To help clients finish choosing photos, make the task specific: provide a curated gallery, explain the included image count, agree a realistic deadline, and show how to submit the final selection. If they stall, identify the obstacle before sending another reminder.

This guide focuses on the decision and follow-up, not on buying a new gallery service. The messages below are examples you can adapt; they are not an automated reminder campaign or evidence of a guaranteed turnaround improvement.

Define what a completed selection means

Before you send the gallery, answer these questions in writing:

  • How many photographs are included in the package?
  • Can the client choose extras, and how will the price be approved?
  • Who makes the final decision when several people are involved?
  • When is the selection due, in which timezone?
  • Does editing begin after submission, and when will you confirm delivery?

A heart can mean an in-progress favorite rather than final approval. Tell the client to review and submit the selection, not simply to start marking images.

For a couple or a corporate team, agree whether you need individual preferences or one consolidated shortlist. If you need one final answer, name a decision-maker rather than silently merging conflicting requests.

Curate the decision, not just the gallery

Remove unusable frames and repetitive near-duplicates. Keep meaningful differences in expression, pose, and composition so the client still has a choice.

Then describe what they should evaluate. For a headshot, that might be expression and intended use; for a family portrait, it might be the preferred group arrangement. Explain which finishing work remains so a client does not reject an otherwise strong image over something already included in retouching.

Do not make a universal promise that fewer photos always produce faster decisions. The appropriate set depends on the job. Use our guide to how many photos to give a client to think through deliverables before the next session.

Match the gallery rule to the agreement

In like.photos, open the project's Share tab and choose the relevant selection mode:

  • Fixed limit: use a cap when the agreed shortlist must stay within a maximum.
  • Package allowance: show the included count when you allow additional choices for later discussion.
  • Unlimited: use an open shortlist when there is no fixed selection count.

Confirm the number with OK where applicable. A package allowance is not an automatic charge for extra photos. Explain any extra-image price and obtain approval through your normal quoting or payment process.

Clients choose using hearts and finish through the selection confirmation, where Submit selection sends the result. Explain that last step in the invitation. For the full setup, see sending photos to clients for selection.

Use a realistic deadline, separate from gallery expiry

Agree a selection date that leaves enough time for editing and the client's intended use. Include the day, time, and timezone rather than writing only “by Friday.”

The requested selection deadline and the gallery's actual availability are different. Check the expiry displayed in the project before promising access. If a client needs more time, confirm that the gallery can remain available before agreeing a new date.

For illustration, a seven-day selection window might use an invitation on day one, a helpful check-in midway, and a final reminder before the agreed deadline. This is a sample schedule, not a recommended window for every shoot or a like.photos automation setting. Send these messages yourself or schedule them in a separate tool you already use.

Three messages you can adapt

Replace the bracketed details and only promise an editing date you can meet.

1. Gallery invitation

Hi [name], your previews are ready: [gallery link]. Please choose [number] photos by [date, time, timezone]. Tap the heart on the images you want, review the shortlist, then submit your selection when it is final. [Explain the extras policy, if applicable.] I will confirm your editing and delivery schedule after receiving the submitted choices. If you need help deciding, tell me what the photos will be used for.

2. Helpful check-in

Hi [name], checking that you could open your gallery: [gallery link]. Your selection is due on [date, time, timezone]. If choosing is difficult, is the main issue access, deciding between similar images, or agreeing with another reviewer? I can help with the next step. Please remember to submit the shortlist when you are finished.

3. Deadline reminder

Hi [name], a reminder that we agreed your photo selection for [date, time, timezone]. Gallery: [link]. If you need more time, reply so we can agree a new selection date and confirm what that means for delivery. The gallery is currently available until [actual expiry]. Please do not rely on access beyond that date without confirmation.

Do not invent an expiry, threaten deletion as a sales tactic, or add a late fee that was not agreed. Clear consequences mean explaining a real scheduling constraint, not creating artificial urgency.

When reminders do not solve the problem

They cannot access the gallery: check the link and the expected access steps. Ask what screen they reach, rather than sending the same link repeatedly.

They cannot narrow the selection: ask them to distinguish essential uses from optional choices. Offer a short review conversation if that is part of your service; do not make the final aesthetic decision for them without permission.

Several reviewers disagree: ask the agreed decision-maker to consolidate the shortlist. Identify which choices are for which use before editing starts.

They want more than the package includes: present the extra-image options and total cost clearly. Our guide to upselling digital images without pressure covers that conversation.

They miss the date entirely: confirm a new plan in writing, including any change to the delivery schedule and gallery availability. Silence is not approval to pick images or charge for extras.

Record completion and improve your next handoff

After submission, confirm the chosen filenames and any unresolved requests. Keep that submitted shortlist as your editing reference. If the client later requests a change, reconcile it explicitly rather than working from two competing lists.

To assess your process, record the invitation date, agreed deadline, submission date, number of follow-ups, and reason for delay. Compare similar types of work over time. That gives you evidence about where clients get stuck instead of assuming that every slow selection needs a shorter deadline.