How long does a month of social media take to plan?

Key takeaways

The time to plan a month of social media depends on volume, but for one platform at 12 posts it is about 90 minutes to plan and about 4 hours to make the posts in a batch. Add two reply checks of about 10 minutes each working day. That is roughly 5.5 hours a month before replies, a GBL working rule of thumb.

• 90 minutes to plan a month for one platform.
• About 20 minutes a post when batched, closer to an hour one at a time.
• A second platform adds about half as much again if posts are adapted.
• Replies: two checks of about 10 minutes each working day.

Where does the time go in a month of social media?

The time goes in four places: planning (about 90 minutes), making the posts (about 4 hours for 12 when batched), approval and scheduling (30 to 60 minutes), and replies and engagement (about 20 minutes a working day). Most people underestimate the last one, and it is the one that turns posts into enquiries.

• How to build a monthly social media content calendar
• Batch a month of social content in half a day

Why does batching save so much time?

Batching saves time because the set-up cost is paid once: opening the design tool, finding the photos, getting into the writing. Made one at a time, each post repeats that set-up, so a post that takes 20 minutes in a batch often takes closer to an hour on its own. Batching also means posts are finished before the busy weeks arrive.

• Batch a month of social content in half a day

What does that time cost?

As an illustrative sum, 5.5 hours a month costs an employer about £90 at the April 2026 National Living Wage of £12.71, which is about £16.27 an hour once National Insurance, pension and holiday are added. If it is owner time valued at £50 an hour, it is about £275 a month. Replies add about 7 hours a month at 20 minutes a working day.

• Outsource the content calendar or keep it in-house?

How do you cut the time without cutting quality?

Cut the time by fixing the slots so you never plan from a blank page, keeping a backlog of ideas, reusing templates for recurring formats, and turning one job or one question into several posts. Cutting the reply time is the false economy: a slow reply loses the buyer the post attracted.

• Recurring content slots: the backbone of the month
• Turn one job into a week of social posts

When will it take longer?

It takes longer in the first two or three months, when there is no backlog and no templates, and whenever video, photography days or regulated claims are involved. A clinic or financial firm checking claims against advertising rules, or a business filming short videos, should plan for double the making time at first.

• A monthly video content plan for a small team

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: an owner who says social media 'takes all week' because it is done in ten-minute bursts every day. When the same posts are planned in one session and made in one afternoon, the total usually drops sharply, and the daily time goes on replies instead.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Time planning checklist

• Block 90 minutes for planning in week 3.
• Block one afternoon for making the posts.
• Block 30 to 60 minutes for approval and scheduling.
• Book two short reply checks every working day.
• Track actual hours for one month and adjust.

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Next step

Track how long next month's social media actually takes, in four buckets: planning, making, scheduling and replies. The bucket that is biggest is the one to fix first.