What Should a Monthly Video Content Retainer Include?

What are you paying for besides the videos?

If you’re running a business, you probably don’t need another folder of files to sort out. You need to know what you’re going to say, how it will get made and what your team still needs to do.

That’s how I think about ongoing content. My retainers are built around planned content days rather than lots of unplanned visits. We work out what we need, get everyone ready and film with a purpose.

The video count matters because you need to know what you’re buying. But I wouldn’t choose a retainer on that number alone. I’d want to understand the work around those videos and whether it fits the business.

Start with the customer, then agree the outputs

Before agreeing a monthly list, ask who the content is for. What do those people need to understand before they’d consider your business?

I wouldn’t decide that just from your sector. The people answering enquiries, doing the work and speaking to customers know things a producer needs to learn. Bring that knowledge into the plan.

Then agree the actual outputs: how many finished pieces, their purpose, approximate length and where they will appear. Ask what counts as a separate video. A landscape and vertical version of the same answer aren’t two different ideas, even though both exports take work.

If photography, post text, graphics or supporting footage are important, name them. Don’t assume they’re included because the package is called content.

Our content-day planning guide covers preparing a shoot. For a retainer, the extra question is how that plan will be updated as your business and customer questions change.

Know what happens each month

I would want the recurring work set out clearly, with an owner on each side. This is a checklist to discuss with a supplier, not a claim that every retainer includes every item.

Part of the work	What to agree	What your business needs to provide
Planning	Who suggests topics and how they are chosen	Customer questions, priorities and anything that’s changed
Filming	Dates, locations, available time and the shot plan	People, access and a space ready for the agreed work
Editing	Finished outputs, formats and delivery dates	Brand assets and any facts that need checking
Review	Who approves, how feedback is gathered and which revisions are included	One clear set of feedback by the agreed date
Publishing	Whether posting, post text and replies are included	A named owner for anything the supplier isn’t handling
Learning	What you will review before planning again	Relevant responses, enquiries and information from your team

That last column is important. You can pay someone to plan and produce content, but they still need access to the knowledge and people inside the business. Be honest about the time your team can give it.

Ask for an order of play, not just a filming date

For my content days, I call the schedule the order of play. What are we filming? When? Who needs to be there? What needs to be ready?

For example, if a team member is answering a question at a desk, tell them when they’re needed and which space to prepare. If other people need to appear, arrange that beforehand. This is a planning example, not a promise about how every shoot is set up.

The point is to take away the guessing. Everybody should be working from the same plan rather than finding out what is needed when the camera arrives.

ScreenSkills describes production coordination as work involving documentation, logistics, scheduling and communication. That’s a film-and-TV role, not a small-business retainer specification, but it shows why the organising work is part of production, not separate from it.

Make the handover and publishing jobs clear

Receiving edited videos and having someone manage your social accounts are different services. Ask who writes the post text, schedules each piece and handles the replies. A producer may handle some of those jobs and leave others to you.

Agree the review process too. Who checks the message and names? Where does feedback go? What happens if the brief changes after approval? Set out the revision allowance and how extra work is agreed before it starts.

Include accessibility in the output brief. For example, name who prepares and checks captions, and what other support your audience needs. W3C’s media planning guidance recommends putting specific accessibility requirements into project requirements and supplier briefs, with responsibilities assigned in the workflow.

Also clarify what happens to unused filming time, missed sessions and source footage. Don’t assume time rolls over or that every original recording is part of the handover. The answers belong in the agreed scope, not in a guess made after the shoot.

Review what helped before ordering more

My first question wouldn’t be whether we can make more videos next month. I’d ask whether the content is helping the people we’re trying to reach.

What did customers ask about? Were the enquiries relevant? Was there a service people still didn’t understand? Did your team actually use the files?

I value enquiries more than a big like count, but they aren’t the same as bookings. Keep a note of where enquiries came from and what happened next. Our social media ROI guide explains how to review that without treating every view as a sale.

Use what you learn to shape the next plan. Don’t increase the volume simply because it’s another month. Keep room for genuine phone footage from your team as well; professional support doesn’t have to remove the everyday personality of the business.

Do you need ongoing support or one focused project?

If your main need is a business introduction, a service explanation or a first set of films, a one-off project may be enough. DS Media’s Business Content Starter is a one-off project, not a monthly subscription. Ongoing work is agreed separately.

If you’re an owner reaching other businesses through LinkedIn and want a regular filming and publishing rhythm, Founder on Camera is our ongoing route. It includes topic planning, filming, edited videos, suggested post text and a monthly report based on the information you share. You post from your own profile and handle replies. It isn’t a general Instagram account-management service.

Choose the arrangement that fits the job. A retainer isn’t a guarantee of enquiries, and more deliverables don’t automatically make it the better choice. For me, it should give both sides a clear plan they can carry out, review and improve.