Retainer vs Revenue Share: How to Pay a Klaviyo Agency

The three models

	Monthly retainer	Revenue share	Fixed rate
What you pay	A set fee every month	A percentage of email revenue	A set fee, usually tied to a clear scope
If results are poor	You still pay the full fee	The fee drops with revenue	You still pay the full fee
If results are great	Fee stays the same	Fee rises with revenue	Fee stays the same
Predictability	High	Varies month to month	High
Who carries the risk	Mostly you	Shared	Mostly you
Good fit for	Large brands with in-house oversight	Growing brands that want aligned incentives	Brands that want a predictable bill

Monthly retainer

Most email agencies charge a retainer. You pay the same amount whether email revenue goes up, down or nowhere.

Upside: easy to budget, and you know exactly what you pay.
Downside: the agency gets paid either way, so you carry the risk. You need to manage them closely to make sure the work moves the number.

Revenue share

The agency takes a percentage of the revenue Klaviyo attributes to the emails they manage. At Betscaler that's usually 10–15%.

Upside: the agency only does well when your email channel does. Low risk if you're not sure email will pay off.
Downside: the bill moves each month, and if revenue grows a lot you pay more.

Fixed rate

A set monthly fee for an agreed scope. It's similar to a retainer, but tied to specific work.

Upside: predictable, and can work out cheaper than a percentage for larger stores.
Downside: less built-in alignment with results.

Questions to ask any agency before you sign

What revenue exactly do you charge on: campaigns, flows, or both?
Do you charge on flows that were already running before you started?
Where does the revenue number come from? (It should be your own Klaviyo dashboard.)
Is there a setup fee or a minimum monthly fee?
How long is the contract, and what's the notice period?
Who actually works on my account?

How Betscaler does it

We charge 10–15% of Klaviyo revenue on the emails we manage, with the scope agreed case by case. Some brands pay only on campaigns, others on campaigns and custom flows. Some brands can apply for a fixed rate. There's no retainer, and most brands pay no setup fee. See full pricing →

Common questions

Is revenue share cheaper than a retainer?

It depends on your revenue. For smaller and growing stores it is often cheaper and lower risk. For large stores, a fixed rate can work out cheaper.

What is a typical revenue share for a Klaviyo agency?

At Betscaler it is usually 10–15% of the Klaviyo-attributed revenue from the emails we manage. Rates vary between agencies, so always ask exactly what revenue the percentage applies to.

Can I switch from a retainer agency to revenue share?

Yes. We can audit your current Klaviyo setup first and show you what we would change before you decide.

Retainer vs Revenue Share