Getting website content out of clients before the deadline

When a website project of mine runs late, it's usually not the code. The templates are built, the design is approved, and the homepage still says "Lorem ipsum" because the About copy, the logo files and the photos are "coming this week".

I used to treat that as bad luck. It isn't. It's a process problem, and a fairly easy one to fix. This is the process I use now: ask for everything on day one, give the client one place to put it, nudge on dates instead of moods, and decide in advance what happens when the launch slips.

#Why content is always late

Clients rarely sit on content because they don't care. More often:

• They don't know exactly what you need. "Send over your assets" means nothing to most people.
• Writing about yourself is hard, so the About page gets put off.
• Someone else has to approve it, like the owner or a business partner.
• There's no date on it, so it loses to everything that does have a date.

Every one of those is fixed by a clearer ask, not a firmer one.

#Ask for everything on day one, as a checklist

Send one list at kickoff. Not five emails over three weeks. For each item, say what it is, the format, what "good enough" looks like, and the date you need it.

Say you're building a site for a small bakery. The list might look like this:

1. Logo files: SVG, or a PNG with a transparent background.
2. Homepage text: 2 or 3 short paragraphs. Bullet points are fine and I'll shape them.
3. About page: 200 to 300 words. A rough draft is fine.
4. Photos: 10 to 15 of the shop, the team and the bakes. Phone photos are fine.
5. Opening hours, address and phone number.
6. Menu and prices, as a PDF or a photo of the board.
7. Domain registrar and hosting logins, shared through a password manager, not by email.

Then mark each item as must-have or nice-to-have. If they only send the must-haves, can you still launch? Tell them so. It takes pressure off the rest.

Put the content date in your proposal too, next to the launch date: "The launch date assumes all content by the 10th." It turns a later nudge into a reminder of something you both agreed.

Here's the kickoff email that goes with the list:

Subject: Bakery site: everything I need from you, in one list

Hi Dana,

Thanks for kicking this off. Below is everything I'll need to build the
site, with what "good enough" looks like for each item.

The must-haves (1 to 5) need to be in by Friday the 10th to keep the
launch on the 31st. The rest can follow a week later.

[the list]

Rough drafts are welcome. If anything on the list is unclear, reply and
I'll explain or send an example.

Thanks,
Sam

#One place to upload

The second reason content goes missing is that it arrives everywhere: an attachment in one thread, a Drive link in another, three photos in a chat app, the logo pasted into a Word document. Then you spend an afternoon collecting it, and something still gets lost.

Pick one place and say so in the kickoff email. A shared folder works. So does a simple form. What matters:

• It's the same place every time, and it's in every email you send.
• It accepts big files, or a share link to a folder they already keep in the cloud.
• The client can see what's done and what's still open. "4 of 7 items in" is easier to act on than a blank request.
• Logins never travel by plain email.

#Dated nudges, not mood-based ones

Most of us follow up when we get annoyed, which means the follow-up sounds annoyed. Pick the dates at kickoff instead, and each reminder becomes routine. The schedule I'd use:

• 3 days before the content date: a short heads-up listing what's still open.
• On the date: a friendly check that nothing is blocking them.
• 3 and 7 days after: the clear version, naming the exact items and the date they protect.
• About 14 days after: the firm version, and only if the work really is waiting.

Name the items in every email. One missing logo file is easier to find than "the content".

The heads-up:

Subject: Bakery site: content due Friday

Hi Dana,

A quick heads-up that the content for the site is due this Friday. I
already have the logo and the opening hours, thanks. Still open: the
About page text, the photos and the menu.

Same folder as before. Rough drafts are fine.

Thanks,
Sam

Three days after the date:

Subject: Still need the About text and photos for the bakery site

Hi Dana,

Following up on my note from Friday. I'm still waiting on the About page
text and the photos, and I can't build those pages until I have them.
If they're in by Wednesday, we stay on track for the 31st.

If part of it is ready, send that now and the rest when you can. If
something is holding it up, tell me and I'll help pull it together.

Thanks,
Sam

At around two weeks, if the build really has stopped:

Subject: Bakery site: schedule depends on the About text and photos

Hi Dana,

I'm still waiting on the About page text and the photos, and the work
is paused on my side until I have them. Once they're in, I'll pick it
back up and we'll agree a new launch date.

If something has changed on your side, tell me and we'll work out a new
plan together.

Thanks,
Sam

Only send that last one if it's true and your agreement says so. There's more on wording, and three tones of the same email, on the missing content and files page.

#When the launch slips anyway

Sometimes the content doesn't come, and no email will change that. Decide your options before you need them:

• Launch with placeholders. For nice-to-haves, ship a tidy placeholder and tell the client it goes live that way unless they send something. A real preview with "your words here" moves people more than a status update.
• Write a first draft for them. A 15-minute call or a voice note is often enough to draft the About page. Many clients can't write about themselves but can talk for ten minutes. Bill for it if it's outside scope.
• Move the date in writing. Don't let it drift. Send one short email that names the new date and why.
• Pause properly. If your contract allows a pause, use it formally, with a restart date. An honest pause beats a project that quietly stalls for six weeks.

Moving the date can be this simple:

Subject: Bakery site: new launch date

Hi Dana,

Without the About text and photos, the 31st isn't realistic any more.
If everything is in by the 14th, I can launch on the 21st.

If that doesn't work for you, reply and we'll find a date that does.

Thanks,
Sam

#The short version

• One checklist on day one, with formats, examples and dates.
• Must-haves and nice-to-haves, clearly marked.
• One place to upload, linked in every email.
• Reminders on dates you picked at kickoff, each naming the open items.
• A plan for placeholders, drafts and new dates before you need it.

If a client has gone fully silent rather than just slow, following up with a client who ghosted you covers that. For one-off emails, the free follow-up email generator writes a calm, clear or firm version in a few seconds.

This exact problem is why I started building Tickoff: one link where the client uploads the files, answers the questions and pays, sees what's still open, and gets polite email reminders until everything is in.