How to write a fractional CMO proposal that gets signed.
The structure of a fractional CMO proposal: what to put on page one, how to price strategy and execution separately, what the agreement needs to cover, and a template outline.
What the client is actually deciding
A CEO reading a fractional CMO proposal is answering one question: will marketing be in better hands in 90 days than it is today. Everything in the proposal should help them say yes to that, and nothing should make them read twice.
That usually means shorter than you think. Two or three pages, with the price on the first one.
The structure that works
This is the order we have seen work best, and the one we use for our own proposals:
- What we heard. Three or four sentences, in their words, about where marketing is today and what they want.
- The first 90 days. What you will deliver and when. An audit, a plan, a scorecard.
- What happens after. The monthly rhythm: meetings, reporting, decisions.
- Who does the work. What you own and who executes.
- Price. Separate lines, explained below.
- Next step. One action, like signing or a start date.
Price strategy and execution as separate lines
The most common pricing mistake in a fractional CMO proposal is one blended number. It hides what the client is paying for, and it makes every future change a renegotiation of the whole thing.
Three lines work better:
When the client wants to cut, they can drop a channel without dropping you. When they want to grow, they add one. Either way the strategy line stays put.
What the contract or agreement needs to cover
The proposal sells it. The agreement protects both sides. At minimum it should cover:
- Term and notice period
- Time commitment and meeting rhythm
- Who owns the ad accounts, analytics, website and data (the client should)
- Approvals: who signs off on spend and on anything that goes live
- Confidentiality, especially if you work with competitors in the same industry
- Payment terms and what happens to work in progress if it ends
Have a lawyer look at your template once. Then reuse it.
A fractional CMO proposal template outline
Copy this into a doc and fill it in:
- Page 1: What we heard (4 sentences). The first 90 days (3 bullets with dates). Price (3 lines).
- Page 2: Monthly rhythm. Who owns what, as a two-column list. What the client gets to see and when.
- Page 3: Terms summary and the next step.
Who fills in the execution line
If you would rather not run the ads and build the pages yourself, put a partner on that line. We work under your plan, the client signs with us for the execution work, and you stay their CMO. Here is how it works with us.
