower than chat. Make the official path one link that opens the post, the caption, and a yes button. If that link takes a tour of your software, people will go back to screenshots.

For a month, answer screenshot approvals with the link and a short line: "Reply on this version so we publish the right file." Most clients adapt when the ask is consistent.

A founder on a plane might approve from a text. Write down what they approved, send the real file the moment they land, and do not schedule until they confirm the file matches the text. Courtesy is not the same as a record.

If exceptions are weekly, you do not have a portal yet. You have a chat channel with extra steps.