Why retainers are worth it
A retainer turns one client into predictable monthly income and removes the sales cycle from repeat work. For the client it guarantees your availability. The contract has to make both sides of that trade explicit.
Two kinds of retainer
- Hours-based: the client buys a block of hours per month (e.g. 20 hours for a fixed fee).
- Output-based: the client buys a defined output (e.g. 8 blog posts or monthly SEO reporting).
Output-based retainers are easier to sell and harder to over-deliver on, as long as the output is well defined.
The clauses that make or break it
- Rollover: do unused hours carry over? Usually "no", or "up to one month".
- Overage: the rate for work beyond the retainer.
- Billing: paid in advance at the start of each month, not in arrears.
- Response time: what "availability" actually means.
- Notice period: 30 days is standard for either side to end it.
Start from a template
Use the monthly retainer template or the consulting retainer. Draft it now with Clinch: describe the job in a sentence, get a clean draft, send one link. Your client signs from their phone without an account, and the deposit is paid in the same step.