Topic

Retainers

Scoping, pacing, billing and repricing monthly retainers, the model most marketing agencies run on.

Guides

September 3, 2026
8 min read

How to price agency retainers

Price retainers department by department from the people doing the work, target 50 to 60% gross margin on labor, and reprice at renewal from usage statements.

September 3, 2026
8 min read

How to invoice retainer clients

Bill retainers in advance, send a monthly usage statement, pre-pay overages, keep pass-through costs separate, and run a dunning schedule that protects cash.

Blog posts

September 1, 2026
4 min read

Time tracking for agencies: pace the retainer, don't police the team

Agency time tracking exists to pace the retainer by department: cap used, days left, projected burn. The rules per billing model, and who should see what.

August 4, 2026
5 min read

How to price a marketing agency retainer (and stop giving work away)

A practical way to price drawdown retainers by department, write an overage rule that holds, and track the servicing gap so the account stays profitable.

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