SMM retainer pricing calculator
Underpricing is a capacity mistake that shows up three months later as resentment and churn. This works out the floor below which an account costs you money — start there, then price against the market.
Everything: planning, capture, editing, writing, scheduling, community management, reporting, and the client call.
What you need this business to pay you, before tax.
Sales, admin and holidays are not billable. Over 60% is optimistic for a small agency.
Scheduling tools, stock, contractor fees, anything attributable to this client.
Revisions, late-night messages, the reshoot. 20–30% is realistic.
Your floor
$2,229/mo
Below this, the account costs you money. It is not a price — it is the line under which you are funding the client's marketing.
How it breaks down
- Required hourly rate
- $96/hr
- Labour (18 hrs)
- $1,723
- Direct costs
- $60
- Overhead (25%)
- $446
Suggested tiers
Foundation
$2,787
One channel, consistent posting, reporting
Growthsell this one
$4,236
Two channels, original content, community management
Partner
$6,911
Full management, paid campaigns, strategy
Common questions
How much should I charge for social media management?
Local SMM retainers commonly run $1,500–$6,000/month in the United States, CA$1,500–CA$5,000 in Canada, and £1,000–£4,000 in the UK. Where you sit in that band is driven mainly by the client's category and the affluence of their catchment rather than by your skill level. Start by calculating your own floor, because a retainer below your delivery cost loses money regardless of what the market pays.
How do I calculate my minimum retainer?
Multiply the real hours an account takes by the hourly rate you need, add direct costs attributable to that client, then add 20–30% for unbilled work like revisions and out-of-hours messages. The hourly rate you need is your target annual income divided by your realistically billable hours — usually about half your working year, not all of it.
Why is my agency not profitable despite charging a good rate?
Almost always because community management and client communication were never priced in. Answering comments and DMs daily is a real recurring cost, and a client who treats you as an always-on consultant consumes hours nobody counted. Either scope those out explicitly or include them in the fee.
Should I charge per post or a monthly retainer?
A retainer, in almost every case. Per-post pricing invites the client to divide your fee by the deliverable count and compare it to a freelancer rate, which is a comparison you cannot win. A retainer prices the outcome and lets you vary the work as the account needs it.
How much should I discount to win a first client?
Reduce scope rather than price. A £2,000 retainer dropped to £1,500 does not cost you 25% — if delivery costs £1,200, it costs 62% of your margin, because discounts come entirely out of profit. Offering one channel instead of two at a lower fee keeps your effective hourly rate intact.
Find clients who can pay it
A floor is only useful against businesses with the budget to clear it. SMM Lead Finder surfaces local businesses showing evidence of spend — active ads, review volume, multiple locations — alongside the social gap worth pitching.