As an online business owner, service provider, or creative, you’ve likely found yourself obsessing over your brand messaging at least a time or two. It’s what we’re told to do all the time.
Nail your messaging so you can write better copy and close more sales.
And while it’s true that your brand messaging IS an important part of your business, there’s another form of communication that often gets overlooked in the client process: your contracts.
Yep, the not-so-fun legal agreements that you may or may not have implemented in your business just so you can say you have one, is actually much more than just a legal document.
Just like your emails or social media posts, your contracts are sending messages about who you are, how you do business, and whether clients can trust you.
While your contracts of course offer legal protection for you, they’re ultimately a key part of your client experience. When done right, they inspire confidence, set expectations, and make clients feel like they’re in capable hands. But when done wrong, they can send red flag energy and make people second-guess whether working with you is the right choice.
So with that in mind, let’s break down what your contracts are really saying and how you can make them work for you!
The Importance of Tone in Your Client Contracts
Before we get into what to include in your contracts for clarity and client expectations, let’s talk about something that isn’t touched on enough: the tone and structure of your contracts.
Both of these things matter just as much as the actual words and clauses you include because, just like in a real life conversation, your tone can create a first impression and leave people feeling excited to work with you OR nervous to move forward.
Should your contracts very clearly convey expectations and “rules” of working with you? Of course! But that doesn’t mean you have to come off dense, aggressive, or full of legalese.
Doing so can make your client feel confused or intimidated by you – both of which aren’t a great first impression.
Instead, you can craft your contracts to be clear, professional, and approachable so that your clients get the vibe that you respect their time, value your partnership, and that you simply want a smooth experience for the both of you.
Here’s an example of the difference:
🚩 Red Flag Language → “Client agrees to indemnify the service provider in perpetuity for any damages, losses, or claims arising from the project.”
🤝 Trust-building Language → “This agreement is designed to protect both parties and ensure we’re aligned on the scope, timeline, and deliverables.”
Both statements are essentially saying the same thing, but the second example feels more approachable while still protecting you legally!
Overall, using a more friendly tone throughout your contracts doesn’t undermine your protection, it truly enhances it.
The Importance of Structure in Your Client Contracts
In addition to the tone that you use when writing your client contracts, you also want to consider the structure of them. A well-structured legal agreement is easy to navigate, logically organized, and highlights the most important information first.
When reading through the contract, your client should easily be able to answer common questions, like:
- What am I paying for and how much is it?
- When are my payments due and how can I make my payments?
- When will I receive my deliverables?
- How and when can I communicate with you?
- How are revisions handled?
If a client has to dig through paragraphs to find the answers, your contract could be unintentionally saying, “I’m disorganized and I don’t value clarity.”
On the other hand, a contract with clear headings, bullet points, and sections that anticipate client questions communicates care and attention to detail, giving your client the confidence they need to sign on the dotted line!
5 Key Clauses to Include In Your Client Contracts (And What They Mean)
Now that you know why the tone and structure of your contracts matter so much, let’s talk about the actual words – what clauses do your client contracts need in order to protect you legally?
The answer to this will be different based on the type of contract in question and your industry, but generally speaking there are 5 key clauses that EVERY client contract needs, regardless of your industry type:
Scope of Work
This clause defines exactly what you’re agreeing to deliver, and just as importantly, what’s NOT included. It prevents scope creep by setting clear boundaries around the project, so both you and your client know where your responsibilities begin and end!
Payment Terms
This section is where you answer the questions: what am I paying for, how much is it, when are payments due, and how can I pay you?
Here you need to include alllll the details regarding payments, including any required deposit information, payment schedules, late fees, and payment play options (if applicable), and types of payment accepted.
Clear payment terms like this protect your income and reduce misunderstandings about financial expectations!
Timeline and Deliverables
As a creative business owner or service provider, you likely have very specific processes for your work and this is where you get to specify all of that. You want to include any deadlines, project milestones, and ultimately what the client can expect to receive and when.
This clause protects you from last-minute demands and keeps the project on track for both you and the client!
Revisions and Feedback
When working with clients in a creative capacity, whether it’s through copywriting services, brand or web design, social media services, etc. it’s important to recognize that clients will inevitably request edits or changes.
That’s perfectly fine! But what you don’t want is for your time to be taken advantage of, which is why this clause sets limits on how many revisions are included for a project and explains the process for requesting them.
This clause ultimately helps prevent endless back-and-forth while keeping the client informed and satisfied.
Termination and Refunds
Lastly, all client contracts need to address the part that no one really wants to talk about: termination and refunds. Even though these subjects can feel touchy, you don’t want to leave them up for misunderstanding.
In this section, cover the conditions under which either party can end the agreement and what, if any, refunds will be issued. And just know, a “no-refund” policy IS a legit policy and needs to be outlined if that’s the route you choose!
Including this clause protects you from client ghosting, unexpected cancellations, and disputes over payments.
The Ultimate Legal Contract Bundle for Creative Business Owners
Overall, your contracts are THE thing that protect you legally, but also give your clients a first impression that can truly make or break their initial experience when working with you.
They should be viewed as a communication tool that you put as much time and attention into as you would an offer sales page, welcome email, or even a social media post.
But you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
Just like you might hire a copywriter to button up your sales messaging for you or a social media strategist to create your posts for you, you can also lean on a legal expert to make sure that your contracts do both:
✔️ protect you and your business
✔️ and ALSO communicate professionalism, clarity, and trust to your clients from the very first interaction.
And that’s exactly what the Chief Legal Officer Suite is designed to do!
With 40+ attorney-drafted templates covering client agreements, digital products, website protection, marketing materials, and more, you get a full legal toolkit that’s ready to plug in, customize, and use immediately.
Instead of piecing together contracts on your own or worrying if something important is missing, the CLO Suite gives you everything you need to protect your business, maintain professional boundaries, and set a confident tone for a seamless client experience.
It’s a true one-stop shop for making your legal docs not only enforceable, but also client-friendly. 🙌🏼
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