Monthly cadence
Monthly performance brief
The standard recurring brief for client-services agencies. Headline metrics, what happened, what it means, what's next — branded for each client, sent on schedule.
- 25 min setup
- 6 sections
- 5 data sources
Founders Circle pre-launch — we clone this template for your first 5 clients.
Revenue
$184K
18.4%Traffic
42.1K
12.0%Leads
318
8.2%Conv. rate
4.2%
22%What worked this month
- +24%
Spring blend hero campaign · biggest converter this month
- +18%
Email A/B winner — subject 'Friday roast'
- −$16
Retargeting set scaled — CAC down to $42
Plan for May
- Launch
'Mother's Day' gift bundle landing page
- Test
2 new top-of-funnel creative concepts
- Ask
Increase budget on the top performer?
Best for
- Marketing & digital agencies
- SEO + content agencies
- Paid-media-focused agencies
- Any agency on a monthly retainer
Pulls from
- GA4
- Google Search Console
- HubSpot
- Meta Ads
- Google Ads
Sections
What’s inside.
Every section is editable. Reorder, remove, or duplicate them per client.
- 01
Headline metric strip (revenue, traffic, leads, conversions)
- 02
This month in summary
- 03
What worked + what didn't
- 04
Plan for next month
- 05
Open questions for the client
- 06
Hours used vs. retainer envelope
Why this template#
This is the default brief most agencies need first. If you're shipping recurring client reports today and don't have a strong opinion about format, start here.
It assumes a typical monthly retainer engagement: digital marketing, performance work, content programs, or any combination of those. The agency reports on what was done last month, why it matters, and what's planned for next.
What makes it work#
Three structural choices:
- Headline metrics above the narrative. Reviewers who skim see the most important numbers in 5 seconds. Reviewers who read get context below.
- "What didn't work" is a required section. Not optional. Every monthly brief surfaces at least one thing that underperformed, which builds credibility over time and avoids the "everything is great" pattern that kills trust on the third bad month.
- Hours used surfaces transparently. Clients on retainer want to see that the budget is being respected. Showing hours used vs. envelope (without making it the focal point) addresses this preemptively.
What you'll customize#
- Headline metrics: which 3-5 KPIs map to the engagement (varies by client)
- Tone of the narrative: more strategic for senior-buyer clients, more tactical for ops-buyer clients
- Section ordering: some clients want forward-looking ("plan for next month") above retrospective; others prefer retrospective first
The template is a starting point. Most agencies customize 2-3 sections to match their voice and ship in under 30 minutes.
Clone Monthly performance brief. Render in 18 minutes.
Founders Circle pre-launch — we clone the template, set up your first 5 clients, and run the first cycle alongside you. Capped at 25 agencies.