Freelancer vs Agency: Which one should you hire to manage your social media?

Choosing between a social media freelancer or an agency? This guide breaks down the pros, cons, costs and how to choose what’s right for your brand.

I’m not biased towards social media freelancers, I promise.

Yes, I’m a social media freelancer myself, so you might expect me to push the freelancer route. But the truth? Freelancers aren’t always the best option.

In fact, I’ve worked with some really great agencies over the years. I’ve been a freelancer hired by agencies, and I’ve worked with agencies as part of wider teams. I’ve seen the inside of both worlds.

Here’s what I can tell you… this is not a black and white decision.

Agencies and freelancers vary massively in structure, pricing, working style and quality. The real question isn’t which is better but rather which is better for your brand, right now?

Hiring a freelancer or an agency is more complicated than it looks

Just like how agencies have different structures to their business, so do freelancers.

Some freelancers work on short, informal projects with one or two clients at a time. No brand, no team, just solo delivery.

Others (like me) run their freelance business like a mini-agency. I have multiple clients, team collaboration, branded processes and a curated network of creators and strategists.

Some agencies? They’re literally one person (a freelancer) pretending to be a team. Meanwhile, some full-scale agencies outsource everything to freelancers and contractors you’ll never meet.

So, what you see isn’t always what you get.

What clients don’t see

Here’s something most clients never realise:

Agencies rely on top-tier freelancers. And they would love to hire us full time, but they can’t afford us. We’re also a bit aloof and like our own personal space too much.

A freelancer who is in demand won’t take a permanent role in an agency unless they’re willing to take a huge pay cut. And when they do take on agency projects, their autonomy is limited. Agency workers workload is dictated by managers. They don’t choose your project because they love your brand; they’re assigned to it. That spark, that passion? It might not be there.

Freelancers, on the other hand, choose who they work with. If I take you on as a client, it’s because I like you and I’m interested in the project. I hate failure and I won’t take a client on unless I think I will be able to do a good job. If I worked in house at an agency, I wouldn’t have a say.

The role of account managers

Agencies have account managers to keep the client relationship smooth. Their job is to manage expectations, handle communication and keep the project profitable. Creatives (writers, designers, etc.) are shielded from direct client feedback to stay focused on the work.

This can be great for you if you want polished communication and clear updates.

But account managers are often also salespeople, they’re invested in retaining you as a client, and they don’t have to worry about the actual work or load. They sometimes promise things that aren’t possible. I can’t count how many times I’ve been handed a project and thought, “They said I’d do what by when?”

Sometimes, you need to speak to the actual expert. Yes, it might be less smooth. But it’s usually more real.

Who prefers freelancers?

In my experience, clients who choose freelancers are often:

• Experienced business owners.
• Comfortable navigating nuance and creative personalities.
• More hands-on and curious about the technical side.
• They want the real-time, genuine opinions of their technical people and creatives.

They’re not afraid to hear a blunt answer. They want partnership, and they know that the champagne and steak dinner, fancy office and brand new audi are all things they’re actually paying for out of their own budget. Nice when it’s your bosses money, not so fun when it’s your own business expenses.

Who prefers agencies?

Clients who choose agencies tend to:

• Want one point of contact.
• Prefer a hands-off approach.
• Need scalability and cross-discipline skills.

They’re happy to work with a structured team, even if it’s a bit more corporate. You don’t need to worry about leadership skills as much with an agency. Account managers are usually very resilient and can take a real beating (it’s not their business, ideas, work, or money). Where as youmay need to be more tactful when you’re working with a freelancer. We care about your project on a deep level, the work we do for you directly affects our day to day workload, income and portfolio.

If you’re unhappy with an agency, your conversation with the account manager will feel less awkward then addressing the person who is doing your work themselves.

Admin, contacts and control

Working with a freelancer often means:

• Separate invoices if collaborators are involved.
• Shorter contracts (or rolling agreements).
• More direct communication with the person doing the work.

Working with an agency often means:

• One point of payment and contact.
• A formal 6- or 12-month contract.
• A middle layer between you and the creative team.

If your account manager leaves halfway through your agency contract, you may be stuck with a new person you didn’t buy into, and have no way of leaving the contract. The plus side for some people is, your agency can’t really leave either. It’s not unusual for freelancers to fire their clients as easily as the client can fire them. That’s not always a plus, especially if the person who is managing the project for you isn’t super great to work with.

Warning: not all freelancers are hidden gems

Let’s be real. Some freelancers are:

• In between jobs, and saying they’re a freelancer to have something on their CV.
• Lacking true business experience.
• Starting a side hustle without strategy. They’ll be picking up all your work after their real day job.

Social media is full of people who left teaching or bought a course from an Instagram influencer and decided to “give freelancing a go.”

They might be talented, but they may not understand the serious business of managing your brand.

Freelancers who aren’t visible online can be difficult to find (and agencies know this). If you want top-tier talent, expect to pay for it. If you want cheap and cheerful, be prepared to take on more risk.

Red flags when hiring freelancers

If you’re considering hiring a freelancer, keep an eye out for these warning signs:

• They’ve no visible portfolio, testimonials or evidence of ongoing work. A lot of freelancers are just trying to earn money in the short term, and some can’t retain a client to save their life.
• The portfolio is full of great names, but not in a freelance context. If they’ve worked as an agency junior they may have had limited experience with actually managing clients themselves or doing real creative work, but still have the agencies work in their portfolio. What have they actually worked on just as a freelancer? Of course, everyone needs to start somewhere, but make sure you’re paying appropriately and not jumping in to risk.
• If they don’t respond within a reasonable time, within working hours or go AWOL for a while, expect more of that. Sadly this is not unusual in the freelancing world. Bear in mind that your version of a late reply may be different from your freelancer. I aim to respond same or next day, but not everyone is comfortable with that time frame and wants a faster response. Assess if your communication styles match.
• A good freelancer will have go-to recommendations for writers, photographers or developers. If they don’t know anyone they probably lack industry experience. Not necessarily a bad thing, but if they’re claiming they have lots of experience but don’t know anyone – that’s worth thinking about.
• They do social media, web design, copywriting, email, paid ads, branding, photography? Doing it all = doing none of it well. The tricky part is, a lot of us digital type people do genuinely have a lot of these skills. I would probably be able to work for a small business building their website, writing their copy and doing their photography with ease. But doing it at a level which you can present to the market as a brand for reasonable growth? We need a team of specialists.

Red flags when hiring an agency

Not all agencies are created equal either. Watch out for these:

• Some agencies market services they don’t have in their portfolio. If they market themselves as being marketing and web, but they only have websites in their portfolio, then they likely only really specialise in websites and do marketing as a bolt on. A designer working on a social media campaign as well as a website is not going to get you anywhere, I’ve seen these kind of set ups under perform over and over.
• You never speak to the people doing the work. Total separation from the creative team is a bad sign. There will likely be a reason you don’t meet this person.
• Everyone is a junior. Some agencies are young and they’re set up and managed by talented youngsters. Fine. But if you’ve been sold a big contract and the people actually doing the job are like 23 and dont have a scrap of work experience? They’re likely being underpaid and the agency is running a bigger profit margin than they should be. I say this because it’s really common in agencies. It’s part of how we all start out, so we know first hand. Working in these kinds of places is horrible because you have no senior to train you, high pressure and really, really bad pay. They’ll leave within a year.

How to choose the right one for you

To choose the right social media freelancer or agency:

• Be honest about your project scope. They need to know how much work is involved so they can quote properly. Some projects are too big for us, even agencies. Asking for one thing and then piling on more work once the contract has started will result in a false start.
• Ask your freelancer if they realistically have the capacity, and whether they’d actually like the job. An agency will always have capacity and always want the job, usually. Especially if they’re a sales person and not the owner. They’ll expand quickly by passing it onto a freelancer or new hire.
• If the scope is bigger than what one person can deliver, a good freelancer will often recommend an agency or build a team around you.
• Take their portfolio with a pinch of salt. Some clients feel like cheating, they give a great ad budget and want to work with the best people accross every area. Some don’t want to spend a penny and even did their logo themselves. They make a project very different, but a lot of younger or newer freelancers and agencies don’t get to work with good clients, even though they themselves may be excellent. So if their portfolio looks a little naff, listen to their ideas and how they’ve overcome challenges. How have they executed projects based on the resources provided?
• If it’s an agency, ask who will likely be working on your project. Even in a larger agency of 20+ people, they should know. Agencies aren’t informal corporate places, usually there is a culture of pallyness and a big drinking after work culture. Ask about that persons work, if you can meet them, and how long they’ve been with the company. If they’ve been there over a few years, and the account manager knows them well, that’s a good sign.
• Ask who their other clients are and how much of a priority this would be for them. Some agencies have monster sized clients who their entire business revolves around, your project may come as a refreshing change or it may be a burden to people working on it. Likewise, is this freelancer adding you into a big pile of clients, none of whom are served properly? Try asking your freelancer about their relationship with current clients.
• How likely is it that this person will go out of business? Everyone is worried about whether their freelancer or agency will do a good job. But what if you sign into an agency contract and they go pop? Or invest time in getting a freelancer up to speed only for them to get a “real job”? It’s not completely avoidable, but it’s worth thinking about. Most clients don’t want to change creatives every year and want to build up long term relationships.

So which is better? Freelancer or Agency?

Honestly? Neither. It depends on your budget, communication style and need for personal touch vs managed service.

Remember there are freelancers who work like agencies but don’t mark up prices for over heads, meaning you can move your budget to things that do more for you (like ads, or influencers). Or an agency that offers transparency and lets you talk directly to creatives when needed.

For me personally, I avoid some agencies like the plague and others feel like family to me. I enjoy working with people who get me whether they be agencies or clients directly.

Knowing who is doing the work matters, and your relationship with them. If you want to trust someone with your brand, it helps to be able to look them in the eye. It’s built on clarity, honesty and communication.