Updated on 9 November 2026 by Nicolas Finet, CEO of Sortlist. This guide has been rewritten with 2026 UK price ranges for each platform: management fees, paid advertising costs and creator rates for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, plus what a community manager costs in-house. For the overall pricing models, read our companion guide to social media pricing.
The cost of social media depends heavily on the platform. LinkedIn advertising is far more expensive than Facebook; TikTok needs more video production than a text-led LinkedIn programme; an Instagram strategy can involve creator fees on top. This guide breaks the costs down by platform, so you can budget each channel separately.
Key takeaways
- UK management costs in 2026 run roughly £150-£800 a month for a freelancer, £400-£1,500 for a regional agency and £1,500 or more for a national agency; the platform mix and video volume drive the difference.
- Paid media is extra and varies by platform: UK Meta CPCs are reported at about £0.26-£2.00, while LinkedIn CPCs range from about £2.00 to £6.25.
- An in-house community manager earns about £36,000 a year on average in the UK (Indeed, October 2026), before employer costs and tools.
General social media management costs
How much does a social media manager cost?
UK guides for 2026 give roughly £25-£150 an hour for freelance social media managers, or about £500-£2,000 a month on a small retainer. The lower end tends to be generalists scheduling content; the upper end is specialists who handle strategy, video and paid campaigns. Rates rise with experience, specialism and London location.
How much should I pay a social media marketing agency?
| Provider | Typical monthly cost | Usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | £150-£800 | Scheduling, copy, basic reporting on one to three platforms |
| Regional agency | £400-£1,500 | Strategy, content calendar, community management, monthly report |
| National agency | £1,500+ | Original creative and video, paid social, a team |
Figures are indicative and come from UK provider guides published in 2026 (Bee Viral, WiseGuy XL).
What services can you expect?
Content creation
Planning, copywriting, design and video. Original photography and video are the largest cost drivers. Ask how many posts per week are included and how many are custom-made rather than templates.
Responding to customer queries
Community management means replying to comments and messages within agreed hours and escalating complaints. Out-of-hours coverage costs more.
Reporting
Monthly reports should link activity to goals: reach, engagement, traffic, leads and sales, with recommendations, not just charts.
Platform management
Setting up and optimising profiles, scheduling, monitoring trends, running paid campaigns and keeping up with each platform's features and rules.
How UK small businesses are using social media
With high costs elsewhere, many small businesses lean on social media for visibility. The practical result is that they split limited budgets across platforms. Choose the two or three platforms where your customers actually are, and do them well, rather than spreading thinly.
Cost of social media management by platform
| Platform | Management cost (UK, 2026 guides) | Paid media benchmark (UK) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usually within general retainers; video-heavy programmes cost more | Meta CPC about £0.26-£2.00 | Visual brands, B2C | |
| Usually within general retainers | Median CPC about £1.11; CPM about £8-£18 | Local businesses, communities, older audiences | |
| About £800-£2,000 for small-business organic content; £1,500-£5,000 for mid-market programmes | CPC about £2.00-£6.25; CPM about £20-£35 | B2B, recruitment, thought leadership | |
| TikTok | Agency retainers from about £2,000 to £15,000+ | Varies; creative cost is the main factor | Younger audiences, short video |
| YouTube | Production-driven; depends on video volume | Varies | Search-led video, tutorials |
Management is typically included in a general social retainer. The main variable is content: a feed of simple graphics is far cheaper than regular Reels, shoots and creators. Check current formats in our guide to Instagram formats. For paid, UK Meta advertising costs are reported at about £0.26-£2.00 per click and £3-£14 per thousand impressions, depending on placement, audience and creative. Influencer fees come on top: 2026 UK guides place nano creators at about £50-£250 per post, micro creators at £250-£1,000 and mid-tier creators at £1,000-£5,000. See how much Instagram influencers cost.
“LinkedIn is the most expensive paid social platform by a wide margin.”
Media Performance, Paid social advertising costs UK 2026
UK LinkedIn marketing agencies are reported at roughly £800-£2,000 a month for small businesses managing organic content or basic ads, £1,500-£5,000 for mid-market lead generation programmes and £10,000 or more for enterprise multi-market work. LinkedIn ads management on its own (without ad spend) is quoted at about £1,500-£4,000 a month. Average UK CPCs range from about £2.00 to £6.25 and CPMs from about £20 to £35 for most B2B campaigns, and UK cost per lead is typically in the region of £50-£150. LinkedIn pays off when a customer is worth a lot, so be clear on lifetime value before you invest. Executive and employee posting can add organic reach at low media cost.
Facebook is still strong for local businesses, groups and events. Management costs are usually part of a combined retainer. On the paid side, UK sources report a median cost per click of about £1.11 and CPMs of £8-£18, rising to £26 or more in the fourth quarter. Two practices from older guides have changed: do not buy "likes" (fake followers hurt reach and credibility), and "boosting" posts is a blunt tool compared with campaign-based targeting. Use Meta's campaign tools with a clear objective, audience and conversion tracking.
TikTok
TikTok needs a steady stream of short, native video. UK agencies are reported to charge retainers from about £2,000 for basic content creation and management to £15,000 or more for comprehensive campaigns that include paid media, influencers and TikTok Shop. TikTok Shop management specifically is reported at about £800 to £6,000+ a month, and sometimes 10-20% of attributed revenue. Creators can produce a lot of content for less than a studio, but the quality and brand safety need managing. Label paid partnerships as ads.
YouTube
YouTube management is mostly production: scripting, filming, editing, thumbnails and optimisation. Costs are driven by video volume and quality, so compare against video editing rates and read our guide to YouTube tags for what matters in discovery. A channel is a long-term asset: videos can keep earning views for years, so measure over months.
Influencer ad rates
Creator rates depend on follower count, engagement, content type and usage rights. A small number of well-matched micro-creators often outperform one famous name. Include usage rights, exclusivity and number of revisions in the contract, and require clear labelling of ads, as UK rules demand. See the influencer marketing guide.
Stop overpaying: how much does a community manager cost?
If you consider hiring in-house, UK salary data from Indeed in autumn 2026 shows an average of about £36,216 a year for a community manager, about £38,535 for a social media community manager and about £46,407 for a senior community manager. Add employer National Insurance, pension, tools, training and equipment. In-house suits businesses that need daily responsiveness and deep product knowledge; outsourcing suits those that need a range of skills for a flexible monthly cost.
How to keep costs under control
- Pick fewer platforms and do them properly.
- Batch content: shoot a month's video in a day.
- Reuse: adapt one idea across formats and channels.
- Set a clear scope: posts per week, response times, reporting.
- Separate the budgets: management, creative, paid media and creators.
- Review quarterly: stop activity that does not move your goals.
Frequently asked questions about social media management pricing
How much does social media management cost per platform?
Management is usually priced as a bundle, but costs vary by platform: LinkedIn programmes for small businesses start at about £800-£2,000 a month, and TikTok retainers often start at about £2,000 because of video production.
Which platform is the most expensive to advertise on?
LinkedIn, with UK CPCs of about £2.00-£6.25 and CPMs of £20-£35.
How much do Facebook ads cost in the UK?
Sources report a median cost per click of about £1.11 and CPMs of £8-£18, with wide variation by industry and season.
How much does a TikTok agency cost?
UK agencies are reported to charge from about £2,000 to £15,000 or more a month, depending on content volume and paid media.
What does a community manager earn in the UK?
About £36,000 a year on average, according to Indeed's October 2026 data.
Should I hire in-house or an agency?
In-house gives responsiveness and product knowledge; agencies give a team and flexibility. Compare total costs and the skills you need.
Want quotes for your platforms? Post your project on Sortlist and compare UK social media agencies for free.
Sources: Bee Viral, WiseGuy XL, Level Up Leads, LinkedIn agency cost, Media Performance, Aether, TikTok agency UK, Indeed, community manager salaries. Provider-published ranges are indicative.
