retainer
/rɪˈteɪnɚ/
A recurring fee paid to an agency for ongoing access to its services or a defined amount of work each period.
Definition
A retainer is a regular payment, usually monthly, that secures an agency's time and attention. It may cover a set number of hours, a list of recurring deliverables, or general availability for advice. Retainers give agencies predictable income and let them plan staffing, and give clients continuity and faster response. The key is clarity: what is included, how unused time is handled, how to add extra work, and how either side can exit. They suit ongoing needs such as content, social media or optimization more than one-off projects.
In a sentence
The retainer covered eight blog posts and monthly reporting each month.
Unused hours did not roll over under the retainer terms.
Common mix-up
The word also means a payment to hold a professional's services, for example by a lawyer, which works similarly.
