Broadcast Send Checklist
Use this pre-send checklist to verify the audience, links, accessibility, approvals, and timing of an internal broadcast before it goes out. It helps prevent misdirected messages, broken links, and missing sign-off.
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Overview
The Broadcast Send Checklist template is a pre-send control for internal communications that need a final verification step before distribution. It is designed for broadcasts where the sender must confirm the audience, message accuracy, links, attachments, accessibility, approvals, and timing before pressing send.
Use this template for planned announcements, policy updates, operational notices, and any internal message that could create confusion if it reaches the wrong group or ships with a bad link. It is especially useful when the broadcast has a DRI, a required approver, or a dependency on another team’s sign-off. The checklist works well as a simple release gate in a communications runbook or as a blocking step in a Kanban workflow.
Do not use it as a drafting template or as a substitute for the message itself. It is also not the right fit for casual one-off messages with no audience risk, no approvals, and no attachments. If the send is urgent but still controlled, the checklist can be shortened, but the critical verification items should remain. The goal is to make the final send atomic: one clear decision, one clear owner, and no ambiguity about what was checked before distribution.
Standards & compliance context
- Use the checklist to document required approvals and release controls for messages that may touch HR, legal, security, or policy obligations.
- Include accessibility verification steps so internal broadcasts align with common accessibility expectations for readable digital communications.
- If the broadcast contains regulated or sensitive operational information, confirm the audience is limited to the authorized group before distribution.
- Retain a record of the final verification step when your organization needs an audit trail for internal communications or incident follow-up.
General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.
How to use this template
- 1. Add the broadcast details, including the message title, intended audience, send window, DRI, and any required approvers.
- 2. Convert each pre-send control into a checklist item with a single yes/no verification step, such as confirming the audience list, links, attachments, and accessibility checks.
- 3. Assign the checklist to the person responsible for release and mark any approval-dependent items as blocking until the approver has signed off.
- 4. Run the checklist immediately before sending, verify each item against the final version of the message, and stop if any critical item fails.
- 5. Record any corrections, update the message if needed, and only then complete the send and capture the outcome for follow-up.
Best practices
- Keep each checklist item atomic so one failure does not hide another problem, such as separating audience verification from link verification.
- Use critical priority only for items that can create compliance, safety, or major operational risk if missed, such as approval or audience restriction checks.
- Verify the final message version, not a draft, because last-minute edits often break links, formatting, or attachments.
- Treat accessibility as a release requirement by checking readable formatting, alt text, and plain-language clarity before the send.
- Confirm the DRI and approver before the checklist starts so ownership does not stall at the last minute.
- Use blocking items for required approvals and non-blocking items for lower-risk quality checks, so the send gate is clear.
- If the broadcast is recurring, review the checklist after each send and remove steps that never catch issues while adding any missed failure points.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
What is this Broadcast Send Checklist template for?
This template is for the final pre-send review of an internal broadcast, such as a company announcement, policy update, or operational notice. It helps the sender confirm the audience, message content, links, attachments, accessibility, and required approvals before distribution. Use it when a message needs a clear release check, not when you are drafting the content itself.
When should this checklist be used?
Use it immediately before sending a broadcast, after the message has been written and reviewed for content. It is especially useful for scheduled sends, cross-functional announcements, and messages that include links, attachments, or policy implications. If the broadcast is informal and low-risk, you may only need a lighter review, but the checklist still helps catch avoidable mistakes.
Who should run this checklist?
The DRI for the broadcast should run it, usually the communications lead, HR partner, operations manager, or project owner responsible for the send. A second reviewer can be assigned for blocking items such as approvals, audience selection, or compliance-sensitive content. The person who presses send should not be guessing about ownership or sign-off.
Does this template replace approvals or legal review?
No. It supports approvals by making them visible and verifiable, but it does not replace legal, HR, security, or leadership review where those are required. If the broadcast includes policy changes, employee relations content, regulated information, or external-facing implications, those approvals should be completed before the checklist is marked done. The checklist should record that the required verification step happened.
What are the most common mistakes this checklist helps prevent?
Common failures include sending to the wrong audience, leaving a broken link in the message, attaching the wrong file, or forgetting accessibility checks such as alt text or readable formatting. Another frequent issue is missing approval on a message that should have been reviewed. The checklist also helps catch timing problems, such as sending before a dependent update is ready.
Can I customize this for different types of broadcasts?
Yes. You can tailor the checklist items for HR announcements, IT service notices, facilities updates, executive communications, or department-specific broadcasts. Keep the items independently verifiable and avoid combining multiple actions into one line. If a broadcast type has recurring requirements, add those as checklist items rather than relying on memory.
How does this compare with an ad-hoc send process?
An ad-hoc process depends on memory and informal reminders, which makes it easy to miss a link check, approval, or audience restriction. This template creates a repeatable release gate so the sender can confirm each critical step before distribution. It is especially useful when several people contribute to the message and ownership could otherwise get blurred.
Can this checklist be integrated with other workflows?
Yes. It can sit alongside drafting, approval, and post-send follow-up workflows, and it can link to source documents, approval records, or audience lists. Many teams pair it with a Kanban-style broadcast queue so only approved messages move into the send stage. It also works well as a runbook step in communications or IT operations.
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