Hiring a social media manager
Social media hiring goes wrong in a predictable way: a portfolio of attractive posts, an enthusiastic interview, and six months later an account that is publishing but not producing.
The questions below separate people who can run an account from people who can post.
Questions worth asking#
| Question | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| Walk me through a month that went badly | A specific month, a cause, a change made |
| Who filmed your best-performing content? | They did, or they organised it — not "the client sent it" |
| What would you stop doing on our account? | An opinion, with a reason |
| How do you decide what to post? | A format system, not inspiration |
| What do you report, and to whom? | A small set of numbers and a cadence |
Signals that should worry you#
- A portfolio with no numbers attached to any post.
- No opinion about which platform you should drop.
- Cannot describe a production routine, only ideas.
- Talks about follower growth as the primary goal.
- Has never had to answer an angry comment.
Give a small paid trial#
Ask for one week of real work: a plan for the month, two produced posts and a short note on what they would change. It costs little, and it shows you the thing an interview cannot — whether they can produce, not just plan.
Pay for the trial. Unpaid test tasks select for desperation rather than for skill.
Set them up to succeed#
Access to the product and the people, permission to answer questions without approval for routine things, a stated response time, and one number they are accountable for. Most social hires fail on access and approval, not on ability.
Frequently asked questions
In-house or freelance?
In-house when content depends on daily access to your product or team. Freelance when the work is steady but small.
What experience matters most?
Having produced content, not just scheduled it. Ask who held the camera.
How do we judge a portfolio?
Ask for numbers and context. A pretty grid with no results is a design portfolio.
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