The first 7 days with a new video client set the tone for everything that follows. Get this right and you'll have a client who sends their source video on time, gives clear feedback, and stays for years. Get it wrong and you're managing confusion, resetting expectations mid-contract, and working twice as hard for the same money.
Here's the exact 7-day onboarding sequence that works — and what to collect before production starts so you never have to ask the same question twice.
Day 1: Contract signed, intake form sent
The moment the contract is signed, send the intake form. Don't wait until Monday, don't batch it with other admin. Send it immediately — while the client is still in "yes" mode and motivated to complete paperwork.
Your intake form should collect everything you need to build their client configuration document. Specifically:
- Target platforms and the priority order (TikTok first? LinkedIn only?)
- Preferred clip length range (45–90 seconds? Under 60?)
- Caption style preference — burned in or not, font style if they have one
- Brand colors for caption backgrounds or highlights
- Logo file and watermark placement preference
- Topics or keywords they always want to appear in clips
- Topics, words, or subjects they never want clipped (competitors, sensitive topics)
- Who reviews and approves content on their side — name and contact
- Their preferred upload method for source video
If you don't collect this upfront, you'll collect it through mistakes. That's the more expensive way to do it.
Day 2–3: Build their configuration, set up their folder
Once the intake form comes back, create two things: their client configuration document and their source video intake folder.
The configuration document is internal — it lives wherever your team references client details and gets updated whenever preferences change. Every production run for this client starts by opening this document.
The intake folder is external — a shared drive folder named consistently, shared with the client contact from the intake form. Send them the link on day 3 with a short message explaining exactly how it works: "This is where you drop your source videos. Anything uploaded by Monday at noon gets processed that week. Later than that goes to the following week."
Clear, simple, no ambiguity. That single message prevents 80 percent of the "where do I send the video?" questions for the entire contract.
Day 4–5: Kickoff call (optional but recommended)
For clients spending over $2,500/month, a 30-minute kickoff call pays for itself many times over. You're not reviewing the contract — you're walking them through exactly what happens from here.
Cover: how to send you video, what your production schedule looks like, how approval works, what the revision process is, and how to reach you if something is urgent. That's it. 30 minutes. Most of what clients complain about later — unclear timelines, not knowing how to give feedback, not knowing who to contact — gets resolved in this call.
For lower-tier clients, a written walkthrough email covers the same ground. Match the investment to the contract size.
Day 6–7: Request the first source video, produce a test batch
Prompt the client to send their first video — ideally something they've already recorded, not something they'll record specifically for this. You want real source material from their actual content, not a polished intro video.
Produce 3–5 clips from it as a test batch. Don't send the full production run first. Send the sample, ask one specific question: "Does this look right for your brand?" You'll learn more from their answer to that question than from any amount of upfront briefing.
If the answer is "yes, this is exactly what we want" — update the config document to confirm and proceed. If the answer includes any adjustments, make them, update the config, and confirm before the full batch.
This test batch catches style mismatches before they're embedded in 30 clips. It's worth the extra day.
Red flags to watch for during onboarding
Onboarding shows you who the client actually is. Some things that appear in week one are worth noting:
Intake form takes more than 5 days to return. This client will be slow at every stage. Build extra time into their production schedule and don't make their deadline your problem.
Multiple people sending feedback in the first week. Find out immediately who the single point of contact is. Multiple approvers without a clear decision-maker means revision chaos later.
"We'll know what we want when we see it." This phrase in onboarding means you're about to do 4 revision rounds on the first batch. Be explicit about what's included in the contract before production starts.
Source video sent at 11pm the night before delivery. Establish the intake deadline in writing immediately. This client will test the boundary repeatedly.
Common questions
How long should video agency client onboarding take?
7 days from contract signed to first test batch delivered. Anything longer and you're losing momentum — the client's enthusiasm is highest right after signing and tapers fast if nothing happens for two weeks.
What information should you collect from a new video client?
Target platforms, clip length range, caption preferences, brand colors and logo, prohibited topics, approval contact, and preferred video upload method. Collect it all upfront via an intake form, not through back-and-forth email.
Should you do a kickoff call with every new video client?
For retainer clients at $2,500/month or above, yes. For lower tiers, a detailed onboarding email covers the same ground with less time investment. Match the onboarding depth to the contract value.
Scale your short-form without the babysitting
Skapo stores client configuration once at onboarding — platforms, captions, branding, clip length — and applies it automatically every production run. No re-briefing, no checking last week's notes.
Try it freePosted by the Skapo team — June 2026