How Much Does a Fractional CMO Cost? Pricing Models & What You Get

Fractional CMOs aren’t cheap—but they’re often far more efficient than a full-time executive or a patchwork of vendors. Here’s what common pricing looks like and how to judge ROI. This should help you make sense of what a Fractional CMO costs on a weekly or monthly basis.

Common Fractional CMO Costs

• Monthly Hours Block: 10, 20, or 35+ hours

• Project Sprint: 45-day plan-and-ship engagement

• Performance Add-On: % of Net New Booked Revenue (after attribution is validated)

  
  

What’s Usually Included

• Strategy, channel plan, and budget model

• Weekly leadership calls + working sessions

• KPI scorecard and tracking hygiene (UTMs, GA4, call tracking)

• Vendor orchestration and content calendar oversight

What Drives Cost Up or Down

• Number of locations/markets

• Channel breadth (SEO, GBP/LSA, PPC, YouTube, Email/SMS)

• In-house capacity versus reliance on external production

  
  

ROI Framework

• Baseline → Target (by channel)

• Leading indicators (review velocity, form/call conversion)

• Lagging indicators (booked jobs, NNBR, cost-per-booked)

Red Flags

• Paying for hours with no scorecard

• No UTM discipline or call tracking

• “Set it and forget it” reporting

Industry Pricing Benchmarks (2025)

Hourly rates. Most fractional CMOs quote $200–$350/hr, with broader ranges of $150–$500/hr depending on niche expertise and scope. marketerhire.com+2o8.agency+2

Monthly retainers. Common retainers land between $5,000–$15,000/mo, with a wider market range of $4,000–$20,000/mo for heavier, multi-channel leadership. useshiny.com+3KEO Marketing -+3fractionalcmopartners.com+3

Project / sprint pricing. Fixed-scope initiatives (e.g., go-to-market, 45-day sprint) often package between $10,000–$50,000+, while “one-day-a-week” models commonly quote $5,000–$10,000/mo. digital-hunch.com+1

Annualized perspective. Many sources frame fractional leadership as roughly 30–50% of a full-time CMO and cite full-time US CMO cash comp commonly in the $250k–$350k range (before equity/bonuses/benefits). o-cmo.com+1

How to place your budget: If you need lightweight strategic leadership with a focused channel push (single location), expect $5k–$8k/mo. For multi-channel leadership (SEO + GBP/LSA + PPC + YouTube) and vendor orchestration, plan $8k–$15k/mo. Complex, multi-location or turnaround scenarios often scope $12k–$20k+/mo or a defined sprint/project.

What moves the price: locations/markets, channel breadth, in-house capacity, data/attribution maturity, and whether performance incentives (e.g., % of Net New Booked Revenue) are layered on.

Note: Our shop’s baseline rate is $350/hr; most clients choose a monthly block that fits pace and team, with optional performance components once attribution is validated.