"Great candidate. But too expensive. Max $4,500."
By George Barnett Reid 👀 · September 15, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
"Great candidate. But too expensive. Max $4,500."
I get this one a lot.
And honestly, it's fair. $4,500 a month is a real cost.
But expensive is a comparison, not a number.
Expensive compared to what?
→ Compared to a salary, it looks like a lot
→ Compared to your agency retainer, it's usually less
→ And the agency version is part-time attention, split across other accounts
Most brands are comparing it to the wrong thing.
We're $2,600 to $6,000 a month, all in. Agencies charge the top of that range for a slice of somebody's week.
Same work.
One of them actually belongs to you.