Revu01Send a structured brief form.
Not a WhatsApp message.
The brief is the foundation of every project. If it arrives across three WhatsApp messages over two days, that chaos will follow you through every revision round.
A structured form — sent before a single file is touched — tells clients you run a professional process. It also tells you, upfront, whether they actually know what they want.
Ask for: the project goal, the target audience, key references, the final deadline, and — critically — the name of the one person who has final approval. That last one saves you from revision round 6.
- Project goal in one sentence
- Target audience and platform (Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
- 2–3 reference videos that show the vibe they want
- Final delivery deadline — and who approves
02Get the contract signed first.
Before you open your calendar.
Most disputes between editors and clients don’t start at delivery. They start at the beginning, when nothing was written down.
A contract doesn’t mean you don’t trust the client. It means the project has clear rules. Two revision rounds. What counts as a revision vs a new request. Payment due date. Late fees. These aren’t awkward — they’re professional. The clients who push back on a contract are exactly the ones who need one.
No contract, no calendar booking. That’s the rule. It sounds harsh until you’ve been on round seven.
- Number of included revision rounds (recommended: two)
- Definition of what counts as a new request vs a revision
- Payment terms — amount, due date, and what happens if it’s late
03Set up their client portal.
One link. Everything in one place.
The moment the contract is signed, send the client a single link to their project portal. Not a Drive folder. Not a Dropbox. A branded workspace that has their name on it and only contains their project.
This is the link they’ll use for everything: brief, asset upload, video review, approval. It’s the professional layer between you and your clients — and it signals, from day one, that you run a real operation.
Clients who have a portal check it. Clients who get a Drive link forget about it.
- Their project brief (auto-filled from the form)
- Asset upload zone (no WeTransfer links)
- Video player with timestamped comment tool
- One-click approval — logged with their name and timestamp
Send your next cut through Revu
Timestamped feedback, counted revision rounds and approvals on record — free to start.
04Collect assets through one point.
Not four different links.
Asset chaos is where projects go wrong before they start. A WeTransfer link that expires. Footage sent across three WhatsApp messages. Logos buried in an email thread from two weeks ago. By the time you’ve found everything, you’ve already lost time you didn’t bill for.
Give the client one upload point before the project starts. Tell them clearly: the project begins when assets are received. This creates a real handoff moment — and it moves the responsibility for being late to the right person.
Set a deadline for asset delivery. If it’s missed, the delivery date moves accordingly. Put that in the contract.
- All raw footage (organized by scene or shoot day)
- Logos in vector format (SVG or AI — not a PNG screenshot)
- Brand references (color codes, fonts, example videos)
- Any existing footage or B-roll they want included
05Send a kickoff overview.
What happens, when.
Most project disputes happen not because the work was wrong, but because expectations were never set. The client thought delivery was Tuesday. You thought it was Friday. Nobody wrote it down.
A kickoff overview is five lines. Delivery date. Revision window. How they give feedback. How they approve. What happens next. Send it the day the project starts — before you cut a single frame.
This message does something subtle but powerful: it tells the client that you’ve done this before and you have a system. That confidence is part of what they’re paying for.
- First draft delivery date (specific day, not “next week”)
- How long they have to review (recommended: 3–5 business days)
- Where to leave feedback — the Revu portal link, not email
- How approval works and what it triggers (final file delivery)
Founder of Revu. Former freelance editor, now building the tool he wanted for client reviews.