Social media client onboarding checklist

Most problems with a client start in the first two weeks. A missing login, an unclear approval rule or a goal nobody wrote down can follow you for the whole contract. A checklist keeps that from happening, and it makes you look organized from day one.

Copy this list and adjust it for how you work.

Before you start

• Signed contract with scope, price and notice period
• Deposit or first invoice paid
• Number of posts and networks agreed in writing
• Number of edit rounds included
• Who owns the content and the accounts
• One contact person who approves your work

Account access

Ask for proper access, not passwords in a chat.

• Facebook and Instagram: partner access through Meta's business tools
• LinkedIn: page admin role
• TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest: business account access, as each platform allows
• Google Business Profile: manager role
• Website, booking system or online store, if you'll link to them
• Shared drive for photos, logos and video

Use each platform's team or partner roles wherever you can. Never let a client's account depend on your personal email, and keep a list of what you have access to so you can hand it all back later.

Brand information

• What they sell, with prices and links
• Best sellers and what they'd like to sell more of
• Who buys, and why they choose this business
• Competitors and accounts they admire
• Words and topics to avoid
• Any industry rules, such as health or financial claims

Voice

Ask for three posts, emails or messages that sound like them. Then write down:

• How formal they are
• Phrases they use
• Things they'd never say
• How they respond to complaints

A client's voice matters more than your favorite style. If you manage several accounts, this page stops them from all sounding like you.

Goals and baseline

• One main goal for the next three months
• How you'll measure it
• Current followers, reach and enquiries, recorded before you start
• Key dates: launches, sales, events, holidays

That baseline is your best friend in month three. Without it, you can't show what changed.

How you'll work together

• Day the content arrives each week or month
• Deadline for approval
• What happens if nobody replies
• How to send feedback
• How to handle comments and messages
• Who deals with complaints or a crisis
• When you'll report and in what format

We covered approvals in detail in how to get client approval on social media posts.

First two weeks

• Review the existing accounts and fix bios and links
• Run a kickoff call and send a written recap
• Build the first month's plan
• Send a first batch for approval
• Agree on what's working after the first month

How Lurr helps

In Lurr for agencies and freelancers, each client is a separate brand with its own Brand Brain: offers, voice, stop list and networks. Import their site to get started, then share a 90-day strategy by link.