Retainer proposals with tiers clients can see
Each channel at Foundation, Growth or Momentum with what it includes, add-ons the client ticks, and the monthly fee written into the agreement.
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Agencies use QuoteCloud to send retainer proposals: each channel at a scope tier with its deliverables, monthly fees as repeating charges with a term, optional add-ons the client ticks, onboarding as a one-off, and the first payment on signing via Stripe or PayPal. QuoteCloud shows the fees in the agreement; your agency invoices later months.
A sample retainer from a fictional agency, Ambergrove Digital, for Kinroy Outdoor Co., drawn as a grid of five channels (SEO, social, paid, email and content), each with three tiers: Foundation, Growth and Momentum, and their monthly fees. It moves through three versions: everything on Foundation at $5,450 a month; SEO, social and paid moved up to Growth at $8,150 a month; then signed with the monthly review call ticked, $8,530 a month plus tax and $11,363.00 paid on signing. Under each channel the chosen tier's first deliverable is shown. A note says the monthly fees are repeating charges in the agreement, invoiced by the agency from month two.
One row per channel, at the level they need
Each channel sits in the proposal at its tier, with the deliverables written the way your team scopes them: hours, posts, articles and the ad spend a paid tier covers. The monthly fees are repeating price items with a term, beside onboarding as a one-off.
Add-ons are optional rows. When Elena ticks the monthly review call, the monthly fees, the first payment and the value over the term all follow before anyone signs. Tick it yourself to see.
- Repeating items with Term and Monthly Price, beside one-off rows
- Optional add-ons the client ticks; single-choice groups for a whole-package choice
- Costs and margins stay hidden from the client
- First payment on signing as a fixed amount: first month and onboarding
Price tables and payments: Essentials and up
How each channel's scope is writtenYour retainer
| Service | What's included each month | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fees · repeating for 12 months | ||
| SEOGrowth |
|
$2,600/mo |
| Social mediaGrowth |
|
$2,100/mo |
| Paid search & socialGrowth |
|
$1,600/mo |
| EmailFoundation |
|
$750/mo |
| ContentFoundation |
|
$1,100/mo |
| Add-ons Tick to add | ||
| $1,280/mo | ||
| $380/mo | ||
| $2,400 once | ||
| Once, at the start | ||
| Onboarding and strategy workshopQuestionnaire, half-day workshop, access and tracking set-up | $1,800 once | |
- Monthly fees
- $8,530.00/mo + tax
- Once, at the start
- $1,800.00 + tax
- First payment on signingA fixed amount: first month and one-offs, inc tax
- $11,363.00
- Over 12 months, ex tax
- $104,160
Monthly fees are repeating charges shown in the agreement. QuoteCloud takes the first payment on signing; later months are invoiced by your agency.
Not every retainer is a channel menu
Some clients want three clear levels; some agencies sell one service by the month. The same price table handles each, with the monthly line shown as a repeating charge.
Choose your retainer
Your retainer
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retainer | |||
Be chosen package12 months from 1 Dec 2026
|
Monthly | $5,400 | $5,400.00/mo |
| Once, at the start | $1,800 | ||
Onboarding and strategy workshopQuestionnaire, half-day workshop, access set-up
|
1 | $1,800 | $1,800.00 |
| Add-ons Tick to add | |||
| 1 | $2,400 | $2,400.00 | |
| Monthly | $1,280 | $1,280.00/mo | |
- Subtotal
- $1,800.00
- Tax (10%)
- $180.00
- Total
- $1,980.00
- Monthly retainer, invoiced by Ambergrove
- $5,400.00/mo
- Paid on signing: onboarding (100%)
- $1,980.00
Three levels of the whole retainer, one choice
Saltbush Bakehouse chooses Be found, Be chosen or Be everywhere. The choice sets the monthly retainer line; onboarding is paid on signing and Ambergrove invoices the months.
- Packages as a single-choice group
- Monthly line as a repeating charge with a 12-month term
- Landing page sprint and video pack as options
Choose your PR retainer
Your PR retainer
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retainer | |||
Profile packageSix months from 1 Dec 2026
|
Monthly | $4,800 | $4,800.00/mo |
| Set-up | $1,500 | ||
Media list and launch kitOnce, before the first pitch
|
1 | $1,500 | $1,500.00 |
| Options Tick to add | |||
| 1 | $3,500 | $3,500.00 | |
| Monthly | $600 | $600.00/mo | |
- Subtotal
- $1,500.00
- Tax (10%)
- $150.00
- Total
- $1,650.00
- Monthly retainer, invoiced by Stillwater
- $4,800.00/mo
- Paid on signing: set-up (100%)
- $1,650.00
A PR firm's monthly retainer
Stillwater Communications offers Launch, Profile and Always-on for six months. The media list and launch kit are paid on signing; an evening event and on-call support are options.
- Six-month term in the agreement
- One-off set-up paid in full on signing
- Monthly retainer invoiced by the firm
Monthly fees
| Service | Visits | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CMO, 6 days a month | Monthly | $8,700.00 |
| Board pack, quarterly (spread monthly) | Monthly | $400.00 |
- Monthly
- $9,100.00
- Term
- 6 months · $54,600
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Accept and sign
Arjun Mehra · Chief executive, Tessel Robotics
Signed online · Thu 15 Oct 2026
Agreement summary
- Monthly fees
- $9,100 + tax
- Term
- 6 months from 2 Nov 2026
- Paid on signing
- First month, $10,010.00
- Later months
- Invoiced by Jo Varley
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
A consultant's monthly agreement
Jo Varley Advisory sells two days a week as a fractional CMO: one monthly fee with a term, the first month paid on signing.
- Repeating charges with a 12-month strip
- First month paid on signing
- Nothing renews by itself
What a year of this retainer looks like
Kinroy's retainer over its 12-month term: what the proposal totals, what is paid today, and what never goes near your totals.
12-month growth retainer for Kinroy Outdoor Co. · AD-R-2207 · sample figures, ex tax, over 12 months
-
Monthly fees$8,530 a month × 12
$102,360
Five channels and the review call, written once as repeating charges with the term beside them.
- Who pays whom
- Kinroy pays Ambergrove, month by month
- In QuoteCloud
- Shown in the agreement; month one is paid on signing, the rest are your invoices
-
OnboardingOnboarding, once
$1,800
The strategy workshop and set-up, a one-off row beside the monthly ones.
- Who pays whom
- Kinroy pays Ambergrove, once
- In QuoteCloud
- Paid on signing with month one, as a fixed amount
-
Ad spend$6,000 a month × 12, estimate
$72,000
The media budget for search and social, shown as Kinroy's own estimate so nobody adds it to your fee.
- Who pays whom
- Kinroy pays the ad platforms directly
- In QuoteCloud
- A content block outside every total; nothing is collected
Sample figures from a fictional agency, ex tax. The term value is the proposal's own sum of fees: QuoteCloud shows it, it doesn't bill it.
Six questions a retainer proposal should answer
Before a marketing lead signs for a year, they and their finance director want these answered on the page, not in a follow-up call.
What do we get at this level?
Each tier's deliverables in plain numbers: hours, posts, articles, campaigns. Written once, the same in every proposal.
What does it cost each month?
Monthly fees as repeating charges with the term, tax shown, and the value over the term if you want it on the page.
What could we add?
Add-ons as optional rows the client ticks: a video pack, a review call, a one-off landing page sprint.
What do we pay today?
The first payment on signing, set as a fixed amount (month one and onboarding) or a percentage, through Stripe or PayPal.
When does it end?
A start and an end date in the terms. Nothing renews by itself; renewals are a new proposal.
Who needs to sign?
The marketing lead and finance each sign in their own block, with no account needed and a Certificate of authenticity.
Send your next retainer as a proposal they can change
14 days free, no credit card. Start from a marketing proposal template and add your tiers.
Fees, term and an end date, signed by both
The back half of the proposal is the agreement: the monthly fees laid out over the twelve months, the term with its start and end dates, and the clauses on ad spend and renewal in your own words.
Elena and Daniel each sign in their own block. Their summary beside the signatures states the monthly fees, the term, what was paid on signing and who pays the ad spend.
- Repeating charges over a 12-month strip
- Term band from start to expiry; the Expiring Soon filter lists it later
- Several signers, no account needed, Certificate of authenticity
Monthly fees over the term
| Service | Visits | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| SEO · Growth | Monthly | $2,600.00 |
| Social media · Growth | Monthly | $2,100.00 |
| Paid search & social · Growth | Monthly | $1,600.00 |
| Email · Foundation | Monthly | $750.00 |
| Content · Foundation | Monthly | $1,100.00 |
| Monthly review call | Monthly | $380.00 |
- Monthly
- $8,530.00
- Term
- 12 months · $102,360
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Agreement term
- Monthly feesShown above as repeating charges. Ambergrove invoices each month after the first; the first month and onboarding are paid on signing.
- Ad spendPaid by Kinroy directly to the ad platforms. Not part of our fees.
- Ending or renewingThe agreement ends on 30 Nov 2027. We'll send a renewal proposal before then; nothing renews by itself.
Accept and sign
2 of 2 signed
- Elena MarshHead of e-commerce Signed20 Oct 2026
- Daniel KwanFinance director Signed21 Oct 2026
Agreement summary
- Monthly fees
- $8,530 + tax
- Term
- 12 months, 1 Dec 2026 to 30 Nov 2027
- Paid on signing
- $11,363.00 via Stripe
- Ad spend
- Paid by Kinroy to the platforms
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Send a retainer proposal in five steps
From the discovery call to a signed retainer with the first month paid.
Open your retainer template
Cover, method, team and terms already in place, from your templates.
Drop in the channel tiers
Drag each channel's tier block from the content library and set its level.
Add the optional extras
Add-ons go in as optional rows, so the client can tick them before signing.
Set the first payment
A fixed amount for month one and onboarding, through Stripe or PayPal.
Send to both signers
Each signs in their own block; you see who has opened it and when it's paid.
Retainer proposal questions, answered
Can clients choose their own retainer tier inside the proposal?
Yes, from the Essentials plan. Set each level as an option in a single-choice group, or offer whole packages, and add extras as optional rows. The client picks before signing and the monthly fees, the first payment and the totals update on the page.
Does QuoteCloud bill the monthly retainer?
No. Monthly fees are repeating charges shown in the agreement with their term. QuoteCloud can take the first payment on signing through Stripe or PayPal, for example month one and onboarding as a fixed amount. Later months are invoiced by your agency from your own accounts.
Can a retainer renew automatically?
No. The agreement carries an end date and the Expiring Soon filter lists retainers coming up for renewal. Send a renewal proposal, or bulk-send renewal offers to several clients; each one is signed again. Nothing renews or charges by itself.
How do we stop account managers quoting different prices for the same tier?
Save each channel's tiers as price-table blocks in the content library, with role permissions on who can edit them. On the Business plan, content locking keeps the tier wording fixed in every proposal. Costs and margins can be kept hidden from the client.
Can the marketing lead and the finance director both sign?
Yes. Add every signer and each gets their own signature block and link, with no account needed. You can see who has signed and who hasn't. The signed proposal carries a Certificate of authenticity and an audit trail.
Where does the client's ad spend go in a retainer proposal?
Outside your totals. Show it as the client's own estimate in its own block, paid by them to the ad platforms. QuoteCloud doesn't connect to ad platforms, collect ad spend or pull analytics; your management fee stays in the price table.
More for marketing agencies
Every page of the QuoteCloud marketing services microsite.
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SEO, social, paid, email & content scopesWhat each channel includes at each tier, written once as reusable scope blocks and dropped into every proposal.Explore
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Ad spend estimates & management feesThe client's media budget shown as their own estimate, apart from your management fee, so nobody mistakes one for the other.Explore
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Sign-off & the first payment on signingThe marketing lead and finance each sign, and the onboarding fee or first month is paid on signing through Stripe or PayPal.Explore
- Brand, website & campaign project proposalsRebrands, website content and launch campaigns as phases with a Gantt, a moodboard and a deposit on signing.
- Case studies, team bios & AI-drafted summariesCase studies, bios and your method as library blocks, and an executive summary the AI Co-Worker helps draft for you to accept.
- Scope of work, deliverables & revision roundsDeliverables, revision rounds and what's out of scope as locked terms, and changes as a revised version the client signs.
- Onboarding questionnaires & client briefsThe brand questionnaire inside the proposal, so the brief arrives with the signature instead of three weeks later.
- Retainer renewals & annual reviewsExpiry dates you see coming, the annual review as a revised proposal, and renewal offers bulk-sent to retainer clients.
- CRM & integrations for agenciesPipedrive direct, HubSpot through Zapier, Make and the API, and Xero or QuickBooks for the invoices you send.
- Marketing proposal templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for agency, SEO, social media, digital marketing, PR, copywriting and logo design proposals.
- QuoteCloud implementation for agenciesYour proposal converted, channel tiers in the catalogue, case studies in the library and the team trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions agencies, studios, PR firms and freelancers ask most.
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