Social media can be a really powerful way to connect with and build deeper relationships with your audience – but it can be extremely time consuming. So, we asked some folks we admire to share how they manage their social profiles and whether they’ve hired professionals to help.

Emily Pritchett

As a small business / sole proprietor, I do my best to showcase on my social media a few quality photos or even behind the scenes looks to my creative process. I chose to manage it myself because I don’t post every day, I want to choose when what I post, and I’m not in this “business” to gain a massive following but simply to have fun in creating. Read more>>

Mikayla Cisneros

I manage all the social media myself. I provide lots of daily training and updates of the dogs in my care. I find social media a good way to connect with my client and stir up new potential business via referrals. Read more>>

Billy Jennings

I manage my own social media using AI tools like Blaze and others, which allows me to handle the entire process myself. In the past, this would have required hiring a dedicated person or team, but with these advanced tools, I’m able to create, schedule, and optimize content efficiently. The decision to manage it myself was based on the flexibility, cost savings, and control it provides. Read more>>

Malenge Creative

We manage and handle our social media channels. We initially hired someone to manage our social media, but quickly realized that for this to be truly effective, you need a deep understanding of your own brand identity. You have to be clear about who you are, what information you want to share, and what content will truly engage your audience. It’s important to differentiate yourself from competitors while still showcasing your work as a portfolio, since nowadays, social media is often the first place people look to learn about your brand, even before visiting your website. Read more>>

Betsy Baltzer

I currently manage Literati Spirits’ social media accounts myself because I truly love the creative process—crafting visuals and writing clever captions that engage our followers. We want every post to offer an “experience,” not just a product. However, one of the biggest challenges is continuing to create content that feels both valuable and fun for our audience. It’s a lot of work, and it can be tough to keep up with all the different platforms while maintaining the quality we want to deliver. I’d love the opportunity to connect with other brand owners to discuss how they navigate these challenges and stay inspired. Read more>>

Jessica Labita Ashley Laneve

We produce all our own social media content, but we’re fortunate to have an amazing team at Adapting Social who assists us in editing to highlight the most engaging aspects. They also help manage our content across various platforms. We chose this approach because creating content is time-consuming and demands significant thought, energy, and creativity. Our goal is to ensure that our content reflects who we truly are, making it authentic and relatable for our audience. Read more>>

Marissa Cooper

Being a media production company it only makes sense to manage my own social media account. The reason for this choice is that it helps me to be in tune with the latest trends and developments in order to make attention grabbing content for my clients. The results that I have seen is that not only do I get engagement on posts, but IRL (in real life). I receive many comments and compliments on how engaging my social media is and how it connects with others. What I have learned that it really pays for brands to be their authentic self. People nowadays want to connect with brands and businesses where they can relate to the people that are in front of the camera. Read more>>

Jessica Rivera

I personally manage my own social media. I just recently reached over 1,000k. Now I will not say it has been easy. I have compared myself to other photographers, and mentally managing social media as a full time mom is not the easiest. I took a Meta Social Media Marketing course to better understand how social media works. My social media really started to grow once I started implementing what I learned. Understanding your reach and your engagement is important, as well as understanding what posts are doing better than others. My social media is far from perfect and I am still learning so much. I’ve always had a fascination with social media, and to be honest it’s really hard to let go of that “control”, if that’s a good for it. Read more>>

Denina Washington

I manage all of my social media accounts. I do so because with cooking content it’s hard to outsource. I would need a team that would be local and hands-on for example, filming and editing. Eventually, I want to hire a videographer to film recipes and possibly even edit. Doing my social media has been very educational managing your own in the beginning helps you to learn what you like or dislike. This experience keeps the power in your hands and you control how you want your brand to look. Now don’t get me wrong hiring a team is very helpful, but if you do this in the beginning then you won’t know all the ends and outs and you will be at the mercy of your team’s expertise. I like to be versed in all aspects of my business.  Read more>>

Andrea Amatte

I manage my social media, but as my business grew I was able to hire people to help me remotely. First I got an editor to help me with the caption of my recipes, giving me more time to do my core activities. Then I also hired a second person to pitch brands. that allowed me to get more sponsors and collaborations. Last, but not least, I was able to finally get an editor for my videos, which after some hard work to align our ideas and capabilities, allowed me to make great videos, that are turning into many more views per video. Read more>>

Tiffany Cabrera

I’ve been managing my social media for over 5 years, driven by my love for it and a deep passion for content creation. Though the road hasn’t always been smooth, the challenges have been worth it. Through consistency and persistence, I’ve gained valuable brand collaborations and much-needed exposure, which has helped grow my personal brand, Tiffany Marianna. Beyond that, I’ve expanded my expertise into managing social media for other companies, turning what started as a personal passion into a thriving business. Balancing both has taught me that while results may take time, the rewards come when you’re doing what you love.

Victoria Shaffer & Riley O’day Victoria Shaffer & Riley O’day

When we first launched the rescue, we debated whether to hire someone to manage our social media, feeling unsure of our ability to grow it on our own. However, after reviewing our nonprofit budget, we realized that hiring a social media strategist wasn’t feasible. From day one, we’ve approached social media with complete authenticity. Every caption is written by us, based on our personal interactions with each dog we feature. Our community recognizes this genuine connection, and we’ve received wonderful feedback for our relatable and transparent posts. While rescue work can be tough and emotional, we aim to balance the hard truths with the joy and brilliance it brings. A glance through our feed shows how much we’ve grown over the past three years. Today, we’re fortunate to have talented photographers donating their skills to showcase our dogs beautifully, and our writing has evolved with over 1,000 heartfelt captions to date! Read more>>

Brian Joseph

When it comes to social media, I believe the best hands to manage it are your own. I personally control and promote all of my social media platforms because I know that the only person who can truly execute my vision is me. I’ve never hired an outside team to handle my accounts, nor the social media for the businesses I work with. For many, managing everything solo can seem overwhelming, but for me, it’s quite manageable. I often get approached by social influencers and business owners for advice, and my consistent suggestion is to have confidence in yourself and build your brand with your own hands. There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing your work come to life, knowing you did it yourself. When you create content that comes directly from you—not a third party or random team—it resonates more authentically, and you naturally appreciate the journey and the result more. Read more>>