"Just checking in on this whenever you get a chance" is one of the most common reasons a project stalls waiting on a client. It's polite, and it's also easy to ignore, because it doesn't communicate that anything is actually blocked. The client has no way to know their delay is costing anything.
Getting a fast answer isn't about asking more often. It's about asking in a way that makes the stakes and the ask itself unmistakably clear.
A vague request is why projects stall waiting on the client
A message that reads as low-priority gets treated as low-priority, regardless of what it's actually blocking. If a piece of missing information is genuinely holding up the project, the request needs to communicate that clearly, not bury it in a friendly check-in.
Ask for one specific thing, not an open-ended list
"Can you send over the logo files, brand guidelines, and any examples you like" asks for three decisions at once and often gets none of them. One specific, narrow ask, "can you send the logo file in SVG format," is far more likely to get a fast, complete answer.
In Stelaah, a task can be assigned directly to a client contact with a due date, turning "whenever you get a chance" into a real, trackable request. See how tasks works.
Explain what the information unblocks
"We need this to start the next phase" gives the request real weight that "we need this for our records" doesn't. Clients respond faster to requests where the consequence of delay is obvious, rather than one that reads as internal paperwork.
Make it as easy as possible to actually answer
A request that requires the client to dig through old emails or remember a decision from months ago will sit unanswered far longer than one they can respond to in thirty seconds. Where possible, give them a form, a simple choice, or a direct link rather than an open question.
Follow up with a real deadline, not a gentle reminder
"Just following up" restates the same low-priority signal as the original ask. "We need this by Thursday to stay on schedule, otherwise the timeline moves" gives the client an actual reason to prioritize it now rather than later.
A simple checklist
If you do nothing else, do these five things:
- Ask for one specific thing at a time, not an open-ended list.
- State clearly what the information is blocking.
- Make it as easy as possible to actually respond.
- Give follow-ups a real deadline and a real consequence.
- Track the request somewhere visible, not just in an email thread.
Do that, and waiting on a client stops being an open-ended delay and becomes a specific, trackable request with a real deadline.
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