How long does a month of social media content take?
Last updated: July 2026
For a standard monthly package (12 posts, two platforms, visuals and copy included, client approval, scheduling done): 16 to 32 hours per month. That is 1.5 to 2.5 hours per post, everything counted, which surprises everyone who thinks a post is fifteen minutes of typing.
In short: a standard monthly package (12 posts, two platforms, visuals and copy) takes 16 to 32 hours, so 1.5 to 2.5 hours per post. Agree an exclusion list up front or the month never ends.
The assumptions: an established brand with existing visual guidelines, the client provides raw material (photos, news, offers), posts are adapted per platform rather than designed twice from zero, and community replies are not included (more on that below).
The task list, for one month
The honest ratio
A professionally made social media post takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours from calendar to scheduled, visuals and approval included. Twelve posts a month is a 16 to 32 hour package, not a side task.
What this package deliberately excludes
Community management (replying to comments and messages), daily stories, paid ads management, influencer contacts, being available "when something happens". These are real services, and they are a different kind of work: continuous availability instead of finished deliverables. They belong in a monthly retainer with its own price, not hidden inside a content package. The freelancers who burn out on social media work are usually the ones who sold a package and delivered a retainer for free.
Write the exclusion list on the quote. It is the most protective sentence in this niche.
What moves the estimate
Up: more platforms, video posts (each short video is its own small production), content created from zero without client material, strict approval chains with multiple reviewers, bilingual content.
Down: strong brand guidelines and templates after the first months, batch photo shoots that feed many posts, a client who approves fast.
Price your version
Adjust the lines, total them, and put the number into the calculator. At a mid-range 24 hours and the default $50/h with a 20% buffer, the monthly package quotes around $1,440 per month.
A content package has a task list. Availability does not. Price them separately and both survive.
From task list to monthly quote
Type your hours, add your buffer, and the calculator builds the package price with expenses and fees included.
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The estimation sheets
Every sheet in this series is built the same way on purpose: one estimation method, applied job by job. Same sheet, different job, your numbers.
Read next
How to estimate project hours without lying to yourself →The method behind all these templates, for any project type.
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Estimated Work
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Scope Buffer
funds revisions and surprises
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