Pay and prejudice
Time to break some taboos—let’s talk money. Everything you’re dying to know about who’s rolling in it, who’s not, and how you stack up. Plus, the ugly truth about the gender pay gap in social media marketing.
01
Social marketer salaries fall short—do bonuses balance them out?
Social marketers handle a lot—is an average salary of US$67,585 enough?
Almost half of social pros don’t think so.
However, 51% also received a bonus in the last 12 months, adding US$6,470 to their base salaries.
Still, many social marketers say it doesn’t make up for all the work they do and challenges they face—like dealing with trolls and nasty comments, perpetual algorithm and network changes, and the emergence of brand new platforms that must be adopted ASAP (oh hi, Threads!).
- $67,585average salary (USD)
- 51%received a bonus
- $6,470average bonus (USD)
But since half of social marketers do get bonuses, it shows that base salary doesn’t always tell the full story when it comes to pay.
It’s why we’ve added average bonuses to most income figures you’ll see here—and why you should always be aware of your organization’s bonus and merit policies, including how to boost your chances of earning one.
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Social media manager salary calculator
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02
The highest-paid social pros (and how everyone else stacks up)
There isn’t anything too shocking about the groups of social marketers who earn the most money. Boring? Maybe. But we kinda like it that way, because it means the profession isn’t straying too far away from workforce norms.
The top earners in social media are basically who you’d expect
VPs, C-level execs, founders/owners
US$120,930
Have 15+ years of social media experience
US$101,346
Work in the utilities industry
US$91,903
Completed a master’s degree or higher
US$90,184
Work at an agency
US$83,328
Work for an org with 1,000+ employees
US$82,061
Sample: Social media marketers (n=3,842)
Source: Hootsuite Social Media Management Career Survey 2023, March/April 2023
Note: Figures show respondents’ total income (salary plus bonus where applicable for in-house and agency respondents; total income for freelancer and content creator respondents).
Learning about the highest-earning social media managers can be motivational, but looking beyond those groups can provide other key insights.
Social Marketers’ Pay x Educational Background
Sample: In-house and agency social marketers (n=3,220)
Source: Hootsuite Social Media Management Career Survey 2023, March/April 2023
Note: Figures show respondents’ total income (salary plus bonus where applicable).
While social pros with a computer science or STEM degree earn the most money, they’re more likely to struggle with social media tasks than most other groups, indicating those programs might not teach the skills they need for the job. We’d encourage computer science and STEM grads to seek out training and development opportunities to get their skills up to speed.
Social Marketers’ Pay x Years of Social Media Experience
Sample: In-house and agency social marketers (n=3,220)
Source: Hootsuite Social Media Management Career Survey 2023, March/April 2023
Note: Figures show respondents’ total income (salary plus bonus where applicable).
As you’d expect, social pros with more experience make more than those with less. This mimics pay patterns seen in other, more established professions—and it illustrates that social media managers can work their way up and get pay increases accordingly.
Social Marketers’ Pay x Company Size
Sample: In-house and agency social marketers (n=3,220)
Source: Hootsuite Social Media Management Career Survey 2023, March/April 2023
Note: Figures show respondents’ total income (salary plus bonus where applicable).
You’ll likely make more money if you work for a larger organization—but pay isn’t everything.
There are many perks of working for smaller organizations—like unique learning opportunities, close collab with higher-ups, and greater exposure to new things—that can be even more valuable than monetary rewards.
But, money-making potential isn’t the only benefit of working for larger organizations either—think bigger networks, more specialized roles, and larger teams (among other career builders).
It’s all about evaluating which perks mean the most to you and taking steps to land a job in an organization that’s a good fit (if you’re not already working for one you love).
Get paid what you’re worth
Knowledge is power: Learn about the top factors that affect your pay—like where you live, your job level, and your industry—so you can get the compensation you deserve. The full 2023 Social Media Career Report is your go-to source.
03
Social marketing—another profession plagued by gender pay disparity
The overwhelming majority (73%) of social media marketers are women, making it even more agonizing to report that they don’t earn nearly as much as men in the field.
A glaring gap: Women in social make 3/4 of the income of men social pros
Sample: In-house and agency social marketers (n=3,220)
Source: Hootsuite Social Media Management Career Survey 2023, March/April 2023
Note: Figures show respondents’ total income (salary plus bonus where applicable).
Women’s income is only 76% of men’s—that’s even lower than the US workforce average of 82%.
You’d guess then that women are less likely to be in leadership roles. Well, the opposite is true.
Top of their game: Women social pros dominate high-level positions
Sample: In-house and agency social marketers (n=3,220)
Source: Hootsuite Social Media Management Career Survey 2023, March/April 2023
Note: Percentages do not total 100% for all roles because some respondents identified as non-binary, preferred to self-describe in another way, or preferred not to answer.
That women could be such leaders in the field and still make less than colleagues who are men is a hard truth to accept.
As we continue to build up women to be leaders in social media marketing, it’s critical that we also fight for pay equity in those roles (and all others)—because it should be table stakes.
Right now, it’s not.
But we can get there by talking openly about pay (and normalizing those conversations). That’s one of the best ways to expose inequities and put pressure on organizations to do something about it.
No notable differences in pay for other historically marginalized groups
Looking at race, sexual orientation, and disabilities, salaries are fairly equal across the board. No news is good news here.
Arm yourself with the insights you need to earn more money