An editable marketing proposal covering campaign plan, channels, retainer, timeline, pricing and next steps, with a filled-in example. No email required.
Larkspur Interiors needs a quarterly lead generation campaign. Here’s how we understand the goal.
02
Our approach
Strategy → Set-up → Launch → Optimise and report.
03
Investment
$6,360.00 in total, split across 4 phases.
04
Next steps
Sign to accept, pay the deposit and we’ll book the kickoff.
How to write a marketing proposal
A good marketing proposal is about the client, not you. It shows you understand their situation, proposes a specific way forward and makes the price and next step easy to find. Marketing agencies usually charge a monthly retainer, sometimes plus a management fee as a percentage of ad spend, and price one-off projects separately.
Open with their situation, using the words they used on your call.
Make objectives measurable where you can, so success is shared.
Explain your approach by phase — for marketing agencies, typically strategy, set-up, launch, optimise and report.
Break the price down so the client can trade scope rather than question your rate.
Say what’s not included, such as advertising spend (paid by the client directly).
End with one clear next step and a validity date.
The template
Cover
Proposal: [Project name] for [Client]
Prepared by: [Your name, business]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date]
1. Your situation
[In the client’s words: where they are now, what they want to achieve and why now.]
2. Objectives
[Objective, ideally measurable]
[Objective]
[Objective]
3. Our approach
Strategy: [What happens and what the client sees]
Set-up: [What happens and what the client sees]
Launch: [What happens and what the client sees]
Optimise and report: [What happens and what the client sees]
4. Deliverables
[Campaign plan and messaging]
[Ads, landing page and emails]
[Monthly performance report]
[Monthly review call]
5. Timeline
Phase
Dates
Client input needed
Strategy
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Set-up
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Launch
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Optimise and report
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
6. Investment
Item
Description
Fee
Monthly retainer
[Strategy, campaign management and reporting]
[Fee]
Paid media management
[Google and Meta campaigns, 12% of spend]
[Fee]
Landing page
[Copy and design for one campaign page]
[Fee]
Email campaign
[Two newsletters written, built and sent]
[Fee]
Total: [Amount, excluding tax]
Payment schedule: [e.g. 40% to start, 30% at milestone, 30% on completion]
7. Not included
[Advertising spend (paid by the client directly)]
[Photography and video production]
[Website development beyond landing pages]
[Guaranteed lead or sales numbers]
8. What we need from you
[Access to ad accounts, analytics and CRM by invitation]
[Brand guidelines and product information]
[Approval of ad copy within two working days]
9. Why us
[Two or three sentences and one relevant example or result. Keep it about the client’s problem.]
10. Next steps
[Sign below or reply to accept]
[Pay the deposit]
[Kickoff on date]
Accepted by: [Name, title]
Signature: [Signature]
Date: [Date]
How to fill it in
Write the client’s situation and goals in their own words, from your discovery call.
Turn goals into two or three objectives you can both recognise as success.
Set out your approach by phase and the deliverables at each step, such as “Campaign plan and messaging”.
Add a timeline that shows where you need the client’s input or approval.
Price the work by item or phase, with a payment schedule.
List exclusions and what you need from the client, then add a clear way to accept.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Tidewater Marketing’s proposal for Larkspur Interiors
Key sections from a proposal for a quarterly lead generation campaign. Both companies are fictional.
Your situation
Larkspur Interiors wants a quarterly lead generation campaign. You told us the priority is getting it right first time, with clear approvals and no surprises on cost.
Our approach
Strategy: Campaign plan and messaging
Set-up: Ads, landing page and emails
Launch: Monthly performance report
Optimise and report: Monthly review call
Investment
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Monthly retainer
Strategy, campaign management and reporting
1 month
$3,500.00
$3,500.00
Paid media management
Google and Meta campaigns, 12% of spend
Fixed fee
$960.00
$960.00
Landing page
Copy and design for one campaign page
1 item
$1,200.00
$1,200.00
Email campaign
Two newsletters written, built and sent
2 items
$350.00
$700.00
Total: $6,360.00 excluding tax
What we need from you
Access to ad accounts, analytics and CRM by invitation
Brand guidelines and product information
Approval of ad copy within two working days
Proposal mistakes that lose work
Starting with your history. The client cares about their problem first; your credentials belong near the end.
A template that reads like one. Replace every generic sentence with something specific to this client.
Hiding the price. If they can’t find it, they can’t say yes.
Vague deliverables. Specific deliverables make the proposal easier to approve and the project easier to run.
No follow-up. Agree when you’ll check in before you send it.
Angelwood’s proposal software builds proposals and agreements from your own templates, shows when the client has opened them and collects e-signatures, with a countersignature to execute the agreement.
Open with the client’s situation and goal in their own words. For a quarterly lead generation campaign, that means the outcome they want, not the services you sell. It proves you listened before you start selling.
02
Make scope easy to approve.
List deliverables and exclusions plainly. For marketing agencies, the usual disputes start with advertising spend (paid by the client directly).
03
One clear next step.
End with how to accept, the deposit and the kickoff date. A proposal that ends with “let us know” waits in an inbox.
Show you understand the client’s goal in their own numbers, propose a specific plan with channels and timings, explain how you’ll measure progress, and be clear about what the fee covers and what spend is separate.
How long should a proposal be?+
As short as it can be while still defining the work. For most service projects, three to eight pages is enough. The client should be able to find the scope, price and next step in under a minute.
Should I put the price in a proposal?+
Yes. A proposal without a price can’t be accepted. Present it after the approach and value, broken into items or phases, and consider offering two or three options.
What’s the difference between a proposal and a contract?+
A proposal sells the work and sets out scope and price. A contract sets the legal terms. Many firms send a proposal that, once signed, incorporates their terms, or follow it with a separate agreement.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.