Proposal templates
Scope, deliverables, pricing and terms for a marketing engagement — ready to customize and send.
A marketing agency proposal lays out what a client's marketing problem is, what the agency will do about it, what it costs, and how the engagement runs — sent before any contract, to get the client to say yes to the scope and price.
A short, specific summary of what you learned in discovery — not a generic industry description. This is what makes a proposal feel written for them, not templated.
Exactly which channels and deliverables are included, and — just as important — what's not included, to prevent scope creep later.
Key phases (onboarding, first campaign live, first reporting cycle) with realistic dates, not just 'ongoing.'
Pricing broken down by service line if it's a bundle, plus the billing cadence (monthly retainer vs. project fee).
Contract length, notice period to cancel, and what happens to ad spend or third-party costs.
Copy this into your own document, or build it directly as a branded page in Hanko. Bracketed text like [Client Name] is a placeholder to fill in.
Marketing Proposal for [Client Company Name]
Prepared for: [Client Contact Name], [Title]
Prepared by: [Your Agency Name]
Date: [Date]
Proposal valid until: [Date, typically 30 days out]
Your situation
[2-3 sentences summarizing what the client told you in discovery: their current marketing performance, the specific problem (e.g., 'organic traffic has been flat for 6 months' or 'paid CAC has risen 40% this year'), and what success looks like to them.]
Our recommended approach
Based on [what you learned], we recommend a [X]-month engagement across the following channels:
• [Channel 1 — e.g., SEO]: [1-sentence description of the approach]
• [Channel 2 — e.g., Paid social]: [1-sentence description of the approach]
• [Channel 3 — e.g., Email/lifecycle]: [1-sentence description of the approach]
Scope of services
Included:
• [Deliverable 1, e.g., Monthly content calendar and 8 blog posts]
• [Deliverable 2, e.g., Paid social campaign management across 2 platforms]
• [Deliverable 3, e.g., Monthly performance report and strategy call]
Not included: [e.g., video production, paid ad spend itself, website development]
Timeline
Week 1-2: Onboarding — brand assets, access, tracking setup
Week 3: First campaigns/content live
Week 6: First full reporting cycle and optimization review
Ongoing: [monthly cadence — e.g., 'monthly strategy call, quarterly deep-dive review']
Investment
Monthly retainer: $[amount]/month
— [Service line 1]: $[amount]
— [Service line 2]: $[amount]
— [Service line 3]: $[amount]
One-time setup fee (if applicable): $[amount]
Ad spend (if managed): billed separately, client-owned ad accounts recommended
Terms
Initial term: [e.g., 3 months], then month-to-month
Cancellation notice: [e.g., 30 days]
Payment terms: [e.g., Net 15, due on the 1st of each month]
This proposal is valid for [30] days from the date above.
Next steps
Accept this proposal below to move to a signed agreement and kickoff call.
[Signature / Accept button] Date: [___]
Long enough to cover situation, scope, timeline, pricing and terms clearly — typically 1-2 pages of actual content. Padding it with agency history or generic industry stats makes it longer without making it more persuasive.
A fixed number, tied to a specific scope. A range invites the client to assume the lower end; if scope is genuinely uncertain, propose a discovery-phase fee first, then a fixed number for the full engagement.
Yes — a proposal is not a binding contract. Once accepted, it should convert into a signed agreement (see the Agency Services Agreement or Retainer Agreement template) before work begins.
Build it in Hanko, get it accepted, and turn it into a signed agreement and the first invoice — without retyping anything.
Product
InvoicingProposalsAgreementsClient portalsSolutionsCompareAlternativesBest ofTemplatesPricingProduct updates and the occasional tip, about once a month.