How to Build an Agency Client Portal for File Sharing

What Makes Agency Portals Different

Agency client portals solve a specific problem: managing files and feedback across dozens of client relationships without drowning in email threads.

The numbers tell the story. Agencies spend roughly 20% of project time on client communication overhead: chasing approvals, answering "where's the file?" questions, and reconciling feedback from multiple stakeholders. Meanwhile, 67% of clients actually prefer self-service access to their assets over waiting for emails.

A standard file-sharing setup breaks down at agency scale. You might have 15 active clients, each with multiple stakeholders, running overlapping projects with different approval chains. The typical result: version confusion, lost feedback, and that dreaded "which file were you looking at?" conversation.

Agency portals need three capabilities that casual file sharing doesn't:

• Client isolation: Each client sees only their files. No accidental exposure of one client's work to another.
• Multi-stakeholder access: The marketing director, legal team, and CEO might all need different permission levels on the same project.
• Persistent organization: Projects live for months. Portals need structure that survives the chaos of ongoing creative work.

The goal is simple: clients should find their files, leave feedback, and approve work without emailing you asking where things are.

Portal Architecture for Agencies

The right structure prevents headaches six months down the road when you're juggling 30 active projects.

One Workspace Per Client, Not Per Project

Create a workspace for each client relationship, then organize projects as folders within it. This keeps all historical work accessible and prevents the fragmentation that happens when old project workspaces get buried.

/acme-corp/
  /q1-2026-campaign/
  /brand-refresh/
  /archived/

When a project ends, move it to /archived/ rather than deleting. Clients inevitably come back asking for "that thing from two years ago."

Standard Folder Structure

Use the same structure across all clients. Consistency means clients know where to look regardless of which project they're reviewing.

/brief-and-assets/      # Client provides these
/work-in-progress/      # Internal only
/for-review/            # Active review items
/approved/              # Signed-off finals
/delivered/             # What went live

The /work-in-progress/ folder stays hidden from clients. Your drafts and internal iterations don't need external eyeballs.

Permission Layers

Set permissions at the workspace level, then override at the folder level where needed:

• Workspace default: View and comment
• Brief folder: Upload enabled (clients add assets)
• Work-in-progress: Hidden from external users
• Approved folder: Download enabled

Managing Multiple Stakeholders

Agency clients rarely have a single point of contact. A typical project might involve a marketing manager who handles day-to-day, a director who approves concepts, and a legal team that reviews final copy.

Map Stakeholders to Permission Levels

Before inviting anyone, understand who needs what access:

• Day-to-day contact: Full access to view, comment, upload, and download
• Approvers: Review access for viewing and commenting
• Legal/Compliance: Restricted to specific folders only
• Executives: View-only preview without download capability

Separate Invitation Links

Don't send the same link to everyone. Create role-specific access:

• A link for the marketing team with full project access
• A link for legal with only the compliance folder visible
• A view-only link for executives who want updates without file access

Fast.io's granular permissions let you set different access levels per folder and per user, so the CFO doesn't accidentally download source files.

Avoid Account Requirements

Every login barrier loses people. Senior stakeholders who review work once a month won't remember their password. Use a platform with guest access so clients can view files via email verification rather than account creation.

Handling Large Creative Files

Agencies deal with file types and sizes that break typical sharing tools.

File Size Limits Matter

A 30-second video spot at ProRes quality runs 5-10GB. A product photoshoot with RAW files hits 50GB easily. Many platforms cap uploads at 2-5GB, forcing you to split files or use external transfer services.

Fast.io handles files up to 250GB without compression or splitting. Upload the master file once and let the platform create web-friendly preview versions automatically.

Preview Without Software

Your clients probably don't have Premiere, Photoshop, or After Effects installed. They shouldn't need to download files to their laptop, find the right app, and wait for it to open.

Look for portals with native preview support for professional formats:

• Video: MP4, MOV, ProRes, with actual playback (not download-to-watch)
• Design: PSD, AI, INDD, PDF with layer preservation
• Photo: RAW formats (CR2, NEF, ARW) with full quality
• Documents: Office formats, Markdown, code files

Fast.io's Universal Media Engine previews all these directly in the browser. Clients watch videos, scrub through timelines, and zoom into high-res images without leaving their browser.

Streaming vs. Download for Video

Progressive download forces clients to wait while the entire file buffers. That's painful for a 10GB video file. HLS streaming (what Netflix uses) starts playback instantly and handles scrubbing smoothly.

For video-heavy agencies, streaming support is mandatory. You can't run a productive review session when everyone's waiting for files to buffer.

Collecting Feedback That's Actually Useful

"The thing in the middle is off" is not actionable feedback. Agency portals need tools that force specificity.

Pin Comments to Content

Generic comments on files create confusion. Comments pinned to specific locations remove ambiguity:

• Video: "Move this cut to 00:01:23" is clear. "The transition is weird" isn't.
• Design: A pin on the exact element beats "the logo area needs work."
• Documents: Page-level comments keep feedback organized by section.

Fast.io supports threaded discussions pinned to specific regions in images, video frames, or document pages. Feedback stays attached to what it's about.

Consolidate Multiple Reviewers

When five stakeholders leave feedback, someone has to reconcile conflicts. Use comment threads rather than separate emails:

• The marketing director says "make it bluer"
• The CEO replies "I think it's blue enough"
• They work it out in the thread, and you see the resolution

Without threaded feedback, you end up mediating contradictory direction over email.

Create a Feedback Deadline

Open-ended review periods drag forever. Set link expiration or use a "feedback due by" folder structure. Some agencies create /review-round-1/ and /review-round-2/ folders with clear deadlines, then archive rounds once complete.

Tracking Engagement and Approvals

Knowing whether clients actually looked at your work changes how you follow up.

Activity Logs Answer Basic Questions

• Did the client view the files? (If not, don't chase for feedback.)
• Who downloaded what? (Useful when assets go missing.)
• When did they last access the portal? (Tells you if they're engaged or ghosting.)

Fast.io tracks views, downloads, and time spent at the workspace, folder, and file level. You can see which stakeholder viewed which deliverables.

Follow Up Based on Behavior

Activity data makes follow-ups targeted:

• Files viewed 5 times with no comment? "Any questions I can clarify?"
• Files not viewed after a week? "Wanted to make sure the link worked."
• Downloaded but no approval? "Looks like you grabbed the files. Ready to sign off?"

Generic "just checking in" emails waste everyone's time. Behavior-based follow-ups show you're paying attention.

Document Approvals

For some clients, a comment saying "approved" is enough. For others, you need documented sign-off. Consider:

• Screenshot the approval comment with timestamp
• Use the portal's activity log export for records
• Add an "approved" folder where clients move files to indicate sign-off

Having approval records protects you when clients later claim they never approved something.

Branding Your Agency's Portals

White-label portals make your agency look more established. Clients respond better to branded experiences. A generic "files.shareservice.com" URL looks like you grabbed a free tool. A branded portal at "assets.youragency.com" feels intentional.

Visual Branding

Add your agency's logo and colors to the portal header. Clients see your brand every time they access files. Some agencies go further and use client-specific branding for each workspace, putting the client's logo on their portal.

Custom Domains

The URL matters more than most people think. Options range in polish:

• generic-tool.com/share/abc123 (looks temporary)
• youragency.fast.io (better, shows you have a system)
• files.youragency.com (best, fully branded)

Most platforms support custom domains through DNS configuration. Setup takes 10-15 minutes if you have DNS access.

Welcome Messages

Add a brief message that appears when clients first access their portal:

"Welcome to your project portal. Files for your review are in the 'For Review' folder. Click any file to preview, or download finals from the 'Approved' folder."

Clear direction reduces support requests from confused clients.

Pricing Considerations for Agencies

Agencies invite a lot of external users. Pricing models that charge per seat become expensive fast.

Per-Seat vs. Usage-Based Pricing

Do the math on your typical client load:

• Per-seat model: 25 clients with 3 stakeholders each = 75 external users. At $15/user/month, that's $1,125/month just for client access.
• Usage-based model: Pay for storage and bandwidth instead of user count. External collaborators are often free or minimal cost.

Fast.io uses usage-based pricing with unlimited guest access. Clients don't need accounts and don't count against seat limits.

Storage Requirements

Estimate your storage needs based on active projects:

• Marketing agency (documents, images): 100-500GB
• Video production agency: 1-5TB or more
• Design agency: 500GB-2TB

Calculate costs across your portfolio, not just one project. Some "cheap" plans get expensive at scale.

Feature Tier Gotchas

Watch for features locked behind enterprise tiers:

• Custom branding (often enterprise only)
• SSO/SAML authentication
• Advanced audit logs
• API access

If you need these capabilities, factor the higher tier price into comparisons.