How to Ask for a Raise: What to Say, When to Ask & How Much

A strong raise conversation starts with one question:

What has changed since your compensation was last set?

Maybe your responsibilities have expanded.

Maybe you are consistently delivering more valuable work.

Maybe you now own projects, budgets, people or commercial outcomes that were not part of the original role.

Or perhaps your salary has simply fallen out of line with the relevant market for the work you are doing.

Those are stronger foundations for a raise conversation than “I’ve been here for a year” or “I’d like to earn more.”

This guide covers how to build the case, raise the subject with your manager, make a clear request and respond if the answer is yes, not now or no.

For the broader framework covering both job offers and current-employer compensation, see How to Negotiate Your Marketing Salary.

When should you ask for a raise?

There is no single month, anniversary or performance-review date that automatically makes it the right time.

A raise conversation becomes more defensible when something meaningful has changed.

That might include:

• your responsibilities have materially expanded;
• you now own work previously handled at a higher level;
• you have delivered sustained measurable results;
• your team, budget or decision-making responsibility has grown;
• your specialist skills have become more important to the role;
• your compensation appears materially misaligned with the current market for comparable work;
• your employer has opened a natural compensation or performance-review window.

The important word is sustained.

One successful week or one strong campaign does not necessarily mean the role has fundamentally changed.

Look for a pattern you can explain.

Are you asking for a raise or a promotion?

Before building the case, decide what conversation you are actually having.

It is primarily a raise conversation when:

• you remain at roughly the same level;
• your compensation is misaligned with your current responsibilities;
• your contribution has grown significantly;
• relevant market pay has moved away from your salary;
• your role has expanded without becoming a fundamentally different level of job.

It may really be a promotion conversation when:

• you are already operating at the next level;
• you now manage people who were previously peers;
• you own substantially broader strategic decisions;
• you have taken responsibility for a function, market or major budget;
• the appropriate title, level and compensation all appear to need changing.

If the real issue is progression into a higher-level role, use SalaryGuide’s guide to how to get promoted.

You can discuss compensation alongside a promotion, but do not disguise a promotion request as a normal annual raise.

Build your case before asking

Your manager needs enough evidence to understand why compensation should change.

Build the case around three things:

1. what has changed in your role;
2. what results you have delivered;
3. how your current compensation compares with the relevant market.

1. Show how your responsibilities have changed

Start with scope.

Compare the job you were originally hired to do with the role you perform now.

Ask:

• Have I taken ownership of additional channels or projects?
• Do I now make decisions I previously escalated?
• Am I responsible for a larger budget?
• Do I manage or mentor other people?
• Am I accountable for more important commercial outcomes?
• Have I taken on responsibilities that previously belonged to a more senior colleague?

Be specific.

Instead of:

“I’ve taken on a lot more.”

use:

“Since my last salary review, I’ve taken ownership of lifecycle marketing, the quarterly campaign plan and agency management.”

That gives the manager something concrete to evaluate.

2. Gather evidence of your impact

Your job description describes what you are supposed to do.

Your raise case should show what actually happened because you did it well.

For marketers, useful evidence might include:

• revenue or qualified pipeline;
• improved ROAS;
• lower CAC or CPL;
• conversion improvements;
• retention improvements;
• successful product launches;
• organic growth tied to leads or revenue;
• reduced wasted spend;
• better attribution or reporting;
• faster campaign execution;
• team development;
• process improvements;
• cost or time savings.

You do not need twenty examples.

Choose two or three results that are:

material → relevant → defensible.

For example:

“I rebuilt our paid-search structure and reduced acquisition cost while maintaining lead volume.”

is more useful than:

“I’ve worked extremely hard on Google Ads.”

Keep an ongoing record of your wins

Do not rely on memory when compensation reviews come around.

Keep a simple document containing:

• important projects;
• measurable results;
• expanded responsibilities;
• positive performance feedback;
• significant problems you solved;
• new skills or capabilities you introduced.

This is useful throughout your career, not only when asking for a raise.

3. Check whether your salary still aligns with the market

Market evidence can strengthen the conversation, particularly if your compensation was set some time ago or your responsibilities have changed.

SalaryGuide’s marketing salary data can provide a useful reference point.

Compare against the closest available match for:

• role;
• seniority;
• location;
• responsibilities;
• specialist discipline.

Do not compare yourself with an unrelated job simply because it has a similar title.

For a deeper explanation of selecting appropriate salary comparisons, see Salary Benchmarking.

Market evidence should support the case.

It should not replace the evidence of what you actually contribute internally.

What should your raise case look like?

Before the conversation, you should be able to summarize it in a small table like this:

You do not necessarily need to show this table to your manager.

Its purpose is to make sure your argument is based on evidence rather than emotion.

How much of a raise should you ask for?

There is no universally correct percentage.

Do not automatically ask for 10%, 15% or 20% because another article tells you that is normal.

Instead ask:

What salary would appropriately reflect the role I am actually performing?

Your answer may depend on:

• relevant market benchmarks;
• current role level;
• scope;
• responsibilities;
• internal compensation structure;
• how far your salary has drifted from the appropriate market.

If you have strong evidence for a particular salary or range, you can make a specific request.

For example:

“Based on the scope I’m now covering and the market for comparable roles, I’d like to discuss moving my salary to [Target salary].”

A specific number gives the manager something concrete to evaluate.

But the number should come from the case, not from an arbitrary uplift on your current salary.

How to request the raise conversation

Do not drop the request casually into an unrelated meeting if you can avoid it.

Give the conversation proper space.

A short message is enough:

“Hi [Manager], I’d like to schedule some time to discuss how my role has developed, my recent contributions and my compensation. Could we find 30 minutes this week or next?”

That tells your manager what the conversation is about without sending your entire case in advance.

There is no need for a dramatic subject line or an elaborate email.

How to ask for a raise in the meeting

Keep the conversation simple.

A useful structure is:

what changed → evidence → compensation alignment → clear ask → pause

For example:

“Over the last year, my role has expanded quite a bit. I’ve taken ownership of [Responsibility], and I’ve delivered [Relevant result]. I’ve also looked at the market for roles with this scope, and my current compensation appears below that level. I’d like to discuss moving my salary to [Target salary].”

Then stop.

Let your manager respond.

You do not need to follow the ask immediately with:

“But obviously I understand if you can’t…”

or:

“I don’t know if that’s too much…”

Give them room to evaluate what you said.

If you want additional spoken wording for different compensation conversations, see Salary Negotiation Scripts.

Another example: responsibilities have grown

If the case is primarily about role expansion:

“When my salary was last set, I was responsible for [Previous scope]. I now also own [New scope], including [Important responsibility]. I’d like to review my compensation so it reflects the role I’m actually performing today.”

This is particularly useful when the strongest argument is not one spectacular result but a sustained increase in responsibility.

What if your manager says yes?

Great.

Now make sure you understand what “yes” means.

Confirm:

• the new salary;
• when it takes effect;
• whether any further approval is required;
• whether anything else about the role or level is changing.

If the adjustment needs HR or senior approval, ask what happens next and when you should expect confirmation.

Once approved, get the important details documented.

You might follow up with:

“Thanks again for discussing this today. Just to confirm, we agreed a salary of [New salary] effective from [Date]. Please let me know if you need anything else from me while the change is processed.”

Keep it simple.

What if they say, “There’s no budget right now”?

Do not immediately treat that as either a rejection or a negotiation tactic.

Clarify what it actually means.

Ask:

“Understood. Is the constraint specifically the current budget cycle, or is there another reason the adjustment can’t be made?”

If it is genuinely timing:

“When would compensation next be reviewed? Could we agree a date to revisit this?”

The useful outcome is specificity.

Not now is different from not at this level.

What if they say, “Let’s revisit it later”?

Turn “later” into something you can act on.

Ask:

“That makes sense. Could we agree when we’ll revisit it and whether there’s anything specific you’d need to see from me before then?”

Ideally, leave with:

• a review point;
• any required outcomes;
• clarity about who will make the decision.

A vague promise such as “we’ll look at it sometime” is much less useful than a defined next step.

What if they say your performance needs to improve first?

Ask for specific expectations.

For example:

“Thanks for being clear. What specific results or responsibilities would you need to see for my compensation to be reconsidered?”

If possible, turn the answer into measurable outcomes.

Examples:

• own a particular project successfully;
• hit agreed commercial targets;
• demonstrate sustained responsibility at the expected level;
• develop a required skill;
• improve a specific performance area.

Then ask when progress will be reviewed.

This turns a rejection into something you can evaluate rather than leaving you with vague feedback.

What if your manager doesn’t have authority to approve the raise?

That is common enough to plan for.

Ask:

“What does the approval process look like from here, and is there anything else you need from me to make the case?”

Your manager may need approval from:

• HR;
• finance;
• a department leader;
• a compensation committee;
• another senior decision-maker.

The useful information is:

who decides → what they need → when they decide.

What if the company has a salary freeze?

A genuine salary freeze may mean the immediate answer is no regardless of the quality of your case.

You can still establish:

• whether the role itself is correctly leveled;
• whether the adjustment can be reviewed when the freeze ends;
• what date or trigger would reopen the discussion;
• whether your manager agrees that compensation is currently misaligned.

Do not accept vague future promises as equivalent to an actual raise.

If a future review matters, clarify what will trigger it.

What if the answer is simply no?

Find out why before deciding what the result means.

Ask:

“Could you help me understand what’s preventing the adjustment?”

The answer may indicate:

Not yet

Your manager agrees there may be a case, but:

• timing is wrong;
• specific evidence is missing;
• approval is pending;
• performance expectations have not yet been met.

That can potentially be turned into a plan.

Not at this level

The compensation may already be at or near the limit for the current role.

If your responsibilities have genuinely moved beyond that level, the conversation may need to become one about progression.

Use How to Get Promoted if the issue is really about moving into a higher-level role.

Not realistically available

The company may simply be unwilling or unable to align the role and compensation in a way that works for you.

That does not mean you need to resign immediately.

But it is useful information about your likely progression under the current circumstances.

Three tricky raise scenarios

What if you have a new manager?

A new manager may not yet know the history behind your role, so make the case easy to verify.

Focus on documented responsibilities, results, previous feedback and the current scope of the job. Avoid assuming the new manager already understands what changed before they arrived.

“I know you’re still getting context on the team, so I’ve pulled together the main changes in my role, the results behind them and the market context. I’d like to discuss whether my compensation still reflects the job I’m doing today.”

What if you know a coworker earns more?

Treat coworker pay as a reason to understand your own compensation, not as the whole argument.

There may be differences in scope, experience, timing, location or hiring market. Build your request around your role, evidence and relevant market position. If you believe there is an unexplained pay difference, ask how your compensation was determined rather than leading with another person’s private salary.

What if you have a competing offer?

Only mention another offer if it is real and you are prepared for the consequences.

A competing offer can change the employer’s options, but it should not be used as a bluff. If you would genuinely consider leaving, explain the situation calmly and give your employer a chance to respond without turning the conversation into a threat.

What if the role has grown into a Marketing Manager position?

If your case is specifically tied to Marketing Manager scope, such as substantial channel ownership, people management, strategic planning or marketing-budget responsibility, use the specialist guide to asking for a raise as a Marketing Manager.

That resource can go deeper into the marketing-management evidence that would be unnecessary on this general raise page.

Should you negotiate something else if salary cannot move?

Possibly, but only if the alternative genuinely matters to you.

Depending on the role and employer, another meaningful term might include:

• bonus;
• professional-development support;
• working arrangement;
• PTO;
• title or level;
• another relevant compensation component.

But do not let a small perk distract from the actual problem.

If your core concern is that base salary is materially misaligned with the role, an unrelated benefit does not automatically solve that.

What should you do after the conversation?

Whatever the answer, make sure you know what happens next.

If yes

Confirm the amount, effective date and approval process.

If not now

Confirm what needs to happen and when the discussion will resume.

If further approval is required

Confirm who owns the next step and the expected process.

If performance needs to change

Agree measurable expectations and a review point.

If no

Understand whether the issue is:

• timing;
• evidence;
• level;
• budget;
• company policy;
• long-term progression.

That distinction tells you far more than the word “no” on its own.

Raise conversation checklist

Before the meeting:

Why now?

• What has changed since my salary was last set?
• Is my role materially broader?
• Has my contribution increased?
• Is compensation out of line with the relevant market?

Evidence

• What are my strongest two or three results?
• Can I quantify them where appropriate?
• What new responsibilities have I taken on?
• Do I have useful performance feedback or other evidence?

Compensation

• What does the relevant market suggest?
• Am I comparing the correct level and role scope?
• What salary or range can I defend?

Conversation

• Have I scheduled proper time with my manager?
• Can I explain the case concisely?
• Can I make a clear ask?
• Am I prepared to pause and listen after making it?

Response

• If they say yes, what needs documenting?
• If they say not now, when will it be revisited?
• If they say I need to demonstrate more, what specifically?
• If my manager lacks authority, who decides?
• If they say no, do I understand why?

A good raise conversation should create clarity.

Ideally, that means an approved salary adjustment.

But even when it does not, you should leave knowing what the constraint is, what needs to change and whether the compensation and progression available in the role still make sense for you.