Founder's Guide · Last updated: September 23, 2026
How much does it cost to hire an agency to market an equity crowdfunding round?
Equity crowdfunding marketing agencies commonly price work through a monthly retainer, a fixed campaign fee, an ad-spend management percentage, or a hybrid retainer with a performance component. Across the market, founders commonly encounter broad total engagement ranges from $10,000 to $30,000 for lean scopes, $30,000 to $100,000 for standard campaigns, and $100,000 to $250,000 or more for full-funnel work.
The quoted fee and the paid media budget are usually separate. The fee covers the team and deliverables; the media budget pays advertising platforms for distribution.
The final number is set by campaign length, creative production, channel count, audience readiness, media-management scope, and the work required before launch and after close. Every range on this page describes broad industry norms, not a Pre-IPO Hype rate card or quote.
How equity crowdfunding marketing agencies price their work
Most proposals use one of four structures. The structure determines what stays fixed, what can change, and which costs sit outside the agency fee.
1. Monthly retainer
A recurring fee for strategy, campaign management, reporting, and ongoing optimization, commonly used for multi-month raises that need continuous execution.
2. Fixed-scope campaign or sprint fee
A set project fee for defined deliverables and a defined timeline, commonly used for pre-launch preparation, a launch sprint, or a specific creative package.
3. Ad-spend management percentage
A management fee calculated from the paid media budget, commonly used when the agency plans, launches, and optimizes advertising across one or more channels.
4. Hybrid retainer plus performance component
A base fee combined with a variable component tied to agreed campaign activity, commonly used when both sides want predictable operating coverage and shared incentives.
Pricing structure by engagement model
These broad market ranges show how founders commonly encounter each structure. They are not prices from a named agency, and they are not quotes from Pre-IPO Hype.
| Engagement model | What it typically covers | How the range is set | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | Strategy, campaign management, reporting, optimization, email coordination, and recurring creative direction | A full engagement typically lands between $30,000 and $100,000, with the monthly fee set by team involvement, campaign length, and deliverable volume. | Multi-month Reg CF or Reg A+ campaigns that need steady management |
| Fixed-scope campaign or sprint fee | A defined launch plan, landing-page work, campaign messaging, email sequences, or a limited creative package | Focused scopes are commonly quoted in the range of $10,000 to $30,000; broader fixed campaigns can move into the $30,000 to $100,000 range. | Founders with a clear brief, fixed deliverables, and a bounded timeline |
| Ad-spend management percentage | Media planning, campaign setup, audience testing, optimization, reporting, and coordination with campaign creative | The management fee moves with the media budget and sits apart from ad spend; the combined campaign scope commonly falls within the broad $30,000 to $100,000 market band. | Campaigns where paid acquisition is a major workstream and media volume may change |
| Hybrid retainer plus performance component | Core campaign management under a base fee, plus a separately defined variable component | The base and variable terms are negotiated together; total large-scale scopes are commonly quoted from $100,000 to $250,000 or more across the market. | Longer or more complex campaigns with clearly documented responsibilities and terms |
What moves the number up or down
Scope, not a single rate, determines the total. Each cost driver below changes the amount of production, management, or campaign time required.
- Raise target size changes the audience volume, campaign duration, and management capacity required.
- Campaign length moves cost up or down because a longer live round requires more reporting, creative refreshes, and optimization cycles.
- Including paid media expands the scope beyond strategy and creative into media planning, buying, monitoring, and reporting.
- A video-heavy creative plan costs more to produce than a campaign built primarily from static graphics and existing footage.
- A testing-the-waters phase before the live round adds a separate audience-building and message-testing workstream.
- Using more platforms and channels increases setup, coordination, creative variation, and reporting work.
- A large existing audience can reduce the amount of cold acquisition needed, while a small audience usually requires more list building.
- Investor updates and post-close communication add deliverables beyond the live campaign itself.
What's included at each level of scope
A higher scope should buy more defined work, not a promised fundraising result. These tiers describe the deliverables founders commonly see at each broad market level.
Lean scope
Common industry range: $10,000 to $30,000
Campaign positioning, a focused launch plan, basic landing-page or portal-page support, a limited set of static creative, and core email copy.
Standard scope
Common industry range: $30,000 to $100,000
Pre-launch audience building, campaign strategy, landing pages, email and SMS sequences, recurring creative, paid media management, reporting, and optimization.
Full-funnel scope
Common industry range: $100,000 to $250,000+
Multi-channel acquisition, video and static creative production, segmented nurture, retargeting, CRM coordination, frequent testing, investor updates, and post-close communication support.
Typical engagement length and when to start
Agency work commonly begins four to eight weeks before launch and continues through the live raise. The useful start date is the point when the campaign has enough time to build an audience, produce approved creative, configure tracking, and coordinate the opening.
Four to eight weeks before launch
Position the campaign, build opt-in pages, prepare email and SMS sequences, produce creative, configure measurement, and begin audience development before the portal listing opens.
Opening weeks
Coordinate the portal listing with owned outreach, launch approved paid campaigns, monitor lead quality, and adjust messages using early response data.
Middle and final weeks
Refresh creative, follow up with engaged leads, retarget visitors, report campaign activity, and maintain investor communication without promising an outcome.
After close
Post-close work may include final reporting, asset transfer, CRM cleanup, and investor update support when those deliverables are included in the agreement.
Questions to ask before signing
A useful proposal makes the fee, media budget, deliverables, ownership, and approval process easy to separate. Ask for direct answers to each question before comparing totals.
- Is the paid media budget included in the quoted total, or is it funded separately?
- Which deliverables are included, how many revisions are covered, and who owns the finished assets?
- What work happens before launch, during the live raise, and after the campaign closes?
- Which channels will the agency manage, and which channels remain the founder's responsibility?
- How are compliance review, portal coordination, and approval delays handled in the schedule?
- What reporting will be delivered, how often will it arrive, and which metrics will it contain?
- What can change the fee after signing, and how must additional scope be approved?
- How can either side end the engagement, and what work or data is transferred at that point?
Where Pre-IPO Hype fits
Pre-IPO Hype is a Detroit-based marketing agency operating since 2018. The company does not publish a rate card because each quote is scoped to the raise, timeline, platform, media plan, and required deliverables.
Pre-IPO Hype does not guarantee a fundraising result. A scoped proposal defines the work to be delivered and keeps the agency fee separate from any paid media budget.
Get a scoped quoteFrequently asked questions
Pre-IPO Hype is a marketing agency and is not a broker-dealer, funding portal, or investment adviser. It does not offer, sell, or recommend securities and provides no investment advice. Figures on this page are general market ranges, not offers or quotes. This page is not financial or legal advice.