Feedback and revision request

The short version

A feedback request is the email you send a creator after they deliver a draft. Good feedback is one numbered list per round, with the file name and the second each change applies to, what to change and why, and a clear split between must-haves and suggestions. It gets revisions back right the first time and keeps you inside the rounds you agreed.

This template has three versions: feedback on a draft, approval of the final files, and a request for a reshoot or a change outside the agreed scope. Send feedback within the number of days in your agreement, and collect everyone’s comments into one message before you send it.

The outline below is free to copy. The three full versions and a filled-in example are included with annual access.

When to use it

Before you write, check the brief. A change that fixes something the brief asked for is a revision. A change to what the brief asked for is a new request, and the creator may charge for it.

What’s inside

The outline is the draft feedback email in its shortest form. The full versions below add must-have and suggestion labels, the approval email and the reshoot request.

How to write feedback that works

Vague feedback produces a second draft that misses again, and uses up another round. Each comment should tell the creator where, what and why.

• Where: the file name and the second, such as “V1_HookA, 0:04”.
• What: the change, as an instruction the creator can act on.
• Why: one short reason. It helps the creator get the next video right without asking.
• Must or suggestion: label each comment, so the creator knows what’s required.

Version 1: feedback on a draft

Start with what works, so the creator keeps it in the next version. Then list every change, numbered, with timestamps. End with the round number, the rounds left and the date you need the revised files.

How to fill it in

• [video name] and [round number]: such as “Calmora V1 and V2” and “1”.
• [what works, specifically]: name it, such as “the texture shot at 0:14 is exactly right”. It tells the creator what not to change.
• [included rounds]: from your agreement. Naming it keeps both sides counting the same way. See revision round.
• [file name], [time], [change] and [why]: one change per line. Combine the comments from everyone at your company into this one list.
• Suggestions: optional ideas the creator can take or leave. Keep them few, or mark everything as a must.
• [date]: matching your agreement, usually two to five working days.

Version 2: approval

Approve in writing as soon as the files are right. In many agreements, including our content agreement, approval starts the payment clock, so a prompt approval is how you pay on time. Mention the next steps and anything you’d like to do together again.

How to fill it in

• [remaining amount], [billing email] and [payment days]: from your agreement. Pay on time; it’s what creators remember.
• [usage start date] and [usage end date]: put the end date in your calendar now, with a reminder a month before, for a possible usage extension.
• [portfolio timing]: as agreed, such as “once the ads are live”.
• The optional line: a quick way to set up repeat work with a creator you liked working with.

Version 3: a reshoot or a new request

Use this when what you need goes beyond the brief: a new hook idea, a different setting, a new key message, or extra deliverables. Say plainly that it’s outside the original scope and ask for a price. If the reshoot is needed because the draft didn’t follow the brief, say which point it missed instead: under our content agreement template, that’s a free fix.

How to fill it in

• [what changed on our side]: honest and short, such as “our team decided to lead with the fragrance-free message”.
• [new request]: specific, such as “one new hook for each video, filmed at the bathroom mirror”.
• [smaller alternative]: a cheaper option, such as a new voiceover over existing footage, or a re-edit with a different first shot. Creators appreciate having a choice.
• Check the UGC content agreement for an agreed reshoot fee before you ask.

A filled-in example

Here is version 1 filled in for the example skincare job: the creator delivered two videos with three hooks each, and the brand sends its one included round of feedback. The brand, the people and the details are made up.

Every must-change points to a file, a time and a reason, and two of the three go back to the brief, so there’s no question they’re revisions. The positive notes protect what’s already working.

Mistakes to avoid

• Feedback in several messages. Each new message can count as a new round. Collect every comment into one list.
• Contradictory comments from different people. Decide internally, then send one view. Name one person to give feedback.
• Vague direction. “More energy” can mean anything. Say where, what and why.
• Changing the brief and calling it a revision. If you’re asking for something the brief didn’t say, it’s a new request.
• Slow feedback. If your agreement gives the creator three days to revise, give feedback just as fast.

Questions brands ask

Before you send it

• All comments from your team are combined into one numbered list.
• Every comment has a file name, a time, the change and a short reason.
• Must-changes and suggestions are labeled.
• Each must-change fixes something the brief asked for. Anything else is a new request.
• The round number and the deadline are stated.
• You’re sending it within the feedback time in your agreement.