Whether you’re a business owner about to hire your first social media person, or a social media manager wondering if you’re being paid fairly, the same question comes up: what’s the right pay for social media manager roles in the UK? The honest answer is “it depends”, but that’s not much use when you’re writing a job advert or preparing for a review. So let’s look at what reputable salary sites are actually showing, and what moves the number up or down.
I’m Chief Operating Officer at Delivered Social, which means I look after our team and our numbers. I’ve sat on both sides of the pay conversation, so I’ll try to be useful to both.
How much does a social media manager get paid in the UK?
Salary data changes all the time, so treat these as a guide rather than gospel. All figures below are at the time of writing, taken from each site’s UK social media manager page.
- Indeed. Indeed puts the average UK base salary for a social media manager at around £34,500 a year, with a typical range of roughly £25,400 to £52,300. That’s based on around 1,600 salaries reported on the site.
- Glassdoor. Glassdoor shows average total pay of about £36,000 a year, with base pay mostly falling between £28,000 and £41,000.
- PayScale. PayScale reports an average base salary of around £29,300, with most people between £21,000 and £45,000. Its entry level figure for people with under a year’s experience is around £20,800 in total pay, from a small sample.
So, broadly, most UK social media managers seem to be earning somewhere between the mid twenties and the low forties, with the middle of the market sitting somewhere around £30,000 to £36,000. The figures differ because each site collects data differently: some from job adverts, some from people sharing their own pay. None of them is perfect, which is why it’s worth looking at a few together.
Pay a social media manager for the job they’ll actually do, not the job title on the advert.
What pushes the pay up or down?
Two people with the same title can be doing wildly different jobs. Before settling on a figure, think about these:
- Experience. Someone who has run campaigns, managed budgets and reported on results is worth more than someone in their first role. The width of the ranges above shows how much that gap can be.
- Scope. Is it organic posting only, or does it include paid social, content creation, community management and reporting? Every extra skill adds value. Be honest about which ones you need.
- Strategy versus doing. A manager who sets the plan and works with directors is a different role from someone scheduling posts to a calendar someone else wrote.
- Location. Roles in London and other big cities often advertise higher pay, so compare against adverts in your own area.
- Size and sector. Larger companies and some sectors simply have bigger budgets. A small independent business won’t usually match a national brand, and that’s fine, as long as the role is sized to match.
- Agency or in house. An agency social media manager might juggle several clients at once. An in house role usually means one brand, in more depth.
Freelance rates are a different sum
If you’re hiring a freelancer rather than an employee, you’re paying for time, flexibility and someone running their own business. Day rates vary massively by experience and specialism, and there isn’t much solid UK data in the public domain.
One reference point: YunoJuno, a platform that books freelancers, lists an average day rate of around £326 for social media managers at the time of writing. That figure comes from its own booking data across its whole network, not just the UK, so use it as a rough marker rather than a rule.
Remember that freelancers cover their own holiday, sick days, equipment, software and pension. A day rate that looks high next to a salary often isn’t once you factor that in. Our view on unpaid trial tasks applies here too: if you want a freelancer to test the waters, pay them for it.
For employers: budget for the full cost
When you’re working out what you can afford, the salary is only part of the picture. Employing someone also means employer National Insurance, workplace pension contributions, paid holiday, equipment, software subscriptions and training. Your accountant can give you an exact figure for your situation, but it’s always more than the number on the contract.
A few things I’d suggest when setting a salary:
- Write the job description first. Be specific about what the role involves. That tells you which end of the range you’re in.
- Check at least three sources. Look at salary sites and a handful of current job adverts for similar roles in your area.
- Show the range in the advert. In my experience, adverts that show the pay attract more relevant applicants, and it saves everyone time.
- Plan for progression. Agree what growth looks like, so a great hire doesn’t leave in eighteen months for a pay bump elsewhere.
For social media managers: know your number
If you’re on the other side of the table, the same data is your friend. Look up your role on a few sites, find the range for your experience and location, and see where you sit. Then build your case around what you actually deliver, not just your title.
If you think you’re underpaid, don’t just stew on it. We’ve written a full guide to asking for a pay rise in marketing, including what to bring and what to say. Salary data gets you into the conversation. Evidence of your results is what wins it.
Fair pay is good business
Underpaying a social media manager is a false economy. Good people leave, and every time they do, you lose the knowledge of your brand, your audience and what works. Recruiting and training someone new takes time and money too. Paying fairly, and being open about how pay grows, is one of the simplest ways I know to keep a great team together.
