A Simple Client Onboarding Checklist for New Studios

Photo and video client onboarding checklist

Client onboarding begins after a serious booking is confirmed. Its purpose is to collect what the studio needs and make the client clear about what happens next.

Confirm the booking details

Record the client's name, phone/email, event type, date, time, venue, selected package, agreed deliverables, payment terms and main contact person.

For weddings, you may also need ceremony timings, travel information, important family contacts and special moments the client wants covered.

Record special promises

If you promised an extra hour, a particular album size, drone coverage, an early preview or a special delivery date, write it down.

Small verbal promises are easy to forget after several weeks and several other clients.

Set expectations before the shoot

Explain the communication process, payment milestones, approximate production timeline, revision process and expected final delivery.

Clear expectations reduce repeated status messages later.

Pre-shoot check

A few days before the event, confirm:

• Date and reporting time
• Venue/location
• Assigned team
• Primary client contact
• Important shoot notes
• Required equipment
• Pending payment or paperwork, if applicable

Good onboarding makes the event day calmer because the important questions were answered before the shoot began.

A brief for a photo and video booking

Ask one client decision maker to confirm these before assigning the crew:

• Which moments need both stills and video coverage?
• Is live sound or a speech recording required?
• Which films are included: teaser, highlights or full ceremony?
• Are vertical edits or subtitles included?
• Who approves the first cut, and when is feedback due?

For example, a wedding highlights film and a complete ceremony recording are different deliverables. Record duration, format and review rounds for each. Do not leave “video included” open to interpretation.

Use the free client brief template and adapt it to your next project.

Put the process into practice

Keep the agreed brief and next action with the client in KLOUZ. Assign someone to resolve missing details before the shoot.