Client feedback and approval,
one round at a time.

Five things, agreed before the first round: the approver, by name, so notes from anyone else are input rather than decisions; the number of rounds and what each is for; a date for every round of feedback, since a late reply moves delivery; a rule for consolidated notes; and a record of the sign-off, meaning which version, approved by whom and when. Written into the brief at the start, these settle most approval arguments.

Two or three, named at the start, with further rounds scheduled and priced as new work. Round one decides direction while changes are cheap, round two refines it, and round three is for corrections only. Projects run past three rounds when each round asks for everything, when notes come from someone who is not the approver, or when the brief changed silently. With every round on one board, round three can be checked against what round one asked for.

No, not in Storyflow: the client opens the view-only link in any browser with no account, but signs in before leaving a comment on the specific piece, so every note carries a real name. Signing in costs the client nothing, and anyone a paid member invites to edit the board joins free. Some proofing tools let reviewers comment as guests, which can matter when a client's legal or brand team will not create accounts.

Ask for a decision on a named version and write it down. When the round goes up, say exactly what needs approving and by when: this cut, this layout, these twelve images. Record the answer where both sides can see it, with the approver's name and the date. In Storyflow that is a row in the approvals table, with status, person and date cells. A 'looks good' from anyone but the named approver is feedback, not approval.

Only for the stage where the detail is the question. Proofing tools such as Filestage, Ziflow, ReviewStudio and, for video, Frame.io are built for near-final files: pixel markup, timecoded comments and version comparison. Most approval happens earlier, on concepts, drafts, moodboards and treatments, where the question is whether the work does what the brief asked. Storyflow covers that stage on one board, and many studios use both: the board for direction, a proofing tool for the final file.

Two kinds. Work management suites such as Wrike put proofing inside a task with an assignee and due date, and proofing tools such as Filestage and Ziflow add review deadlines around files. Storyflow puts the plan on the same board as the work, in tables with date, person and status cells, Kanban and tickets, while clients comment on the specific piece. It has no pixel-level proofing, so choose a proofing tool when the file check matters most.

Ask for one consolidated set of notes per round and one named approver, and agree both before round one. Contradictory notes from three people are the most expensive feedback a studio gets, because you end up resolving the client's internal disagreement in your own time. If notes still arrive separately, put them beside the piece they concern, mark where they conflict and ask the approver to decide. Comments on the specific piece also make duplicate notes fall away.

Put the cut on the board beside the brief and script, as an unlisted YouTube or Vimeo link that plays in place, with a note on what changed and what needs deciding. The client opens the view-only link with no account and signs in to comment next to the cut, starting each note with the timecode. Keep every cut in its own frame. For frame-accurate notes drawn on the picture, use a video review tool such as Frame.io.

Yes, by reading the work before the client does. In Storyflow, Review my board reads the whole board, the brief included, and gives notes on what loses the audience, what misses the brief's goal and what is strong but buried, so you catch the obvious note before it costs a round. It can also draft the note that goes out with a round. It proposes; you decide what to change, send and push back on.

Not yet. Storyflow is paid-only during early access, with plans from $7.99 a month billed annually ($9.99 monthly). A free plan launches before the end of 2026, and anyone a paid member invites to a board joins free. Your clients never pay: they open a view-only link with no account, and signing in to comment costs them nothing. Plus covers unlimited boards, images, files and links for every round of every job, and Pro adds AI image generation.