The kickoff meeting should settle what the agency will deliver, who makes decisions and what happens in the first two weeks. Send the agenda in advance and leave with written owners for open questions.
Before the meeting
Read the signed scope, intake form and previous sales notes. Ask the client to send brand assets and access information through approved channels. Invite only people who own a decision or a workstream. If the contract contains a fixed launch date, identify dependencies that could make it slip.
Copyable 45-minute agenda
| Time | Topic | Decision to capture |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 min | Introductions and roles | Main contacts and final approver |
| 5–15 min | Goals and audience | Priority outcome and evidence |
| 15–25 min | Scope and deliverables | What the team will produce |
| 25–33 min | Access and client inputs | Owners and due dates |
| 33–40 min | Milestones and reviews | Review channel and response times |
| 40–45 min | Risks and next steps | First action for each side |
Do not use the whole call to present slides. Reserve time for the client's questions and write down any disagreement with the signed scope for follow-up.
Copy the meeting notes
Project and date: [Name, date, time zone]
Attendees: [Name and role]
Primary goal: [One sentence]
Success measure: [Metric, baseline and source if available]
Final approver: [Name]
Agreed deliverables: [List with links to scope]
Open risks: [Risk, owner, next check date]
| Decision or action | Owner | Due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item] | [Name] | [Date] | [Open/closed] |
Send the recap
Within the period agreed with the client, send the notes and ask them to correct any material misunderstanding. Include a link to the project workspace, the first requested input and the date of the next checkpoint. If a new request emerged, describe its scope impact separately before scheduling it.
Use the onboarding questionnaire to prepare strategy questions and the onboarding template to track the actions.
Editorial notes — remove before publication
Adapt meeting length and recap period to the agency's practice. Check links and ensure the page's template is easy to copy on mobile.