The short answer

Use an hourly rate internally to protect your economics, then sell a monthly retainer for stable recurring work with a tightly defined scope. Keep hourly pricing for setup, training, cleanup, and extras that do not repeat predictably.

Calculate the retainer from the work

Estimate research, planning, creation, revision, scheduling, monitoring, reporting, meetings, and administration. Suppose a one-platform package takes 18 hours, your sustainable internal rate is $45, and tools allocated to the client cost $40:

18 × $45 + $40 = $850

Add a reasonable buffer for normal variation. Do not offer a $400 retainer because you are new if it requires $900 worth of your time every month.

SBA recommends listing both one-time and monthly expenses before estimating profit needs (SBA startup-cost guide). Include bookkeeping, insurance, software, unpaid sales time, and time off in the rate behind your package.

Separate setup from steady delivery

Charge a setup fee for audit, access, strategy, brand learning, templates, and analytics. The first month is often the heaviest. A lower recurring price can then reflect the real ongoing work.

Define platform count, post formats and quantities, raw-asset responsibilities, revisions, meetings, comment coverage, reporting, approval deadlines, and extras. Paid-ad management should state whether the fee is fixed, tied to spend, or separate, and ad spend should be paid from the client’s account.

Review actual time

Track time privately by task for the first three months. If one client consumes repeated emergency hours, fix scope or pricing at renewal. Avoid billing every tiny overage without warning. Use a clear threshold and obtain approval.

Your price can rise as proof, efficiency, and demand improve. It should not depend on promising followers or sales you cannot control.

Sources and further reading

• SBA: Calculate your startup costs

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Helpful WAHMN article

For a worked example and more help with this topic, read How to Build Your Own Quote or Pricing Calculator With AI.

Helpful WAHMN tool

Use the Hourly Rate Calculator to compare an hourly rate with a monthly retainer using the time the client will really require.

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Related WAHMN resource

If you want to build a repeatable social-media process for your own business or clients, this system takes you through the larger workflow. See Social Media Marketing Manager Business.