# Build an onboarding flow

Choose the steps a new client works through, from signing and paying to the kickoff call and strategy.

4 min read. Updated 16 Oct 2026. Pro and Max only.

Walkthrough video (no sound): https://bucket.sociorolla.com/help/onboarding-flows/64bb73b318e67345.mp4

## Before you start

- [Set up your onboarding templates](https://sociorolla.com/help/client-onboarding/onboarding-templates)

## Steps

1. Go to **Templates** and open the **Onboarding flows** tab.

   ![Step 1: Onboarding flows live on the Templates page, in their own tab.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/9b253ee71946c3497279fc20f0b22c3bbcaf38eb-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

2. The built-in **Standard retainer** is read only. Click **Duplicate to edit** to start from a copy.

   ![Step 2: Duplicate the built-in Standard retainer to make it your own.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/cf31d0fe64c46c04dadfd3a9427b670a9218b846-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

3. Give the onboarding flow a name you will recognise when you start onboarding.

   ![Step 3: Rename the copy.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/3999b1f016708255cd8e0751f96ab24015d960df-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

4. Click **Add step**.

   ![Step 4: Add step lists every step a client can work through.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/e749103ee3aac39680c6212a1024bfb18e718f6d-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

5. Pick **Sign the agreement** to have the client sign before anything else opens. It always goes first, and it uses your agreement; **Edit** picks a different one.

   ![Step 5: Sign the agreement goes first and picks up your agreement.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/1da6c5833df7fc122062bc2f546028f739485bcd-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

6. Click **Edit** on **Pay the first invoice** and paste your own **Payment link**, from Stripe, PayPal or your bank, with a **Note** for the client. The amount comes from the deal when you start onboarding.

   ![Step 6: On the payment step, paste your own payment link and a note.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/66124b7ec95aeebb2c68855a93bd81020b0fb86c-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

7. On **Kickoff call**, add your **Booking link** and the call's length. Without a link, the client waits for you to set a time.

   ![Step 7: Give the kickoff call your booking link so the client picks a time.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/d14ede2175d2a5dee24d34495963720dbd953d57-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

8. Tick **Optional for the client** on any step the client may skip. In the Standard retainer, approving the strategy is optional.

   ![Step 8: Optional steps can be skipped by the client.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/0f9ac5708ac94363224b1d594639c6e153bf70db-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

9. Click **Save onboarding flow**. You choose an onboarding flow each time you start onboarding a client, and changes apply to clients you start after saving.

   ![Step 9: Save the flow. You pick one each time you start onboarding.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/7b049197eb28def1a37efc85ad813b239c32713e-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

### The steps

- **Sign the agreement**: the client signs your agreement in the hub. It always comes first.
- **Pay the first invoice**: the client opens your payment link and tells you they've paid.
- **Read the welcome packet**: your PDF or link.
- **Brand intake**: an intake form from **Templates**.
- **Connect accounts**: the client connects the brand's social accounts. With no platforms ticked, it asks for the platforms on the deal.
- **Kickoff call**: the client books a time with your booking link.
- **Approve the strategy**: the client approves your strategy or asks for changes.

### Waiting for payment

When a client says they've paid, the steps after the payment stay locked until you mark the payment as received. This always applies; there is no setting to turn it off.

### From a client's record

**Make your own** in the **Start onboarding** dialog opens this editor, and saving brings you back to that client with the new flow picked.

### Changing an onboarding flow

Edits apply to clients you start onboarding after you save. A client already onboarding keeps the steps they started with, even if you delete the flow.

## Related articles

- [Start onboarding and send the hub link](https://sociorolla.com/help/client-onboarding/start-onboarding)
- [What your client sees in the onboarding hub](https://sociorolla.com/help/client-onboarding/client-hub)

Source: https://sociorolla.com/help/client-onboarding/onboarding-flows