Project vs Retainer: Understanding the Engagement Options for New or Existing Clients
“Managing expectations is not simply finding out what the client wants; it is guiding the client to expect what you can provide.”
Jolyon Hallow
There's no way around it: Marketing needs vary wildly from client to client. Sometimes, you need a website that better represents your business. Sometimes, you need an SEO audit, a clearer brand identity, or a handful of strategic blog posts. Other times, you need a consistent marketing partner who can help you build visibility, maintain momentum, and adapt your strategy as your business grows.
Each of these call for different partnerships and investments:
For marketing service providers, the challenge is figuring out which services to offer, how to package them, and whether to prioritize one-time projects or recurring engagements.
For clients, the challenge is knowing what kind of support to seek, what to invest in, and whether they actually need an ongoing relationship with a marketing professional.
Understanding the differences between project-based work and monthly retainers can help both parties find an arrangement that supports their goals, budgets, working styles, and capacity.
The reality: Retainer clients often experience stronger results because on-going, consistent support builds clarity, cohesion, and momentum over time.
Project-Based Marketing vs. Retainer Marketing
Project-Based Engagement
Project-based marketing focuses on a defined scope of work with an agreed-upon set of deliverables, timeline, and investment.
Project-based work is particularly useful when a client has a specific problem to solve, a defined outcome to achieve, or a finite amount of work that needs to be completed. The engagement has a beginning and an end. Once the work is completed, the client receives the agreed-upon deliverables and can decide what comes next.
Examples:
Audits or Assessments
Recommendation Roadmaps Playbooks
Strategy or Planning
Design or Redesign
Development or Documentation
Setup or Startup
Bulk Content Packages or Series
The defining characteristic of project work is that the engagement revolves around a specific scope of work, rather than an ongoing commitment to marketing activities. In contrast, the defining characteristic of a retainer is continuity: the provider and client work together over an extended period to maintain, improve, or grow the client's marketing.
Retainer-Based Engagement
A retainer establishes an ongoing working relationship in which a client pays a recurring fee for an agreed-upon scope of services, access to expertise, or a combination of both.
Rather than completing a single deliverable, the provider supports the client's marketing over time.
Retainers can provide consistency for clients who need regular support and predictable revenue for providers who want more stability in their businesses.They also create opportunities to evaluate performance over time, adjust priorities, and build on previous work.
Examples:
Strategic guidance
Fractional leadership & support
Channel management
Channel maintenance & optimization
Channel production
Monitoring & Measurement
Tracking & Reporting
Reminder: A service's category doesn't determine its engagement model. Something can be a standalone project or delivered in a refined bath, or part of a retainer, delivered on a recurring schedule. The deciding factors are the scope, deliverables, frequency, and level of ongoing responsibility.
Both project-based and retainer models have their advantages in cost and duration, so neither is inherently "better", or more valuable than the other. Ultimately, the difference comes down to how the work is structured.
How Marketing Service Providers Can Decide What to Offer
If you're a marketing professional developing your service offerings, the question isn't simply whether you prefer projects or retainers.
It's whether your services, working style, business goals, and clients' needs are compatible with one model, the other, or a combination of both.
Here are five considerations to help you decide.
1. Start With the Problems You Solve
Identify the challenges clients need help addressing, then determine whether they require a one-time project, ongoing support, or both. Focus on solving problems rather than simply selling services.
2. Consider How You Prefer to Work
Do you prefer focused projects with defined deliverables or ongoing client relationships? Choose services that align with your strengths, interests, and preferred working style. A combination of both models can offer flexibility.
3. Evaluate Your Capacity and Financial Needs
Projects require a consistent pipeline of new clients, while retainers offer recurring revenue but create ongoing commitments. Consider your income goals, available time, workload, and tolerance for financial uncertainty before deciding which model to prioritize.
4. Separate Setup From Ongoing Management
Distinguish between establishing a foundation and maintaining it. For example, an SEO audit is a project, implementing its recommendations may be a separate engagement, and ongoing optimization can become a retainer. This creates clear service options without requiring every client to purchase everything.
5. Build a Flexible Service Structure That Allows for Different Entry Points
Clients don't all arrive at the same stage of business development.
Some are just getting started, some have established brands, and others need ongoing expertise to support growth. A flexible service structure can accommodate these differences without requiring every client to purchase the same package.
6.Price Your Services
Once you've identified the appropriate engagement model, the next step is defining what's included and how the work will be priced.
For Projects: Price the Scope, Not Just the Deliverable
When pricing a project, account for the full process required to deliver the agreed-upon work.
Define:
The objectives and deliverables
What's included and excluded
The timeline and milestones
The number of revision rounds
The client's responsibilities
Payment terms
How changes to the scope will be handled
Any follow-up support included
Fixed project fees can give clients greater budget certainty and reward providers for working efficiently. They also require careful scoping. If the work expands significantly beyond the original agreement, the timeline and investment may need to change.
Reminder: A Retainer doesn't have to mean an unlimited stream of requests or an open-ended commitment to every marketing activity. It should have a clear scope, defined capacity, and agreed-upon priorities.
For Retainers: Price the Ongoing Commitment
A retainer's price should reflect the services included, time and capacity required, and level of expertise provided.
Clearly define what's included, turnaround times, communication expectations, meeting frequency, and fees for work outside the agreed scope. Establish policies for unused hours, minimum commitments, and termination.
Most importantly, define clear boundaries. A retainer provides ongoing support within an agreed scope—not unlimited access to your time or services.
These phases don't have to be mandatory steps in a linear process. The framework simply helps you organize your expertise into a coherent service ecosystem.
It also creates opportunities for clients to engage at an appropriate level without automatically committing to services they don't need.
“One of the fastest ways to build trust is to make and keep commitments—even very small commitments—to yourself and others.”
Stephen Covey
How Clients Can Decide Between a Project and a Retainer
If you're hiring a marketing professional, the decision starts with understanding your current needs, resources, and goals.
Before requesting proposals, consider the following:
Do you have a specific challenge to tackle, a need a specific deliverable? If you have a specific need, such as website redesign, SEO, copywriting, or brand strategy, then consider a project specialist. If not but you need continued, coordinated support toward broader marketing goals, or recurring services across multiple channels consider an on-going retainer or partner.
Do you have the time and resources to implement recommendations yourself? If yes, then a project may be sufficient. If not and you need ongoing support implementation and maintenance, consider a retainer.
What kind of investment do you prefer? If it's a defined, one-time investment, then a project may be a better fit. If you can accommodate recurring expenses, a retainer may provide more consistent support.
If you're unsure what you need, then a good idea is to start with a consultation or audit to identify your priorities before committing to either model.
No matter what engagement level you choose, both parties benefit when the scope is clear, expectations are realistic, and the working relationship makes sense for everyone involved.
The Hybrid Model
The choice doesn't have to be project or retainer. A hybrid model combines defined projects with ongoing support, allowing clients to address immediate priorities while building toward longer-term goals.
For many small businesses, nonprofits, and growing organizations, this can be a practical way to work with an independent marketing professional.
Here are three ways it can work.
1: Project First, Retainer Later
Start with a defined project, such as a brand audit and marketing strategy, then transition to a retainer for ongoing content production and optimization.
2: Retainer Plus Separate Projects
Use a retainer for recurring services and scope larger initiatives—such as website redesigns or brand development—as separate projects.
3: Projects as Needed
Commission specific services, such as campaign development, website updates, or content creation, when seasonal demands or changing priorities arise.
Projects offer a low-risk, low-commitment way for new clients and service providers to test the waters, establish trust, and assess whether they're a good fit before entering into an ongoing engagement.
New Clients vs. Existing Clients
When working with new clients, starting with one or two defined projects can be a smart way to establish a relationship.This gives both parties an opportunity to assess expectations, communication styles, and working compatibility before committing to ongoing services.
Projects also help new clients identify their priorities and understand where additional support might be useful. Rather than jumping straight into a retainer, you can establish a foundation, address immediate needs, and determine whether ongoing collaboration makes sense.
For existing clients, retainers may be a natural next step. Once you've developed a strong working relationship and understand their business, audience, and goals, you can provide more consistent support, anticipate needs, and refine strategies over time. You can also continue to scope larger initiatives as separate projects when they fall outside the retainer's agreed-upon services.
NEW CLIENTS | EXISTING CLIENTS |
Develop trust Understand needs Establish expectations Assess compatibility Evaluate relationship Low initial commitment | Build on existing relationship Maintain growth and momentum Advance long-term goals Higher-level commitment Established familiarity and continuity Stronger, more lasting results |
The goal isn't to turn every project into a retainer. It's to build the relationship at a pace that works for both parties. Starting with a defined scope creates clarity, builds trust, and allows ongoing commitments to develop organically when there's a genuine need.
The Initial Audit & Assessment
Marketing is rarely a single activity. So many elements interact, which is why an isolated deliverable sometimes needs to be considered within a larger strategy. That's why the most responsible first step is to understand the client's business before proposing a larger engagement.
An initial PAID assessment can reveal:
What is already working
Where the most significant gaps exist
Which channels deserve attention
What resources are available
Which activities should be prioritized
Whether the client's expectations are realistic
You can structure this as a standalone project or as a defined discovery phase that precedes a larger engagement.
An onboarding fee makes sense here because each new client requires substantial initial research, asset collection, account access, planning, and setup.
The key is transparency. Explain what the initial investment covers and how it differs from ongoing services.
Of course, not every engagement requires a comprehensive audit. f the client already has a clear scope and the necessary information is available, a separate assessment may be unncessary and add unnecessary cost or delay.
For clients, an initial assessment can prevent unnecessary spending on activities that don't address the underlying problem. For providers, it establishes a shared understanding of the work before significant implementation begins.
Sometimes, the most valuable contribution is a focused project that resolves a specific issue. Sometimes, it's a longer-term partnership that provides the consistency and expertise needed to keep moving forward.The goal is to match the engagement to the actual need.
The Best Marketing Engagement Is the One That Fits
If you're a business owner or organization trying to determine what kind of marketing support you need, you don't have to figure everything out alone.
Start by identifying what's working, what's missing, and what you want your marketing to accomplish. From there, you can determine whether a one-time project, ongoing retainer, or combination of both makes the most sense.
Need Help Figuring Out Your Next Marketing Move?
Whether you need a focused project to address a specific challenge or ongoing support to build momentum, the right marketing strategy starts with understanding where you are, where you want to go, and what it will take to get there.
I offer strategic, hands-on marketing and communications support spanning brand positioning, website development, SEO, content creation, email marketing, and digital visibility. Engagements can be tailored to your goals, priorities, and capacity, whether that means tackling a one-time project or establishing a longer-term working relationship.
Not sure what you need yet? That's okay. Let's start with a conversation about your goals, challenges, and opportunities. Together, we can identify the most useful next steps and determine whether a project, ongoing support, or a combination of both makes sense for your business.
Erin Ratliff is a holistic marketing mentor and creative consultant specializing in organic growth + visibility for heart-led soul-preneurs who value personal and planetary health.
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