HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a social media manager in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to social media managers. Here is how to keep control of your accounts, stay within the advertising rules and agree a clear monthly plan.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a social media manager in five steps

  1. Keep every account in the business's nameGive the social media manager access as a user or admin; never let them create the main account in their own name.
  2. Agree the monthly planPlatforms, posts per week, stories or reels, replies to messages, and the report.
  3. Approve a content calendarSee the month's posts before they go out, at least for the first months.
  4. Set the advertising rulesPromotions, giveaways and partner posts labelled properly; claims you can back up.
  5. Start with a short termThree months is common. Check the notice period before signing for longer.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses social media managers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is needed. Look at accounts they manage now, ask a client about them, and read the contract terms on access and notice.

Ask for two accounts they run today and the name of the business owner you can contact.

Honest posts and ad labels

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 a business must not mislead consumers with false or deceptive messages. The CMA's guidance adds that rewarded content, such as partner and gifted posts, must be clearly labelled as an ad.

Agree in writing how promotions and partner posts will be labelled, and check claims before they are posted. gov.uk →

Images and music they post

Photos, video clips and music are protected by copyright automatically, with no register to check. A social media manager who posts images found online, or music not cleared for business use, exposes your business to a claim.

Ask where every image and soundtrack comes from, and keep the stock licences. gov.uk →

Customer messages and data

Replying to direct messages and running competitions means handling personal data. A business processing personal data must pay the ICO data protection fee unless exempt.

Ask whether the social media manager is on the ICO register and how they handle customer details from messages and giveaways. gov.uk →

VAT

Social media management is standard-rated, so a registered social media manager adds 20% to the monthly fee and to content creation charged on top; ad spend is billed by each platform. Registration becomes compulsory once a social media manager has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the social media manager for the VAT number when the term is set and for VAT on the management fee alone. gov.uk →

“Will my social media accounts stay in my business's name?”

A good answer: Yes. The social media manager gets access as a user, you keep the owner login, and access is removed when the contract ends.

“How many posts, stories and replies are in the monthly fee?”

A good answer: Numbers per platform per week, response times for messages, and what counts as extra.

“Do you create the social media photos and videos, or use what I send?”

A good answer: A clear answer. Original content costs more than scheduling what you supply; stock images need licences.

“How do you label promotions, gifted posts and partnerships on social media?”

A good answer: With a clear ad label, following the CMA's guidance, and a check before anything goes out.

“Who approves social media posts before they go live?”

A good answer: A content calendar you sign off, at least at the start, and a quick route for urgent posts.

“What does the monthly social media report show?”

A good answer: Reach, engagement, follower change and enquiries, compared with last month, with a plan for the next one.

“What is the notice period for the social media contract?”

A good answer: In writing: often one month after an initial term. Ask what happens to scheduled posts and content when it ends.

Getting the quote right

  • Platforms covered and posts per week on each
  • Who actually attends to the accounts: the social media manager you hired, an employee, or a subcontracted content creator
  • Content creation included, or scheduling only
  • Community management: hours and response times for comments and messages
  • Paid social: whether ad management is included, with ad spend paid by you separately
  • Reporting frequency and what is measured
  • Minimum term, notice period
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the monthly management fee

Walk away if

  • Wants to create your business accounts in their own name
  • Offers to buy followers or likes
  • No portfolio of accounts they run now
  • Posts images found on search engines without licences
  • A long minimum term with no break clause
  • Unwilling to show posts before they go live
LOW
£100
TYPICAL
£450
HIGH
£1,500

What a social media manager costs: £100–£1,500 per month

Social media managers usually work on a monthly retainer set by platforms, posts and community management; ad spend is paid separately. Social Media Manager price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Social media managers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. AuditA look at your current channels, audience, competitors and what has worked before.
  2. PlanA monthly calendar of posts, themes and campaigns for your approval.
  3. Create and schedulePosts written, designed or edited and scheduled at the agreed times.
  4. EngageComments and messages answered within the agreed hours.
  5. ReportA monthly report of results and the next month's changes.

Content calendar
The schedule of planned posts for the month.
Engagement
Likes, comments, shares and saves on posts.
Reach
How many different people saw a post.
Community management
Replying to comments and messages on your channels.
Organic
Posts that are not paid for, as opposed to paid ads.
Business manager access
A way to give someone access to your page or ad account without handing over ownership.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check access each quarterConfirm you still hold the owner login on every platform and that only the people you expect have admin rights.
Keep the reportsMonth-by-month numbers show whether the work is paying off and make renewal decisions easy.
Take back access when you leaveRemove the social media manager's access the day the contract ends and change shared passwords.
Review it on LocufyA few honest lines about the social media manager help other people decide. If you are unhappy, start the make-it-right step and give them the chance to fix it.

STEP 1Write to the social media manager firstWrite down what you expected from the social media manager and what you actually received, and send it. Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the job needed reasonable care and skill; if it lacked them, sections 55 and 56 let you ask for it redone or for a refund of part of the price.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upAny score below four stars opens the make-it-right step: the social media manager hears about the problem first, and we follow it through before the review appears.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceThere is no ombudsman for social media managers. Advisers at Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133, England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262, Northern Ireland) can explain your rights against the social media manager and pass the case to Trading Standards.
STEP 4The small claims routeA claim against the social media manager can go, without a solicitor, to the small claims track in England and Wales (up to £10,000), simple procedure in Scotland (up to £5,000) or the small claims court in Northern Ireland (up to £5,000).

Hiring a social media manager: questions people ask

No. No licence, register or qualification applies to social media managers in any UK nation.

Your business. Give the manager access as a user or admin and keep the owner login yourself, so you never lose the accounts if you part ways.

Rewarded or partner content should be clearly labelled as an ad, as the CMA's guidance sets out, and posts must not mislead consumers under consumer protection law.

Roughly £100–£1,500 per month, typically £450. Platforms, posting frequency, original content and replying to messages move the monthly fee. The social media manager price guide shows what sits behind each figure; type your town above to find social media managers in your area.

No. Images and music are protected by copyright. Use your own, licensed stock or properly cleared material.

Most managers ask for three months to build a pattern; check the monthly reports for steady movement.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: Content CreatorHow to hire: Influencer MarketingHow to hire: Digital Marketing ConsultantHow to hire: CopywriterHow to hire: Graphic DesignerHow to hire: Google Ads / PPC SpecialistHow to hire: PR ConsultantHow to hire: Email Marketing SpecialistAll 701 hiring guides →

Social media managers near you

Social media managers in LondonSocial media managers in ManchesterSocial media managers in BirminghamSocial media managers in GlasgowSocial media managers in BelfastAll social media managers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — regulations that affect advertising
  2. gov.uk (CMA) — social media endorsements: guidance for content creators
  3. gov.uk — how copyright protects your work
  4. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register