How to Ask for a Raise: 7 Tips from Marketing Leaders in Canada
Terry O’Reilly on stage at SocialPacific 2025 - Photo by Neil Zeller
Written by: Darian Kovacs, Founder of Jelly Digital Marketing
Breaking into the marketing world can feel both exciting and daunting, especially when it comes to pay. Many entry-level roles offer modest salaries that may not reflect the time, creativity, and skill needed to succeed in the field. This has led to a perception that marketing jobs are “underpaid.” But while early paycheques can be lean, the reality is that compensation in marketing has no ceiling. As professionals gain experience, build strong portfolios, and demonstrate their impact, salaries and opportunities can grow significantly.
Marketing is at the heart of every successful business; it drives brand recognition, customer engagement, and ultimately, revenue. If you’re helping an organization expand its reach and achieve its goals, your contributions carry measurable value. Yet, even proven talent can go unnoticed without self-advocacy. That’s where knowing how to ask for a raise becomes essential.
To help you navigate these conversations, I’ve gathered insights from top marketing leaders across Canada.
1. Terry O'Reilly,
Co-Founder of The Apostrophe Podcast Company
“The 21st century has been one knockout punch after another for companies. 9/11, SARS, the great recession, Covid, tariffs, I could go on. Sometimes, when the economy isn’t great, it’s hard for companies to give good people a big pay raise. Here’s a tip. Ask for smaller, meaningful things instead. Like, pay my cell bill, or pay for my parking (because I’ll be working long hours for you), or pay for my transit pass, or pay for a pass to a film festival, or send me to an interesting conference in another country and I’ll brief the company on what I learn. Those kinds of things are easy for most companies, whereas big, fat raises sometimes aren’t.”
2. Jared Harman, CEO and Co-Founder of The One Group Agency
“When someone is looking for an increase in pay, the key question is always going to be “why do they want the raise” and “why do they believe they deserve the raise”. I completely expect people will always want to maximize their earnings, and living in Vancouver, the need to do so is higher than most so I understand the request, but it must make sense for the business as much as it does for the person. What have they achieved, how have they grown, and what additional responsibilities are they looking to take on with their new salary. Come prepared with examples and reasons why it will help the business, what they can do to help everyone win, and why they deserve it.”
3. Cher Lee, Senior Vice President at Citizen Relations
“Like any other negotiation, go into a salary conversation armed with data. Aside from market rates for the role, prepare specific evidence of your value against the job competencies and achievements related to development goals. And don't be shy to request clear feedback on what it would take to get that increase.”
4. Stephen Shedletzky, Author of Speak-Up Culture
“Consider putting in at least SOME of the work. While many of us wish we were 24 year-old unicorn baseball prospects who could pick up 8-year contracts worth $50 million USD (see: Ceddanne Rafaela), marketing leaders are playing a bit of a different game. Decision makers appreciate a bit more data than potential alone. What are your strengths? What does the organization and market need? Marry the two. Demonstrate value. Ask for a raise with that data in hand, if the raise doesn’t arrive to you first.”
5. Warren Thompson, Co-Founder of Ollo Metrics
“In my experience, asking for a raise is not about a single moment or conversation. I think it has much more to do with how you consistently show up every day. Employers notice when someone is proactive about developing themselves, supporting the growth of others, and helping the company move forward. The strongest case for a raise is not just asking for more, but showing that you are already worth more. That usually means going beyond the boundaries of your role and finding new ways to create value for the business. I also think it is important for employees to understand how their work directly affects the company’s profitability. If you can make that connection clear, the conversation with your manager shifts from being about an expense to being about an investment. In my experience, business owners are much more willing to invest in people who create a bright future for the company and who help them buy back their time so they can focus on growth.
If you show up with that mindset every day, asking for a raise becomes a natural next step instead of a difficult negotiation.”
6. Mitch Joel, Founder of Six Pixels Group and Co-Founder of ThinkersOne
"I’ve always come at this from a slightly different angle. Whether I was working for minimum wage at retail, being a freelance journalist or working for equity. In short: You shouldn’t have to ask for a raise. You should be the kind of person they can’t not give one to. That doesn’t happen by waiting quietly for your annual review or building a spreadsheet of your accomplishments. It happens by showing up early… by being helpful before being asked… by making yourself indispensable to the people around you. Be additive. Be the one who sees the thing that needs doing and just does it. Understand the culture, the rhythm, the brand you represent... not just the logo, but the story your behavior tells. Your job isn’t just your tasks; it’s how you make everyone’s job easier, clearer and better. The best raises aren’t negotiated, they’re inevitable, because you’ve already made the decision for the decision makers easy."
7. Deanna Wampler, Senior Manager, Digital Content and Social Media Strategy at Indigenous Tourism BC
“Come in prepared and understand your market value. This is essentially your relative worth in your current role and industry. Calculating this helps bring clarity on what you are currently making, vs what other people with the same experience and role as you are making. There are many tools out there you can use, for example, Glassdoor or Payscale. Once you've evaluated your market value, assess the unique skills you bring to your position, and reflect on past impact and contributions that these unique skills have helped you achieve. You can then use these combined as a powerful piece of discussion with your boss.”
Whether you’re preparing for your first salary discussion or looking to level up after years in the industry, their advice offers practical, field-tested strategies. If you’ve proven your worth but aren’t being compensated fairly, these seven tips will give you the tools to make your case with confidence.
About the author: Darian is a Métis entrepreneur and the founder of Jelly Digital Marketing & PR, a Vancouver-based agency specializing in PR, digital advertising, and SEO, as well as its sister company, Jelly Academy, a leading digital marketing school. He hosts the Métis Speaker Series podcast, frequently leads workshops, and serves on the boards of the Digital Marketing Sector Council and NPower Canada.
