Reviewing submissions is where a task succeeds or fails. Fast, fair reviews mean good workers keep choosing your tasks. Slow or unfair reviews mean they avoid you. Here is a simple system for quality control on crowdsourced work that keeps standards high without wasting your time.
1. Make a checklist from your brief
Turn every requirement in your brief into a yes/no check. For example: username visible? Post public? Product visible in the video? Length between 30 and 45 seconds? Reviewing against a checklist is faster and fairer than judging by feel. If your brief was unclear, fix it now. See how to write a task brief.
2. Review in batches, but promptly
Set a time each day to review. Workers wait for approval to get paid, so reviewing within a day or two builds trust and attracts careful workers to your next task.
3. Approve what meets the brief
If a submission meets every requirement, approve it, even if it is not exactly what you imagined. If you wanted something more specific, add it to the brief for next time.
4. Reject with a clear, kind note
When work does not meet the brief, say exactly what is missing and how to fix it. "Your account is private, so we cannot see the post. Make it public and resubmit." A clear note turns a rejection into a fixed submission.
5. Spot low-effort work
- The same screenshot or video submitted twice.
- Copy-pasted comments or generic text that ignores your product.
- Proof that does not show the required account or action.
Reject these with a note. Workers on Microtask build a record of approved work, so most take care to get it right.
6. Reward your best workers
When someone does excellent work, remember them. Invite them to bigger jobs through Direct Hire. Read why proven track records matter.
Example rejection notes
| Unhelpful | Helpful |
|---|---|
| "Wrong" | "The screenshot doesn't show your username. Please upload a full screenshot and resubmit." |
| "Not good enough" | "The product isn't visible in the video. Please show it clearly in the first 10 seconds." |
| "Rejected" | "Your account is private, so we can't verify the share. Make it public and resubmit." |
Handling edge cases
- Your brief was unclear: approve reasonable interpretations, then fix the brief.
- Great work that misses one minor point: ask for a quick fix rather than rejecting outright.
- Suspected duplicate or copied work: reject with a note, and keep an eye on later submissions from the same account.
Measure your task quality over time
Track what share of submissions you approve on each task. A low approval rate usually means the brief needs work, not that workers are careless. Improving the brief is the fastest way to faster, easier reviews.
A quick review routine
- Open new submissions once a day.
- Check each one against your checklist.
- Approve, or reject with a specific note.
- Update your brief if you see the same mistake more than twice.
Learn more about running tasks in how to outsource small tasks.