An email marketing proposal in seven sections, from what your client told you to a paid audit, three automated series, monthly campaigns and the next steps. For agencies and freelance email marketers. Read it here or get it as a Word file and a PDF.
An email marketing proposal should say what the client told you, the sales result you'll both measure, how you'll work (usually an audit, automated emails, then monthly campaigns), what's included and what isn't, who owns the list, the price, and exactly how to say yes. The template below has a section for each.
The email marketing 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 only email our list when there's a sale, and we have no idea what it earns"].
In short: we start with an audit of your email account, then build three automated series, the emails that go out on their own when someone signs up, leaves a cart or buys. Once those are live, we write and send [four] campaigns a month and report each month on the sales email brought in.
[Your agency] is a [number]-person email marketing agency in [city]. We've run email for [online stores 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, and why it says "automated series" and explains it once. "Flows" is your word, and your client may never have heard it.
2. What we heard
Shows you listened, turns what the client told you into goals you can both check later, and puts a number on what email is worth to them. Only you can write this one: replace the examples with your client's words.
Each goal below answers something you told us. If we got anything wrong, tell us before you accept and we'll fix it.
You said you only email your list [when there's a sale], and [each one brings in less than the last]. We'll set up[four] emails a month, planned around your calendar, so your list hears from you for more than discounts.
You said[people add things to their cart and never come back]. We'll build the emails that go out on their own when someone signs up, leaves a cart or buys.
You said you [can't tell what email earns you]. We'll report the sales that came from email each month, split into automated emails and campaigns.
What success looks like:[a result you can both check in three to six months, such as "email brings in 20% of online sales, up from about 10%"], measured in [your email platform and your store's reports].
What it's worth: you told us the store sells about [$80,000] a month and email brings in about [10%] of that. Getting to [20%] would mean about [$8,000] more in sales a month, or about [$4,000] in profit at your [50%] margin.
If nothing changes:[what the client said happens if this doesn't go ahead, such as "we keep paying for ads to win back people we already had"].
Ask for four numbers on the call: the size of the list, how often they send, what the store sells in a month and how much of that comes from email. They fill in "What it's worth". 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.
3. How we'll work
The plan step by step, so the client knows what happens first, what they approve, and when to expect results.
You see the plan before we build anything, and every email before it goes out.
Weeks 1 and 2: audit and plan. We review your email account, your list and your last [six months] of sends, and check that your emails are set up to reach the inbox. You get a short written plan, and we walk you through it on a call.
Weeks 3 to 6: three automated series. We write, design and test [a welcome series, an abandoned cart series and a post-purchase series], about [eight] emails in all. You approve them before they go live.
From month 3: [four] campaigns a month. We plan them with you, write and design them, and send each one to the part of your list it suits. You approve each month's campaigns before they go out.
After three months of campaigns: review. We look at what brought in sales and what didn't, and change the plan.
When you'll see results: the automated emails usually bring in their first sales within [a few weeks] of going live, because they reach people who were just on your site. Campaigns build more slowly, as we learn what your list responds to, which is why we judge them after three months.
Reporting: one report and a 30-minute call each month: sales from email, split into automated emails and campaigns, clicks and unsubscribes, what worked and what we'll change. We don't set targets on open rates: Apple Mail can hide whether an email was really read.
Accepted proposals in Nusii had a median of 7 sections, the rest 9 (1,713 proposals, July to September 2026). Which email goes in which series belongs in the written plan from week 2, not here.
4. Results for businesses like yours
Short proof for the people who weren't on the call: what happened for stores like this one. Use real numbers from a real client, or leave this section out.
[Past client], [kind of store]:[the result, with a number and a timeframe, such as "email went from 8% to 21% of online sales in six months"].
[Past client], [kind of store]:[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 62% 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 store like theirs does more here than a gallery of email designs.
5. What's included
Draws the line between what you'll do and what you won't, says what you need from the client, and what they keep. Working with businesses instead of stores? The line in brackets says what to swap.
Included
An audit of your email account and list, and a short written plan
A check that your emails reach the inbox: sender authentication, unsubscribe links and spam rate
[A welcome series, an abandoned cart series and a post-purchase series]: about [eight] emails, written, designed, tested and switched on
[Four] campaigns a month, planned, written, designed and sent
A monthly report and a 30-minute call
[Selling to businesses instead of running a store? Swap the series for a welcome series, a lead follow-up series and a series for contacts who've gone quiet, and report on booked calls instead of sales.]
Not included
Your email platform's subscription, which you pay directly to [Klaviyo]
Buying or renting email lists. We won't send to a list that was bought.
Text messages, photo shoots and video shoots (we'll quote them if you want them)
Guaranteed sales figures. Inbox providers decide what reaches the inbox, and your products and prices decide what sells.
What we need from you: access to [Klaviyo] and [your store] in week 1, so we never need your passwords; your confirmation that everyone on your list agreed to hear from you; your logo, brand colors and product photos; approval of each month's campaigns within [two working days]; and a heads-up on launches, sales and stock problems [two weeks] ahead.
What you keep: your email list and your account stay in your name, and you keep admin control. Every email we write for you is yours. You keep all of it if we stop working together.
The line about everyone on the list agreeing to hear from your client protects you too. Under the US CAN-SPAM Act, the FTC says both the company being promoted and the company that sends the email may be held legally responsible.
6. Investment
One price to start, for the audit and the automated series, then a monthly fee, each with when it's invoiced, and a way out before the monthly work begins. These are example prices; the table further down shows what others charge.
Email audit and three automated series
$2,500
An audit of your account and list, a written plan and a walkthrough call, then [a welcome, an abandoned cart and a post-purchase series] built and switched on, about [eight] emails. Invoiced when you accept.
Monthly email campaigns
$1,500 a month
[Four] campaigns a month, planned, written, designed and sent, with a monthly report and call. Invoiced on the 1st of each month once the automated series are live. Three months minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice. If the automated series don't convince you, tell us within a week of them going live. You pay for what we built, you keep it, and the monthly work doesn't start.
Total: $2,500then $1,500 a month
In Nusii, proposals with a recurring fee were accepted less often than one-off ones (39% against 55% for the same senders, July to September 2026). A monthly fee is a bigger decision. The setup gives the client a first step with a clear end.
7. Next steps
Tells the client exactly what to do to say yes, what happens after, and when you'll call.
If the plan works for you, accept and sign this proposal.
We'll send the invoice for the audit and automated series, book the kickoff call for [a date within two weeks], and send you a short list of what we need: access to [Klaviyo and your store], your logo and your product photos.
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.
Accepted proposals in Nusii that mention email marketing got their yes in a median of 5.2 days, and 58% 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 email marketing
What email marketing costs, from the pages we could check at the source. The template's example prices, $2,500 to set up and $1,500 a month for four campaigns, sit close to one agency's published price list. In Nusii, accepted proposals that mention email marketing had a median value of $2,460, monthly fees left out (177 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026).
What
Price
Source
Monthly retainer, four emails
$1,200 a monthone Klaviyo agency's list price; $2,500 for 8 emails and 2 texts, $5,000 for 16 and 4Netalico
Sources: Netalico, a Klaviyo agency's published prices, September 2026; Clutch, a directory of email marketing agencies, updated September 2026; WebFX, a survey of over 250 U.S. marketers, 2025. Netalico and WebFX sell email marketing and Clutch lists agencies that do. We didn't find an independent survey of what email marketers charge.
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.
The email to send it with
The proposal does the explaining, so the email only has to get it opened and say when you'll call. Leave the price out, so your client reads the plan before they judge the number. In Nusii this goes in the Send Proposal window, and you can save it as your template for next time.
Subject:[The plan for more sales from your list]
Hi [first name],
Here's the proposal we talked about on [day of your call]: [link].
In short: we audit your email account, build [three automated series], then send [four] campaigns a month.
It's short, and you can accept it right on the page. If anything's off, reply to this email and I'll change it.
I'll call you on [a day three to five days from now] to answer any questions.
[Your name]
What happens after you send it
From 554 proposals first sent with Nusii from November 2025 to October 2026 that mention email marketing (some cover more than email).
46.8%
were accepted
1.1 hours
median time to the client's first look
5.2 days
median time to a yes
58.3%
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.
“Have been using Nusii for years for all our marketing proposals. It’s well structured, easy to use and delivers a very professional impression to our prospects and clients. Service is excellent too. Highly recommend.”
Annette Welsford
Founder & CEO, Commonsense Marketing
“I’ve built a library of reusable sections and proposal templates, so I can pull together a tailored proposal without starting from scratch every time.”
A document that tells a prospective client how you’ll run their email marketing, what it costs and how to start. It usually covers their goals, the automated emails and campaigns you’ll send, what’s included and what isn’t, the price (often a setup fee, then a monthly fee) and how you’ll report results.
What should an email marketing proposal include?
What the client told you and the goals that follow from it, your plan, short proof from similar clients, what’s included and what isn’t, the price, and the next steps. That’s seven sections, the same as the template on this page.
How much should I charge for email marketing?
A common way to price it is a setup fee for the automated emails, then a monthly fee set by how many emails you send. Netalico, a Klaviyo agency, lists $2,500 for a setup of 5 to 9 emails and $1,200 a month for four emails. This template uses $2,500 to start and $1,500 a month as example prices. Raise both for a bigger list or more emails.
Should I charge a retainer or a one-off fee?
Start with a one-off fee, then offer a retainer. Automated emails are a project with a clear end, and campaigns are ongoing work. In Nusii, proposals with a recurring fee were accepted less often (39% against 55% for the same senders, July to September 2026), so the template starts with a fixed first step and gives the client a way out before the monthly fee begins.
Who owns the email list?
Your client does, and the proposal should say so. The template keeps the list and the email account in the client’s name, and asks them to confirm that everyone on the list agreed to hear from them. In the US, the FTC says both the company being promoted and the company sending the email may be held legally responsible under CAN-SPAM.
What results should I promise in an email marketing proposal?
Promise the work and measure the result, but don’t guarantee sales figures. Set a goal in your client’s numbers, such as email’s share of online sales, and report on it every month. Leave open rates out of your targets: Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection can hide from senders when a message is viewed.
Can I use this template for a B2B company or a newsletter?
Yes. Swap the three series for a welcome series, a lead follow-up series and a series for contacts who’ve gone quiet, and report on booked calls instead of sales. Change the title to match, such as “More booked calls from your email list”. There’s a line in brackets under “What’s included” to remind you.
Can I use this template as a freelance email marketer?
Yes. Write “I” instead of “we”, describe yourself in the introduction, and set the number of campaigns to what you can deliver on your own. Everything else, from the goals to the way out after the setup, works the same.
What should I write in the email that goes with the proposal?
A few lines: a link to the proposal, the plan in one sentence and the day you’ll call. Leave the price out, so your client reads the plan before judging the number. There’s an email to copy further up this page.
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 end the work in plain words, and it isn’t legal advice. Ask a lawyer about consent rules if your client emails people in the EU or the UK.
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.
