How to onboard a new social media client (a checklist)

The first two weeks with a new client set the tone for everything after. Onboard well and you look organised and in control; onboard badly and you spend months chasing logins and re-doing off-brand work. Here's the checklist to get it right.

1. Get access — properly

• Connect their social accounts the right way (partner/manager access, not their personal password).
• Confirm you can post, not just view.
• Sort access early — 'I couldn't post because I didn't have access' is a bad first week.

2. Capture the brand before you write a word

Run a short brand intake: voice and tone, target audience, colours and logo, the content pillars, and — crucially — the things they'd never say. Getting this down before you post prevents the painful cycle of producing content, having it rejected as off-brand, and starting over. Write it into a brand kit you'll work from every time.

3. Agree the scope and cadence in writing

Be explicit: which platforms, how many posts, who approves, and how often you'll report. A client who thinks they're getting daily posts on five platforms for a small retainer is a conflict waiting to happen. Written scope protects both of you.

4. Set up approvals from day one

Decide how sign-off works before the first post, not after. A clear approval flow — you queue, they approve or comment, it goes out — avoids the endless email back-and-forth and gives you a record of what was agreed.

5. Ship a quick early win

Get something good live in the first week. An early, visible win builds the client's confidence in you fast — which buys you the trust to do your best work over the months that follow.

The tool that makes onboarding fast

Optimate is built for this: a separate brand kit per client so the voice is captured once and applied to everything, connected accounts in one place, and built-in approvals. A new client is set up in an afternoon. Start free, 14-day trial, no card.