Onboarding a new social media client is an afternoon of setup when the pieces are in the right order: their own workspace, their accounts connected without any password swapping, a posting schedule, and the link they'll use to review your work. Do it the same way every time and client number twelve onboards as smoothly as client number two.
How to onboard a client
Run these steps in order and nothing gets forgotten.
1. Create a social set for the client
Create a social set for the client at Settings > Social Sets. Their accounts, calendar, and inbox stay separate from every other client from the first minute.
2. Get access to their accounts
Ask for a role on their Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, and Google Business Profile so you connect with your own logins, and send a client invite link for networks without roles. No passwords ever change hands.
3. Set the timezone
Set the social set's timezone to the client's audience. Scheduled times then mean what everyone thinks they mean.
4. Save their queue times
Save their posting schedule as queue times, the days and times each week their content should go out. Once they're saved, adding a post to the queue drops it into the next open slot automatically.
5. Set up the shared calendar
Set up their shared calendar with Allow post approval and Schedule post on approval turned on, and send them the link. That one link is where every review will happen from here on.
6. Add the set to a team
Add the set to the right team so the teammates running this client can see it, and nobody else. Teams keep each client's workspace in front of exactly the people who work on it.
7. Draft and send the first post
Draft the first content in the composer and send it for approval. That first review doubles as the client's tour of how the workflow runs.
One client, one social set
A social set per client is the rule everything else builds on. It keeps each client's calendar, posts, inbox, and analytics in its own workspace, which means clean reviews, clean reports, and no risk of posting to the wrong brand. When you take on another client, you add another set rather than untangling anything.
Get access the easy way first
A role on the client's Pages is the smoothest access there is: the client grants it once, and their Facebook Page, linked Instagram, LinkedIn Page, or Google Business Profile appears when you connect with your own logins. Put the role requests in your onboarding checklist and handle them on the kickoff call. For networks without roles, client invite links cover the rest: you send a link, the client authorizes their own accounts, and the connections land in your set labeled Added by client. The links expire after 7 days on purpose, and a fresh one takes seconds if the client is slow to click.
If a client offers to just email you their passwords, decline and ask for a role or send the invite link instead. Connections they authorize themselves are safer for both sides and easier to fix later, since a Client must refresh state only needs a new link, not a password reset.
Set expectations with the first post
The first post you send for approval teaches the client the whole workflow better than any onboarding call. They open their calendar link, see the post exactly as it will publish, and approve it or comment. From that moment they know where to look, how to give feedback, and that approved posts schedule themselves, which is the routine every following week runs on.
Frequently asked questions
Does my client need a Pallyy account?
No. Clients connect their accounts through an invite link and review posts through a shared calendar link, and neither requires an account or login on their side.
How long does onboarding a client take?
Most of an onboarding fits in an afternoon. Creating the set, timezone, and queue takes minutes, and the longest wait is usually the client clicking their invite link to connect accounts.
What if the client manages some accounts and I manage others?
Mix and match. Connect the accounts you control yourself, and send an invite link for the ones only the client can authorize. Both kinds live side by side in the same social set.
What does "Client must refresh" mean on an account?
A connection your client authorized needs their reauthorization, since the login is theirs. Send a fresh invite link and they can fix it in about a minute.
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Still need help? Email us at hey@pallyy.com and we'll get back to you.