FAQs
How do I know if I need Retainer Partnership or Project Work?
If you have ongoing marketing and brand needs — a website that needs design or regular updates, content that needs to keep going out, brand assets that need generating — Retainer Partnership is built for that. If you need one specific thing built well (a brand, a website, a campaign) and then you’re ready to run with it yourself, Project Work is the better fit. Not sure? Schedule a chat and we’ll figure it out together.
A real conversation, not a sales pitch. We’ll talk through what’s going on with your marketing, what you’re hoping happens next, and whether Retainer Partnership, Project Work, or neither (yet) makes sense. If you’ve filled out the conversation prep questionnaire (to come), bring it — if not, we’ll cover the same ground together. Some calls run fifteen minutes. Some turn into a longer strategy conversation. Either is fine; we'll go as deep as makes sense for where you’re at.
What’s the initial call like?
I put together a proposal covering scope, cost, and timeline, usually good for 30 days. Once we agree on it, there's a simple sign-off or contract, and work begins once that's signed and the deposit's paid. For the finer details, see my Terms & Conditions.
What happens after the initial call?
How do we stay in sync throughout our work together?
After trying a few different rhythms, for retainer clients or quick-paced, intense projects, a once-a-week check-in tends to work best — Mondays, specifically. It’s landed as the natural time to review progress, look at upcoming deadlines, plan the week ahead together, and help everyone involved keep things moving. For some clients, that’s too often. Keeping in mind that everyone’s schedule is different, we’ll find whatever cadence feels natural.
Yes — strategically. I use it for research and exploring directions quickly. But every strategic decision, every final polish, every “does this actually sound like you” gut-check is still based on 30 years of experience.
Do you use AI in your process?
How does one person handle everything in a retainer?
Purposefully. I keep my retainer roster small — a handful of partners — specifically so each one gets my direct, consistent attention.
Both. Long-form written content — blog posts, newsletters, case studies, etc. — can be a collaborative effort or provided. Social content, email campaigns, advertising, and such are usually handled by me. I also have access to copywriters if needed. Imagery can come from your own curated library, generated by me, purchased as stock, or any combination.
Do you create content, or just design?
It depends on what the site needs to do. Squarespace is a good call for a clean, self-manageable site without a lot of custom complexity. WordPress makes more sense when a site needs more flexibility, more moving parts, or has to integrate with other systems. I’ll recommend the platform that fits your actual goals, including if we need to explore other options.
Squarespace or WordPress — how do you decide?
As you can guess: it depends entirely on scope. I respect that every client and project has its own nuances — a monthly retainer for outsourced marketing services looks very different from a single project with varying complexity. No cookie-cutter solutions here. The honest answer only comes out of a real conversation about what you need, so that's always the first step.
How much does this cost?
I offer 6-month and 12-month retainer terms. In my experience, quarterly commitments don’t give enough runway to build real momentum and might fit better as project work. Six months to a year gives us both room to settle into a rhythm and actually see the results of consistent, ongoing marketing.
Are retainers quarterly,
semi-annual, or annual?
For retainers, we typically start with a conversation to scope things out, then begin whenever it aligns with your goals. For project work, same idea: we land on a start date together once we've worked through what you need.
How soon can we get started?
Every project gets its own timeline — I don’t apply a generic estimate to everyone. Once we’ve talked through what you actually need, I’ll map out a timeline built around the real scope of the work and what’s realistically accomplishable, and we’ll set expectations together from there.
How long will my project take?
Yes, in two different ways.
Within a current retainer year, scope stays flexible for swaps of roughly equal value — if something new becomes a priority, we can trade it for something else on the list. If a new need is bigger than a straight swap can cover, we talk it through: sometimes that means phasing it in over a few months, sometimes it means starting the highest-priority piece now and rolling the rest into next year’s renewal.
Year to year, retainers are built to grow. As your needs expand, so does the scope — several of my current retainer clients started as project clients and grew into a bigger partnership over time. That’s exactly how this relationship is meant to evolve.
Either way, it’s always a conversation, not a fixed formula — we figure out what’s fair together.
Can my retainer scope change over time?
That’s actually one of the reasons a retainer works well. Some months will demand more — a launch, a campaign, a busy season — and some will be quieter. A retainer averages that out into one predictable monthly cost, so there’s no surprise invoice. The work gets done and your budget stays easy to plan around.
What if my needs fluctuate month to month?
Either, depending on what fits you better. Some retainers are hours-based — a set number of hours each month for a set fee. Others are scope-based — we agree on a list of what needs to get done, and I manage my own time to accomplish it. We’ll figure out together which structure makes more sense for you.
Is a retainer based on hours or scope of work?
For retainers, the first month is due in advance to get started, then billed monthly. For project work, I require a 50% deposit to begin, with the balance due upon completion. For longer projects, that can be split into a mid-project payment instead of one lump sum at the end.