Marketing Consulting Pricing for Startups — AAJ
AAJ builds precision marketing systems for Seed–Series B startups. Every relationship begins with a low-risk diagnostic — transparent marketing consulting pricing, founder-led, with no long lock-in. These are founding rates, offered in exchange for a short case study while AAJ builds its public track record. They won't be the rates forever.
Where should you start? The Growth Audit — $600 founding / $1,200 standard (delivered in 7 days)
The lowest-risk way to work with AAJ. A fixed-scope teardown of your funnel, positioning, and channel mix that ends in the three highest-leverage fixes prioritized into a 30-day action plan.
- Funnel and conversion teardown — where prospects drop and why
- Positioning and messaging review against your closest competitors
- Channel and spend-efficiency check — what to stop, start, scale
- Top 3 prioritized fixes in a 30-day action plan
- 60-minute walkthrough call to pressure-test it together
The audit fee is credited in full toward any sprint, the Full Diagnostic, or a retainer started within 30 days. The founding rate covers the first three companies and closes 30 September.
What do the sprints cost? Three focused sprints — $3,500 each, 10 business days
AI Visibility Sprint — $3,500 (10 business days)
For teams who suspect AI search is deciding who gets considered, and can't tell where they stand. What runs: a full SEO/GEO/AEO audit, AI citation tracking across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews, and an agent-readiness audit scoring whether an AI agent acting for a buyer could actually evaluate and transact with you. What you get: a scored baseline for each, the gaps ranked by what they cost you, and a fix list in priority order. Citation tracking establishes a noise floor first, so later movement can be told apart from run-to-run variance.
100% of the sprint fee is credited toward any retainer started within 30 days.
Unit Economics & Retention Sprint — $3,500 (10 business days)
For teams who need to know whether the growth they're buying is worth what it costs. What runs: LTV, CAC, payback and contribution margin on your actual numbers; churn, NRR and GRR with the expansion picture; and a weighted pipeline forecast against your target. What you get: a verdict against healthy benchmarks rather than a dashboard — which numbers are fine, which are not, and what to fix first.
100% of the sprint fee is credited toward any retainer started within 30 days.
Positioning & Message Sprint — $3,500 (10 business days)
For teams whose product is good and whose explanation of it isn't landing. What runs: a positioning statement pressure-tested against the competitive alternative, homepage and core page copy rewritten to ladder to it, and a voice check across existing content. What you get: positioning with every claim defensible, rewritten copy, and do/don't voice rules the team and any AI tooling can follow.
100% of the sprint fee is credited toward any retainer started within 30 days.
The credit applies once per relationship and does not stack. One audit credits into one sprint, or one sprint credits into one retainer — not both in sequence.
What if all three questions are open? The Full Diagnostic — $4,500 (3 weeks)
The Full Diagnostic runs all three sprints in sequence and reconciles them into one plan, so visibility, unit economics and positioning are read against each other rather than in isolation. If only one of the three questions is actually open, buy that sprint instead — it is $3,500 and answers it in 10 business days.
See the Full Diagnostic — Get your free scan
What if you need more than a sprint? Larger engagements
GTM & Pipeline Launch — from $9,500 (4–8 weeks)
Take a product, offer, or campaign to market with the plan, the assets, and the metrics in place. Best for teams launching or relaunching something new.
- Go-to-market strategy and timeline
- Target segments, channel and budget plan
- Campaign and funnel architecture
- Launch assets, playbooks, and team briefs
- Launch oversight and post-launch optimization
See details — Get your free scan
MMM-Lite Project — $8,500 (6 weeks)
A working marketing-mix model plus an incrementality test, so you know which channels actually drive pipeline. Best for teams spending across three or more channels and guessing at attribution.
- Data audit and spend/outcome consolidation
- MMM-Lite model with channel contributions
- One incrementality test, end-to-end
- Reallocation recommendation with expected lift
- Re-measurement protocol for next quarter
See details — Get your free scan
Not sure which sprint?
Start with the Growth Audit — $1,200 in 7 days, credited in full toward whatever comes next — or get your free readiness scan and we will name the right starting point.
What do monthly retainers and fractional CMO support cost?
Three ways to keep AAJ in your corner month to month. All retainers have a three-month minimum and continue month-to-month after.
Advisory — $1,800 / month
A senior partner in your corner for the calls that matter. Best for teams that can execute but want trusted review and direction.
- 2 strategy calls / month
- Campaign and funnel review
- Prioritization guidance
- Email and Slack access
- Monthly summary with recommendations
Fractional Lite — $3,800 / month
Senior marketing leadership, part-time — guidance plus real involvement in the work. Best for startups that need more than advice but aren't ready for a full embed.
- Everything in Advisory, plus:
- Weekly working session
- Hands-on help on one priority workstream
- Campaign and content guidance
- Monthly planning and reporting
Embedded Growth Partner — from $6,500 / month
A senior growth lead inside your team — from $6,500/month, about $78,000 a year, against a fully loaded CMO commonly quoted above $250,000. Best for companies that need a marketing leader deeply involved in execution.
- Weekly strategy and working sessions
- Hands-on campaign and content leadership
- Team training and enablement
- Marketing ops and analytics oversight
- Quarterly planning and roadmapping
Embed AAJ — or read more about fractional marketing leadership.
How does an engagement start?
- You book a fit call. It's 30 minutes, no pitch deck — we establish what you're trying to decide and whether AAJ is the right help for it.
- Within two business days you get a written scope: what runs, what you receive, the dates, and the fee. Nothing starts until you approve it in writing.
- Fixed-scope work (Growth Audit, sprints) is invoiced in full before kickoff. Larger engagements are split 50% at kickoff and 50% on delivery. Retainers are invoiced monthly in advance.
- You provide read access to your analytics, ad and CRM accounts, one decision-maker as the point of contact, and a 48-hour turnaround on reviews.
- Work begins on the agreed start date and ends with a live walkthrough — findings, recommendations, and the next decision in front of you.
View all services — See case studies — Book a fit call — Contact AAJ
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does marketing consulting cost at AAJ?
AAJ engagements start at $1,200 for a fixed-scope Growth Audit. Sprints are $3,500 each — the AI Visibility Sprint, the Unit Economics & Retention Sprint, or the Positioning & Message Sprint, each delivered in 10 business days. Larger engagements run from $9,500 for the GTM & Pipeline Launch and $8,500 for the MMM-Lite Project. Monthly retainers range from $1,800 (Advisory) to $3,800 (Fractional Lite) and from $6,500 (Embedded Growth Partner).
Is there a low-risk way to try working with AAJ?
Yes. The Growth Audit is a fixed-scope, $1,200 engagement delivered in 7 days. It includes a funnel and conversion teardown, positioning and messaging review, channel and spend-efficiency check, the top three prioritized fixes in a 30-day action plan, and a 60-minute walkthrough call. The $1,200 is credited in full toward any Sprint, Launch, or retainer started within 30 days.
Do AAJ retainers require a long-term contract?
No. Retainers have a three-month minimum and then continue month to month.
How is AAJ different from hiring a full-time CMO?
AAJ provides senior marketing leadership on a fractional basis. An Embedded Growth Partner starts at $6,500 per month — about $78,000 a year, against a fully loaded full-time CMO commonly quoted above $250,000 per year. Treat the comparison as an order-of-magnitude read, not a benchmark.
Who does AAJ work with?
AAJ works with founder-led Seed to Series B startups across B2B SaaS, EdTech, wellness, and AI, providing senior marketing strategy without a full-time CMO hire.