Social media compliance reviews: what they cost

Key takeaways

A social media compliance review typically adds an indicative £150–£600 a month in the UK (2 to 6 hours) for an agency to check posts against FCA, ASA and sector rules before your own sign-off, plus £225–£600 once to build the checklist. Regulated firms still remain responsible, so the review supports your compliance team rather than replacing it.

• Monthly checks: £150–£600, indicative.
• One-off checklist: £225–£600.
• Your firm stays responsible for approval.
• A checklist makes sign-off faster.

What is a social media compliance review?

A social media compliance review is a check of each post or advert against the rules that apply to your business, such as FCA financial promotion rules, the CAP Code, CQC or SRA requirements, before it goes to your compliance owner for approval. It catches problems early, when they are cheap to fix.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• Social media for regulated industries in the UK

How much does a compliance review cost?

Checking a monthly batch of posts takes 10 to 20 minutes each, so 2 to 6 hours a month, an indicative £150–£600. Building a written checklist of your rules, risk warnings and banned phrases takes 3 to 6 hours, about £225–£600. Formal legal advice is separate.

• Per post check: 10 to 20 minutes.
• Monthly batch: £150–£600.
• Checklist set-up: £225–£600 once.
• Legal advice: separate.

• Social media costs for UK financial advisers

Who is responsible for compliance?

The regulated firm. An agency can draft carefully and flag risks, but FCA-authorised firms must approve their own financial promotions, and advertisers are responsible under the CAP Code for their claims. Keep a record of who approved each post and when.

When is a separate review unnecessary?

If your sector has no specific advertising rules and posts make no claims about health, money or results, normal proofreading is enough. A formal review earns its cost where a single wrong post could bring a regulatory complaint or fine.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: every post waits days for a busy compliance officer who rewrites it. A shared checklist that the writer follows first usually halves the changes and gets posts approved faster.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Compliance review checklist

• List the rules that apply to your sector.
• Write approved risk warnings and phrases.
• Check claims can be substantiated.
• Record who approved each post and when.
• Review the checklist when rules change.

• Social media policy writing: what it costs
• Hacked social media account recovery: the real cost

Next step

Ask your compliance owner for the three changes they make most often. Those become the first lines of your checklist.