In short
- A client onboarding video is a short recording you send right after the client signs, so the project starts with clear expectations instead of a long email.
- Split it into a small series: welcome, what we need from you, the timeline, how we communicate, and how to give feedback.
- Keep each video to one or two minutes and record the reusable parts once; personalize only the first few seconds.
- Back every video with a written version of the essentials: lists, dates and links still belong in text.
A client onboarding video is a short recording you send right after a client signs: it welcomes them, explains what you need from them, shows the timeline, and sets the rules for how you’ll communicate and how they should give feedback. Most agencies and freelancers do this in a kickoff email or a PDF. A series of four or five videos of one or two minutes each does the same job, and the client actually takes it in.
Why onboard clients by video
The start of a project is when misunderstandings are cheapest to prevent. It’s also when clients are most attentive: they’ve just signed, they want to know what happens next.
A kickoff document tends to get skimmed. A video lets the client hear your tone, see the tools you’ll use, and put faces to names. It also forces you to be brief, because nobody wants to record a 20-page PDF out loud.
Video is still not the right format for everything here. Lists of files to send, login details and dates should also be in writing, so the client can copy them. Use the video to explain, and text to record.
The client onboarding video series at a glance
Five short videos cover what most projects need. Send them in the first few days, not all in one email.
| Video | When to send | Length | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Welcome | The day they sign | About 1 minute | Thanks, who’s on the team, what happens this week |
| 2. What we need from you | Same day or next | 1–2 minutes | Content, files, access and decisions, with dates |
| 3. The timeline | Before the first milestone | About 2 minutes | Phases, review rounds, what happens if dates move |
| 4. How we communicate | First week | 1–2 minutes | Channels, response times, when we call |
| 5. How to give feedback | Before the first review | 1–2 minutes | One list, one person, by a date, video welcome |
If you work alone, videos 1 and 4 can be one; our page for freelancers shows how JustRec fits a one-person studio. For agencies with a project manager, videos 3 and 4 are often recorded by that person.
Video 1: welcome and who does what
Keep this one personal. Record it for each client, with their name and the project in the first sentence.
- Thank them, briefly. One sentence is enough.
- Say who they’ll hear from and about what: “I’ll handle design questions, Marta handles the schedule.”
- Say what happens this week and what they’ll receive next.
Show your face in this one, even if you hide the camera in the others. It’s the closest thing to a handshake.
Hi Paolo, a one-minute welcome from the team: who you’ll hear from and what happens this week. The list of what we need from you is below, in writing, with a date next to each item.
https://justrec.app/v/k3f9Qa
Video 2: what we need from you
This is the video that saves the most time. Projects stall when the content isn’t there, and clients often don’t know what “content” means until you show them.
Share your screen with a shared folder or checklist and walk through it. Typical items for a website project:
What we usually ask for at kickoff
- Logo files, in the original format if they have it
- Brand guidelines, colors and fonts, if they exist
- Texts for the main pages, or the person who will write them
- Photos and the right to use them
- Access to the domain, hosting and current site
- Access to analytics and search tools, if you’ll need them
- One person who can approve decisions
Give a date for each item, and say what happens if it’s late: “If the texts arrive after the 20th, the launch moves by the same number of days.” Saying it now, calmly, is much easier than saying it later.
Video 3: the timeline
Show the plan on screen, whatever tool you use, and talk through it phase by phase. Point out the moments where the client has to do something: review rounds, approvals, content deadlines.
Explain how many review rounds are included and what counts as a round. This is where scope disagreements usually start, so be specific: “Each round means one consolidated list of changes from you, then a new version from us.”
Video 4: how we communicate
Tell the client where to write, how quickly you reply, and when you’ll pick up the phone. For example:
- email for anything that needs a decision or has a date;
- a chat channel for quick questions;
- a weekly video status update instead of a status call;
- a live call for kickoff, for anything urgent, and when something goes wrong.
If you have written rules for this, link them under the video. Our async communication policy template is a starting point you can adapt.
Video 5: how to give feedback
Most review rounds go wrong because feedback arrives in pieces, from several people, in several channels. Explain how you’d like it:
- one person collects feedback from their team;
- one list per round, sent by a date;
- comments on the page or design itself are fine, if you use a tool that supports them;
- a short screen recording is welcome when something is hard to describe.
That last point pays off for the whole project. If you show the client how to record their screen once, bug reports and design comments get much clearer. Our guides on design feedback by video and getting clients to report bugs by video include instructions you can pass on.
Record once, personalize the start
You don’t need to record five new videos for every client. Split the series into two kinds:
| Record for each client | Record once, reuse |
|---|---|
| Welcome (names, project) | How we communicate |
| What we need (their dates, their folder) | How to give feedback |
| Timeline (their dates) | How a review round works |
For the reusable ones, avoid dates, names and anything that changes. If your process changes, record them again: an outdated video is worse than none.
When you send a reusable video, add one personal line in the message.
Anna, this is the 90-second version of how we handle feedback. The first review is on the 12th.
https://justrec.app/v/k3f9Qa
Our client video scripts include a full project kickoff script, if you’d like a starting point for the welcome.
Where to keep the videos
The client will look for these again, usually right before the first review. Put the links, with a one-line description each, in the place the client already uses for the project: the shared folder, the project tool, or the top of your email thread.
Keep in mind how long your links last: some tools keep videos online until you delete them, others use links that expire. For reusable onboarding videos, keep the original file somewhere you control so you can share it again.
A simple first week
Day 1
Welcome and what we need from you
Both videos, with the checklist in writing.
Day 2 or 3
The timeline
The video, with the dates in writing.
First week
How we communicate and how to give feedback
Two videos, or the links to all five in one message.
Before the first review
A feedback reminder
One line, with the link to the feedback video.
Set it up once and it saves a lot of explaining later. For the bigger picture of where these fit, read our guide to async video for client communication.
Frequently asked questions
What should a client onboarding video include?
Who's on the team, what you need from the client and by when, the main dates of the project, how and when you'll communicate, and how the client should give feedback. Put each topic in its own short video.
How long should a client onboarding video be?
One to two minutes per video. A series of four or five short videos is easier to watch and to rewatch than one fifteen-minute recording.
Can I reuse the same onboarding videos for every client?
Mostly, yes. The parts about how you work, how you communicate and how feedback works rarely change. Record the welcome and the timeline for each client, because those mention names and dates.
Do onboarding videos replace the kickoff call?
Not always. Many projects still benefit from a live kickoff to meet the client and ask questions. The videos handle the information, so the call can be about the project instead of about logistics.
