Manual approval
If an author said yes by email, in person or on a signed form, you can approve the testimonial without a request. The app has no field for this, so you note the proof yourself.
When to use it
Use this only when the author has really said yes, for example in an email, on a release form or on a call. If you cannot reach them, send a request or leave the testimonial unpublished.
Approving goes live right away, under the author's name. The app does not ask them or check anything.
If no request was sent
Open the testimonial.
Click Edit, check the author's name, and add a line to Notes saying who agreed, when and how. Click Save.
Click Approve in the Status & Actions card.
The Permission card then shows ASSUMED, because the author did not answer through the app.
The author wants their name hidden? Skip step 3. On the Testimonials page, click Bulk Select Actions, select the testimonial and click Approve anonymously & display.
No Approve button? It came in through Auto-Approve, so it is already Approved but Hidden. Use Approve & display on the Testimonials page.
If a request is waiting for a reply
The Approve button is hidden while a request waits, and the bulk approve buttons hold the testimonial back. You have two options, best first.
Ask the author to click. A short reply is enough: "Thank you! Please click Yes in the email I sent, so we have it on file." This is the only way to get a Granted status.
Delete the request, then approve. An Owner or Admin clicks Delete on the Permissions page. The testimonial returns to your Inbox and the author's link stops working. Then follow the steps above.
Option 2 works only for a first request. If an Owner or Admin asked the author again after an earlier answer, the request cannot be deleted, and only the author's reply ends the wait.
If the email bounced
An Owner or Admin deletes the request on the Permissions page, as above. Then approve it.
If the request was asked again, it cannot be deleted. Correct the Author Email on the testimonial, then click Ask again on the Permissions page. See Bounce handling.
If the author declined
See Declined permissions.
What the app keeps
Manual approval records no answer from the author. Your only record in the app is what you wrote in Notes. Keep the original email or signed form yourself, outside Magic Testimonials.
Good habits
Write a date and a reference in Notes. "Confirmed by email" alone will not help you a year from now.
If you want to approve dozens at once, send requests instead. See Sending permission requests in batches.
If something goes wrong
I do not see Delete
Only an Owner or Admin can delete a request, and only before the author answers. A request that was asked again cannot be deleted either. See Roles and permissions.
I deleted a request by mistake
This cannot be undone, and its history is gone. Send a new request. The author gets a new email with a new link.
I approved it, but it says Hidden
Permission does not allow it yet. Status workflow lists the reasons.
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