A guide for freelancers and studios

Client intake questions that help you start well

A good intake form does one job: it gives you enough to have a useful first conversation. Ask too little and the first call is admin. Ask too much and good clients stop halfway. Here’s how to choose the questions, word them and decide which ones really need an answer.

The blue pencil and a paper character laying blank cards into a little path that ends in a folded paper doorway. — one card at a time.

By the Formaverse team. Reviewed 7 October 2026.

Start with a short set

If you only ask five things, ask these. They tell you who is asking, what they want, and whether the timing and money could work. Everything else can wait for the call.

What should we call you?
What’s the best email to reach you?
What would you like to make?
When would you like it ready?
Roughly what budget do you have in mind?

What each question is for

Every question should earn its place. If you can’t say what you’ll do with an answer, leave the question out. Mark a question required only when you truly can’t reply without it.

Intake questions, why each one helps, and whether to make it required
Topic	Question	Why it helps	Required?
Who	What should we call you?	A name turns your reply into a conversation.	Yes
Contact	What’s the best email to reach you?	You need somewhere to send your reply.	Yes
Goal	What would you like to make?	A few clear choices show at a glance whether it’s your kind of project.	Yes
Situation	What do you have already?	An existing site, brand or plan changes where the work starts.	No
Outcome	What would make this a success for you?	It gives you their words for the result, which you can repeat back later.	No
Scope	Is there anything you know you don’t want?	Ruling things out is often easier than describing them.	No
Timing	When would you like it ready?	A rough date tells you straight away whether you can help.	No
Budget	Roughly what budget do you have in mind?	A few ranges are easier to answer than an empty box.	No
Decisions	Who else will help decide?	You learn early if someone else needs to see the proposal.	No

Ask the follow-up only when it applies

Some questions only make sense for some people. Asking for the address of a current website is pointless if the client is starting from scratch. A rule lets that question appear only when it’s relevant, so everyone else sees a shorter form.

In Formaverse, under the follow-up question, choose Show when, pick the question and the answer it depends on, then press Done. In the example below, the website question appears only after someone chooses “A refresh of my current website”.

A form where A refresh of my current website is chosen, and a new question asks for the address of the current website. — The website question appears only after “A refresh of my current website” is chosen. The answers are invented.

A short version and a longer one

For a first enquiry from your website, keep it short: the five questions above are plenty. Once you’ve spoken and the project looks likely, send a second, longer intake form with the situation, outcome, scope and decision questions. People are happier to answer more once they know you.

A worked example

Here is an invented brief, built from the answers to the short set and two optional questions.

Sam runs a small pottery studio and wants a refresh of their current website. They’d like it ready in the next three months and have a modest budget. Success, in their words, is “people can book a class without emailing me”. They don’t want an online shop yet.

That is enough for a good first call. You know the starting point, the deadline, the money and the single outcome that matters, and you know not to pitch a shop.

Mistakes to avoid

Asking for a phone number, address or date of birth you don’t need. Ask only for what you’ll use.
Making every question required. A required budget question can stop a good client who simply isn’t sure yet.
Writing jargon. “What does success look like?” is clearer than “Define your KPIs.”
Putting the hardest question first. Start with something easy, like a name.