A client onboarding checklist for video production is the short list of things to lock before the first cut: the brief and references, one named decision owner, the reviewer list and lanes, the review-round rules, the file handoffs, and the delivery spec. Teams that onboard this way get actionable, timecoded notes in round one; teams that skip it spend round one discovering the brief was wrong, the approval was unnamed, and the notes live in five email threads. Copy the checklist below as-is — it is the client-side complement to the review-round checklist, and it takes one kickoff call plus one email.
Why onboarding decides your review
Most revision chaos is decided before the first cut exists. Vague approvals ("we'll all look at it"), uncapped rounds, and feedback scattered across email, chat and calls are onboarding failures that surface as review failures — the editor cannot act on "make it pop," and nobody can tell whether round three is the last one. The fix is boring and cheap: in week zero, put five things in writing. The payoff shows up in round one, when notes arrive as timecoded comments from one decision owner instead of a five-channel negotiation. If you are rebuilding this mid-project instead, start with consolidating the notes you already have.
Phase 1 — Brief and references
- Locked brief in writing: goal, audience, where it runs, what success means (one sentence each — no adjectives).
- Three reference examples maximum, each annotated with what to copy (pacing, look, structure) — not "something like this."
- Brand assets handed over: logos, fonts, brand guide, previous approved cuts.
- Must-include moments named up front (the CEO quote, the product shot, the legal line).
Phase 2 — People and lanes
- One named decision owner — the person whose "approved" ends the round. Not a committee; a name.
- The reviewer list: who comments, who only watches. Everyone else is CC'd, not invited.
- Reviewer lanes for bigger orgs: brand, legal, product — each voice knows its lane (the approval workflow guide shows the lane pattern).
- An escalation path: what happens when reviewers disagree (the decision owner decides, that is the job).
Phase 3 — Process rules
- Revision rounds agreed in the contract and repeated in kickoff: how many, and what counts as a round (a consolidated pass, not each comment).
- A feedback window per round (e.g. three business days) — silent reviewers do not block the calendar.
- How feedback is given: timecoded comments on the review link, tagged must/should/could — never email scatter (set this up with the client feedback etiquette note).
- What happens after the final paid round (scope change, not a "quick one").
Phase 4 — Logistics
- Raw files and assets handed over with naming conventions, on agreed storage (drives or a link, one place).
- A review-link walkthrough: send a sample link in week zero so the client comments on something disposable before it matters — password, expiry and watermark defaults set then, not mid-round.
- Who uploads new versions and how the client is notified each round.
- Scheduled checkpoints: rough-cut date, fine-cut date, delivery date — in calendars, not intentions.
Phase 5 — Delivery spec
- Master format and codec agreed in writing (the review export vs delivery master guide explains why these are two files).
- Cutdowns and versions listed: 16:9 master, 9:16 and 1:1 variants, with durations.
- Captions language and file format (burned-in vs sidecar).
- Publishing handoff: who uploads, where, and whether approved cuts go straight to scheduling (approve-then-publish removes the last manual step).
- Archive expectations: where the final project lives and for how long.
What breaks when you skip a phase
| Skipped | How it surfaces in round one |
|---|---|
| Brief / references | "This isn't the vibe" — unactionable direction, restart disguised as a revision |
| Decision owner | Contradictory notes; round three is "final" twice; nobody can close the loop |
| Process rules | Round creep — "one more quick pass" as a lifestyle; feedback arriving in five channels |
| Logistics | Round one spent teaching the client the review tool; versions uploaded by the wrong person |
| Delivery spec | Picture lock passed, then "can we also get a square version, vertical, and captions?" |
Onboarding is also a sales asset: prospects who hear "here's exactly how our rounds work" hear a process, not a promise — which is the difference between a referral and a reference (the comment templates and review email templates fill in the wording).
FAQ
What should video client onboarding include?
Five phases: a locked brief with references, people (one decision owner plus a reviewer list), process rules (rounds, feedback windows, how notes are given), logistics (file handoff, a sample review link, version-upload ownership) and the delivery spec (formats, cutdowns, captions, publish handoff). All five fit in one kickoff call plus one email.
When should client onboarding happen?
Between signing and the first cut — a single kickoff call in week zero, followed by the written recap email. The one item worth front-loading even earlier is the sample review link: sending it with the contract means the client's first-ever comment happens on a test link, not on round one of a real cut.
Who is the decision owner in a video project?
One named person with authority to say "approved" — typically the client's marketing lead or the founder in small engagements. Committees review; one person decides. If the client cannot name one, that is a blocking onboarding item, and the escalation rule (decision owner resolves disagreements) exists precisely for the moment reviewers contradict each other.
How many revision rounds should I set in onboarding?
Two to three, defined precisely: a round is one consolidated pass on a new version after a complete set of notes — not each comment, not a re-upload of a typo fix. Put the number and the definition in both the contract and the kickoff email, and pair it with a feedback window (three business days is common) so silent reviewers cannot stall the calendar.