An advertising proposal in seven sections, from what your client told you to a media plan by channel, a fixed fee and the next steps, with the media budget shown apart from your price. For agencies and freelancers pitching a campaign. Read it here or get it as a Word file and a PDF.
An advertising proposal should say what the client told you, the result you'll both measure, what the campaign is worth to them, a media plan by channel, what's included and who owns the ad accounts, your fee with the media budget shown separately, and exactly how to say yes. The template below has a section for each.
The advertising proposal template, section by section
Copy one section or the whole thing. Under each section: what it's for, and one thing we've learned from the proposals sent with Nusii.
[Yellow] you write[Green] Nusii fills in when you send it
1. Introduction
The whole plan in two sentences, and who you are. Partners and colleagues read it too, often without having been on the call. Working on your own? Write "I" instead of "we".
Hi [Client first name],
Thanks for the call on [date of your call]. You told us that [the problem in one sentence, in the client's words, such as "we spend on ads every month and can't say which of them bring in customers"].
In short: we'll plan and run one [12-week] campaign to [bring in 60 new customers by the end of June], with one idea across [search, social, local radio and billboards]. You approve the plan and every ad before any of your media budget is spent.
[Your agency] is a [number]-person advertising agency in [city]. We've run campaigns for [businesses like yours] since [year].
[Your name] [Your role], [Your agency]
Agencies' proposals in Nusii got their first look in a median of 54 minutes (3,782 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026), and about a third of first views are on a phone. That's why this section is short. Keep the line about approving the plan: your client is deciding on your fee and the media money together.
2. What we heard
Shows you listened, turns what the client told you into goals you can both check later, and works out how many customers the campaign needs to pay for itself. Only you can write this one: replace the examples with your client's words.
Each goal below answers something you told us. If anything's wrong, tell us before you accept and we'll fix it.
You said[you run ads every month and nobody remembers them]. We'll build one campaign around one idea, so [search, social, radio and billboards] all say the same thing.
You said[you can't tell which ads bring in customers]. We'll set up tracking before launch, so you can see which channels bring in [calls and booked estimates].
You said[you need the phones busy before the summer rush]. We'll be live by [date] and run for [12] weeks.
What success looks like:[a result you can both check when the campaign ends, such as "60 new customers by June 30, up from 25 last spring"], counted in [your booking system] as well as the ad platforms' reports.
What it's worth: you told us a new customer brings in about [$2,000] in profit. The campaign costs [$40,000] in all, our fee and your media budget together, so it pays for itself at [20] new customers. At [60], it brings in [$80,000] more than it cost.
If nothing changes:[what the client said happens if this doesn't go ahead, such as "we keep spending $3,000 a month and still can't say what it's doing"].
Ask for three numbers on the call: what a new customer is worth in profit, what they spend on ads now, and what that brings in. As Philip Morgan and Jonathan Stark put it in our 2015 book on proposals, "the buyer will set the value", so the numbers should be your client's. Add your fee and the media budget together before you work out the break-even: that's what the client is really spending.
3. How we'll work
The plan step by step, the media plan by channel, and when to expect results. The client sees where every dollar goes before any of it is spent.
You see the plan and every ad before any of your money goes to media.
Weeks 1 and 2: the plan. We look at your customers, your past ads and what your competitors run. You get a short written plan: the idea in one sentence, who it's for, and the media plan below. We walk you through it on a call.
Weeks 3 to 5: the ads. Once you've approved the plan, we write and design [12] ads in the formats each channel needs, set up tracking and book the media. You approve every ad before it runs.
Weeks 6 to 17: the campaign runs. We buy the media, check the results every week and move money toward what's working, within the budget you approved.
Week 18: the final report. What the campaign cost, what it brought in per channel, and what we'd do next.
The media plan (we'll confirm it in week 2)
[Search], [$10,000], [all 12 weeks]:[people already looking for what you sell]
[Social], [$8,000], [all 12 weeks]:[homeowners within 30 miles who don't know you yet]
[Local radio], [$7,000], [the first 8 weeks]:[the morning and evening drive]
[Billboards], [$5,000], [the first 8 weeks]:[two boards on the roads your customers use]
Total media budget: [$30,000]. We'll ask you before moving more than [10%] between channels.
When you'll see results:[search usually brings in calls within days of going live. Radio and billboards take longer, because people need to hear or see them a few times], which is why we judge the whole campaign at the end and not after week one.
Reporting: a short report and a 30-minute call [every two weeks]: what was spent, what it brought in and what we'll change. Each ad platform counts results its own way and their numbers can overlap, so we check them against [your booking system].
Accepted proposals in Nusii had a median of 7 sections, the rest 9 (1,713 proposals, July to September 2026). So keep the media plan to one line per channel. Placements, sizes and exact dates belong in the written plan from week 2.
4. Results for businesses like yours
Short proof for the people who weren't on the call: what happened for businesses like this one. Use real numbers from a real client, or leave this section out.
[Past client], [kind of business]:[the result, with a number and a timeframe, such as "140 booked estimates from a 10-week campaign, at $210 each"].
[Past client], [kind of business]:[the result, with a number and a timeframe].
"[A one-line quote from one of those clients.]" [Name, role, company]
Proposals to a client who had accepted one before were accepted 63% of the time in Nusii, against 46% for a first proposal from the same senders (July to September 2026). A new client hasn't seen your work yet: one result from a business like theirs does more here than a reel of ads.
5. What's included
Draws the line between what you'll do and what you won't, says who pays for the media, what you need from the client and what they keep.
Included
A written plan: the idea, the audience and the media plan
[12] ads for [search, social, radio and billboards], with [two] rounds of changes
Tracking, set up and tested before launch
Booking and buying the media, with weekly changes during the [12]-week campaign
A report and a 30-minute call [every two weeks], and a final report
Not included
The media budget of [$30,000]. You pay the platforms and media owners directly, at cost. We add no markup. [If a media owner pays you a commission, say so here.]
Talent, music and stock licenses, which we'll quote before we book them
[TV or video shoots, which we'll quote if the plan needs one]
Guaranteed results. We'll do the work and show you the numbers. Your offer, your prices and the market decide what people buy.
What we need from you: admin access to your ad accounts in week 1, or we'll open new ones in your name, so we never need your passwords; proof for any claim in the ads, such as prices, results or "the best in town"; your logo, brand colors and photos; approval of the plan and each round of ads within [two working days]; and a heads-up [two weeks] ahead if [stock, prices or staffing] change, so we don't advertise something you can't deliver.
What you keep: the ad accounts stay in your name and you keep admin control, along with the ads we make and all the results data. Anything we license for you, such as music or stock photos, can be used for as long as its license says, and we'll tell you the terms before we buy it.
In the US, the FTC says an advertising agency "also may be held legally responsible for misleading claims in ads", and that agencies "may not rely on an advertiser's assurance that the claims are substantiated." That's why proof for claims is on the client's list. Settle who owns the ad accounts here too, before the campaign starts and not when it ends.
6. Investment
One fixed fee in two parts, each with when it's invoiced, a way out after the plan, and the media budget kept apart from your price. These are example prices; the table further down shows what others charge.
Campaign plan and ads
$5,500
The written plan with the media plan, a walkthrough call, then [12] ads with [two] rounds of changes. Half is invoiced when you accept, half when you approve the plan. If the plan doesn't convince you, tell us within a week of the walkthrough call. You keep the plan, you pay nothing more, and the ads and the campaign don't start.
Media buying, tracking and reports for [12] weeks
$4,500
Booking and buying the media, tracking, weekly changes, reports [every two weeks] and a final report. Invoiced when the campaign launches. Your media budget of [$30,000] isn't part of this price: you pay the platforms and media owners directly, at cost, and only what's in the plan you approved.
Total: $10,000
The media budget stays out of the total because it isn't your fee: the client pays it to the platforms, and it lets them compare your price with another agency's. In Nusii, proposals with a recurring fee were accepted less often (39% against 55% for the same senders, July to September 2026). One campaign with an end date is a smaller decision.
7. Next steps
Tells the client exactly what to do to say yes, what happens after, and when you'll call.
If this works for you, accept and sign this proposal.
We'll send the first invoice, book the kickoff call for [a date within two weeks], and send you a short list of what we need: access to [your ad accounts and booking system], your logo and your photos.
You'll have the written plan by [date], and we'll walk you through it on a call before we make any ads.
I'll call you on [a day three to five days from now] to answer any questions. If you have any before then, call me on [phone number] or reply to the email this proposal came with.
Agencies' accepted proposals in Nusii got their yes in a median of 3.9 days, and 62% of them within a week (November 2025 to October 2026). A call three to five days after you send it lands while most clients are still deciding.
See it as your client will
Every page of the PDF, printed by Nusii. Sent as a link, it's one scrolling page on any device: your client accepts with one button and signs with their name.
The template in Nusii, the way your client will see it. It opens in a new tab.
What to charge for an advertising campaign
What advertising agencies charge, from the pages we could check at the source. The template's example, $10,000 for a 12-week campaign with a $30,000 media budget on top, sits at the bottom of the range most projects fall in on Clutch, and the $4,500 for buying and reports is 15% of that media budget. Your own numbers depend on the channels and how much of the creative you make.
What
Price
Source
One advertising project
$10,000 to $49,999where most projects reviewed on the site fallClutch
Sources: Clutch, a directory of advertising agencies, based on client reviews, updated September 2026; AgencyAnalytics, reporting software for agencies, on paid search pricing; RocketShip HQ, an agency's own published price, September 2026. Clutch lists agencies, AgencyAnalytics sells to agencies and RocketShip HQ is one. We didn't find an independent survey of what agencies charge for one campaign. Whichever you use, keep the media budget apart from your fee: Clutch notes that agency fees aren't included in the cost of running the ads.
How often proposals got a yes, by price
Proposals over $15,000 got a yes about a third of the time. Agencies' accepted proposals had a median value of $4,000. From 1,713 proposals first sent with Nusii, July to September 2026.
Under $1,000
67.1%
$1,000 to $5,000
50.6%
$5,000 to $15,000
48.9%
$15,000 to $50,000
36.1%
Over $50,000
33.3%
Share accepted, by the total the client saw. Bigger proposals are bigger decisions, so this shows what happened, not that a lower price would win. Method: The State of Proposals 2026.
What happens after you send it
From 3,782 proposals agencies first sent with Nusii, November 2025 to October 2026.
48.9%
were accepted
54 min
median time to the client's first look
3.9 days
median time to a yes
62.2%
of the yeses came within a week
Clients rarely say no. Of all proposals sent with Nusii from July to September 2026, 6.4% were rejected and 45.4% got no answer either way. Silence is the usual no, so a follow-up is worth sending.
Follow up after a week. Most yeses come within seven days. In Nusii you see when the proposal was opened and get an email when it's accepted, so you can follow up when they've read it, not when you guess they have.
The same template as a Word file you can edit (it opens in Google Docs too) and a PDF printed by Nusii. We'll email you both, plus a few emails with proposal tips. Unsubscribe any time.
Or send it with Nusii
This template is in the gallery of every Nusii account. Send it as a link: you get an email when your client opens it, and they accept and sign online, on any device.
“Great software, simple to use. It helped me close over 30k deals. It made the job of creating proposals a breeze.”
Genc Doda
Founder & Managing Director, Thrive Digital
“We’ve been using Nusii for years, and it has become a crucial piece of software for our company.”
A document that tells a prospective client what campaign you’d run for them, what it costs and how to start. It usually covers their goals, the channels and budget, what’s included and what isn’t, your fee and how you’ll report results. This template is for agencies and freelancers. A radio station or publisher selling its own ad space sends a different kind.
What should an advertising proposal include?
What the client told you and the goals that follow from it, a media plan by channel, short proof from similar clients, what’s included and what isn’t, your fee, and the next steps. That’s seven sections, the same as the template on this page.
Should the ad budget be in the proposal?
Yes, shown separately from your fee. Say how much it is, who pays it and that it isn’t part of your price. Clients compare agencies on the fee, and one total that mixes the two makes yours look bigger than it is. The template lists the budget by channel and keeps it out of the total.
How much should an advertising agency charge?
Most advertising projects on Clutch run $10,000 to $49,999, at $100 to $149 an hour, and managing paid ads is often 10% to 20% of ad spend. This template uses $5,500 for the plan and ads and $4,500 for 12 weeks of buying and reports as example prices. Raise both for more channels or more creative.
Should I charge a campaign fee, a retainer or a percentage of ad spend?
For one campaign with an end date, a fixed fee is the simplest to say yes to. In Nusii, proposals with a recurring fee were accepted less often (39% against 55% for the same senders, July to September 2026). For ads that run all year, a monthly fee or a percentage with a minimum is common. Agree on it after a first campaign has shown what works.
Who owns the ad accounts?
Your client should, and the proposal should say so. The template keeps the ad accounts, the ads and the results data in the client’s name, so they keep all of it if you stop working together. Anything you license for them, such as music or stock photos, follows that license’s terms.
What results should I promise in an advertising proposal?
Promise the work and measure the result, but don’t guarantee sales. Set a goal in your client’s own numbers, such as new customers by a date, and count it in their records as well as the ad platforms’ reports, because each platform counts results its own way and their numbers can overlap.
Should I put the campaign idea in the proposal?
Usually not. A proposal should be a summary of what you’ve already agreed, not a pitch, as Philip Morgan and Jonathan Stark wrote in our 2015 book on proposals. In this template the idea is the first thing the client pays for, in the written plan, and they can stop there and keep it.
What’s the difference between an advertising proposal and a media plan?
A media plan lists the channels, dates and budget. A proposal wraps that in the client’s goals, your price, who does what and how to say yes. This template has a short media plan, one line per channel, and the fuller one is part of the paid work in week 2.
Can I use this as a digital advertising proposal?
Yes. Replace radio and billboards in the media plan with the digital channels you buy, such as display or video, and take “TV or video shoots” out of “Not included” if it doesn’t apply. The fixed fee, the way out after the plan and the media budget work the same.
Does it work for TV, radio, print or outdoor advertising?
Yes. Put those channels in the media plan and quote production separately, because a TV or radio spot has costs a search ad doesn’t. If you sell ad space for a station or publisher, keep the goals and audience sections and price it per placement instead.
Can I use this template as a freelancer?
Yes. Write “I” instead of “we”, describe yourself in the introduction, and cut the channels and the number of ads to what you can deliver on your own. Everything else, from the goals to the way out after the plan, works the same.
Should I offer several packages?
Offer them only if the client asked about choices. In Nusii, proposals where the client could choose between options were accepted less often (40% against 51% for the same senders, July to September 2026). This template has one clear price; add an optional section for an extra the client asked about.
Do I need a contract as well?
Attach your own agreement if you use one. This template covers the scope, the price, who owns what and how to stop in plain words, and it isn’t legal advice. Ask a lawyer about the rules for ad claims in your client’s industry, especially health and finance.
Can my client accept and sign the proposal online?
Yes, if you send it as an online proposal. In Nusii, your client opens a link, accepts with one button and signs with their typed name, on any device, and you get an email when they do. The Word file and the PDF need signing the old way.
