How to Write a Weekly Client Update in 15 Minutes

You run client work and want clients to know where things stand without a meeting. By the end you'll have a four-part update, a copy-and-send template and a Friday routine. To write a weekly client update, pull what shipped, list what's waiting on the client, add one line on what's next, and send it at the same time every week. Keep it short enough to read in a minute and it takes about 15 minutes once the habit is set. This guide is for beginners.

A weekly client update is not a report. It's a short note that says what happened, what you need from the client and what comes next. The best ones are boring in format, useful in content, and on time every week, whether or not it was a big week.

Before you start

Have these ready so the update doesn't turn into a research project.

• A clear purpose. Weekly updates are meant to build trust, manage risk and drive results, and client-facing ones help you build trust and pivot quickly when something changes. Decide what yours should do. For most teams, the answer is "keep work moving without a meeting."
• A list of requests and their status from the past week. This can be a board, a spreadsheet or your inbox. You need to see what's done and what's stuck.
• Access to the files or links you'll reference. Clients shouldn't have to ask where the latest version lives.
• One person who owns the update. If it belongs to everyone, it goes out late. Pick one name.
• A fixed send day and time. Choose it now, before you write anything. Step 4 explains why.
• Your client's preferred channel. Some clients live in email. Others like a client portal where they can check status any time. If you run a branded client portal, link to it from every update. If you're onboarding a new client, add their preferred channel to your client onboarding checklist.

Step 1: Pull what shipped

Start with what you finished, because it's the quickest part to write and it gives the client a reason to keep reading. This is the "here's what you got this week" part of the update.

1. Open your list of requests and filter to what was completed or delivered since last Friday.
2. Write each item in plain words, as the client would describe it. "Landing page draft ready for review" beats "HP-v2 build."
3. Rank the items by what matters most to the client, not by what took you longest. The idea of ranking your tasks by importance each week is a common status-report habit. For a client update, rank from the client's point of view.
4. Cut the list to three to five items. If you have more, group them ("Three social posts delivered").
5. Add a link to the file or the request for each item, so the client can open it in one click.

If you already keep your client request management tidy, with every request in one place and a clear status, this step takes about three minutes. You're reading a list, not remembering the week.

Example: A small studio's shipped list reads:

• Landing page draft, ready for review (link)
• Two ad variants for the spring campaign (link)
• Revised logo file with a transparent background (link)

Notice there are no hours and no task codes. Each line says what the client now has.

The usual mistake: listing busywork or hours instead of outcomes. Weekly reports can document accountability, but the format you use should still surface what matters. Clients don't need to know you spent two hours in a spreadsheet. They need to know the thing they asked for exists. Save the hours for your invoice or your internal notes.

Step 2: List what's waiting on the client

This is the most important section, so give it the most room. Clients skim the rest and act on this list. It's the part that keeps work moving.

A "waiting on you" list does two jobs. It surfaces risks and documents accountability, so nobody can later say they didn't know. It also gives the client a short to-do list instead of a vague feeling that something's pending.

1. Go through every open request and ask: "Is this stuck on us or on the client?"
2. For each item that's stuck on the client, write one line with three parts: what you need, by when, and what slips if it doesn't arrive.
3. Make each item easy to answer. Ask for a yes or no, a single file or a single choice. Where possible, link straight to the approval so the client can sign off in one click. In Dora, clients approve in one click on the request or from the top of their portal, and the review email links straight there.
4. Put the list in its own labeled block with a clear heading like "Waiting on you." Don't tuck it into a paragraph.
5. Order it by deadline, soonest first.

Example:

• Brand assets (logo files and fonts) by Thursday. If they arrive later, launch may shift two days.
• Approve the homepage headline (link). Needed by Monday so we can start the build.
• Choose one of the two ad variants (link). We'll book the slot once you pick.

Each line is short, has a date and has a consequence. Nobody has to open a thread to work out what you mean.

If this list is usually long, your client approval process probably needs work. The fix is mostly upstream: smaller asks, clearer owners and a default for what happens when a client goes quiet.

The usual mistake: burying asks inside paragraphs, or dropping a surprise on the client. If a deadline might slip, say so in this list, early, with the date. A problem paired with a clear ask is a normal week. A problem that appears for the first time in a launch-day message is a bad week.

Step 3: Add one line on what's next

Close the loop with a single sentence about the coming week. It tells the client what to expect and shows you have a plan, without asking them to read one.

One simple model is a short three-part format: what you're focused on, why it matters and what's next. Squeeze that into one sentence.

1. Look at your top one or two priorities for next week.
2. Write one sentence in this shape: "Next week we're focused on [thing] so that [reason], and then [next thing]."
3. Check that nothing in the sentence depends on the client unless it already appears in your waiting list.
4. Then go back to the top of the update and write a one-line summary. Well-structured weekly updates start with a clear high-level summary. Write it last, because it's easier once you know what's in the body. Something like "Good week: the landing page draft is ready, and we need three things from you."

Example for a web agency: "Next week we're building the homepage so you can see it on staging by Wednesday, then starting the contact form."

That's it. The client knows the focus, the reason and what follows.

The usual mistake: turning the look-ahead into a full plan. A bulleted roadmap invites questions and debates that belong in a call, not in a weekly note. One sentence is enough. If the client wants the full plan, they'll ask, and you can send it separately.

Step 4: Send it at a fixed time

A good update that goes out at random times works worse than a decent one that goes out every Friday at 3 pm. Predictability is what makes clients read it and what makes you write it.

Reclaim recommends setting a predictable deadline and reserving a recurring calendar block for writing, so the update becomes part of the weekly rhythm instead of an extra chore. Do exactly that.

1. Pick a day and time you can hit every week. Friday afternoon is common, but see the FAQ below.
2. Create a recurring calendar event with the owner's name on it, 15 minutes long, ending at the send time.
3. Use the same subject line format every week so updates are easy to find later: [Client or project name] weekly update: [date range].
4. Decide where the update goes: email, the portal, or both. If clients reply by email, make sure those replies land somewhere your team can see them. Tools that turn client emails into requests mean a reply like "yes, go ahead" doesn't get lost in one person's inbox.
5. Send it. Don't wait for a perfect week.

The template

Copy this and fill in the brackets.

Subject: [Client name] weekly update: [Mon date] to [Fri date]

Hi [First name],

Summary: [One line: how the week went and how many things we need from you.]

Shipped this week
- [Plain-words item] ([link])
- [Plain-words item] ([link])
- [Plain-words item] ([link])

Waiting on you
- [What we need], by [day]. [What slips if it's late.]
- [What we need], by [day]. [What slips if it's late.]

Next week
[One sentence: what we're focused on, why it matters, what comes after.]

Reply to this email with anything above, or approve in one click here: [link]

[Your name]

A filled-in example

Subject: Harbor Coffee weekly update: Nov 2 to Nov 6

Hi Priya,

Summary: Good week. The landing page draft is ready, and we need two things from you to keep the launch on track.

Shipped this week
- Landing page draft, ready for review (link)
- Two ad variants for the spring campaign (link)
- Revised logo file with a transparent background (link)

Waiting on you
- Brand fonts and logo files, by Thursday. If they arrive later, launch may shift two days.
- Pick one of the two ad variants (link), by Monday, so we can book the slot.

Next week
We're building the homepage so you can see it on staging by Wednesday, then starting the contact form.

Reply to this email with anything above, or approve in one click here: (link)

Sam

It's about 120 words and takes under a minute to read.

The usual mistake: skipping quiet weeks. If you send updates only when something big happened, clients stop expecting them, and you stop writing them. On a slow week, send a short one: "Nothing shipped this week, we're mid-build. Nothing needed from you." That still tells the client everything is fine.

Step 5: Run the 15-minute Friday routine and automate it

Once the format is set, the update is a routine, not a writing task. Here's a version you can run on a timer, tied to your fixed send time.

The 15-minute Friday routine

1. Minutes 0 to 3: pull what shipped. Filter your requests to what was completed this week. Pick the three to five that matter most.
2. Minutes 3 to 8: build the waiting list. Go through every open request. Write one line for each that's stuck on the client: what, by when, what slips. Add links to approvals.
3. Minutes 8 to 10: write the next-week line. One sentence.
4. Minutes 10 to 12: write the summary line. Now that the body exists, summarize it in one sentence at the top.
5. Minutes 12 to 14: check links and tone. Open every link once. Read it aloud. Cut anything that sounds like a report.
6. Minute 15: send. At the scheduled time, not later.

If you have several clients, run the routine once per client, back to back. The first one is the slowest, and the rest get faster because the structure is the same.

Where automation fits

The shipped and waiting parts are the same every week, which is why they can be sent for you. A weekly summary built from request activity already knows what shipped and what's still open. Dora's weekly summary for clients goes to each client's people every Monday morning on its own: the week in numbers, what was delivered and what's waiting on them, estimates to answer included, with a link to their portal. Your team gets one across every client, and quiet weeks are skipped. Dora's AI account manager also takes requests from the portal and email, asks clients for missing details and nudges quiet clients, so the "waiting on you" list gets answered sooner. With the shipped and waiting lists covered, your own note can focus on what's next and anything that needs a personal word.

Pricing is simple: your first client is free, and every client after that is $10 a month.

Check that it works

You don't need a case study. Measure it yourself:

1. Baseline (two weeks): note how many days requests sit waiting on client answers and how many follow-up emails you send.
2. Change (four weeks): send the four-part update every Friday at the same time.
3. Compare: days waiting, follow-ups sent, and whether clients reply to the waiting list. Give it four to six weeks in total before judging.

The usual mistake: letting automation replace the owner. An automatic summary tells the client what happened, but it can't explain a delay or flag a risk. That still needs a person.

Common mistakes

These are the problems that most often make a weekly update stop working. Each has a quick fix.

• It's too long. Clients skim long updates and miss the asks. Fix: cap shipped items at five, keep the next-week line to one sentence, and aim for something readable in about a minute.
• The asks are buried. If the request is in paragraph three, it won't get answered. Fix: put "Waiting on you" in its own labeled block with one line per item, a date and a consequence.
• The send time moves around. Updates that arrive Tuesday one week and Friday the next don't become a habit for anyone. Fix: a recurring calendar block with an owner, and the same subject line format every time.
• You only send good news. Clients notice the gaps. Fix: send on quiet weeks too, and flag delays early with a new date.
• Updates live in email threads nobody can find. A year from now, nobody will remember which Friday you mentioned the font issue. Fix: keep a consistent subject line, and store updates where the team and client can both see them. Our client portal vs shared folder comparison covers the tradeoffs, and running clients from your inbox explains why a single thread stops scaling.

Checklist

1. Before you start: name one owner, pick a fixed send day and time, and know the client's preferred channel.
2. Step 1: pull what shipped, in plain words, three to five items, with links.
3. Step 2: list what's waiting on the client, one line each with what, by when and what slips, and make each easy to answer.
4. Step 3: add one line on what's next, then write a one-line summary at the top.
5. Step 4: send it at a fixed time with a consistent subject line, using the template, even on quiet weeks.
6. Step 5: run the 15-minute Friday routine, add a personal note where an automatic summary can't explain things, and measure days waiting and follow-ups over four to six weeks.

Or let Dora send a weekly summary of what shipped and what's waiting every Monday, without anyone writing it: try Dora free, your first client is free, forever.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a weekly client update be?

Short enough to read in about a minute. A summary line, three to five shipped items, a waiting-on-you list and one line on next steps is plenty. If you're over that, cut shipped items first and leave the waiting list intact.

What day is best to send a weekly client update?

Whichever you can keep every week. Friday works well because it closes the week and gives clients the weekend or Monday to answer. Consistency matters more than the day, so pick one and stick to it.

Should I send an update when nothing happened?

Yes, keep it short. "Nothing shipped, we're mid-build, nothing needed from you" is still useful, and it keeps the habit alive. A skipped week makes clients wonder what's wrong.