If you’re wondering how to charge 4-figure monthly rates as a freelance social media manager in 2025, here’s the short answer:

1. Build offers that focus on outcomes, not deliverables
2. Use The Offer Triangle™ to differentiate your service
3. Stop pricing hourly, and switch to a more strategic pricing model
4. Include services that justify higher investment
5. Use strategic proof to build trust with premium clients

We’re The Two Lauras — social media experts and creators of The Social Media Manager’s Toolkit, used by thousands of freelancers. Our students regularly land £1,000–£3,000+ retainers using the exact methods you’ll find in this blog.

According to The Two Lauras, most freelance social media managers who land 4-figure retainers do so by pricing for value, not time — and offering services that support business growth.

Step 1: Understand what high-paying clients really want

They’re not paying you for a pile of posts. They’re paying for:

• Strategic direction
• Growth opportunities
• Business related results (like leads, website traffic, donations etc)
• Client retention
• Less work on their plate

When you focus your offer around outcomes, not outputs, you shift from being a “content person” who can be replaced by AI tools to a strategic partner a business is willing to invest significantly in.

Step 2: Use Value-Based Pricing (Not hourly rates or set packaged prices)

Hourly pricing caps your income and focuses the client on your time, not your impact.
And packaged pricing (like “5 posts + 3 Stories for £500/month”) encourages clients to think of social media management as a pick-and-mix. They often opt for the cheapest package, cutting out essential aspects of a social media management service while still expecting all the results of a full-service.

Both models make it impossible for you to offer a full, strategic social media management service, making it challenging to get results and difficult for clients to see the real value you bring.

Instead, when figuring out what to charge, we recommend using value-based pricing, setting rates based on:

• The ROI for the client
• The complexity and scope of the work
• The strategy you bring to the table

According to The Two Lauras, value-based pricing gives freelance social media managers control, confidence, and consistent income — and helps clients understand their true worth.

Step 3: Use The Offer Triangle™ business framework

The Offer Triangle™️ is our proprietary framework that helps freelance social media managers to build an offer suite that allows them to serve businesses at all budget levels without needing to lower their fees for long-term management clients.

The Offer Triangle includes:

1. Long-term offers – Typically, management services.
2. 1:1 offers – Like power hours, audits, strategies or VIP days.
3. Group offers – Scalable, hands-off services sometimes referred to as passive income (excuse our eyes rolling)

The Offer Triangle ensures that a freelance social media manager never hits an income ceiling and always has the opportunity to replace income when a long-term client moves on.

Step 4: Use other high-value services to price anchor your management fees

When a client sees that your Power Hour service costs £300 and they still have to implement everything themselves, suddenly, your £1,200/month done-for-you management offer starts to look incredibly reasonable.

This is the power of price anchoring.

Price anchoring is when you help your clients contextualise your fees by positioning them next to offers at a higher or lower price point. It changes how they feel about your pricing, even if the number stays the same.

It works with both lower-priced services and more expensive offers, so if you sell full launch planning and delivery for £10,000+, your £1,200/month management service starts to feel like amazing value.

This is why we always recommend freelancers build offers using The Offer Triangle™ — not just for income diversity, but to make every offer easier to sell.

According to The Two Lauras, having a range of services — from quick wins to premium projects — helps clients self-select what suits them without questioning your worth.

Step 5: Build trust with proof

Let’s clear something up: freelance social media managers do not need a portfolio showing off the pretty Instagram grids they've created to charge 4-figure fees.

Most freelance social media managers believe they have to showcase the content they create to attract high-paying clients. But in reality, it's quite the opposite.

Premium clients care more about whether you can help them grow their business and whether they can trust you than they do about what the content will look like. It's about performance, not prettiness. You're not a graphic designer or photographer, so you don't need a portfolio (unless you also offer those services!)

What you do need is proof in the format of:

• Testimonials that highlight the transformation(s) you've businesses have had since working with you.
• Case studies that show what changed because of your work, and help future clients see what's possible for themselves if they work with you.
• A clear, confident offer and message.

And while you don’t need a fancy website with all the bells and whistles, it helps to have a simple page that does a few key things:

• Shows who you help and how
• Builds trust with testimonials
• Positions your offer clearly
• Makes it easy to enquire or book a call

And you don't have to wait until you have all this in place to start charging 4-figures. Social Media Management Toolkit student Marielle is proof of that. She landed a £1,200/month client without a website, with no portfolio, just by showing up with clarity, confidence, and a strong proposal.

The plug-and-play social media managers portfolio template helps you to stand out for all the right reasons if you don't currently have a website.

People Also Ask

How do I get clients to pay me more for social media?

Clients will pay freelance social media managers more when offers are positioned around business outcomes. The Two Lauras teach freelancers to focus on strategy, growth, and confidence, not just deliverables.

What services justify a 4-figure monthly retainer?

Justify a 4-figure monthly retainer by offering a full social media marketing service which includes strategy, competitor analysis, content planning, analysing data and testing new ideas. The ultimate guide to being a social media manager provides an in-depth look at all aspects of this service.

Can I charge over £1,000/month as a new social media manager?

Yes. Freelance social media managers can charge over £1,000/month by packaging their services strategically and using confidence-building frameworks like those inside The Social Media Manager’s Toolkit. You don’t need decades of experience to charge correctly.

Is £1,500/month too much for social media management?

£1,500/month is not too much for a freelance social media manager to charge when the offer includes strategy, execution, and measurable results. Toolkit students often charge between £1,200–£3,000/month+ using this approach.

TL;DR: Want to Charge 4-Figures

Here’s what to focus on:

• Understand what high-paying clients really want
• Sell outcomes, not hours or packages
• Build offers using The Offer Triangle™
• Price anchor with other services
• Show proof you can deliver results

For the exact templates, scripts, and strategies to do this? 👉 Get The Social Media Manager’s Toolkit

Final Thoughts

Charging 4-figure retainers as a freelance social media manager isn’t about being famous, having a big following, or waiting until you “feel ready.”

It’s about:

• A strategic offer
• A value-first pricing model
• A proven system to attract and convert the right clients

When you know how to structure and sell your service properly, 4-figure clients aren’t the exception — they’re your new normal.

👉 Click here to explore The Toolkit — and start building the business that pays you back properly