Where to Hire a Fractional Marketing Manager for Your Startup

Hiring a full-time marketing lead isn't always in the cards for early-stage startups. You need someone who's senior enough to shape the strategy, scrappy enough to wear multiple hats, and affordable enough to not blow your budget. That's where fractional CMO come in.

The concept of a "fractional CMO" has been around for a while, but it used to be more of a side hustle for ex-corporate execs-offering advice in exchange for equity. Fast forward to today, and the role has evolved big time. Now, fractional CMOs are typically more hands-on, less about equity deals, and more about actually getting stuff done (and getting paid). In fact, searches for the term really took off during COVID, when startups popped up everywhere and needed marketing help without committing to full-time hires.

Modern fractional marketers are often senior-level folks who've traded in big titles for flexibility-and who knows how to drive real growth. But the big question is: where do you find these people? Let's dig into some top platforms that connect startups with awesome fractional marketing talent.

What to Look for in a Fractional Marketing Hire

Before you start hunting, get clear on what you actually need. The ideal fractional marketer for a startup should:

• Know how to go from zero to one-launching products, building growth from scratch, and running go-to-market (GTM) plans
• Be skilled across multiple channels-paid social, paid search, ASO, SEO, email, CRO-you name it
• Have been in the startup trenches before and understands how chaotic and fast-moving things can get

What to Ask

Are you familiar with Agile Development? If you're running a startup, you want someone who doesn't just know marketing but also gets how dev teams work. They don't need to code, but knowing Agile or Lean Startup means they can work side-by-side with your product and engineering team to keep growth aligned with builds.

Can you set up conversion tracking? This one's non-negotiable. If they can't drop a Facebook pixel, configure events in Google Tag Manager, or navigate iOS ad tracking with Apple's SKAdNetwork, they'll probably struggle with anything beyond brand awareness. Bonus points if they've worked with Firebase for app installs.

How many campaigns have you managed in Meta? This is a bit of a trick question-but an important one. Google Ads is pretty straightforward, but Meta (Facebook/Instagram) is a different beast. Social ads require more finesse because you're not targeting based on search intent. So unless you're a travel startup leaning hard into SEM, prioritize candidates with strong paid social chops.

Top 5 Platforms to Find a Fractional CMO

1. Solace Solace helps startups and scaleups connect with experienced fractional execs in ops, finance, and marketing. It's built for companies that want senior leadership-without paying full-time salaries.

• Pros: High-quality, vetted talent; great for exec-level roles
• Cons: Smaller pool, higher rates
• Best for: Startups that need a serious CMO, even part-time

2. Get-To-Rev

If you're looking not just for a person, but for a fractional cmo with a marketing team for hire specialized in launching startups, then Get-To-Rev may be your best option.

• Strengths: Startup specialists, agile and collaborative, full-stack growth capabilities (ads, SEO, content, design, CRO)
• Drawbacks: May be overkill for one-off marketing tasks
• Best for: Early-stage and Series A startups that need fast growth, full-funnel strategy, and hands-on execution

1. Upwork The largest freelance platform out there, Upwork has thousands of marketers at every level. It's great for quick gigs and testing out different specialists.

• Pros: Tons of options, flexible pricing, fast onboarding
• Cons: You'll need to vet them yourself, and quality varies
• Best for: Short-term projects like audits, copywriting, or paid ad support

1. Toptal Toptal is where you go when you want top-tier talent without doing the vetting yourself. They're picky about who they let in, which means you're more likely to get someone who knows their stuff.

• Pros: Pre-screened experts, great support
• Cons: Pricier, not ideal if you're on a tight budget
• Best for: Funded startups that need someone to hit the ground running

1. FractionalJobs.io This is a job board and talent platform dedicated entirely to fractional and part-time executive roles. If you're looking for a flexible senior marketer without the recruiting hassle, it's worth checking out.

• Pros: Startup-friendly, targeted audience
• Cons: Smaller pool compared to the giants
• Best for: Finding part-time execs who've been there, done that

Comparison Table

Conclusion: Pick Based on Your Growth Stage

Each of these platforms has its sweet spot. If you just need someone to knock out a quick campaign or audit, Upwork works fine. If you want executive-level muscle, Solace or Toptal are solid bets. But if you're launching something and need marketing that moves fast, works across channels, and feels like part of your team-Get-To-Rev might be your best option.

They're more than a freelancer-they're a plug-and-play growth engine. You don't have to juggle contractors or worry about alignment. You get a team that's done this before, knows how to scale startups, and is priced to make sense for early-stage companies.

Got your pick? Good-now go find your marketing secret weapon.