Insights / Sunday North Studio
What should you ask before starting a marketing retainer?
Before agreeing a marketing retainer, clarify the monthly work, responsibilities, approvals, reporting, ownership and additional costs. Use the comparison worksheet below to assess proposals against the support your business actually needs.
Compare support on the same terms
Fill out one copy for each proposal. Compare responsibilities and usable capacity, rather than treating two monthly fees as equivalent.
Download the blank worksheet (CSV) ↗
| Decision | Question for the proposal | Record your answer |
|---|---|---|
| Priority | Which business need comes first? | Goal and first review point |
| Scope | Which outputs and capacity are included? | Included work and exclusions |
| People | Who prepares, checks and approves the work? | Named responsibilities |
| Costs | What is separate from the fee? | Media spend, production, software and extra rounds |
| Reporting | Which evidence will we review? | Baseline, qualified enquiries and agreed measures |
| Ownership | Who owns the work and accounts? | Access and handover terms |
| Changes | What happens when priorities change? | Scope-change process |
| Exit | What happens when the relationship ends? | Notice, files and access handover |
What business priority does the work support?
A retainer needs a purpose beyond keeping channels active. Discuss the audience, offer and objective first. Introducing a new service needs different work and measures from keeping an established brand consistent.
What is included—and what changes the scope?
Ask which planning, content, design and coordination activities are covered. Clarify production capacity, revisions, timelines and how new requests are handled. A list of channels alone does not explain how much work can be delivered.
Who will do the work and approve it?
Identify the people responsible for planning, execution, client feedback and approval. Agree how requests enter the plan and how decisions are recorded. This matters when several people contribute feedback.
What will we review together?
Define the review cadence around the objective. Distinguish outputs, such as published materials, from outcomes, such as relevant enquiries. Ask what data is available and how the team will use it to adjust the next period’s work.
What happens at the end?
Clarify access to accounts, source files and completed materials, alongside notice periods and handover responsibilities. These details belong in the agreement. If you only need a launch or a specific deliverable, a project may be more suitable than recurring support.
How do you choose the right agency for your business?
Look for a clear understanding of your audience, an explained process and relevant work you can discuss. Ask who will lead the engagement, who will deliver it and how decisions are approved. Compare written scopes and responsibilities before comparing prices, and ask how progress will be reviewed.
When does an employee make more sense than an agency?
An employee may suit work that needs daily ownership and close involvement in the business. An agency may suit a defined project or a mix of specialist skills that does not fill several internal roles. Decide who will set priorities and manage approvals whichever model you choose.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Should every retainer include paid advertising?
No. Channels should follow the goals, audience and resources. Paid media, ad spend and campaign management need an explicit scope if included.