Content Review and Approval Process: Why You Must Ban Unapproved Faces

Sachin Bhargava, Senior Director of Digital Product and Ecommerce at John Hardy, breaks down the do's and don'ts framework his team uses to set clear expectations with creators before content goes live. He argues that a structured content review and approval process should spell out the basics in writing, things like requiring proper lighting, showing the product on camera, and mentioning the brand's key value propositions.

One often-overlooked rule Bhargava flags: explicitly prohibit creators from featuring unapproved people in their content, since influencers sometimes pull in collaborators or friends who were never vetted by the brand. He also makes the case for locking embargo dates in writing, particularly around product launches, so creators cannot publish before a coordinated go-live moment. The framing he returns to is that the brand and creator are partners in the launch, not the creator and their extended network.

If you have ever had an influencer post too early or go off-script on a launch day, this video shows exactly which rules to codify before that happens again.