How much to charge for freelance email marketing

Second-guessing how much to charge as a freelance email marketer? We’ve covered all the main factors regarding email marketing rates to help you put a stop to that.

This guide will help you build a pricing strategy that reflects your value, covers your costs, and pays what you’re worth. And once your earnings are on the up, we'll show you how Wise Business makes managing that money simple and cost-effective.

Retainer vs. package vs. performance pricing: Which should you use?

Retainers refer to recurring monthly fees for ongoing email marketing services. With this arrangement, your client pays you a fixed monthly amount to perform specific recurring tasks or provide ongoing support.

Retainers can be very rewarding when you and your client both want to enter a steady, predictable engagement.

For you, the freelancer, this means you have a consistent stream of income.

On the other hand, the client gets guaranteed access to your expertise for a particular period.

Example scenario for charging a retainer:
Your client wants you to do a fixed amount of email campaign planning and data reporting on email performance over the next six months.

In this case, a monthly retainer based on the fixed amount of work per month can make sense.

Pricing per package, on the other hand, involves categorising your email marketing service into different tiers, much like pricing a physical or digital product.

With this pricing model, you can create a set fee for a bundle of email marketing services that you’ve grouped together.

Instead of creating custom prices tailored to each client’s needs, this pricing method allows you to create different bundles at varying prices, enabling your clients to select the one that best suits their needs.

Example scenario for pricing per package:
Steven, a freelance email marketing specialist based in Kent, offers a broad range of email marketing services encompassing campaign management, email template design, copywriting, and more.

Steven charges upon the delivery of the work, irrespective of the time taken to complete it. Therefore, it makes sense for him to charge a package rate.

Performance-based pricing is when your fee is tied directly to the results you generate. This could be a percentage of sales from a campaign, a fee per lead generated, or a bonus for hitting specific open or click-through rates.

Example scenario for performance-based pricing:
Your client, an e-commerce store, wants you to run a Black Friday sales campaign.

You agree to a small base fee of £500, plus 5% of all sales up to £20,000 that are generated directly from the emails you create.

However, if the campaign drives more than £20,000 in sales, your performance fee is 7% of all sales exceeding the £20,000 mark.

Note: One significant advantage of package rate pricing is that it eliminates scope creep (which is when clients want more work done than the agreed price).

This is because the project scope is clearly defined from the beginning, and the client is well-informed about what they are getting.

You can set a cap on revisions and charge an additional fee for projects that fall outside the scope of what your clients are paying for.

Additionally, creating package rates for your services means you can create reusable assets such as brief templates, checklists, and frameworks, which saves a significant amount of time used on campaigns and clients.

What's the average going rate for email marketers?

The average going rate for email marketers is £60 to £225 for single emails and campaigns, £450 for sales and nurture sequences (bundles of 3-6 emails), and £1,600 for full email marketing packages.

These figures are based on our analysis of the rates charged by freelance email marketers in the UK as of 2025 (full data shown below).

What factors affect how much to charge as a freelance email marketer?

Specialisation: Freelancers at the higher end, like The Word Lady from the table in the previous section, often specialise in high-value niches (like finance or SaaS) and have a portfolio that proves they can generate a significant return on investment.

Strategic input: A £75 newsletter might only entail copywriting, while a £400 newsletter likely includes strategy, audience segmentation, A/B testing recommendations, and detailed performance analysis.

Package complexity: For bundles, the £450 vs. £1,600 price difference reflects the scope. The higher price often includes creating complex, automated nurture sequences with multiple logic paths, whereas the lower price might be for a simple, linear 3-email welcome series.

Experience: A seasoned email marketer with a strong portfolio and verifiable results can command higher rates than someone just starting out. Your demonstrated expertise and client trust are key factors.

Audience size: The size of the email list you are working with determines your price. Large lists typically require more time and often involve more complex segmentations compared to smaller lists.

Email frequency: The number of emails you send per month or per year can also influence your pricing, as it directly relates to the volume of work.

Add-ons: Some clients may require services that are not included in your predefined project scope, which would be priced separately.

How to calculate your email marketing rate

1. Pick a suitable pricing model: Choose a pricing model that best suits your needs. Some freelancers could also use two pricing models for a client. A good example is a freelancer offering a packaged price to a client and charging per hour for any additional tasks that fall outside the scope of the package tasks the client opts for.

2. Conduct market research: Take some time to research to understand the averages of what freelance email marketers charge. More importantly, find out what freelancers in your niche charge. For instance, a B2B freelance email marketer for enterprise security companies might not charge the same rate as a B2C email marketer for retail stores selling household items.

3. Factor in your expenses: When calculating your price, be sure to factor in business expenses such as subscriptions, electricity, internet, office space, and other costs associated with running your business. You should also consider your personal expenses, such as rent, utility bills, health insurance, etc.

4. Consider your experience level: Set your rates to match your level of experience. When starting out, it’s okay to charge moderately, especially if you don’t have a lot of social proof or experience. More experienced freelance email marketers charge higher rates due to their level of experience and social proof.

5. Constantly reevaluate your rates: As you gain more experience, get more social proof, and achieve better results for clients, consider reevaluating your rates.

Finalising your email marketing rate card

Your final email marketing rate card should have the following:

Your services: Outline the services you are offering (campaign management, designing email templates, email copywriting, etc.).

Pricing model: Are you charging per project, on a retainer, or packaging your services like a product at a fixed fee?

Additional packages: How much would it cost your clients for extra services outside the scope of what you usually offer?

Payment terms: Is it 50% upfront or 75%? Also, do you charge for each milestone or late fees? Do you also charge an extra fee for rush projects?

A rate card typically outlines your freelance email marketing services and the associated fees.

This comes in handy when talking to potential clients so they can have a clear picture of what you charge for your services.

There are many ways to create your rate card. You can use a Word document, tools like Canva or Adobe Express to design one to share privately with a prospect during negotiations.

Some freelancers prefer to display their rate card on their website. This is a great way to filter out clients who can’t afford their rates.

Maximise your freelance email marketing earnings with Wise Business

Wise Business is perfectly suited for freelance email marketers looking to receive payments from clients worldwide without hidden fees.

You can hold balances in 40+ currencies, send money to 140+ countries, and receive payments like a local. You can also generate custom invoices and integrate accounting software once you're ready to make the next step and grow your freelancing gig.

Wherever you are in your freelancing journey, Wise Business is the account to help you make the most of your earnings.

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

Sources last checked on September 29th, 2025