Ready-to-use templates for every type of freelance project update — weekly progress, milestone completion, project kickoff, and more.
Templates are useful starting points, but the best client updates feel personal — specific to the project, the client, and this particular week. A template you copy and tweak every Friday morning still takes 20 minutes to write well.
That's why UpdateBrief exists: paste your rough notes, get a polished, personalized update in 8 seconds. The templates below show the structure — UpdateBrief handles the actual writing.
Subject: [Project Name] — Week of [Date] Hi [Client Name], Here's a quick update on [project] this week. Completed this week: • [Task or milestone 1] • [Task or milestone 2] • [Any additional items] Coming up next: • [Upcoming task 1] • [Expected completion date] [Optional: blocker or question] One thing to flag: [issue]. Can you [specific ask] by [date]? Everything is on track. Happy to jump on a call if anything needs discussion. [Your name]
Subject: [Project Name] — [Milestone Name] Complete ✓ Hi [Client Name], Great news: [milestone] is complete. Here's what was delivered: • [Deliverable 1] • [Deliverable 2] • [Link or attachment if applicable] [Feedback request:] Please take a look and let me know your thoughts by [date] — I want to make sure everything meets your expectations before we move to the next phase. Next up is [next milestone]. I'll have a timeline update for you early next week. [Your name]
Subject: [Project Name] — Kicking Off! Hi [Client Name], Excited to get started on [project name]. Here's an overview of how I plan to approach this: Phase 1: [Phase name] — [brief description] — Target: [date] Phase 2: [Phase name] — [brief description] — Target: [date] Phase 3: [Phase name] — [brief description] — Target: [date] A few things I'll need from you to get started: • [Item 1 — access, asset, info] • [Item 2] I'll send weekly updates every [day] to keep you in the loop. My general availability is [hours/timezone]. Looking forward to building this together. [Your name]
Subject: [Project Name] — Quick question before I continue Hi [Client Name], Good progress this week — [what was accomplished]. Before I continue to [next phase], I need to clarify one thing: [specific question or decision needed]. This affects [what it affects], so I want to make sure I build it right before going further. Can you let me know by [date]? Once I have this, I can move forward quickly. [Your name]
Subject: [Project Name] — Complete 🎉 Hi [Client Name], [Project name] is complete. Here's a summary of everything that was delivered: Deliverables: • [Item 1] • [Item 2] • [Item 3 with link/location] [Handover instructions:] To access [deliverable], [brief instructions]. [Final invoice note:] I'll send the final invoice for [amount] separately. It's been a pleasure working on this with you. If you need any tweaks or have questions as you use [what was built], don't hesitate to reach out. [Your name]
The best update emails sound like you wrote them — not like they were copied from a template. A few tips:
Paste your rough notes. UpdateBrief generates a personalized, polished update email for your specific project and client. Free. No account. 30 seconds.
→ Try UpdateBrief free