7 HoneyBook Templates You’ll Want to Create + Get 2 Free!

Have you heard about HoneyBook Templates yet? They’ve been around for a while under the name Smart Files, but now we have the ability to share them between accounts – which is so fun!

In this post, I wanted to share 7 types of HoneyBook Templates that you will probably want to create in your business, and also give you 2 free templates that I’ve created that you can use directly in your account.

First, we’ll walk through how to create and use these templates.

And if you haven’t used HoneyBook yet – definitely check out our 14-part Free Setup Course and use my educator link for 35% off your subscription. I’ll make a commission at no additional cost to you.

What are Smart Files in HoneyBook?

Smart Files are basically a combination of different types of blocks that you can put together in any way that makes sense for your business. They are also templates, meaning that you can apply them to any number of jobs or projects after you create them!

Once you apply a Smart File to a job, you can make changes that will only affect the file within that job (adding personalized images or text, for instance). The template will remain unchanged, so you can continue to use it later!

What HoneyBook Templates can Include

These Smart Files can include the following types of blocks, in addition to text, images, and accessory blocks like dividers or file uploaders:

• Contract
• Invoice
• Proposal
• Services
• Scheduler
• Questionnaire

So for instance, you can create a file that combines a list of services that your client can choose from, an invoice and contract based on those services, and then a questionnaire to gather information for the product. All of this can be done in one file – without you even lifting a finger except to send it! 

Once you start diving into these templates, the possibilities and combinations are endless, so here are a few ideas for templates that you might want to create in your business! 

HoneyBook Template Ideas

Service Template

A services template is basically like a pricing guide…but one step further! Clients will actually be able to select which services they want and you can combine this template with an invoice and/or contract block if needed! 

My recommendation would be to beef this up with a page about your process and your company / yourself just to get people really excited to work with you specifically. The Services Template is sent to people who haven’t had toooo much time with you yet, so it’s a little more generic.

Proposal Template

A proposal HoneyBook template is just like your services template, but it’s more for folks who have already reached out or had a consultation with you. So it doesn’t need to be quite as generic, and you can leave a few areas that can be customized for each job. We’re still combining the proposal with invoice and contract though. Then, after they are officially booked, you could even add some question blocks to start gathering information for their project – or a scheduler block to book their first appointment! 

HoneyBook Templates: Contract Addendum

Contract addendums happen for a number of reasons – the scope of the work changes, the clients date changes, a pandemic hits (not that any of us remember that ever happening). So having a template set up for this will help you alter, add on, move, cancel, or otherwise change the contracted scope of work with ease. 

I’d recommend including several of your common policies in separate text blocks. This way you can just delete any of the ones you don’t need before sending it over!

Onboarding Guide Template / Welcome Template

A great onboarding or welcome experience can mean everything to your clients. This would be sent right after they’ve paid and signed the contract, so if you can give them a really positive vibe from this point, you’re golden for the rest of the project.

I like to include a fun welcome note (or even video!) and some helpful resources. These resources answer the most common questions that my clients ask. I have created little guides and/or blog posts that answer those questions, so I can pre-empt them by saying ‘Here are a few things you might find helpful’. I also reiterate the next few steps of the process, what they can expect from me, and what I expect from them.

Overall, just making something simple can have a big effect on your clients’ feelings toward working with you. But if you take it to the next level and make this fun and interactive (maybe add some fun question blocks to get to know them!), then your clients will be over the moon!

HoneyBook Templates: Offboarding Guide

People often forget that they should also leave clients with warm fuzzy feelings after the project. Simply delivering the project is not necessarily the last step. If you want this client to leave you a great review or refer you future clients / projects, then a great offboarding template will be worth its weight in gold.

This is where you can ask for reviews, remind them of any outstanding tasks or things they can follow up with you about, provide resources for next steps in their journey, pre-empt any issues they may have using your product, and just make them feel like you really valued your experience together! 

Functionally, you probably only need to use text and image blocks to do something really beautiful and helpful to your client, but of course you could always include a question block or two to gather feedback about their experience. 

2 Free HoneyBook Templates for Designers

I’m a stationery designer, so I have 2 templates created just for designers that I think you might enjoy! I’m providing these free to you – if you click the links, you can download the templates directly into your own HoneyBook account and customize these templates for your business!

First, a Client Lookbook Template in HoneyBook

This one combines mostly images, text, and questions to showcase a lookbook and/or sketch for your client! You can upload inspiration images, a color palette, and all kinds of design ideas before starting on your project. This will encourage the client to provide feedback and make sure you’re on the same page before you start designing.

Second, a Design Proof HoneyBook Template

This one combines a questionnaire with a contract block – you upload your client proofs as images, edit the information about each proof, and can get a legally-binding signature on the print approval (or whatever kind of approval you need in your design business!). 

I hope this post sparked some fun ideas for how you can use HoneyBook Templates and Smart Files to combine elements in unique ways! The Template Gallery also has even more designer templates that you can customize and adapt to your own business. Happy HoneyBooking!