- Is there a contract?
- Month-to-month. Cancel anytime with 30 days' notice. Paused clients keep their portal access for 60 days after the last send.
- Can I change tiers?
- Yes — up or down, first of each month. We'll pro-rate the change. Most clients start on Starter or Retainer and move up once the program is humming.
- Can I pause the retainer?
- Yes, once per year, up to 60 days. Your list stays warm (we send nothing, but we don't lose the cadence). Common during seasonal slowdowns or founder travel.
- What's NOT included?
- Non-email asset design (landing pages, social graphics), list purchases, paid media management, and SMS compliance in regulated verticals (healthcare, finance, political). We'll point you to partners for those.
- Do you offer a trial or pilot?
- Two-week pilot with every kickoff. If it's not fitting by end of week two, we refund the first month in full. No interrogation, no exit interview.
- What does month one look like?
- Week 1: onboarding brief + voice calibration. Week 2: first draft, your approval. Week 3: first send. Week 4: first report. From week 5 onward, it's on the cycle — you mostly forget it's happening.
- What if I send you a finished design?
- We'll run it — QA, email-client code, subject line, segmentation, send. How it counts depends on the slot: if it goes out in your regular newsletter slot, it's that week's newsletter (no extra charge). If it runs on top of the newsletter, it counts as a campaign. Heads up: our value is writing and designing for you — bring-your-own should be the exception, not the rhythm. If it becomes routine, you're overpaying and we'll suggest a scope change.
- What counts as an audience?
- An audience = a distinct brand, voice, or list that needs its own calendar and reporting. If you run a café + a catering arm + a wholesale line, that's 3 audiences. Splitting one list into new / active / dormant is NOT a separate audience — that's segmentation, and it's included in every tier. Same brand in English + Spanish is one audience (we localize). Two different brands is two audiences.
- What happens if my list grows past the cap?
- We flag it before the next cycle — you either upgrade to the next tier or approve the overage rate for that month. Billed in advance like everything else. We never send and surprise-bill you later; nothing goes out without your go-ahead. Most clients just upgrade when they cross the line — it's cleaner.
- SMS vs MMS — what's the difference and how are they counted?
- SMS is plain text (160 characters). MMS includes images, GIFs, or video — richer, but costs carriers about 3× more per send. Your tier's SMS cap covers SMS 1-for-1. If you send an MMS, it counts as 3 credits against the same cap. So 1,500 SMS on Retainer = 1,500 text messages, OR 500 MMS, OR any mix. We'll tell you which format serves a given campaign and flag it before we send.