Rates, 2026
What should a paid media freelancer charge in New York or LA?
About $900 a day for a paid media freelancer who is working and booked in New York or Los Angeles. $700 in the first years, $1,100 when senior.
Other markets: a major city · remote · a smaller market
First years
$700
a day · $90 an hour
Working, booked
$900
a day · $125 an hour
Senior, sought after
$1,100
a day · $150 an hour
The rate card, working level
- Day rate$900 per day
- Hourlyfor anything that does not fit a day$125 per hour
- Monthly retainer$5,250 per month
- Commission on ad spend managed13%
Sold a monthly retainer, a percentage, by the day. The month is the unit; one-off work is priced as a project.
What to charge for each thing
Ranges for New York or Los Angeles: the low end is the first years, the high end is senior. Working and booked sits in the middle.
- Monthly ads management$2,500 to $8,000 per month
- Percentage of ad spend (over $20k a month)10 to 15% of spend
- Account audit$800 to $2,500 per audit
- Campaign setup and launch$1,500 to $4,000 per campaign
- Landing page and funnel build$2,000 to $6,000 per project
How the number is made
Paid media or growth freelancers at this level day at about $900 ($600 to $1,200 in New York and LA). Put in the year you actually want on the perfect price page and the number moves with it.
A retainer is the month, not the hours: a set scope, paid up front on the 1st. It is priced about 20% under the same work bought one at a time, in exchange for the certainty; three months minimum, or it is not a retainer.
10 to 15% of ad spend managed is the norm. It only makes sense when the money is real: under about $3,000 a month in fees a flat retainer pays you better and the client can budget it.
Questions
- What is a fair day rate for a paid media freelancer in New York or LA?
- About $900 a day for someone working and booked, $700 in the first years, $1,100 when senior and sought after. Half days usually run 60% of the day.
- What does a monthly retainer look like for a paid media freelancer?
- Around $5,250 a month. About 20% under the same work bought one piece at a time, in exchange for certainty; three months minimum.
- Are these rates a rule?
- No. They are US 2026 ranges for the role, placed by level and moved for the market. What a client actually paid you beats all of it. The tool has a box for that, and it wins.
Your number, in five seconds.
Pick your level and market, get a card you can send the next client who asks. Then RostrLab quotes, papers, invoices and chases every job with it: free for 14 days, $29 a month, never a cut.
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