Guides · For freelance videographers
A monthly workflow for video content retainers.
A content retainer is the same job every month: plan, shoot, edit, deliver, revise, get sign-off, post. When it all lives in texts and Drive folders, every step leaks a little time.
A fixed monthly rhythm, agreed with your client up front, fixes most of it. Here's one that works for short-form content.
Updated
Week one: plan and shoot
Send the month's ideas early and get a quick yes on them before the shoot, so feedback later is about the edit, not the concept. Batch the shooting into one or two days.
Week two: edit and deliver
Edit the batch and deliver it all at once, in the same place as last month. Tell the client what to look at and when you need notes by.
Week three: notes and changes
The client sends all their notes in one go, ideally pinned to the moments they mean. You make the changes and put new versions on the same link.
Week four: approve and post
The client approves each final video. If you post for them, schedule only what's approved. Anything still waiting rolls to the next slot. Then start the next month's plan.
If you post weekly, run weeks two to four twice a month in smaller batches. The order stays the same. More on the approval step in getting client approval before you post.
Put the rhythm in your agreement
Most retainer friction comes from things nobody agreed on. Cover these in writing:
- How many videos a month, and their length and format.
- When you deliver each month, and how long the client has to review.
- How many rounds of changes each video includes, and what happens after that.
- Who gives final approval.
- Whether you post the videos, and that nothing posts without approval.
- What happens to late approvals or unused videos: do they roll over to next month?
- Where the finals live and how long you keep the files.
Keep one place per client
The biggest time sink on a retainer isn't editing. It's looking for things: last month's final, the note about the logo, whether the brunch video was approved. Give each client one place for every month's videos, notes and approvals, and send them the same link every time.
That's what Relayyed is built for: one page per client, grouped by month, with notes on the exact moment and a record of every approval. See how it works.
A kickoff message for each month
Send it in week one, so the client knows the plan and the dates.
Hi [name], here's the plan for [month]: [3–5 video ideas] Shoot day is [date]. You'll get the videos on your usual link by [date], and I'll need any notes by [date]. Once each video's approved, I'll [schedule it / send you the final].
The short version
- Agree the month's ideas before you shoot.
- Deliver the batch at once, in the same place every month.
- One round of notes, all at once.
- Post only what's approved; the rest rolls over.
- Write the rhythm into your agreement.
Questions
- How many rounds of revisions should a content retainer include?
- There's no standard number. Pick one you can sustain across every client, for example two rounds per video, write it in the agreement, and mention it when you deliver.
- Should I deliver the month's videos all at once or one at a time?
- Batching usually works better on a retainer: your client reviews everything in one sitting and you get one round of notes. If you post weekly, deliver in two halves so you're never waiting on approval for tomorrow's post.
- What if a client is slow to approve?
- Agree on a review window up front, and make the rule that anything not approved moves to the next posting slot. It keeps your calendar honest without chasing.
This guide isn't legal advice. Use it as a starting point for your own agreement.
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