How long until this produces leads?
Impressions and profile views move first, as health indicators. Real conversations with the right people build over the first couple of months, and long-form compounds over quarters — month six is measurably better than month one.
The honest answer has two clocks in it — one fast, one slow — and knowing which one to watch keeps you sane.
The fast clock: weeks
Impressions, profile views, and inbound connection requests move within the first few weeks. These are health indicators: proof the presence is being seen by the right people. They are not the score, and treating them as the score is how owners end up chasing reach instead of revenue.
The slow clock: months
The number that defines success is real conversations with the right people, and those build over the first couple of months as recognition turns into trust. Long-form is slower still — it compounds over quarters, keeps ranking and keeps getting cited long after it publishes, and does its best work for buyers you will never see engage publicly.
What we promise
Month six is measurably better than month one, and the monthly review holds us to exactly that: reach read as health, conversations read as the score. If the trend isn't there, you're month to month — that pressure is on us, by design.
How much does Charcoal cost?
One monthly retainer: $3,000 per month for the whole system — currently a discounted rate, with no tiers and no setup fees. It covers the foundation month, 8–12 short-form posts, two long-form pieces prepared for three surfaces, the conversation playbook, and the monthly review. À la carte engagements are priced separately.
Related answerDo AI engines really cite this kind of content?
Yes — when it's worth citing. The strongest drivers of AI citations are being talked about and publishing fresh, well-structured content as a credible, identifiable expert. The engine earns those signals as a byproduct of genuine answers.