The back-and-forth often takes longer than the design itself. Vague feedback (“can you make it more punchy?”), screenshots annotated every which way, messages scattered across several apps... Here's how to keep it all under control.
1. A brief before you start
A lot of revisions come from an incomplete brief. Before you open Photoshop, ask for:
- The title (even a working one) and the topic of the video
- The video's big moment, the one you want to show
- The available visuals: screenshots, photos, raw footage
- 2 or 3 reference thumbnails the client likes
- What they absolutely don't want
- The publish date
2. Precise feedback, right on the image
“The text is too small” is more useful than “it's missing punch”. What works best: have the client point out on the image what they want to change. A circle around the face with “bigger” beats a long paragraph.
3. Numbered versions
V1, V2, V3: each round of feedback matches a specific version. You avoid the famous “no, I liked the previous one better... well, the one before that”.
Keep every version: clients often end up going back to an earlier one.
4. A number of revisions agreed upfront
Say from the start how many revisions are included. It's not about being rigid: it pushes the client to group their comments instead of sending one per message.
5. Show the thumbnail in context
Clients often judge the thumbnail at full size, on their screen. Also show them how it looks small, in the YouTube feed, next to the other videos in their niche. Lots of debates end once you see it in context.
6. Wrap up cleanly
- Written approval, even a simple “approved”.
- The final file in the right format: 16:9, JPG or PNG (see the official specs).
- The invoice sent right after.