What to Post When Your Client Sends You Nothing

It's Sunday night. Your client is meant to post three times this week. They said they'd send photos "this week"... three weeks ago. Your folder is empty, your content calendar is a sea of blank boxes, and you're about to text them something passive-aggressive.

Put the phone down. Every social media manager has been here. Here's how to get through this week, and how to make sure you're never here again.

Posts you can make with literally nothing from them

You don't need their photos to post something good. You need their knowledge, and you already have more of it than you think.

• FAQs. Look at their DMs, enquiry emails or the FAQ page on their website. Every question a customer has asked twice is a post.
• Myths. "3 things people get wrong about…" over b-roll. Easy to make, very saveable.
• Reviews. Pull a Google review, put it in text over a clip, and say where it came from. Social proof, zero photos required.
• Process. "What happens after you book" or "how your order gets made", told in steps.
• Opinions. One strong take from the owner. Get it in a voice note (keep reading).
• Their own website. The About page, a services page or an old blog post can usually become a carousel or two. They already wrote it. Use it.

All of these work as text on b-roll, which means the only footage you need is something that fits the brand's look. Use licensed stock for that. Not something you found on Pinterest. (Not sure why? Read this first, babe.)

Ask for voice notes, not photos

Clients don't send content because "can you send me content?" feels like homework. A voice note doesn't. They can do it in the car. Try something like:

Hey! Quick one for this week's posts. Can you send me a 1-minute voice note answering: what's the question customers ask you most, and what do you wish they knew before booking? No need to prep, just talk.

One minute of them rambling is usually enough for two or three posts. You write it up, put it over b-roll, done.

Stop it happening again

The real fix happens at onboarding, not at 9pm on a Sunday.

• Put content in the contract. What they send, how often, and what happens if they don't (for example, you'll use licensed stock footage instead).
• Send a monthly shot list. Never ask for "photos". Ask for 10 specific things: their hands making the product, the shop door opening, packing an order. Specific gets done. Vague gets ghosted.
• Set up one shared folder they can upload to straight from their phone, with a reminder on the same day every month.
• Keep a backup bank. A folder of on-brand b-roll for every client, so a quiet month never means an empty feed.

The backup bank

This is where stock footage earns its keep. Not to replace the client's own content, but so you're never stuck. Pick clips that match their palette and vibe, keep them in a folder, and pull from it whenever they go quiet. Which, let's be real, they will.

Vault Socials is built for exactly this: 1,400+ vertical, aesthetic clips that look like they belong on a real brand's feed. Each client needs its own licence, so you're covered for client work.