TikTok content automation with an approval step means a tool makes and schedules your posts, but nothing goes out until it is approved. Relay works this way: it makes slideshows and videos for your brand, you swipe right to approve (editing the words first if you want) or left to pass, and Relay sends only approved posts to your TikTok inbox, each on its day, where you add any finishing touches and tap Post. If you trust the drafts, opt-in Autopilot approves them for you at your plan’s pace.
Key takeaways
- Nothing goes out unless you approve it, or switch on Autopilot to approve for you. Swipe right to approve, left to pass, and edit the words first if one line is off.
- Each approved post lands in your TikTok inbox on its day; you add a caption if it is a video, choose who can see it and tap Post there.
- Every plan makes twice as many drafts as it sends, so you can pass on half and still fill the month.
Why does TikTok automation need an approval step?
Because some TikTok mistakes cannot be fixed after posting. TikTok says you cannot edit or remove the AI-generated label after posting, and a “Paid partnership” or “Promotional content” label can’t be changed once published.
Speed matters too. On Growth, Relay makes 120 drafts a month, about 30 a week, so each decision needs to take seconds, not a meeting. That is what a good content approval workflow is for. Roles, checklists and turnaround rules for teams are in our guide to a TikTok content approval workflow.
How do you set up a TikTok approval workflow in Relay?
- Relay makes the drafts. Paste your website or App Store link and answer a few one-tap questions. Relay makes slideshows and videos in your voice, based on what gets views in your niche.
- You swipe. Right to approve, left to pass. Edit the words first if one line is off. Or switch on Autopilot to approve for you at your plan’s pace.
- Relay sends what you approved. Connect your TikTok once. Relay spreads approved posts across the month and sends each one to your TikTok inbox on its day.
- You post it in TikTok. Open the draft, add a caption if it is a video (slideshows arrive with Relay’s caption), add a sound if you want, choose who can see it, comments, and duet and stitch (video only: TikTok’s posting rules don’t offer them on photo posts). Turn on the AI-generated content setting if the post uses realistic AI imagery, and the content disclosure toggle where it applies, then tap Post.
- You see what worked. Every post’s views sit in one place, and Relay makes new takes of the ones that do well.
More on how posts reach TikTok: auto post to TikTok with approval.
What to do with each draft
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The post is right | Swipe right |
| One line is off | Edit the words, then swipe right |
| The idea or format is wrong | Swipe left; you still have twice as many drafts as you can send |
| Audience, comments or disclosure need to change | Set them in TikTok when you open the draft |
Which disclosure should a brand choose on TikTok?
It depends on whose product is in the post. Per TikTok’s help page on the content disclosure setting:
- Promoting your own brand or business: the post is labeled “Promotional content.”
- Posting for another business in exchange for payment or another incentive: that is branded content, labeled “Paid partnership.” TikTok’s Branded Content Policy, effective August 31, 2026, requires the disclosure toggle on these posts.
You set it in TikTok when you post the draft. TikTok says the setting does not change how a post is shown in feeds. Two cautions sit outside any tool:
- The label is not the whole disclosure. If creators post your content, the paid relationship has to be clear in the post itself: the FTC tells influencers not to assume a platform’s disclosure tool is good enough and to place the disclosure with the endorsement. That matters on Relay’s Scale plan (how the creator network works).
- Realistic AI content must be labeled. TikTok’s Community Guidelines require creators to label AI-generated or significantly edited content that shows realistic-looking people or scenes, and say unlabeled content may be removed, restricted or labeled. Relay doesn’t set the label for you: turn on the AI-generated content setting in TikTok when you post the draft. The full rules are in our guide to TikTok’s AI content rules.
What does Relay leave for you to check?
The claims, plus TikTok’s settings when you post. Relay writes the words, so edit any line you can’t back up before you swipe right, and leave Autopilot off until the drafts are ones you would approve anyway. The full pre-approval checklist is in our approval workflow guide.
How many people does each Relay plan include?
| Plan | Price | Posts made / sent a month | People | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49 a month ($25 first month) | 40 / 20 | Just you | A founder who reviews alone |
| Growth | $99 a month ($45 first month) | 120 / 60 | Up to 3 ($80 a month each added) | A founder plus one or two teammates |
| Scale | $249 a month ($149 first month) | 300 / 150 | Up to 5 ($200 a month each added) | Larger teams, or brands that want the creator network |
Prices as of October 2026, in USD. Annual billing gives two months free. You pay $0 today on a 1-day trial (card required) that converts to the paid first month unless you cancel before it ends.
Which TikTok automation tools have an approval step before posting?
Four tools are worth a look: Relay and Fastlane make the posts and let you approve each one with a swipe, while Planable and Metricool add an approval step to posts your team makes and schedule them across many networks. Prices as of October 2026, in USD:
| Tool | How approval works | Makes the content? | Where it posts | Price for approvals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relay | Swipe right to approve or left to pass; edit the words first; or switch on Autopilot | Yes, slideshows and videos | Your TikTok inbox; add any finishing touches, tap Post (TikTok only) | $49 a month for one person (Starter); $99 a month for up to 3 people (Growth) |
| Planable | No approval, optional, or required; multi-level chains on Enterprise | Mainly plans and schedules posts your team makes | Many networks, including TikTok | Required approval starts on Pro at $59 per workspace a month billed monthly, or $49 billed yearly; Enterprise is custom |
| Metricool | Post approval system with team roles | Mainly plans and schedules posts your team makes | Many networks, including TikTok | Advanced plan, from $67 a month billed monthly or $53 a month billed annually |
| Fastlane (usefastlane.ai) | Swipe left or right to keep or discard (“Blitz mode”) | Yes, AI-made posts | TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and LinkedIn | Free plan includes Blitz; paid plans from $29 a month |
- Pick Planable if sign-off must happen in a fixed order (team lead, client, legal), which needs its Enterprise plan, or if you approve for many clients across many networks. It prices per workspace, and Basic and Pro list no cap on users.
- Pick Metricool for approvals, scheduling and analytics across many brands in one dashboard.
- Pick Fastlane if you want to start free (its free plan includes Blitz swipe approval and paid plans start at $29 a month) or need AI-made posts to also go to Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts or LinkedIn. See Relay vs Fastlane.
- Pick Relay if TikTok is the channel that matters and you want the posts made for you, with a swipe for each one or Autopilot once you trust the drafts. Scale adds Relay’s creator network, where approved drafts can go to creators who post them from their own accounts, within Scale’s 150 posts a month.
When does Relay’s approval flow fall short?
- You need one approval flow for several networks. Relay’s self-serve product works with TikTok only.
- You need formal, multi-step sign-off. If legal must approve in sequence, use a multi-level approval or compliance tool.
- Your content already exists. If your team films everything and only needs review and scheduling, a scheduler with approvals is the simpler buy. Our guide to scheduling TikTok posts automatically compares those routes.
- Many people need access. Added people cost $80 a month each on Growth and $200 on Scale, so a large group fits better in a tool priced per workspace.
See it on your own drafts
If you want to post on TikTok more often and still see every post first, compare the plans.