Retainer Proposal for Merzino Design co.

by Ayla Maisey, copywriter + designer for Sparrowgrain Creative

Scope

What I Am Responsible For:

  • Project system management and communication, including monthly schedules and task proposals

  • The drafting, editing, and proofing of website copy and design

  • SEO optimization, including keyword research, page titles, meta descriptions, basic keyword implementation, image optimization

What You Are Responsible For:

  • Reviewing content accuracy (e.g. pricing, design language, proprietary brand information, etc)

  • Approving or revising monthly schedules and task proposals

  • Submitting revisions per monthly schedule

  • Sending case study/brand/task assets by the first of the month

A La Carte Pricing

Copywriting

$500 per full page (~ 250-500 words)

$250 per short page (~ 50-100 words)

Copywriting refresh:

$250 per full page

$125 per short page

New section added:

$100 per 100 words

Blog posts/Case study write-ups:

$500 for ~ 250-500 words

$250 for ~ 50-100 words

Web Design

$500 per full page (~ 250-500 words)

$250 per sh page (~ 50-100 words)

Design refresh (if needed):

$250 per full page

$125 per short page

New section added:

$100 per 100 words

Includes two rounds of revision per copywriting and design deliverable.t

Monthly retainer Pricing

May, June, July, August

$1000 $800 monthly

can be used for full page copywriting or design (2 pages), short page copywriting or design (4 pages), or mix and match

This gets your home page, about page, and services page live by mid-summer. One month can be dedicated to short page design (contact, case studies page, coming soon page, case study template) once the heavy-duty pages are good-to-go.

September, October, November, then reassess

$500 $400 monthly

can be used for 2-4 copywriting refreshes, 1-2 blog posts/case studies, or mix and match

Flexibility is key for this to work.

For busy periods, each month can be rolled over once into the next. For more inspired months, tasks can be added to monthly retainer at 20% off a la carte pricing (assuming I can accommodate in my schedule - letting you know right now that August is NUTSO).

Example Monthly SCHEDULE

I’d only need about 1-3 hours of your time per month for proofing or revisions - copywriting and design months would require more attention, as would refresh months so we could talk through your ideas on a call.

(copywriting or design only)

Day 1 - Monthly fee due, monthly task proposal approved or revised (copywriting or Home and Services page, e.g.)

Day 8 - First proofs ready for review

Day 15 - First revision due

Day 18 - Second proofs ready for review

Day 25 - Second revision due, if needed

Day 28 - Proofs finalized, next month’s task proposal submitted

(copywriting and design)

Day 1 - Monthly fee due, monthly task proposal approved or revised (copywriting and design for Home page, e.g.)

Day 6 - Copy proofs ready for review

Day 13 - First revision due

Day 15 - Second proofs ready for review

Day 18 - Second revision due, if needed

Day 19 - Proofs finalized

Day 24 - Design proofs ready for review

Day 27 - First revision due

Day 29 - Second proofs ready for review

Day 30 - Second revision due, if needed

Day 31 - Proofs finalized, next month’s task proposal submitted

(copywriting refresh or rewrite)

Day 1 - Monthly fee due, monthly task proposal approved or revised (copywriting refresh for Home and Services page, e.g.)

Day 5 - 1 hour call to hash out new language

Day 12 - First proofs ready for review

Day 19 - First revision due

Day 22 - Second proofs ready for review

Day 25 - Second revision due, if needed

Day 26 - Proofs finalized

Day 28 - Copywriting updated on site, next month’s task proposal submitted

  • Refresh: Swapping out words or a few sentences, plugging in new brand colors or fonts, reorganizing sections - anything that keeps at least 50% of previous copy or design. 

    Rewrite/Redesign: Changing target audience or services, rearranging page content with significant differences to white space, composition, etc - anything that makes the previous version of copy or design unusable or obsolete

  • Each month can be rolled over one time. So, if June is a no-go, we can pause work in June and push back to July or, availability permitting, combine June and July’s tasks into one powerhouse month. If you need to roll July over as well, June’s retainer fee can be applied to a la carte pricing. This is designed to keep the project moving at a consistent pace.

    I’d need to know before the 1st of the month before I start the work, and so I can pause or delay billing.

  • I urge you to find the 1-2 hours a month to set aside for this.

    You can submit revisions through comments on the Milanote, voice notes or videos texted, even hopping on a call to go through it together - whatever is easiest to fit into your schedule and make this as friction-less as possible.

    If you know ahead of time you’ll be out of office during revision due dates, we can plan for it in the monthly schedule. If things pile up, we can scrap the second revision and either approve the second round or flag it for a refresh down the line.

  • The latter months have retainers as there is ongoing work! If you’d rather end the retainer after your site is live and come back to copywriting refreshes, new case studies, or blog posts as needed, we can switch to a la carte pricing.