Social media manager
Runs the company's social media profiles: what to post, when, and how to reply.
You'll like it if you use social media a lot and have ideas for content.
What it is
A social media manager runs the company's presence on social networks. They decide what to post, when and in which format, reply to people and measure what works. They are often the voice closest to customers: what they write in comments and messages is, for whoever reads it, the company itself.
Works with
- Brand manager (tone of voice)
- Designers and video makers
- Influencer marketing (partnerships)
- Customer service (problems raised in comments)
Read more on the blog: What does a social media manager do, and how do you become one?
What they actually do
Editorial plan
Prepares the post calendar for weeks or months, tied to launches, dates and campaigns.
Content
Writes captions and prepares photos and short videos, or briefs the creatives.
Community
Replies to comments and messages, moderates spam and insults, passes problems to customer service.
Scheduling
Schedules posts for when the audience is active and checks they go out properly.
Rights and rules
Checks the right to use photos and music and that paid partnerships are disclosed.
Insights
Looks at reach, interactions and saves and changes the plan based on results.
How the work is measured
The indicators (KPIs) they look at most often. The charts are just drawings, not real data.
- Reach
- How many different people saw the content.
- Engagement rate
- How many people interact compared with how many saw it.
- Follower growth
- How many new followers arrive, and how many stay.
- Clicks and site visits
- How many people go from social media to the website.
How to get started
People often start at an agency or a small company. A portfolio with editorial plans and sample posts (even for made-up brands) counts more than your personal follower count.
1. Skills you need
- Writing short, clear copy
- Photo and video basics
- Staying calm in difficult discussions
- Organisation and deadlines
- Reading insights
2. Free tools to practise
- Meta Business Suite
- Canva
- CapCut
Tools by other companies, free or with a free plan: we mention them only as examples.
3. In job ads it's called
- Social media assistant
- Junior social media manager
- Junior community manager
4. Later you can specialise in
- Community management
- Video
Try it
Exercise 1 · A week of matcha posts
Sara from Five Leaf writes to you: "A week of matcha posts"
4 parts, nothing to type: just choices, with a professional's solution at the end.
What you learn
- social media formats
- engagement rate
- captions that work
- managing the community
The basics, before you try
Short lessons in the app, with a quick check question at the end.
Study the theory →