What this template is for
A service proposal should be a precise statement of scope, not a sales letter. This template is the document we send before any engagement begins. It names the prospect's actual email problem, lists exactly what the service includes and — just as carefully — what it does not include, describes the working process and timing, sets out client responsibilities, and states the fee and cancellation terms.
Its purpose is to remove surprises on both sides. When the scope is written down, the business owner knows what the money buys and what will be billed separately, and the provider knows what the client has agreed to supply. That is the whole job of a proposal, and it is why the template spends as much space on exclusions as on inclusions.
When to use it
We send this proposal before any work starts, adapted with the prospect's facts. A business owner can use the same structure in two directions: to see exactly what a flat-rate email service covers, and to compare any provider's proposal fairly. When you are comparing options, our agency pricing guide explains what drives quotes up and which questions turn a proposal into a comparable scope. The alternatives guide compares flat-rate services, freelancers, DIY platforms, and agencies directly.
How to use it step by step
- Prepare for a specific business. Fill the header with the client business, the preparation date, and the date until which the proposal is valid.
- State the immediate need. Two or three sentences describing the prospect's actual email problem, using only facts they supplied.
- Present the service and its price. State the plan name, the monthly fee, and the included items. Then list the exclusions — anything not included unless separately agreed.
- Describe the working process. The five steps from client-supplied information to delivered reporting, with written approval before every send.
- Set timing expectations. When the first campaign is normally ready for approval, and that client delays may move the schedule.
- List client responsibilities. Lawful list use, accurate sender identity, timely feedback, verification of every commercial claim, and ownership of the sending account and subscriber data.
- State fees, cancellation, and acceptance. The billing cycle, notice, cancellation terms, and the exact wording the client replies with to accept.
The template
Here is the proposal template as it is used. The plan shown is our Lite plan. Placeholders in double braces are filled per prospect.
Header
Prepared for: {{client_business}}
Prepared on: {{date}}
Valid until: {{date}}
The immediate need
Two or three sentences describing the prospect's actual email problem, using facts they supplied.
The service
Lite — $59 USD/month
Included:
- Two standalone email campaigns per month
- Writing, design, preparation, and sending in the client's working email platform
- One consolidated revision round per campaign
- Written client approval before every send
- Basic open-and-click reporting
Not included unless separately agreed:
- Email-platform subscription fees
- Email-platform account installation or domain authentication
- List importing, cleaning, or acquisition
- Paid advertising
- Website development
- Large automation builds
- Complex segmentation, e-commerce flows, landing pages, or photography
- Work for purchased, scraped, rented, or otherwise non-permission-based contacts
- Requests beyond the stated campaign volume or revision limit
Working process
- The client supplies accurate offers, dates, links, brand assets, access, and audience information.
- Affordable Email Marketing prepares the campaign.
- The client checks and approves the final copy, design, links, claims, audience, and schedule in writing.
- The campaign is scheduled only after approval.
- Reporting is delivered according to the selected plan.
Timing
The first campaign is normally ready for approval within 7–10 business days after all required access and information arrive. Client delays may move the schedule.
Client responsibilities
- Use only contacts the client has a lawful right to email
- Maintain accurate sender identity and business information
- Provide timely feedback and approval
- Verify every price, offer, date, link, claim, and required disclosure
- Retain ownership of the sending account, domain, and subscriber data
Fees, cancellation, and acceptance
The fee is $59 USD billed in advance each month beginning {{start_date}}. Applicable taxes are {{tax_treatment}}. Lite has no long-term contract and can be cancelled before the next billing cycle. Cancellation stops future renewals; work completed or underway in the current month is not prorated or refunded except where required by law or agreed in writing.
This proposal is governed by the current written service Terms and Privacy Policy supplied with it. Work begins only after written acceptance, completed onboarding, and confirmed payment through the approved provider.
To accept, reply with:
I accept the Lite scope at $59 USD/month, have reviewed the supplied Terms and Privacy Policy, confirm that my sending account is ready to use, and confirm that the subscriber data I provide is permission-based.
Why a written proposal matters
The proposal exists to make the trade visible. A published price is only meaningful when the scope is published too — which is why this template lists exclusions as carefully as inclusions. Platform fees, technical setup, list work, and extra revisions are the classic places where a headline fee grows into a larger bill, and this document names them in advance.
The honesty rules that apply to this site apply here as well. We are a new business and have no case studies or testimonials to include in a proposal. What a proposal can honestly contain is a fixed scope, a stated price, and a written process — and that is what this template is. If you are deciding whether a flat-rate service fits, the done-for-you guide describes the full production routine behind the fee.