Why You Should Outsource Social Media (And How to Nail It)

Tired of feeling like social media is a bottomless pit of tasks you’ll never get ahead of? Good news: You don’t have to do it all yourself.

Instead of stretching your team to cover everything from graphics and videos to strategy and engagement, why not hire social media experts who love this stuff. You get high-quality results, skip the hiring headaches, and even save money at the same time.

Truthfully, pretty much every part of your social media presence can be handed off to the right pros. And when you do it right, the payoff is huge: more consistency, better quality, and a lot more time to focus on the big stuff.

Here’s how to outsource social media like a pro, what it costs, and the essential checklist to nail it every single time.

Why businesses outsource social media marketing

Social media tasks have a way of piling up fast. One minute you're scheduling a post, the next you're editing a Reel, replying to comments, resizing graphics, writing captions, and trying to keep up with the latest trends. That’s why more businesses are choosing to outsource.

Here are just some of the benefits of outsourcing social media:

• More time to focus on the big-picture stuff, like sales, product, or strategy.
• Better content from people who specialize in just one thing, whether that’s design, writing, or video editing.
• Potential lower costs than hiring full-time staff for every piece of the puzzle.
• Room to grow without scrambling to hire or train more people.
• More consistency across platforms, even during your busiest seasons.

Outsourcing gives teams space to breathe. It’s a way to keep social media profiles active without running yourself into the ground.

How Much Does it Cost to Outsource Social Media Marketing?

Social media outsourcing can cost as little as $300 a month or as much as $10,000+, depending on who you hire and what you need. 

So, how much does it cost to outsource social media marketing tasks like content, design, video, strategy, and more? And is it cost-effective? Here’s a breakdown for freelancers, agencies, and subscription-based services:

Freelancers

Freelancers can be flexible and affordable, especially if you're only looking to outsource a few specific tasks.

Design work ranges from $5 to $25+ per post on gig platforms like Fiverr. Skilled freelancers usually charge between $20 and $75 per hour, but typically speaking, the higher the rates, the more custom and on-brand your content will be.

For copywriting, expect $10 to $50+ per caption or between $0.05 and $0.50 per word. Top-tier writers often charge $50 to $100 per hour for content that’s sharp and tailored to your voice.

Video editing costs can start around $50 per short video and can go up to thousands of dollars for more complex work. Hourly rates usually fall between $20 and $50.

Social media strategy is one of the more expensive freelance services. A full plan might cost $500 to $2,000+, with hourly rates in the $50 to $150 range.

Community management can run anywhere from $15 to $40 per hour, or $500 to $1,500 per month if you're looking for someone to handle daily engagement.

Reporting and analytics typically cost $100 to $300 per month. If you want more than just a data dump, you’ll need to invest in someone who can turn numbers into actual insights.

Agencies

A good social media agency gives you a full team to handle everything, from strategy and content to posting and reporting.

Basic full-service packages usually start around $1,000 per month. These often include a set number of post designs on one or two social media platforms, plus light reporting. More comprehensive services with custom content and deeper strategy can cost $3,000 to $10,000 or more per month.

Some agencies also offer task-specific services. You might pay $100 to $250 per video, or $1,000 to $5,000 for a one-time strategy project.

Agencies typically cost more than freelancers, but you’re getting more support, more structure, and usually better quality control.

Subscription-Based Services

If you prefer predictable costs and fewer moving parts, subscription services are a solid option. These models are built around flat monthly fees and typically focus on specific tasks like design, copywriting, or video editing, which is great for small businesses and enterprises alike.

Unlimited design subscriptions usually fall between $500 and $1,000 per month. You can request as much work as you like, but most services handle one task at a time. This setup works well for brands that need a steady stream of social media graphics without managing a designer directly.

Video editing subscriptions tend to start around $500 per month and go up from there. These services are ideal for simple edits like trimming, resizing, and adding subtitles. More advanced edits are sometimes available on higher-tier plans.

Copywriting subscriptions range from $300 to $3,000 per month, depending on how much content you need. Some services offer social media captions, blog posts, or email copy. Most include revisions and will adjust to your brand tone over time.

Turnaround times and output will vary depending on who you choose to partner with. These services are best for businesses that want reliable support without having to manage multiple freelancers or deal with variable hourly rates.

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What should you budget? 

Everything above is meant to give you a ballpark. Actual costs can vary depending on the provider, the scope of work, and where they’re based.

If you’re trying to stay active on social media, you can get reliable support/services starting around $400 to $800 per month. For brands that want strategy, stronger creative, or help across multiple platforms, $1,000 to $3,000 is a more realistic range.

If you’re ready to fully hand off your social media (strategy, content, engagement, reporting), you’ll likely need a budget of $5,000 or more per month to work with a full-service agency.

What social media tasks to outsource (hint: pretty much all of them)

There’s a common belief that you have to keep parts of your in-house social media operation to “stay authentic.” In reality, you can outsource every piece of the puzzle, as long as you’re working with the right people and giving clear direction.

Here’s a look at the most common social media tasks and why they’re such strong candidates for outsourcing.

Graphic Design

Design is one of the most popular and practical tasks to outsource. Creating fresh, branded content every week takes time, and it’s easy to fall behind. A subscription-based social media design company like ManyPixels makes this simple, giving you custom graphics without the bottlenecks of hiring or managing a designer directly.

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Copywriting

A good writer can match your brand voice and keep your content consistent across platforms. Whether it's short captions, ad copy, or long-form posts, outsourcing your writing lets you stay visible without writing everything yourself. It also ensures your content feels intentional, not rushed.

Video Editing

Short-form video content is a major part of most social strategies, but editing takes serious time. From trimming clips to formatting for different platforms, this is a task best left to someone who does it all day, every day. Outsourcing video means better quality and less time lost in editing tools.

Strategy

You don’t have to build your social strategy alone. Bringing in a consultant or agency to guide your content direction, scheduling, and growth tactics can give you clarity and structure. It’s especially useful if you’re not seeing results and want an outside perspective.

Community Management

Managing replies, comments, and messages is important, and it takes time, but it doesn’t always need to come from inside your company. A trained social media manager can handle day-to-day interactions if they’re aligned with your tone and brand guidelines, on different accounts. 

Analytics and Reporting

Tracking social media campaigns’ performance is essential, but digging through dashboards is a time suck. Handing off reporting to someone who knows what to look for can give you faster insights and better decisions without pulling your team away from creative work.

Outsourcing is about doing things better, with people who are focused on one piece of the puzzle. With the right support in place, you can run a full operation without needing a full in-house social media team.

How to outsource social media and nail it

Social media outsourcing can save you time, money, and a lot of stress. But to get the best results, you need more than just a list of tasks to delegate. Here’s how to make sure your outsourcing setup works for you and not against you:

• Set clear goals. Decide what you want to get out of outsourcing. Is it better visuals? More consistent posting? A full handoff? The clearer you are, the easier it is to align with the people you hire.
• Give them what they need to succeed. Share brand guidelines, tone of voice, preferred formats, and past content that worked. A simple one-pager is often enough to avoid weeks of trial and error.
• Communicate early and often. Check in regularly, especially at the start. Clear, specific feedback helps build momentum and avoids missteps. Don’t assume people will read between the lines.
• Start small before scaling. Test the waters with one task or platform. Once you’ve got a system that works, it’s much easier to expand without overwhelming yourself or your outsourced team.

Work with people you can treat like partners, ones with proven track records. The best results come from ongoing relationships, not one-off gigs. If you approach your freelancers or service providers like an extension of your team, they’ll work like one, and your social media channels will reflect that.

Side note: It’s also worth looking into AI tools for social media to help streamline this process even further. 

Wrapping Up

Outsourcing anything, including content, customer service, and especially your social media, is one of the best ways to stay consistent, show up with quality content, and free up your team to focus on what actually moves the needle. Whether you're delegating design, writing, video, or strategy, the right setup can save time and help your brand stand out.

If design is your biggest bottleneck, and for most teams it is, ManyPixels is a great place to start. Their unlimited design plan starts at $599 per month, giving you access to a dedicated designer, unlimited requests, and reliable turnaround times. 

You don’t have to chase freelancers or worry about off-brand visuals. Just solid, professional design work, delivered when you need it.

If you want to grow faster, stay consistent, and finally get ahead on content, this is how you do it.