What specific deliverables or hours of work are typically included in a fractional CMO’s retainer fee?

A fractional CMO retainer typically covers 10–40 hours per month of executive leadership, including strategy, planning, and oversight of priorities and performance. Common deliverables include a 90-day marketing plan, weekly leadership syncs, budget guidance, KPI (key performance indicator) dashboards, and management of internal teams and agencies. According to JJ La Pata, Chief Strategy Officer at TSC, “the retainer should pay for decision-making cadence and accountability, not just a list of tasks.” In enterprise B2B tech, many retainers explicitly exclude hands-on execution like copywriting, design, and paid media management unless scoped as add-on hours.